Category: NASCAR Cup PR

NASCAR CUP SERIES
WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY RACEWAY
ENJOY ILLINOIS 300
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT
JUNE 2, 2024

 Dillon, Hocevar, Larson Lead Chevrolet to the Finish at World Wide Technology Raceway

• Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon led Chevrolet to the checkered-flag in the NASCAR Cup Series Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway – driving his No. 3 DOW / Rivers for Life Camaro ZL1 to a sixth-place result.
• The finish marks Dillon’s first top-10 result in three career NASCAR Cup Series starts at World Wide Technology Raceway.
• Returning to the site of his first career NASCAR Cup Series start, Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar piloted his No. 77 Zeigler Auto Group Camaro ZL1 to a season-best eighth-place finish.
• The result marked Hocevar’s second top-10 finish this season as the 21-year-old Michigan native competes in his rookie campaign in NASCAR’s top division.
• Despite a spin in the closing laps of Stage Two, Kyle Larson and the No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL1 team rallied back to a 10th-place finish – giving the Bowtie brand three different Chevrolet organizations represented in the top-10.
• Among the six drivers to collect points in both stages of the race included Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 team.
• The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Sonoma Raceway with the Toyota / Save Mart 350 on Sunday, June 9, at 3:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

 TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10:
POS. DRIVER
6th Austin Dillon, No. 3 DOW / Rivers for Life Camaro ZL1
8th Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Zeigler Auto Group Camaro ZL1
10th Kyle Larson, No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL1

 TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE QUOTES:

Austin Dillon, No. 3 DOW / Rivers are Life Camaro ZL1

Finished: 6th

“Man, just thank you to the good lord above. That was a huge run for this team. I didn’t expect it after practice, but the guys made some great adjustments and our No. 3 DOW / Rivers are Life Chevy, with Ducks Unlimited on the side of the car, was really solid all day long, even in traffic. It was just a solid day for the No. 3 Chevy team that we really needed.”

Kyle Larson, No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL1

Finished: 10th

“I’m super proud of this top-10 finish. After the spin, I wasn’t expecting that. The car kind of came to life. The No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevy team did a good job on our strategy. We were on offense there the last 25 laps or so.

It went as well as it could, given the circumstances. I’ll take it.”

Kyle Busch, No. 8 Rebel Bourbon Camaro ZL1

Sideline by damage sustained in an accident in the closing laps of Stage Two.

Talk about the contact with Kyle Larson.

Finished: 35th

“It looked like he (Kyle Larson) got loose down the front straightaway into turn one. He was on older tires and trying to get us for a spot. I’m not sure what that single point would mean for him, but it certainly hurt us a lot. It took that point away, as well as the others that we would get for the stage and then also the rest of the day. It’s very frustrating. We can’t afford days like that. The No. 8 Rebel Bourbon Camaro wasn’t what it was last year, but it was a top-10 car and we were going to finish there. Now we’re not going to finish at all.”

Busch on all the different pit strategies:

“We were kind of holding our own. I know (Kyle) Larson was on older tires and caught me from a couple car links back after I got by him. So I would say once we could equal back out on tires, I would say we would probably be top-10.”

Daniel Hemric, No. 31 Poppy Bank Camaro ZL1

Finished: 18th

“I think we learned a lot collectively as a team today. Our Poppy Bank Chevy struggled early on, but Trent [Owens] kept plugging away and made great changes. We caught a lucky break during stage two, which gave us great track position to start the final stage. I’m proud of how much we improved throughout the day.”

Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Zeigler Auto Group Camaro ZL1

Finished: 8th

“This No. 77 Zeigler Auto Group Chevy team did a really good job with everything all race long. We had a really slow stop at the beginning of the race with a lug nut coming off. That really put us behind. We knew we had a great Chevy, so we just did everything we could. We played strategy a little bit to make sure we were on the right end of it. We caught the caution right, but then after that, our car was really good. We ran as high of fourth and we were catching third. Our lights were off, so we were a little slow down pit road. That was probably the difference of getting a top-five finish or not. All-in-all, it was just a really good job by this No. 77 team.”

 

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

STEWART-HAAS RACING
Enjoy Illinois 300
Date: June 2, 2024
Event: Enjoy Illinois 300 (Round 15 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Illinois (near St. Louis)
Layout: 1.25-mile oval
Format: 240 laps, broken into three stages (45 laps/95 laps/100 laps)

Race Winner: Austin Cindric of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

SHR Finish:

● Chase Briscoe (Started 23rd, Finished 17th / Running, completed 240 of 240 laps)
● Noah Gragson (Started 27th, Finished 22nd / Running, completed 240 of 240 laps)
● Ryan Preece (Started 32nd, Finished 29th / Running, completed 239 of 240 laps)
● Josh Berry (Started 29th, Finished 36th / Accident, completed 109 of 240 laps)

SHR Points:

● Chase Briscoe (15th with 358 points, 176 out of first)
● Josh Berry (20th with 264 points, 270 out of first)
● Noah Gragson (23rd with 255 points, 279 out of first)
● Ryan Preece (29th with 211 points, 323 out of first)

SHR Notes:

● Briscoe’s 17th-place result bettered his previous best finish at Gateway – 24th, earned in the inaugural race at the 1.25-mile oval in 2022.
● Briscoe finished seventh in Stage 2 to earn four bonus points.
● Gragson’s 22nd-place result bettered his previous best finish at Gateway – 33rd, earned last year.

Race Notes:

● Austin Cindric won the Enjoy Illinois 300 to score his second career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his first at Gateway. His margin of victory over second-place Denny Hamlin was 3.844 seconds.

● This was Ford’s 730th all-time NASCAR Cup Series victory and its second of the season.

● This was Ford’s second NASCAR Cup Series win at Gateway. Joey Logano won the track’s inaugural race for the Blue Oval in 2022.

● There were five caution periods for a total of 32 laps.

● Twenty-four of the 36 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.

● Hamlin remains the championship leader after Gateway with a 21-point advantage over second-place Kyle Larson.

