LYNCHBURG, Va. – The first time William Byron spoke before the student body at Liberty University, he said few people in the crowd were paying attention.
When he was introduced on stage Wednesday as part of the day’s convocation program, he not only got a round of applause but an attentive audience as well.
“I wasn’t the main speaker; nobody knew who I was,” Byron, 19, said of his initial speech. “It was the year before I was starting school there.
“The weird thing being up there today was everybody was quiet; before there was chatter the whole time. At least that’s what I remember.”
Byron has three victories this year in NASCAR’s XFINITY Series and was recently tabbed to move into the No. 24 Chevrolet of Hendrick Motorsports next season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
Wednesday, he was one of three guest speakers kicking off the new school year at the private Christian university. He was joined by HMS team owner Rick Hendrick and four-time series champion Jeff Gordon.
The hour-long program was held in the Vines Center, seating capacity near 10,000 for special events, and this one had several folks standing in the aisles.
“It was cool, something I never imagined (I’d be doing) going there just a couple of years ago,” Byron said. “I was a relative unknown, just aspiring to get through the truck series and try to find my way through what I was going to do next. Definitely special to go back and see everybody.”
Byron stayed on campus one semester during his freshman year but with his busy racing schedule he has continued his education through Liberty’s online program. It’s one of the nation’s largest, according to school officials.
“It was only about a year and a half ago,” he said of his on-campus stay, “but it seems like it was a lot longer.
“I would go to every convocation – they’re mandatory,” he said. “And they’ve had great speakers – Steph Curry, Tim Tebow. It’s always engaging and a great way to bring everybody together.”
Being one of the featured speakers wasn’t something he expected, especially so soon. “I thought maybe in 10 years or something,” he said, “maybe then they want to hear about my career or something like that. It’s pretty special.”
HMS and Liberty officials announced a two-year, 12-race sponsorship agreement Wednesday with Byron and the No. 24 team beginning next season. Liberty has been Byron’s sponsor as far back as his Late Model days. They currently serve as the sponsor of his No. 9 team at JR Motorsports.
“It was a big risk for us; we’d never really done sponsorship of a race car before,” Jerry Falwell Jr., Liberty University president, said. “But he proved himself. It’s incredible how fast he’s moved from level to level to level. …
“The Byron family has been so good for Liberty to work with; now we’re so thrilled to get to know Rick (Hendrick). We’ve started an automotive dealership management program in our business school. … Two eight-week internships at his dealerships.
“We’re proud of William and what he has accomplished.”
CONCORD, N.C. — Liberty University and 12-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champions Hendrick Motorsports have reached a two-year agreement that will make the world’s largest Christian university a primary sponsor of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro driven by William Byron.
Byron, 19, will carry primary sponsorship from Liberty University in 12 Cup Series races in both 2018 and 2019. Hendrick Motorsports announced Aug. 9 that the Charlotte, North Carolina, native will move to NASCAR’s premier level next season and compete for rookie of the year honors.
Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick and four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon appeared with Byron in front of more than 11,000 people today at the first Convocation of Liberty University’s fall semester. Held at the Vines Center in Lynchburg, Virginia, the school’s Convocation is the world’s largest weekly gathering of Christian young people.
“Since we first met William, he has never ceased to amaze us with his skills on the racetrack, the strong Christian values he displays and his focus on academics,” said Jerry Falwell, president of Liberty University. “We have watched him develop very quickly into a driver who can compete with the best in his sport. It’s a privilege to begin our relationship with Hendrick Motorsports and to support William in his career, in his education and in life.”
Liberty University began its support of Byron in 2014 when he drove late models for Hendrick Motorsports affiliate JR Motorsports and is now in its fourth season sponsoring the driver. Founded in 1971, it is the largest private, nonprofit university in the United States, the largest university in Virginia and the largest Christian university in the world. Byron is currently a sophomore working toward an undergraduate business communications degree through the school’s online program.
“My experience with Liberty University has been awesome on so many levels,” Byron said. “I’m lucky to have them support my driving career, but I’ve also lived on campus and seen first-hand how they lift up their students. I’m grateful for what they’ve done for me both professionally and academically, and it’s very cool to have them take this next step and continue working with us on the No. 24 team.”
