CONCORD, NC – There is one final race left in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series regular season. Fortunately for Hendrick Motorsports, all four drivers have secured their playoff spots and will use this weekend’s feature race at Darlington Raceway as a chance to earn playoff points.
Also in action this weekend in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Chase Elliott will drive the No. 17 HendrickCars.com car. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native was successful in his last appearance with the team in May at Charlotte Motor Speedway and will look to bring home another victory in the division on Saturday.
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An unusual egg-shaped oval measuring 1.366 miles in length, Darlington is one of the sport’s most historic racetracks, having hosted Cup Series races since 1950. The track itself is very tight, offering little margin for error as drivers quickly lose their grip due to the track’s worn racing surface. As for the corners, turns one and two offer a gentle turn with a 25-degree bank, while turns three and four form a sharp, tight turn reminiscent of short track racing, but with a 23-degree bank.
Hendrick Motorsports has amassed 16 wins at the “too tough” track, six more than any other organization. Hall of Famer and current vice president Jeff Gordon leads the list with seven of those victories. Jimmie Johnson won three times at Darlington, and Kyle Larson, Mark Martin, Ricky Rudd, Terry Labonte, Tim Richmond and William Byron each led Hendrick Motorsports to victory once.
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KEY FIGURES FOR DARLINGTON
Data provided by Racing Insights
Larson, Team No. 5
Exactly one year ago, Kyle Larson broke through and took his first Cup Series win at Darlington. Although it was only his first win at the 1.366-mile facility, the track has been good to Larson, reflected statistically in 785 laps led and an average finish of 11.31 in 13 starts. Although the regular season title could be close (17 points behind Tyler Reddick), the team will look to earn stage points to close the gap as quickly as possible.
Elliott, Team No. 9
While Elliott has yet to win at Darlington, he has seven top-10 finishes at the track in his career. A crown jewel win would certainly mean a lot to the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team, but the regular-season title could mean even more to the group. Elliott is currently 18 points behind Reddick in the points standings. Look for the team to prioritize stage points as well, looking to close the gap by the end of the 500-mile feature race.
Byron, Team No. 24
Statistically, Darlington has been a solid track for William Byron in his career. Having already won once at the track in spring 2023, Byron has completed the most laps in the top 10 (1,367) and top 5 (1,041) in the Next Gen era at Darlington. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native is also riding a streak of four top-10s at the track heading into the weekend. Look for the No. 24 team to challenge for another crown jewel victory on Sunday.
Bowman, Team No. 48
Heading into the weekend, Alex Bowman has 12 top-10 finishes in 2024. The win in Chicago was the highlight, and the Tucson, Arizona native is set to make his sixth playoff appearance next weekend when the battle for the title begins. As a group, the team has finished in the top 10 in two of the last three Darlington races, and Bowman will look to win his first career Crown Jewel race this Sunday.
Hendrick Motorsports
In 2023, Hendrick Motorsports won the two races at Darlington despite failing to score a win in the last 14 races at the track. The team’s 16 wins are also the most of any Cup Series organization. Having already won two crown jewel races this season (Byron’s win at the DAYTONA 500 and Larson’s crown at the Brickyard 400), the team will look to win three of the available four races with a victory on Sunday.
DID YOU KNOW?
2024 will be the sixth season in which four Hendrick Motorsports drivers will be in the playoffs.
NASCAR TV PROGRAM THIS WEEKEND
Saturday, August 31
10:30 a.m. ET: Practice (Xfinity) – NBC Sports App
11:10 a.m. ET: Qualifying (Xfinity) – NBC Sports App
12:35 p.m. ET: Training (Cup) – USA Network
1:20 p.m. ET: Qualifying (Cup) – USA Network
Elliott is the third car to qualify in the No. 17 race. In the Cup Series, Larson, Elliott and Byron are in Group A, while Bowman is in Group B.
3:30 p.m. ET: Xfinity Series Main Event – USA Network
Sunday, September 1st
6:00 p.m. ET: Cup Series Main Event – USA Network
STAGE LENGTHS (Xfinity)
STAGE 1: LAP 45
PHASE 2: ROUND 99
END OF RACE: LAP 147
STAGE LENGTHS (CUp)
STAGE 1: LAP 115
STAGE 2: ROUND 230
END OF RACE: LAP 367
WILL THE RACE BE BROADCAST ON THE RADIO?
Yes, listeners can find both events on MRN Radio And SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
CAN I STREAM ONLINE?
Yes. Download the NBC Sports app for online coverage. Fans can also follow the action on X by following @TeamHendrick.