Sound Bites:

“I’m not really sure what all happened. I know there were a lot of different strategies there and I don’t know what played out and how it played out. Our car was OK. It definitely seemed like we struggled a little more on the long run than some of the other people, and we were lacking overall grip. Kind of a worst-case scenario for us, how it all played out. But I thought we definitely made our car way better from yesterday. We’ll learn from that and go to Sonoma.” – Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“We just struggled all weekend with the balance, and struggled with speed, struggled with take-off pace, struggled with long-run speed. Everything was just stuck in dirty air and couldn’t go on new tires, just struggled. Appreciate all these SERVPRO guys. Our 10 team, we’re frustrated, it’s not to our standard today. We’re going to go back to work and figure it out for Sonoma.” – Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 10 SERVPRO Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“I really don’t know what happened. Obviously, with what our past has been with the rotors here, it kind of makes you think that. I went over and looked at the rotors and it looked like they were still on it, so it’s either that or a tire. For where we started, we moved up into the top-15 pretty quickly. The car was pretty good and I was learning a lot. We pushed the exit on the last section a little too hard and got the penalty there. We were still passing cars, though, and it would’ve been another good day.” – Josh Berry, driver of the No. 4 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Save Mart 350k on Sunday, June 9 at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway. The race begins at 3:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

DANIEL HEMRIC
No. 31 Poppy Bank Camaro ZL1

• Daniel Hemric and the No. 31 Poppy Bank Camaro ZL1 qualified 28th for the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway.
• The first caution of the day came early on lap four, and Hemric pitted for a left-rear adjustment. Falling to 36th when the next caution came out on lap 18, Hemric radioed that he needed rear lateral in his No. 31 Poppy Bank Chevy. Crew Chief Trent Owens made the call for a major adjustment under caution, before Hemric went on to finish 35th in the opening stage.
• Continuing to make more adjustments to the No. 31 Poppy Bank Chevy, Owens made the call for ride-height adjustments for the start of the second stage. By lap 89, Hemric radioed that he lacked grip in his No. 31 Poppy Bank Chevy. As green-flag pit stops began, he made it as high as 10th place. A caution on lap 113 gave Hemric a lucky break, as he had not made his green-flag stop. During the caution, Hemric pitted for four tires and fuel, with the intention of staying out during the second stage break. He restarted 14th on lap 118. Just before the stage end, a caution came out, ending the second stage under caution. Hemric was scored 12th.
• Continuing with Owens’ plan, Hemric elected to stay out during the stage break and started the final stage from ninth place. He made it up to the eighth place, before cars with fresher tires put him back to 14th. As the final green-flag stops began, Hemric made it as high as seventh, before pitting on lap 184 for tires and fuel. The final stage stayed caution-free until the end, and Hemric finished 18th.

“I think we learned a lot collectively as a team today. Our Poppy Bank Chevy struggled early on, but Trent [Owens] kept plugging away and made great changes. We caught a lucky break during stage two, which gave us great track position to start the final stage. I’m proud of how much we improved throughout the day.” – Daniel Hemric  

DEREK KRAUS
No. 16 Kafka Conveyors Camaro ZL1

• Derek Kraus and the No. 16 Kafka Conveyors Camaro ZL1 qualified 25th for the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway.
• Kraus and his No. 16 Kafka Camaro saw the first early caution of the day on lap four where he reported his car was handling well in turns three and four. Electing to stay out and restarting from the top row in 26th, Kraus would lose seven positions within a few short laps before bringing out the caution as the 15 car spun Kraus on lap 18 in the corner of turn three and four. Kraus reported his Chevrolet could not run the top line, as he was free and lacked grip. Kraus came down pit road for four tires, fuel, and damage assessment. Finding no significant damage, the No. 16 came down pit road a second time for a final check before restarting 35th. Kraus closed out the stage in 34th.
• During the stage break, Kraus reported his car was still free and lacked the grip to run the top line. Crew Chief Travis Mack elected to keep the No. 16 out to gain track position that saw Kraus restart sixth. On older tires than the majority of the field, the No. 16 lost 24 spots, as Kraus managed the car the best he could. Kraus pitted on lap 93 for fresh tires and fuel, putting the No. 16 one lap down in 35th. The third caution fell on lap 113, as Kraus reported his car was firing off better but loose on entry. He brought the Kafka Camaro down pit road for four tires and fuel, restarting 34th and one lap down. Kraus finished stage two under caution in 34th, earning the free pass to put him back on the lead lap.
• Settling into the final stage, the 16 would take 4 tires and fuel during the break, restarting 31st and on the lead lap. Running the final stage long, Kraus climbed as high as 10th while the field cycled under green flag stops. The No. 16 pitted with 18 laps to go for four tires and much needed fuel, falling to 32nd and one lap down. As the field took the checkard flag, Kraus finished 30th.

“It was a long day here at Gateway. I felt we had a better car than our results, however, I was never able to get the track position we needed or keep it when we did have it. I’m thankful for Kafka Conveyors and Kaulig Racing for the opportunity, and I look forward to having another shot towards the end of the year.” – Derek Kraus  
 
About Kaulig Racing

Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time, multi-car NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, owned by award winning entrepreneur, Matt Kaulig. Established in 2016, Kaulig Racing™ has earned 23 NXS wins, made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started, and won two regular-season championships. In 2021, the team competed in select NCS events, before expanding to a two-car, full-time NCS team in 2022 and adding a third, part-time entry during the 2023 season. Since its first NCS start in 2021, the team has earned two wins. Kaulig Racing is currently fielding two full-time entries in the NCS and continues to field three full-time NXS entries, with a part-time fourth entry at select events. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Enjoy Illinois 300 Post Race | Sunday, June 2, 2024

Unofficial Ford Performance Results:
1st – Austin Cindric
3rd – Brad Keselowski
5th – Joey Logano
9th – Justin Haley
14th – Chris Buescher
16th – Todd Gilliland
17th – Chase Briscoe
22nd – Noah Gragson
24th – Ryan Blaney
25th – Michael McDowell
29th – Ryan Preece
31st – Harrison Burton
33rd – Cody Ware
36th – Josh Berry

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Freightliner Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Finished 1st)

VICTORY LANE INTERVIEW – WHAT IS GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND? “Honestly, I’m heartbroken for the 12 team. I don’t know what happened to them at the end of the race, but they deserved to win this race. Ryan has been a hell of a leader on this team. This weekend was a great weekend for everybody involved. To have two cars in the fight and an eventual one-two there, like I said, I’m heartbroken for those guys, but this is huge for me. This is huge for this team. I’m so glad I was able to get a win with Brian as my crew chief in the Cup Series. You never know when it’s gonna happen again. I just drove my butt off and hoped for the best.”

THIS IS ALL YOU DO. YOU WORK SO HARD, BUT IT’S BEEN A STRUGGLE. WHAT DOES A WIN LIKE THIS DO FOR YOU AND YOUR TEAM? “It’s everything. It’s absolutely everything and the funny thing about it is this Freightliner Ford Mustang is probably one of the best-looking cars at the racetrack and I’ve had terrible races every single time with this car and it’s great to win with a great paint scheme. It’s great to win in front of an amazing crowd. This racetrack does an amazing job putting on events and I’m just proud to be able to do it and proud to be able to bring it home for these guys. They deserve it.”

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Menards Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Finished 24th)

WAS THERE ANY THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO GET LOW ON FUEL? “No, I didn’t think so. I never thought in my mind we were short. It’s one of those things. I’m proud of the 12 boys. The Menards/Richmond Ford was fast. I had my work cut out for me holding off Christopher. That was fun. I don’t know what happened to him, but just one lap short. That stinks, but congrats to the 2 team. They did a good job all day. Props to them, Austin. I’m proud for Team Penske and Ford. I’m really happy with our showing today. I don’t know what I’ve got to do to get some luck on our side. I’ve wrecked the last two points races and thought we had a great shot to win today and I ended up bad, so I just appreciate the effort. We just have to keep sticking with it.”