In 2016, Byron turned in the most successful debut season in Camping World Truck Series history with a NASCAR national series rookie record seven victories. This year, he progressed into the NASCAR XFINITY Series, where he has already earned three wins — Iowa, Daytona and Indianapolis — and currently ranks second in the standings with JR Motorsports.
“Liberty is a new partner for us, and we see a tremendous opportunity to help promote their academic programs,” said Hendrick, who is also chairman of Hendrick Automotive Group, the largest privately held car dealership group in the country. “On the retail side, we’ve worked with their automotive dealership management program, which is already one of the best in the country. I’ve visited campus and we’ve brought in their students for internships. It’s very impressive to see the level of talent and integrity in these young people. William will continue to be a terrific representative for the school, and we look forward to building a great relationship.”
Hendrick Motorsports signed Byron in August 2016. Next season, he will join drivers Chase Elliott, Jimmie Johnson and Alex Bowman as a member of the four-car Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series operation.
Three-time NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series powered by iRacing Champion Ray Alfalla claimed victory in the first-ever NPAS playoff race at Darlington Raceway for his third win of the 2017 season. The dominating performance vaulted Alfalla into the championship lead as he chases an unprecedented fourth championship in iRacing’s most prestigious oval series.
Michael Conti came home second, nearly 1.9 seconds behind Alfalla. Ryan Luza finished third to nearly keep pace with Alfalla in the championship. Logan Clampitt was fourth and Brian Schoenburg came from 24th on the grid to finish fifth, barely beating Bobby Zalenski as the two crashed across the start/finish line.
Zack Novak led the field to the green after winning his fourth pole of the year and led the first 29 circuits. However, it was Luza with the long run speed early in the race, and he passed Novak down the backstretch on Lap 30 to gain control of the race. Shortly thereafter, a caution brought the field to the pits for the first time in the evening with Luza maintaining the lead off pit road.
Then on the ensuing restart Luza made an uncharacteristic mistake that likely cost him a chance at contending for the win when he changed lanes before the start/finish line. The preemptive move earned Luza a drive through penalty, putting him a lap behind.
Back at the front, Bobby Zalenski took over the lead when Luza pitted with Alfalla tracking him closely in second. As the run wore on, Zalenski was able to keep Alfalla at bay, but Luza was able to un-lap himself, which would prove important in his rally back to the front.
Unable to catch and pass Zalenski on the track, Alfalla turned to pit strategy as he ducked in earlier than Zalenski on Lap 70. With Zalenski staying out until Lap 72, Alfalla made up several seconds on the former leader as they both worked through traffic on their far fresher tires.
Alfalla finally cycled to the lead on Lap 89 due to an extended pit sequence with Conti less than a second behind. Zalenski rode in third, still quite a distance behind the leaders despite his two-lap fresher rubber. Alfalla, in fact, began to pull away from everyone as he asserted himself as the driver to beat. The only chance the field looked to have would be a caution or a mistake by Alfalla on pit road.
The rest of the field got their wish on Lap 142 when Josh Berry spun and crashed off Turn Two. Alfalla was first off pit road and with everyone having enough fuel to go to the finish, the race was on. For the first 20 laps Conti could maintain touch with the leader but slowly but surely Alfalla started building a gap and was not challenged on his way to the win.
Alfalla’s victory allowed him to jump Luza and into the NPAS points lead with two races remaining until the final cut in the playoffs. Alfalla leads Luza by three points and Zalenski is nine markers back. Clampitt holds the final transfer spot, five points behind Zalenski and nine in front of Novak, who struggled to a 17th-place result.
Chicagoland Speedway plays host to race two of the NPAS playoffs as all eight title contenders are within 14 points of the final transfer position. Alfalla was definitely the car to beat at Darlington, but if Luza can stay penalty-free Alfalla, Zalenski, and the others will likely have their hands full by the end of the night. Can Alfalla go 2-for-2, or will one of the other seven contenders find the winner’s circle in a bid to upset the favorite? Find out in two weeks on iRacing Live!
As you might imagine the case with important victories, NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip has absolutely no problem recalling even the finest details of his 1992 Southern 500 victory at Darlington Raceway.
It was his first win in that historical race after 19 tries.
And, as it turned out, it was his last Cup win ever. Number 84.
This weekend, seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup champion Jimmie Johnson will compete in the tradition-laden Southern 500 looking for his 84th trophy, as well.
