Another Byron Win Has Hendrick On A Roll Heading Toward NASCAR Team’s 40th Anniversary Party

AUSTIN, Texas: Hendrick Motorsports has rather a lot to be pleased about because the staff barrels towards its huge 40th anniversary celebration in two weeks.

William Bryon dominated on Sunday in his second win of the NASCAR season, which got here on the Circuit of the Americas. Alex Bowman earned his third top-four end of 2024 at COTA, and Kyle Larson snatched a wild Xfinity Series win on Saturday.

That’s fairly a roll forward of the staff’s deliberate celebrations for race weekend at Martinsville Speedway, the place Hendrick Motorsports claimed its first win with Geoff Bodine in 1984 when it raced beneath the identify All-Star Racing.

The racing thus far has produced its personal get together.

Byron is the one two-time winner by the primary six races of the season. The first got here on the Daytona 500, the place Bowman gave Hendrick a 1-2 end at NASCAR’s showcase race.

Byron’s victory at COTA was profession win No. 12 and his first from pole place.

“I mean, just watching him qualify, how smooth he was. Same thing throughout the race. Just seemed to put the car in all the right places,” Hendrick Motorsports Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon stated. “A lot of credit to William in doing that great job. Takes the whole team, the pit crew, everybody. They’re truly on quite a run here to start this season off. Can’t wait to see where they take it next.”

The collection strikes to the brief observe at Richmond subsequent week earlier than Martinsville on April 7.

“We’re going to shoot for the stars,” stated Byron’s crew chief, Rudy Fogle.

Hendrick will need a good displaying at Martinsville, the place staff vehicles will sport particular crimson paint schemes, proprietor Rick Hendrick will drive the tempo automobile and Bodine and Gordon would be the grand marshals.

A Hendrick driver has gained a race at Martinsville every of the final 4 years. The groups’ 28 general Cup Series wins there are essentially the most for the group at any observe on the circuit.

“Obviously Martinsville is big for the 40th anniversary,” Bowman stated.

Bowman gained there in 2021 and has delivered huge leads to a season when he wanted to. He hasn’t gained since 2022, had the final two seasons marred by accidents and missed the playoff in 2023.

“I don’t want to say, ‘Yeah, we’re back here 100%,’ but these last few weeks have been a step in the right direction,” Bowman stated.

“I’m personally working as hard as I’ve ever worked,” he stated. “This year, I’m all in in every aspect of everything, whether it’s extra shifts in the (simulator), or correlating the tires, spending more time with the team or training in the gym.”

Larson’s Xfinity win was a shock even after he took pole place. He needed to begin from the again as a result of his staff needed to exchange a damaged brake rotor, however he managed to combat his manner by and snatch the win in additional time.

Larson was the primary driver in a NASCAR collection to win the pole and the race however lead just one lap whereas doing so. His win was the primary for Hendrick Motorsports in Xfinity because the staff returned to the collection in 2022.

The solely blemish to Hendrick’s huge weekend was that Larson’s Seventeenth-place end in Sunday’s race dropped him out of the lead within the Cup Series standings. Larson is now fifth, simply forward of Bryon.

All 4 Hendrick drivers are within the high 11, however Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs are the brand new 1-2 within the season championship.

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AP NASCAR: https://apnews.com/hub/nascar-racing

(This story has not been edited by News18 employees and is revealed from a syndicated information company feed – Associated Press)