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Mustang Dark Horse (Finished 5th) – “We weren’t too far off. We were just a few adjustments away of getting our Shell/Pennzoil Mustang as good as our teammates were, but not too bad. We were able to grab some points, which we need to do, and a Penske car got in Victory Lane, so you’ve got to be happy about that. Obviously, we’d rather it be us, but that momentum goes through the whole shop. It’s still a good day. We still scored a bunch of points today with stage points in both stages. A poor qualifying effort, which probably hurt us a little bit on tuning the car and just a little too loose off.”

BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 6 Solomon Plumbing Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Finished 3rd)

“That was strategy. We got behind early for sure but we kept putting ourselves in position to keep moving forward and I wish I could have gotten second but it was a really hard-fought day for everyone on the Solomon Plumbing Ford Mustang. We will take a lot of good momentum from this one for sure.”

WHAT CAN YOU SAY ABOUT THAT RUN? “It was hot in the there, but it was good for our whole effort. We were in position early and we had the issue there on pit road. The guys kept their heads down and recovered. We had some good strategy and made some good passes on that last restart to start stage three and on the long run we were really strong, so just making it all count where we can.”

YOU STAYED OUT AT ONE POINT. BEING A TEAM OWNER, WHAT KIND OF CONFIDENCE DOES THAT GIVE YOU TO MAKE THOSE CALLS? “Ultimately, I have the steering wheel, so I can always make the call (laughing), but I just felt confident. Our car wasn’t falling off and I just wanted to keep going and see it out and see if maybe we could catch a yellow. If not, I felt more good things would happen for us.”

JOSH BERRY, No. 4 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Retired Early – Single Car Incident on Lap 109)

WHAT HAPPENED? “I really don’t know what happened. Obviously with what our past has been with the rotors here it kind of makes you think that. I went over and looked at the rotors and it looked like they were still on it so it is either that or a tire.”

YOU WERE HAVING A GREAT DAY UNTIL THE SPEEDING PENALTY, CAN YOU TAKE US THROUGH THAT? “Yeah, for where we started we moved up into the top 15 pretty quick. The car was pretty good and I was learning a lot. We pushed the exit on the last section a little too hard and got the penalty there. We were still passing cars though and it would have been another good day.”

DID YOU HAVE ANY WARNING BEFORE YOU HIT THE WALL? “Not really. That is what I mean. I don’t know. I looked at it and the rotors look like they are pretty intact. So I don’t know. When we get it back to the garage we will look. I am sure it is either that or just the tire went flat.”

HAMLIN, REDDICK SCORE TOP-FIVES AT GATEWAY
Bell’s dominate Camry suffers issues late, survives for a top-10 finish

MADISON, Ill. (June 2, 2024) – Denny Hamlin (second) and Tyler Reddick (fourth) earned top-five finishes to lead Toyota in the NASCAR Cup Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway on Sunday evening.

Hamlin earned his fifth straight top-five finish and retained the points lead, while Reddick scored his sixth top-five finish of the season.

For the second straight race, Christopher Bell led the most laps and was battling for the win late before encountering mechanical issues. He was able to take a conservative approach to the final few laps to salvage a top-10 finish.

With Hamlin’s runner-up finish, Toyota has taken over the lead in the manufacturer’s championship for the first time this season.

Toyota Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway
Race 15 of 36 – 300 miles, 240 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Austin Cindric*
2nd, DENNY HAMLIN
3rd, Brad Keselowski*
4th, TYLER REDDICK
5th, Joey Logano*
7th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
11th, TY GIBBS
21st, BUBBA WALLACE
26th, ERIK JONES
27th, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
34th, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 Yahoo Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 2nd

Seemed like a decent day for you Denny. Did you just not have the raw speed to compete for the lead?

“No, definitely not. We had a top-five car – we didn’t have the best today, but the Yahoo Camry was in the mix, and was able to capitalize on some others misfortune there. We were going to have a top-five day regardless, but proud of the team. They did a great job on pit road – Chris (Gabehart, crew chief) and the team brought a great car, just wasn’t quite enough.”

TYLER REDDICK, No. 45 SiriusXM Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing

Finishing Position: 4th

Can you talk about your finish?

“Yeah, we a rough first stop there. I slid a little long, and just slowed everyone down on the 45 pit crew. We came in eighth and came out in 28th. It took the entire race to claw back from that – just a great effort by the guys. I feel like we were right there with the 2 (Austin Cindric) to start the race, so obviously, it is a little bit of a bummer that we had that issue, but that is kind of the name of the game when you come to World Wide Technology Raceway – you have to have a clean race, and unfortunately, we didn’t. I’m really glad we were able to get a fourth place finish out of our SiriusXM Camry.”

CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 DEWALT Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 7th

What exactly happened and what did you feel?

“I have no idea what happened with our DEWALT Camry – some sort of motor issue, and I’m surprised that it made it to the end. Glad we were able to salvage something out of it – but you don’t get race cars like that very often – whenever you do, you need to take advantage of them, so that is disappointing.”

Can you talk about Martin Truex Jr. pushing you trying to help you finish this race?

“Yeah, that was awesome. He probably saved us a top-10 today – Martin (Truex) is a stand-up guy.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs more than 49,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 34 million cars and trucks at our nine manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 10th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 28 electrified options.

Through its Driving Possibilities initiative, the Toyota USA Foundation has committed to creating innovative educational programs within, and in partnership with, historically underserved and diverse communities near the company’s U.S. operating sites.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Enjoy Illinois 300 Qualifying | Saturday, June 1, 2024

Ford Performance Results:
1st – Michael McDowell
2nd – Austin Cindric
3rd – Ryan Blaney
7th – Brad Keselowski
12th – Joey Logano
21st – Justin Haley
23rd – Chase Briscoe
27th – Noah Gragson
29th – Josh Berry
30th – Harrison Burton
32nd – Ryan Preece
34th – Cody Ware
35th – Todd Gilliland

MICHAEL MCDOWELL, No. 34 Siteman Cancer Center Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“I had a bit of a moment there in Turn 3 and got a little loose and had to catch it but luckily I was able to recover quickly and get back in the throttle. I am so proud of everybody at Front Row Motorsports. I know this is our third pole of the year, but to do it at a short track, a flat track, not a superspeedway, I am really proud of everybody. We have Siteman Cancer Center on the car this weekend, the first time for them. I am excited to start from the pole tomorrow. I am really proud of everybody. It is a team effort here.”

HOW IMPORTANT IT THIS FOR YOU GUYS TO HAVE THE NUMBER ONE PIT SPOT TOMORROW? “It is huge here. They widened pit road here a few feet but we have seen it where it is just really critical to get off pit road here. It is tight, especially when these guys do two tires or four tires. Having that first stall and being able to launch from your box and have a clean shot at it will be a big deal tomorrow. But right now we are going to celebrate today. We will worry about tomorrow, tomorrow morning. It is a great effort by everyone and all of our partners. We have great partners and this is a great race team. Big news for Front Row getting a third charter this week. There is a lot of momentum happening. We need a win. We need a win to get into the playoffs and we are going to fight hard for it.”