Yet even with the historical significance, it remains to be seen if after earning a victory circle grin Sunday, Johnson would have a story to tell that rivals Waltrip’s victory tale from a rainy Carolina Labor Day weekend 25 years ago — competing against a cast of NASCAR’s earliest Hall of Famers in front of a United States presidential and vice presidential candidate.
“It was an interesting day; we didn’t have the best car,” recalled Waltrip, who led only six of the 298 laps completed. “Seemed like sometimes you’re better off that way at a lot of race tracks — you don’t have the fastest car but things seem to work out.”
And that’s a rare understatement for this big personality whose Darlington win reads more like a fantastic fable than a news account.
Waltrip was declared the winner of the Southern 500 after a deluge of rain interrupted the afternoon. The field waited out a red flag for an hour and 51 minutes – time that then-45-year-old Waltrip used to sit in a lawn chair on pit road and sing, “I’m Singin’ in the Rain” during his rain-delay television interviews.
Famous for his “Ickey Shuffle” after winning the Daytona 500 in 1989, Waltrip was doing a rain dance at Darlington. And it was effective.
Even Waltrip — a winner at Bristol, Tennessee, the weekend before — concedes, he didn’t have the fastest car that day.
“Davey [Allison] had a fast car, Alan Kulwicki had a fast car,” Waltrip recalled. “There were a number that were a little bit better than us; we were just fair, mediocre. We could keep up but didn’t lead much. If you asked people, ‘Does DW have a chance?’ they’d probably have said, ‘No.’
“A number of times I had a car to beat in the Southern 500, had really good cars and something would go wrong. Just different things at different times and nothing really panned out. So ’92 that was really interesting.”
To say the least.
Harry Gant led the most laps (91) but that fall day at Darlington, it was young hotshot Davey Allison with $1 million on the line as part of the Winston Million program that had dominated headlines entering the race.
For any driver who won three of four designated races at the sport’s most iconic tracks – Daytona, Talladega, Charlotte and Darlington – then-series sponsor R.J. Reynolds was willing to deliver a cool $1 million check. Bill Elliott won the million-dollar prize money in 1985 – earning his “Million Dollar Bill” nickname – and seven years later, it was Allison’s shot after winning the Daytona 500 and Talladega’s spring race.
He led 72 laps at Darlington and looked strong, but with rain approaching, he and race leaders Mark Martin and Dale Jarrett pitted for fuel, confident they would have time to settle the win before the rain came. Waltrip assumed the lead and chose another strategy – to stay out and push his fuel window.
And then the rain arrived.
“My good friend [Allison’s crew chief] Larry McReynolds — and this is one of the funniest stories ever — he sent a guy down to the NASCAR hauler to look at the radar because Davey had a shot to win the Winston Million,” Waltrip recalled with a laugh. “They were in their pit window. So the guy comes back and says, ‘We’re good to go, brother. Bring him in anytime.’
“So Davey pitted and most everybody did except us. We didn’t go to the radar, we just used common sense and you could feel it coming, it was going to rain at any minute.
“So we stayed out, stayed out and sure enough, we stayed out long enough the rain came down and it poured out, it was like torrential rains and eventually they called the race.”
If the important – and improbable — victory wasn’t enough to make Waltrip smile, he eagerly shares the “rest of the story.”
“Larry went back up to that crew guy and says, ‘Man, what happened? You said we were good to go.’ The guy says, ‘Larry, I do not understand what happened. I looked at that radar and it was green everywhere. It was perfect.’
“Larry goes, ‘Green everywhere? You dummy, green means it’s getting ready to rain.'”
After waiting nearly two hours, NASCAR called the race and Waltrip finally secured the Southern 500 win to check off his personal ambition list. And, he concedes, he celebrated the unlikely turn of events with a vintage Waltrip-quip. He still laughs at the audacity of his interview.
“I did a rain dance, all the dumb things just to kill time and then they came to me on TV and said, ‘How much gas you got left?'” Waltrip recalls. “And I said, ‘You can go ask Davey, but I think he’d tell you, about a million dollars worth.'”
For his part, Allison was gracious in disappointment.
“We gave it all we had,” Allison told reporters at the time. “We didn’t do anything wrong. When things like this happen, all you can say is, ‘We did the best we could possibly do.’ And we ran good.”