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Freightliner Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“I got really good exits which made watching that really frustrating because you know they are all going to pass you on entry. It was just whether or not you got enough. The 34 guys did a great job. Michael (McDowell) had two really great laps. I felt like I got it all on our end after leaving a little bit on the table the first round. The Freightliner Ford Mustang is fast. It is great to be on the front row for tomorrow.”

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Menards Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“It is a good day for Ford taking the top three spots. We had a lot of speed in those Mustangs today. I was happy with the speed in our car throughout the day and in qualifying. It is a pretty good day. I wish we would have been closer to the pole, but overall a very solid day and I feel good about being able to put together a good day tomorrow as wel.”

MICHAEL MCDOWELL POLE WINNING PRESS CONFERENCE

CONGRATULATIONS ON WINNING THE POLE. OBVIOUSLY A GOOD LAP TODAY: “Yeah, it was great. I’m so thankful that we got practice and qualifying in. When we looked last night and this morning, we were like, ah, not sure if this is going to happen. But really, this practice went really smooth. We unloaded pretty close. Had to work a little bit on the balance, but with this type of practice and qualifying, you just have to be close when you unload. And Travis Peterson and Griff and all the guys did a great job of bringing us a fast Ford Mustang again. The second round isn’t new to us this year but I feel like we’ve got into the second round several times and then not made that next jump in that next round where we might be third, fourth or fifth that first round and then end up eighth, ninth or tenth in that second round so I’m just thankful that we were able to you know make all the right adjustments and give ourselves a great shot at getting the pole. I mean obviously we had tremendous speed and so that was a lot of fun. There’s a couple Ford Mustangs up front so that’s good and tomorrow with track position and pit stall selection and all the things that are super important here. This is a great start of the weekend for us. We just have to maximize the opportunity. We got to capitalize and we have to execute. We need to win desperately to get into the playoffs. We know that and we know that the next four to five weeks are great opportunities for us. We’re kicking it off right.”

YOU AND CINDRIC WERE THE ONLY TWO GUYS TO GO TO THIRD GEAR IN THE LAST TWO CORNERS. HOW DID YOU FIGURE THAT OUT? “Oh, I don’t want to answer that. A study in preparation and execution. Well, I’ll run you through it okay, because everybody’s gonna look anyway. So last year we were third or fourth in practice. Had a really fast car. We were on the 10 lap average. Everything was really good, top-five car. I thought with the speed that you’d pick up in qualifying and the extra grip that you had that extra downshift would probably overslow it and would hurt you. My plan last year was to run run fourth in three and four, and I did. I lost a tenth and a half in that corner compared to all the guys that downshifted and so studying that, looking at it and highlighting it I just knew that that’s what I needed to do. Then the flip side of it the only one that made the second round before I went out that downshifts was Austin Cindric and everybody else ran fourth in turn three and so then you’re scratching your head as you’re sitting in the car. All that studying and all that planning, what do you do? The thing that I’ve learned with this car and maybe it’s with experience but I feel like in particular with this car when it comes to qualifying you just have to execute your plan, and I planned all week to do that and I’m just going to execute my plan right, wrong, or indifferent. So I just committed to it and fortunately we’re on the right side of it because it could easily have gone the other way. That’s what’s tough about this car is you’re really splitting hairs trying to find that extra tenth, right? And that’s what the difference was. It was a tenth between had I downshifted last year versus not and you don’t want to leave anything on the table and so just really had a plan, executed the plan and it turned out to be the right one.”

AND SECOND JUST HOW BIG A SOURCE OF PRIDE IS IT TO DO THIS ON A 1.25 MILE QUIRKY SPEEDWAY RATHER THAN THE SUPER SPEEDWAY? “Yeah, Talladega and Atlanta were special. They are. Getting the pole there was special because it always is every weekend such a team effort. We all know that you can’t go fast without fast race cars, but in particular at Talladega in Atlanta, the driver’s not a big part of whether or not you’re going to qualify well. You still have to execute. You still have to get through the gears. And so I don’t want to take anything away from, from that standpoint but it really is a matter of how fast of a race car your team brought you right? It’s still the same today it really is like even today the poll today is because I had a really fast race car. I had more pressure to execute my part at a flat track like this where you’re up shifting twice, down shifting twice each corner, heavy brake zones, all those things. So it’s more rewarding from that standpoint to go out there and execute and do it. And the biggest thing is over the years I haven’t had a lot of opportunities at this to qualify on the pole or have a shot at the front row and things like that. As crazy as this sounds, I just had to remember to 15 years ago, 16 years ago when I sat on like 10 ARCA poles, and I just didn’t overthink it. I just went out there and did my deal. If your car’s fast enough, you get the pole, right? And so I just went into that second round thinking like that. Like, you don’t have to do anything special. You don’t have to overthink it. You just have to go execute what you know you have to do and not overdo it. So I’m glad it worked out because there have been times this year where I felt like we’ve had shots at the pole, maybe not quite as fast as we were today, but third, fourth place car, and like I said we ended up sixth or seventh and you kind of leave bummed. Today we did everything right and the car was really close from the time we unloaded and made all the right adjustments and so I’m proud of the total team effort that we have and you know there are a lot of good things that are happening at Front Row right now and you know with the news this week of expanding to three charters and the growth that we’re seeing and the performance that we’re seeing is awesome. To back that up this week with a poll on a legit hard racetrack to go get a poll I feel like is validating for everything that they’re doing.”

HOW PROUD ARE YOU IN YOUR ABILITY AND YOUR TEAM’S ABILITY TO CONTINUE TO PERFORM AT THIS HIGH LEVEL CONSIDERING YOUR STATUS FOR NEXT YEAR AND THE WHOLE LAME-DUCK THING? “Yeah, I mean obviously we’re not a lame duck. I don’t really know where the terminology originates from. You probably could tell me because you’re pretty good with words. You’re a wordsmith I feel like. But I hate lame duck. It’s so lame. It’s a lame term. I am as motivated as I’ve ever been to make sure that we win and make the playoffs. And for so many reasons, right? But more than ever, because I am making a change and I want to finish what we started and I want to do what I know we can do. We have a group of people right now that we can win races and I just have to do my part. To me, it’s more of not letting those guys down. Also to me, it’s Bob Jenkins has taken me from a guy that was running 30th every weekend to winning the Daytona 500 and winning Indianapolis and sitting on three poles this year. I’m going to give them everything I have because that’s what you do when somebody has changed your life, right? And so it’s the only way that I know that we can do it.”

IS THERE ANY ANIMOSITY AT ALL KNOWING THAT YOU’RE KIND OF GETTING TRADED IN FOR A NEW MODEL? I KNOW YOU’RE GOING TO GIVE 110% BECAUSE YOU’RE A RACER AND YOU DON’T KNOW ANY DIFFERENT THAN THAT. BUT I ASKED JERRY WHAT THE OPTIONS ARE AND HE SAID, WELL, I WANT TO FIND SOMEBODY LIKE MICHAEL MCDOWELL, THAT I CAN MOLD INTO MICHAEL MCDOWELL. AND IT’S LIKE, WELL, IF YOU HAVE THE ORIGINAL, WHY WOULD YOU SCREW AROUND WITH THAT? I’M JUST KIND OF CURIOUS, YOU KNOW, DOES IT CHAP YOU A LITTLE BIT THAT YOU JUST COULDN’T FINISH OUT YOUR CAREER THERE? “That’s a great question. It’s an honest question and I appreciate it. I think that the first week or two as I was navigating what was in front of us, maybe a little bit, but not now. And the reason not now is because it always works out. I know in my heart what I was supposed to do. I think Bob knew in his heart what he was supposed to do, even though it doesn’t always make sense. It doesn’t always make sense, but there are so many moving parts behind the scenes that not everybody knows. I don’t mean like gossip, that’s not what I mean, but probably the best thing for Front Row Motorsports and for Bob Jenkins is for me not to be in that 34 car, as crazy as that sounds. Because of what it’s going to allow him to do and what it’s going to allow him to build his race team into. And yes, I’m disappointed about that sometimes a little bit, but I also know for me that I have a great opportunity in front of me and I have a long future in front of me and obviously I’m not done yet, right? So I feel great about my decision and I think Bob feels good about his decision as well and there’s no animosity. There are no hurt feelings. Sometimes it’s just the way it works out and I feel that this is how it’s supposed to work out.”

TO WIN TOMORROW, WHAT’S IT GOING TO TAKE AND WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT THIS TRACK? “Well, it’s going to take track position, which we start out with and we have, and so we got to execute that. I’ve seen it be really powerful here before. In 2022 I believe, we stayed out and took the lead and led like 50 or 60m I don’t know but a decent amount of laps. That was really eye opening of like, hey, we just got to get out in front and we’re going to be okay. And last year we had a top 10 car here as well. I’m not super shocked by our speed. I think it was exceptional today in qualifying for sure. Tomorrow it’s just about executing that initial start and pit stops. There are so many variables. There are so many things that happen. When you’re the leader or if you are still leading different strategies that people take. Two tires here is an option and staying out and different things have been an option here. So you’re going to have to be versatile. You’re going to have to be able to keep the lead and then if you do lose track position because of altering strategies you have to be able to get through traffic. So much happens on a race day. I always say this and this is not just because I’m sitting here right now but Saturday is a race of its own and today we won the race and tomorrow we’ll focus on winning that race but today we executed well and did everything we needed to do and if we do that tomorrow we’ll have a shot at winning the race. But to win a Cup race you have to be perfect and we’ve seen it. It’s tough, right? You have past champions that haven’t won a race in a long time. We’ve seen really, really good guys and really good teams that have the speed and are so close, but everything has to go perfectly. So we know what we have to do. We’ve been in this spot before as far as needing to win to get into playoffs and having speed. We have to rise to the occasion. I think we will.”

DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE TO WIN TO MAKE THE PLAYOFFS AS FAR OUT AS YOU ARE? “I think I do. If we run like this every weekend and can score 20 stage points each week, then no, but the way that it looks right now I think that we have to win. And honestly, that’s the approach. That’s always been the approach for us. Even last year when we were close to pointing our way in, which we would have pointed our way in, even without the win, we knew that we were going to Sonoma, and we were going to Indy, and we were going to Chicago Road Course, and we were going to those places to win the race and our strategy was to win the race. It’ll be the same this time. We’re not trying to score points to point our way into the playoffs. If we happen to do that because we are that fast and we are executing that well, then great but I’m not counting on that. I’m counting on going and winning in the next two or three weeks and not having to worry about it.”

ARE YOU SURPRISED THAT LARSON HASN’T GOTTEN A WAIVER YET? DO YOU HAVE ANY OPINION ON WHETHER HE SHOULD GET A WAIVER FOR NOT MAKING IT TO THE START? “I don’t see the other side of this point at all. I think if it was me and I did it and I think that’s a different situation and I hate to say it like that, but Kyle Larson is going to win five or six or seven races this year. To sit here and say that he’s not going to get a waiver because he tried to do the double and brought a tremendous amount of eyeballs on our sport and a tremendous amount of eyeballs on IndyCar and just helped motorsports all together is crazy. So I know that there’s arguments to that, but I mean, come on, we’re talking about the best driver that’s ever sat in a stock car and we’re not going to give him a pass? That’s crazy.”

HOW DID YOUR CAR HANDLE IN TRAFFIC DURING PRACTICE? I KNOW CONDITIONS WILL BE DIFFERENT TOMORROW FOR THE RACE, BUT IT IS SUCH A CRITICAL THING, TRACK POSITION IN THIS RACE. “One of the things that was fun about today’s practice was it wasn’t split, right? All of us out there at once, so like it or not, you were going to be in traffic. There was no clean racetrack, which kind of reminded me of the old days of happy hour, right? You’d roll out for happy hour and there’d be 43 of you and you’d be nose to the tail and you’d roll out and give yourself two or three car lengths gap and hammer down. We didn’t run a whole lot in clean air. I was always catching somebody or attempting to catch somebody or passing somebody. I think that I got a good feel for what we need for tomorrow. But when it’s 8 a.m. or whenever we rolled out, right, 8:30, it’s cool, overcast, slightly misty, that’s not going to be tomorrow. I really separate the two days. Today’s all about one lap or two laps. It’s about qualifying and tomorrow we know what we need to do. We’ve raced here before, we have a good notebook, but practice is not an indication of what you’re gonna have tomorrow. It’s just not. We just have to make the right adjustments overnight, knowing that it’s going to be warmer and sunnier. The track’s gonna lose a tremendous amount of grip compared to what we had and it’s gonna take a lot of rubber and you’re gonna move around and you’re gonna be up in that third lane on both ends. You gotta have a good notebook that you can lean into. And like I said, I feel good about that just based on the fact that we had a top 10 car here last year.”

5 KYLE LARSON

Age: 31 (July 31, 1992)

Hometown: Elk Grove, California

Resides: Mooresville, North Carolina

Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels

Standings: 3rd

No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

THIRD TIME’S A CHARM: Sunday marks the third NASCAR Cup Series race at WWT Raceway in Madison, Illinois. Last year, HENDRICKCARS.COM driver Kyle Larson led five laps before finishing fourth in the 243-lap race. Overall, he has one top-five finish, one top-10 and an average finish of eighth at the 1.25-mile oval.

OUT FRONT: This season, 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Larson has led 649 laps – the most of any driver by 42. He also has a series-high seven stage wins and three pole positions while his six top-five finishes are tied for the most in NASCAR’s premier series.

VICTORIOUS: Larson has visited victory lane twice in 2024. In March at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the 31-year-old driver led 181 laps and won both stages en route to the win at the desert track. In May at Kansas Speedway, Larson nosed ahead of Chris Buescher at the finish line to win by 0.001 seconds – the closest finish in NASCAR Cup Series history.