These days, Waltrip – a 2012 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee and longtime announcer on FOX Sports NASCAR broadcasts – looks back on the afternoon with reverence and a smile.
“I just had a tendency to put my foot in my mouth so many times,” he said. “I’d finally won the Southern 500. Little did I know it would be my last win because when you win races year after year after year, you don’t think about that being your last win. It was 1992 for heaven’s sake. But from there on, I had chances at winning but I never won another race after that.”
Waltrip acknowledged that Johnson also earning his 84th career win in the Southern 500 Sunday (tying him with Waltrip and NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison on the wins list) would be not only coincidental but appropriate – a historical win in a historical race rich in storylines and legends.
“With [NASCAR Hall of Famer] Cale [Yarborough] living there and me and Bobby [Allison] both having pretty good success at Darlington, that’s a driver’s track, a hard track to win,” Waltrip said. “That would be pretty thrilling for him.
“Look, it’s just a matter of time. He’s got 83 wins, he’ll soon have 84 and he may end up with 100, who knows? You know he’s going to do it, it’s just a matter of when and where. Darlington would be a great place for him, and for me and Bobby both.”
Ben Kennedy brought home the checkered flag in the debut event of the NASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series on Tuesday night at Iowa Speedway. The new series, which consists of four races over an eight-week span, features some of the brightest young stars of NASCAR racing virtual versions of the NASCAR XFINITY Series cars in a 30-lap shootout.
Pole-sitter Ty Majeski, a Toyota development driver and longtime iRacer, immediately set the tone by leading the opening eight laps. He held a commanding lead through the opening portion of the race while Christopher Bell ran into trouble with some contact on Lap 4 and retired his car early.
Afterward on Twitter, Bell playfully accepted his fate as payback for a late-race incident with Kennedy in the spring race at Martinsville in 2016.
Great time on @iRacing tonight. Hated to get into @CBellRacing there at the beginning all on me. Hope to do it again.
Kennedy, who had worked his way up to second after starting fourth, took the lead when Majeski’s car got loose coming out of Turn 2 on Lap 9. Majeski kept the car off the wall but lost multiple spots as he recovered and brought his Ford Mustang back up to speed.
Kennedy kept the hammer down in his Menards Chevrolet Camaro and didn’t relinquish the lead the rest of the way en route to capturing the victory in the opening race of the NASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational series. Chase Briscoe came home second in his Ford Mustang followed by Parker Kligerman in his Toyota Camry.
The drivers all compete on the most competitive online e-Sports racing game available, iRacing.com, and the series is part of NASCAR Night on iRacing. The first round of the playoffs in the NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series immediately followed the race broadcast on iRacingLive.
Final results:
1st – Ben Kennedy
2nd – Chase Briscoe
3rd – Parker Kligerman
4th – Ryan Truex
5th – Garrett Smithley
6th – Todd Gilliland
7th – Ty Majeski
8th – Harrison Burton
9th – Raphael Lessard
10th – Jodie Robinson
11th – Christian Eckes
12th – Gracie Trotter
13th – Christopher Bell
The next race of the NASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 12th at 8 p.m. ET. Be sure to tune in and watch the action live at www.iRacing.com/live or on YouTube at www.youtube.com/iracingtv.
Learn more about the new iRacing league and its NASCAR-sanctioned participants.
MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Team Penske and Menards announced today that the industry-leading home improvement store company will sponsor driver Ryan Blaney and the No. 12 Ford Fusion for 14 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) races in 2018. The partnership follows the recent announcement that Blaney will race a third Team Penske entry in the Cup Series beginning next season. Menards will also be a sponsor on the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing entry, which will be driven by Paul Menard, starting next season.
“Having a company like Menards, and a businessman like John Menard, be a part of the growth with the No. 12 team is terrific for our organization,” said Roger Penske. “Menards has a winning tradition in motorsports and Team Penske looks forward to adding to that legacy. We have enjoyed a productive relationship with Menards through our INDYCAR program, and they were a key part of our championship effort last season. We are excited about the opportunity to grow with them in NASCAR beginning next season.”
The partnership between Team Penske and Menards began in 2016, with the company serving as a primary sponsor on the No. 22 Indy car for five races with driver Simon Pagenaud. The company expanded its relationship in 2017, sponsoring the reigning Verizon IndyCar Series Champion for 10 races. Next season will mark the company’s first foray into NASCAR with Team Penske.
Menards plans to continue its sponsorship of Penske’s INDYCAR program into 2018 and beyond as well.
“Working with an organization like Team Penske means you are always going to be in contention for race wins and championships,” said John Menard. “And winning races and championships puts your brand in front of a lot of people. We’ve had a great run in motorsports over the years and with that has come a lot of success. Now, we are excited to keep that going with both NASCAR and INDYCAR programs with Team Penske.”
A family-owned company started in 1958, Menards is headquartered in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and has 306 home improvement stores located in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Today, Menards is known throughout the home improvement industry as the low price leader; it’s famous slogan Save BIG Money! is widely known and easy to remember.
Additional sponsorship for the No. 12 Ford Fusion and Blaney will be announced at a later date.
Hendrick Motorsports made a landmark announcement Tuesday night, choosing to let legacy live on by putting Chase Elliott behind the wheel of a newly numbered Chevrolet ( No. 9 ) and William Byron in the No. 24 starting in 2018.
Elliott will now be wheeling the same number his father, Bill, drove to a NASCAR Hall of Fame career, while Byron will carry on the legacy that Jeff Gordon started at Hendrick Motorsports in 1992.
After the news broke, Hendrick drivers chimed in with their thoughts on the announcement — and they were stoked.
Hendrick Motorsports announced Tuesday it will have four iconic car numbers in its stable next year with William Byron driving the No. 24 and Chase Elliott making his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut with the No. 9.
Here are quick facts on each of the four numbers, courtesy of the team:
No. 9 (driven by Chase Elliott in 2018)
• Will make its Hendrick Motorsports debut with driver Chase Elliott in 2018 • Hall of Fame driver Bill Elliott raced it in the premier series for the first time in 1976 • 1988 Monster Energy Series championship with Bill Elliott; raced to 38 of his 44 career Cup wins • 2014 NASCAR XFINITY Series championship with Chase Elliott • 53 combined points-paying wins in Cup Series competition with five drivers
No. 24 (driven by William Byron in 2018)
• First fielded by Hendrick Motorsports with Jeff Gordon in 1992; driven by Gordon until 2015 • Currently raced by Chase Elliott, who debuted in 2016 and won Sunoco Rookie of the Year • With Gordon, four championships and all 93 of its points-paying Cup victories; race wins include three Daytona 500s and a record five Brickyard 400s
No. 48 (driven by Jimmie Johnson in 2018)
• First fielded by Hendrick Motorsports with driver Jimmie Johnson in 2001 • With Johnson, a record-tying seven championships and 83 of its 86 points-paying Cup wins; Johnson’s wins include two Daytona 500s and four Brickyard 400s • From 2002-2016, 5.3 average wins per year and 3.4 average championship points finish
No. 88 (driven by Alex Bowman in 2018)
• First fielded by Hendrick Motorsports with driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2008 • With Earnhardt, nine points-paying race wins, including the 2014 Daytona 500 • 74 combined points-paying wins in Cup Series competition with five drivers: Earnhardt, Dale Jarrett, Bobby Allison, Darrell Waltrip and Buck Baker; 1999 Cup championship with Jarrett
William Byron got a phone call from team owner Rick Hendrick three weeks ago asking if he felt ready to move up into the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
This past weekend, Byron got another call from the boss, again with more good news.
“He asked me what my thoughts were about driving the No. 24,” Byron told NASCAR.com Tuesday. “I was just ecstatic, just to know that I’m going to have that number and the history there.”
Hendrick Motorsports officials announced Tuesday evening that Byron will compete in the No. 24 Chevrolet in 2018, when he is scheduled to make his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut.
Meanwhile teammate Chase Elliott, who currently drives the No. 24, will begin competing in the No. 9.
“For Chase to be in the No. 9 is really cool,” said Byron, who currently competes in the NASCAR XFINITY Series for JR Motorsports. “I raced Chase in a Late Model race a few years back and remember how cool it was to race again him. Now we’re teammates and working side-by-side and both have those numbers that mean a lot.”
Byron was initially scheduled to take over the No. 5 Chevrolet currently driven by Kasey Kahne. That number will not be used by the organization in 2018, however.
The No. 24 has been used in NASCAR as far back as 1950, the second year of the series’ existence. But it wasn’t until the mid-90s and the arrival of a fresh-faced Jeff Gordon that the car number began turning up in Victory Lane.