FOUR TIRES FAST: The No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM pit crew holds the sixth-fastest average four-tire pit stop time in 2024 at 10.921 seconds. Larson’s pit crew consists of Blaine Anderson (front-tire changer), R.J. Barnette (tire carrier), Brandon Harder (fueler), Brandon Johnson (jackman) and Calvin Teague (rear-tire changer). 

AWAY BUT ALWAYS AVAILABLE: In 2024, the No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM team recognizes “home” events by wearing white firesuits and “away” with blue. Its home races come at tracks with nearby Hendrick Automotive Group car dealerships. This weekend, the team will race “away” just outside of St. Louis. However, you can pick up a new set of keys from any one of Hendrick Automotive Group’s 93 dealerships nationwide. Customers can also shop from the convenience of their home by selecting the category, make, model and vehicle packages that are important to them from the nearly 30,000 new, high-quality pre-owned and certified cars, trucks and SUVs available at HENDRICKCARS.COM.

HENDRICK AUTOMOTIVE GROUP IS HIRING: Join 10,000+ others nationwide in working at Hendrick Automotive Group. The company is hiring technicians and other positions at its dealerships throughout the country. Positions are open for all skill levels and offer tuition and training reimbursement. Individuals who are interested can apply at HENDRICKCARS.COM.

9 CHASE ELLIOTT

Age: 28 (Nov. 28, 1995)

Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia

Resides: Dawsonville, Georgia

Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson

Standings: 4th

No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

KING OF CONSISTENCY: Chase Elliott continues his strong 2024 NASCAR Cup Series campaign. The 2020 champion sits fourth in the standings, just 17 points behind the leader. His average finish of 9.64 is the best in the series and is also his best average finish through 14 races since 2019 (9.21). Elliott is the only driver this season to finish every event inside the top 20. He’s completed all but one lap of competition, tied for most in the series.

2024 NUMBERS: This season, Elliott has secured one win (Texas Motor Speedway), and his five top-five finishes – which are in a three-way tie for second-best in the Cup Series field – have all come in the last eight races. After 14 starts, he ranks seventh in laps run in the top five (997), fourth in laps run in the top 10 (2,163) and fifth in average running position (11.59). Additionally, the Hendrick Motorsports driver has started inside the top 10 in nine events.

RECAPPING 300: Last Sunday, Elliott made his 300th Cup Series start at Charlotte Motor Speedway – a day after winning his sixth career NASCAR Xfinity Series race. In Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600, the Dawsonville, Georgia, native rolled off the grid from the fifth position. After finishing the first stage in 11th, Elliott led laps in the second stage, marking his sixth consecutive Coca-Cola 600 pacing the field. The 28-year-old driver ended the second stage in seventh and was battling inside the top 10 during the third segment of the race when weather entered the area, bringing out the red flag. Officials were ultimately forced to call the race with 249 laps completed. Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team were scored with a seventh-place finish.

SIMILAR TRACK STATS: In 59 Cup starts on tracks measuring 1 to 1.37 miles in length (Darlington Raceway, Dover Motor Speedway, Nashville Superspeedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Phoenix Raceway and WWT Raceway), Elliott has four wins. His first came at Dover in 2018 and was followed by his championship-winning performance at Phoenix in 2020. His two most recent victories on a track in this length range came in 2022 at Dover and Nashville. Accompanying the quartet of triumphs are 23 top-five finishes, 30 top-10s and 1,246 laps led across his starts on this track type. This season in two races on this variation of track, Elliott’s best finish is fifth (at Dover).

NEXT GEN STRONG: Since the introduction of the Next Gen race car in 2022, Elliott has earned six victories, placing him fifth on the Cup Series win list. In that span, he holds the best average finish (12.19).

FASTEST FIVE: In April at Texas, the No. 9 pit crew laid down the fastest four-tire pit stop (9.076 seconds) of the 2024 season. The over-the-wall squad has remained the same since 2018 and currently holds the fastest average four-tire pit stop time (10.575 seconds) this season. The 2021 Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew award-winning group is comprised of Chad Avrit (rear-tire changer), Jared Erspamer (tire carrier), John Gianninoto (fueler), Nick O’Dell (front-tire changer) and T.J. Semke (jackman).

GET UP AND GO: This weekend at WWT Raceway, the white-based NAPA Auto Parts scheme is back on the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. It will mark the fourth appearance of 2024 for the scheme, which debuted at the Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in February. Elliott’s best finish of third in this livery came at Kansas Speedway in May. Get a look at all the angles of the white No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet here.

24 WILLIAM BYRON

Age: 26 (Nov. 29, 1997)

Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

Resides: Charlotte, North Carolina

Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle

Standings: 5th

No. 24 Valvoline Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

24 IN ‘24: William Byron’s 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season continues to be impressive. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native is tied for the series lead in wins (three), is in a three-way tie for second in top-five finishes (five), and in a two-way tie for the most top-10s (nine) with teammate Alex Bowman. He has the third-best average finish (11.79), spent 1,046 laps in the top five (sixth-most) and 2,076 laps in the top 10 (fifth-most). Byron sits fifth in the 2024 Cup Series standings after 14 races and holds 16 playoff points.

NEXT GEN DUO: Since the Next Gen Cup Series car was introduced in 2022, Byron and crew chief Rudy Fugle have a series-leading 11 wins. Byron also has the second-best average finish (13.023) in the Next Gen car behind teammate Chase Elliott.

SIMILAR IN SIZE: This Sunday’s race at WWT Raceway will mark Byron’s 47th start on tracks between 1 and 1.37 miles in length (Darlington Raceway, Dover Motor Speedway, Nashville Superspeedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Phoenix Raceway and WWT Raceway). In his previous 46 starts, the 26-year-old driver has collected two pole awards, two wins, 10 top-five finishes, 20 top-10s and 537 laps led.

GOING TO GATEWAY: This Sunday’s race marks the third time the Cup Series will race at WWT Raceway. In last year’s event, Byron qualified seventh and had his best showing at the track, where he led 30 laps before finishing eighth. In 2016, Byron competed at WWT Raceway in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. He started third and led 47 of 160 laps before being collected in a late race incident that resulted in a 17th-place finish.

THE RUDY RUNDOWN: Crew chief Rudy Fugle has extensive experience at WWT Raceway in addition to his three Cup Series starts. The Livonia, New York, native has called six previous races at the 1.25-mile oval, all in the Truck Series. His drivers collected two pole awards and two top-10 finishes with a best finish of sixth, all while leading 258 laps. One of the six starts was with Byron in 2016.

PIT ROAD PROWESS: After 14 races in 2024, the No. 24 pit crew continues its success from last year when it was one of the best in the Cup Series. The five-person crew ranks second for the fastest average four-tire pit stop (10.755 seconds). It consists of Spencer Bishop (jackman), Jeff Cordero (front-tire changer), Orane Ossowski (rear-tire changer), Ryan Patton (tire carrier) and Landon Walker (fueler).