For 20 of the 23 years he competed full time, Gordon parked the No. 24 in Victory Lane on what would often seem a regular basis, winning 93 races, four championships and 81 poles.
“It’s really special for me just because of how much it means to Hendrick Motorsports and the legacy that Jeff Gordon and everybody on that team left behind,” Byron, 19, said. “It’s a really neat connection for me, something that I will take a lot of pride in running the number and hopefully be able to make my own name with it and be able to keep the legacy alive.”
Elliott ascended to the No. 24 ride when Gordon stepped aside following the 2015 season and has done remarkably well with the team, finishing 10th or better in nearly one-half his career starts. He has 16 top-five and three second-place finishes.
The No. 9, however, carries much Elliott heritage. Chase’s father, Bill, scored 38 of his 44 career wins in the No. 9, as well as the 1988 series championship.
According to Hendrick officials, personnel will remain with their respective teams — the current No. 24 crew will remain intact but the car number will now be No. 9; likewise, those with the No. 5 currently will be fielding the No. 24 next year instead.
“It’s such an honor to take over that number,” Byron said. “It’s something I never would have imagined. It’s an honor and it’s something I really look forward to. I know there’s been a lot of success behind (it). … I was looking at Jeff’s stats and it’s incredible what he did with it.”
In a release from the team, Elliott said he “wasn’t sure if I’d ever drive the (No.) 9 again.”
“It’s a huge deal to my family and everyone back home (in Georgia),” he said, “and I hope all of our fans will be pumped to see it back on the race track. There’s a legacy attached to that number, and I want to carry it on. I think it’s awesome that Hendrick Motorsports and NAPA wanted to do this. It’s impossible not to be excited.”
Elliott won the 2014 XFINITY Series championship driving the No. 9 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports. This year, Byron has three wins and is currently second in the points standings with the No. 9 team.
Byron said the No. 9 “really started with Chase” at JRM.
“It’s been a good number for me but … it’s not a number I would want to have in the Cup Series. I think it’s always belonged to the Elliotts and it’s something that’s special to them.
“I’m really looking forward to the 24 and I think it’s a new chapter for me and something I’m really excited about.”
Hendrick Motorsports also fields the No. 48 of seven-time series champion Jimmie Johnson and the No. 88 of Dale Earnhardt Jr. Earnhardt will step down from full-time competition in the Monster Energy Series at the end of the 2017 season and will be replaced by 24-year-old Alex Bowman.
Hendrick, who formed All-Star Racing, the forerunner to Hendrick Motorsports, in 1984, knows much of the history of NASCAR and said he knows what the No. 9 has meant to the Elliott family through the years.
“They’ve contributed so much to our sport,” Hendrick said, “and I’m happy we can honor that history by bringing the number back.”
There is a stipulation, however.
“I told Chase we’d only do it if he promised to win a bunch of races, so I’m going to hold him to that,” Hendrick said.
Putting Bryon in the No. 24, he said, was more of a “fit factor.”
“And that’s what I see with William and our organization,” Hendrick said. “He reminds me a lot of Jeff at that age with regard to being a special talent and having a great head on his shoulders.
“But William is also his own person with his own career ahead of him. It’s going to be fun to watch him jump in the 24 and show what he’s capable of.”
Not running a No. 5 entry was “by far the hardest part” of the car number decision,” according to Hendrick. Geoff Bodine won the organization’s first race in the No. 5 in ’84 and Terry Labonte won a championship with the car number in 1996.
“The memories and the history will always be there,” he said, “and I won’t rule out bringing it back some day. Never say never.”
Kyle Larson will pilot a No. 42 Chevrolet that pays tribute to Kyle Petty in Sunday’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway (6 p.m. ET, NBCSN), Chip Ganassi Racing announced on NBC’s “NASCAR America” Tuesday evening.
Petty drove for Felix Sabates from 1989-1996, piloting the No. 42, and Larson’s throwback scheme features the famed “Silver Bullet” paint scheme, complete with stylized No. 42.
This marks the third season that Darlington will host a throwback-themed weekend. Click here to see the rest of the throwback looks and vote for your favorite paint scheme.
12 Nov 1995: Kyle Petty races at the NASCAR NAPA 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia.