VALVOLINE RETURNS: Valvoline will make its first appearance of 2024 as the primary sponsor of Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Sunday’s event at WWT Raceway. Valvoline Inc. (NYSE: VVV) is a leading worldwide marketer and supplier of premium branded lubricants and automotive services, with sales in more than 140 countries. Established in 1866, the company’s heritage spans more than 150 years, during which time it has developed powerful brand recognition across multiple product and service channels. Valvoline ranks as the No. 3 passenger car motor oil brand in the DIY market by volume.

48 ALEX BOWMAN

Age: 31 (April 25, 1993)

Hometown: Tucson, Arizona

Resides: Concord, North Carolina

Crew Chief: Blake Harris

Standings: 8th

No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

BEST TOP-10 STREAK: Alex Bowman’s ninth-place performance at Charlotte Motor Speedway marked his ninth top-10 finish of the year and his fifth in a row. It is the longest active top-10 streak amongst Cup Series drivers and Bowman’s personal best thus far in his career. The nine top-10s are tied for his most through 14 races in a season (2022). The driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 is now tied with Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron for the most top-10 finishes of any driver in 2024.

MEMORABLE WEEK WITH ALLY: On May 22 ahead of Memorial Day, Bowman, the No. 48 team, primary sponsor Ally and United Service Organizations (USO) volunteers held a fifth annual packing event (2019, ’21, ’22, ’23 and ’24). The group assembled more than 2,000 care packages full of cards, snack and hygiene kits for deploying service members from the state of North Carolina. Check out Racing America’s YouTube video recapping the event here. On Sunday, May 26, Ally hosted a cookout for Hendrick Motorsports employees with veteran status and their families.

COCA-COLA 600 RECAP: At Charlotte Motor Speedway, the Ally Racing team advanced to the second round of qualifying to secure a sixth-place starting spot for Sunday’s 600-miler. In the first stage of the longest race of the year, Bowman gained three positions to finish third and earn valuable stage points. The second stage ended under caution with the 31-year-old driver sixth. Halfway through stage three, inclement weather caused NASCAR to stop the race, which was ultimately cut short at 249 laps. Bowman earned a ninth-place finish.

RACE 15: Entering Sunday’s race at WWT Raceway, Bowman ranks eighth in the Cup Series standings, up one position after Charlotte. The Tucson, Arizona, native is having a strong year with one runner-up finish and four top-fives, which are his most ever through 14 races in a season.

THE LOU: This weekend NASCAR returns to WWT Raceway near St. Louis for the third consecutive year. Bowman enters the 300-mile race seeking his eighth victory in the Cup Series. In his two previous starts at the 1.25-mile oval, the Ally Racing driver has a best finish of 13th (2022) and has completed all laps attempted at the venue.

ON STAGE: On Sunday, fans can see Bowman in the WWT Raceway fan zone. The driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will make an appearance at 11 a.m. local time at the NASCAR Experience Stage. Come prepared to #Rally48 with Bowman by learning more here.

OVER-THE-WALL CREW: The Ally Racing pit crew ranks eighth in the Cup Series for best average four-tire stop at 10.941 seconds. The five-man No. 48 crew is composed of jackman Allen Holman, tire carrier Brandon Grier, front-tire changer Donnie Tasser, rear-tire changer Andrew Bridgeforth, and gasman Jacob Conley.

ADOPT A BEST FRIEND: 2024 marks the fourth consecutive year Ally and Bowman are supporting Best Friends Animal Society and its vast network of partners. This weekend’s beneficiary of the pair’s $4,800 donation is Needy Paws Rescue, located just 17 miles south west of WWT Raceway. Visit the shelter this weekend or view their dogs available for adoption online.

HENDRICK
MOTORSPORTS /

2024	All-Time	St. Louis Stats
Races	14	1,359	2
Wins	6*	307*	0
Poles	4*	250*	0
Top 5	20*	1,252*	1
Top 10	31*	2,143*	2
Laps Led	1,024	80,781*	35
Stage Wins	9	107	0

*Most **Most (tie)

FAB 40: In 2024, Hendrick Motorsports is celebrating its 40th anniversary. The team holds the all-time NASCAR Cup Series records in every major statistical category, including championships (14), wins (307), pole positions (250) and laps led (80,781). This season, it leads all Cup organizations with six points-paying victories through 14 races.

ONLY THREE: On Sunday, the Cup Series will make its third trip to WWT Raceway near St. Louis. It is one of just three active tracks where Hendrick Motorsports has not recorded a Cup-level win. The others are the Chicago Street Course, which made its debut last season, and Iowa Speedway, where the tour will race for the first time this season.

CRACKING 30: After 14 points-paying events this season, Hendrick Motorsports leads the Cup Series with 31 top-10 finishes. The team also led the tour at this point in 2023 with 29 top-10s going into the 15th race.

ABOVE AVERAGE: This season, Hendrick Motorsports drivers occupy four of the top-seven positions in average finish. Chase Elliott is best in the Cup Series at 9.64, with William Byron third (11.79), Alex Bowman sixth (12.43) and Kyle Larson seventh (12.62).

QUOTABLE /

Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on racing in the Midwest: “I really enjoy racing in the area – whether it be a stock car or on dirt. The fans are really passionate. We didn’t have a great race the first time we went back in ’22 but made some gains as a team and as an organization last year. Hopefully we made some more steps forward so we can battle for the win this weekend.”

Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on adjusting his driving style for the Next Gen car: “It’s definitely been different. This is a car that likes to be driven off the right-front tire. With the old cars, I think you could get away with really being on the rears and getting by with it at a lot of tracks with the side force that those cars had. This car is just not that way. It wants to be really straight. A lot of the aero and the downforce that it makes is underneath the car. Whereas the old car was kind of more on the right side, this one really wants to be just dead straight and it’s a strange thing for me. It’s just not how I’ve wanted to go about it. So I’m just trying to adjust those things. We’ve been working at it really hard over the last six, eight months or more.”

Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on this weekend’s race at WWTR Raceway: “One of the biggest factors at this track is pit road. It’s one of the toughest ones on the circuit, so qualifying well and getting a good pit selection is key. From there, it is doing what you can to minimize mistakes and stay towards the front because it’s extremely tough to pass. This track hasn’t been the best for us statistically, so I know we’re all eager to improve upon that and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can accomplish this weekend.”

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on what racing at WWT Raceway is like: “It’s only our third time going to WWT Raceway in the Cup Series so we don’t have a whole lot of notes with this car there. The interesting thing is that we will run the same package that we ran at Charlotte a few days ago and other mile-and-a-half tracks, but it races like a short track in the corners. Turns one and two are a lot like Richmond and turns three and four are a lot like Phoenix Raceway with really long straightaways. There’s also a lot of shifting and shift points with high brake usage. Pit road is really narrow. It’s barely wide enough to run two-wide.”

Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the biggest challenges of racing at WWT Raceway: “It’s just a tough track. All drivers will be complaining about three things: loose in, tight middle and loose off. You have to pick the right thing to make the car go faster, but you can’t fix it all. Strategy will also be a big factor. It’s a really short race, kind of like a truck- or Xfinity-style race. In the past you’ve only seen three, maybe four, pit stops at most. There’s going to be times that the caution comes out and you’re going to have to nervously say to stay out. We’ve seen some people take two right-side tires and it work out and then seen it not work for others. That’s one of those decisions that could work out well if enough people do it with you, or you could look like a dummy because no one else did it. It’s a track where you can really look like a hero or a zero as a crew chief.”
​

Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on WWT Raceway: “I’m excited to go back and get another shot (at WWT Raceway). I’ve put in some time in the simulator and feel like we have some really good notes that we were able to build on years past with. The two different ends of the racetrack are so different than each other, and it’s pretty flat in (turns) three and four. (Turns) one and two have a tighter corner, but it has some banking. The track has long straightaways, requires a lot more shifting than normal and is just vastly different than our other tracks. Hopefully we can go out there this weekend and perform better than in 2023.”

Blake Harris, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his outlook for Sunday’s race: “Last year (at WWT Raceway), Alex and I were just kind of getting back into the swing of things with him getting back in the car (from injury). We kind of made something that was not a great day into something that was decent, until we had an issue there at the end (of the race). I think we can build off of it. This Ally Racing team has some good momentum going and we aim to make good at the end of it Sunday.”

JUSTIN HALEY | CODY WARE
St. Louis Advance
Event Overview

● Event: Enjoy Illinois 300 (Round 15 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 2
● Location: World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois (near St. Louis)
● Layout: 1.25-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 240 laps/300 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 45 laps / Stage 2: 95 laps / Final Stage: 100 laps
● TV/Radio: FS1 / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Justin Haley, Driver of the No. 51 MotoRad Ford Mustang Dark Horse

● Justin Haley, driver of the No. 51 MotoRad Ford Mustang Dark Horse, will make his third NASCAR Cup Series start at World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR) in Madison, Illinois, in Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300. The Rick Ware Racing (RWR) driver had finishes of 14th and 16th, respectively, when the Cup Series first raced at the track situated just across the Mississippi River from downtown St. Louis in 2022 and 2023.

● The 1.25-mile oval is the site of Haley’s first NASCAR national touring series win. On June 23, 2018, the then-19-year-old made his third NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start at WWTR. He started fourth in the 160-lap race, finished fifth in the first stage and 10th in the second stage. Haley lined up on the front row for a restart on lap 154 and took the lead just as the yellow flag waved before the lap was complete. Haley held onto the lead over the green-white-checkered finish en route to his maiden NASCAR victory. Haley earned two additional wins that year and advanced to the Championship 4 of the Truck Series Playoffs.

● Haley heads back to the outskirts of St. Louis after reuniting with a member of the winning team from 2018. J.R. Norris, No. 51 team car chief, served in the same role with Haley’s No. 24 GMS Racing Truck Series team from 2017 to 2018.

● With his 22nd-place finish in the rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 last Sunday at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, Haley has four consecutive finishes of 23rd or better. That stretch is highlighted by a ninth-place finish at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway on May 12, his first top-10 of the 2024 season and the best finish for RWR at a non-superspeedway-type track.

Cody Ware, Driver of the No. 15 Jacob Construction Ford Mustang Dark Horse

● Cody Ware returns to the No. 15 Jacob Construction Ford Mustang Dark Horse for RWR to make his second Cup Series start at WWTR. He competed in the series’ inaugural visit to the 1.25-mile track on June 5, 2022. He started 31st and made it through the first two stages of the race before retiring due to power steering issues on lap 167.

● Ware’s first and most recent start of 2024 came at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway on April 21. The 28-year-old driver started 34th and steadily worked his way toward the top-20 throughout the event. Ware was on pace to complete the race with a 20th-place finish when the leaders made contact on the final lap and collected several cars in the aftermath, including Ware’s. He crossed the line 24th for his second-best career result at Talladega.

Rick Ware Racing Notes

● The Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series heads to the Northeast this weekend for the New England Nationals in Epping, New Hampshire. NHRA Top Fuel driver Clay Millican is still looking for his first win of the season, though the RWR team has been showing improvement in recent events. In the April 28 event at zMax Dragway in Concord, North Carolina, Millican and the Parts Plus team advanced to the final round of eliminations and finished second to points leader Justin Ashley. Millican is currently seventh in points after six of 21 scheduled events.

● Rick Ware has been a motorsports mainstay for more than 40 years. It began at age six when the third-generation racer began his driving career and has since spanned four wheels and two wheels on both asphalt and dirt. Competing in the SCCA Trans Am Series and other road-racing divisions led Ware to NASCAR in the early 1980s, where he finished third in his NASCAR debut – the 1983 Warner W. Hodgdon 300 NASCAR Grand American race at Riverside (Calif.) International Raceway. More than a decade later, injuries would force Ware out of the driver seat and into fulltime team ownership. In 1995, Rick Ware Racing was formed, and with wife Lisa by his side, Ware has since built his eponymous organization into an entity that fields two fulltime entries in the NASCAR Cup Series while simultaneously campaigning successful teams in the Top Fuel class of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, Progressive American Flat Track and FIM World Supercross Championship (WSX), where RWR won the 2022 SX2 championship with rider Shane McElrath.

Justin Haley, Driver Q&A

Any time NASCAR goes to WWTR, it seems like the track is packed with fans. Is that something that drivers pay attention to and does it make it a more enjoyable experience?

“When I won the Truck Series race in St. Louis, my first national series win ever, the place was just slammed full. I mean it was packed, standing room only. They love their racing in St. Louis and I appreciate that. When you go to driver intros or when you can hear the crowd from inside the car, it’s pretty special. That is somehow the hottest race all year, every year, and the fans are still out there. So, we do appreciate their support. I feel like it’s one of those races where the track is small enough that you kind of feel the energy and that’s a pretty cool aspect of what we get to do.”

You’ve raced in the surrounding area a good bit between the Truck Series at WWTR, as well as are dirt tracks, and now the Cup Series. Where does the area rank on the list of places the series visits throughout the year?

“I was really excited when the Cup Series got to go back to St. Louis. It’s just a cool racetrack, very different, but it was cool to go to a ‘new’ place that I was familiar with. And St. Louis is one of the better places that we go to as far as hanging out in the city and things like that. I’m a Midwest guy from Indiana. I spent a lot of time racing dirt tracks all around Illinois and Indiana. So yeah, it’s pretty high on the list for me.”

Cody Ware, Driver Q&A

It’s been a few years since you raced at WWTR. What are your expectations and goals for this weekend?

“I think the goal is to run well and get the most out of the weekend. We almost came out of Talladega with a top-20 finish. The RWR teams have had a lot of speed and it’s been great to see the progress being made. I got to experience that first-hand at Talladega and I’ve been looking forward to getting back in the car to see what we can do next.”

Is there anything specific you’ve focused on in your preparation for this race?

“Our preparation for this race has really been like any other. It’s a unique track that you can’t really compare to other tracks that we visit, but I think the team has learned a lot up to this point in the season. We’ve been able to look back on what they’ve learned to come up with a plan for how we’ll approach the weekend, what adjustments may help and where we need to be when practice closes out on Saturday.”