See where your favorite driver will pit for the Toyota / Save Mart 350 Sunday at Sonoma Raceway (4 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN, SiriusXM).
Stewart-Haas Racing announced Wednesday that Autodesk Fusion 360 has agreed to an extension of its partnership with the team, serving as primary sponsor for its No. 41 Ford and driver Cole Custer for six NASCAR Cup Series races this season.
Autodesk’s 2021 livery debuts this weekend at Sonoma Raceway, not far from the software company’s San Francisco headquarters. Autodesk will also serve as primary sponsor of the No. 41 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course (Aug. 15), Daytona International Speedway (Aug. 28), Bristol Motor Speedway (Sept. 18), Talladega Superspeedway (Oct. 3) and Charlotte Motor Speedway’s road course (Oct. 10).
“It’s just been a great relationship and it’s been awesome having them on the car,” Custer said. “We use their software a ton at the race shop to be able to design parts and do different things, so they’re a huge part of what we do.”
RELATED: Sonoma/Mid-Ohio weekend schedule
The partnership extends beyond mere product placement on the car, as Autodesk is in its fourth year helping SHR develop lightweight, durable components for its vehicles. Among those advances was Stewart-Haas’ redesign of a lighter brake pedal, made through Autodesk’s Fusion 360 program.
“Autodesk is more than just a sponsor — it’s a key asset in making our cars perform every weekend,” said Greg Zipadelli, SHR’s vice president of competition. “How we stay on top of new technologies while ensuring reliability is directly attributable to Autodesk and its technical support.”
Autodesk was a featured or associate sponsor on the No. 41 Ford in six Cup Series races last year, sharing space with HaasTooling.
Kyle Larson has claimed the Busch Pole Award for Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 (4 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Sonoma Raceway.
Larson, who won last weekend’s event at Charlotte Motor Speedway, will start his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet from the pole position. Larson is one of three drivers with multiple wins in 2021, joining Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. and teammate Alex Bowman.
RELATED: Sonoma/Mid-Ohio weekend schedule | 2021 Cup Series standings
Austin Cindric’s No. 22 Team Penske Ford is on the pole for Saturday’s B&L Transport 170 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (1 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM) in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
As NASCAR adapted to COVID-19 protocols last season, practice and qualifying were eliminated at a majority of national-series events to limit at-track time, exposure and to cut race weekend costs. To determine starting lineups, competition officials used grouped draws, added inversions for weekend doubleheaders, and eventually adopted a performance-metrics formula. That metrics format remains in place this season, drawing on performance from both individual races and season-long results.
NASCAR’s metrics formula for 2021 weighs:
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- 25 percent: Driver’s finishing position from the previous race
- 25 percent: Car owner’s finishing position from the previous race
- 35 percent: Team owner points ranking
- 15 percent: Fastest lap from the previous race
See the full lineup for Sunday’s Cup Series race below.
| Start pos. |
Driver | Car # | Team |
| 1 | Kyle Larson | 5 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 2 | Chase Elliott | 9 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 3 | William Byron | 24 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 4 | Denny Hamlin | 11 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 5 | Kyle Busch | 18 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 6 | Austin Dillon | 3 | Richard Childress Racing |
| 7 | Alex Bowman | 48 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 8 | Kevin Harvick | 4 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 9 | Brad Keselowski | 2 | Team Penske |
| 10 | Tyler Reddick | 8 | Richard Childress Racing |
| 11 | Ryan Blaney | 12 | Team Penske |
| 12 | Chris Buescher | 17 | Roush Fenway Racing |
| 13 | Joey Logano | 22 | Team Penske |
| 14 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 47 | JTG Daugherty Racing |
| 15 | Bubba Wallace | 23 | 23XI Racing |
| 16 | Daniel Suarez | 99 | Trackhouse Racing Team |
| 17 | Matt DiBenedetto | 21 | Wood Brothers Racing |
| 18 | Erik Jones | 43 | Richard Petty Motorsports |
| 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | 19 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 20 | Christopher Bell | 20 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 21 | Michael McDowell | 34 | Front Row Motorsports |
| 22 | Corey LaJoie | 7 | Spire Motorsports |
| 23 | Cole Custer | 41 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 24 | Ryan Newman | 6 | Roush Fenway Racing |
| 25 | Chase Briscoe | 14 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 26 | Aric Almirola | 10 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 27 | Ryan Preece | 37 | JTG Daugherty Racing |
| 28 | Anthony Alfredo | 38 | Front Row Motorsports |
| 29 | Ross Chastain | 42 | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| 30 | Kurt Busch | 1 | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| 31 | Ben Rhodes | 77 | Spire Motorsports |
| 32 | James Davison | 15 | Rick Ware Racing |
| 33 | Quin Houff | 00 | StarCom Racing |
| 34 | Garrett Smithley | 53 | Rick Ware Racing |
| 35 | Scott Heckert | 78 | Live Fast Motorsports |
| 36 | Josh Bilicki | 52 | Rick Ware Racing |
| 37 | Cody Ware | 51 | Petty Ware Racing |
Practice and qualifying are tentatively scheduled for eight Cup Series races this year. Busch Pole Qualifying was held for the season-opening Daytona 500, and rain canceled the qualifying races for Bristol Motor Speedway’s dirt-track race. The next Cup Series event with qualifying scheduled is before the June 20 debut at Nashville Superspeedway.
Meet the NASCAR Fan Council Member of the Month for June 2021!
Name: Matt
Current City: Scranton, Pennsylvania
Member Since: 2019
GETTING TO KNOW MATT:
Q: How did you first become interested in NASCAR?
“I’m sure my father introduced me to NASCAR but I’ve loved it ever since I can remember! I remember at a very young age (7-8), my father taking us to Harvey’s Lake, PA to see Rusty Wallace’s show car. They fired it up that day and I remember standing there scared, excited, curious and all around just fired up! Never looked back!”
Q: What is your favorite part about NASCAR?
“I don’t think I could narrow it down to one thing I like most. The competition, the noises, the characters, the ingenuity, teamwork, excitement, accessibility, air guns, it’s all just great! For me, NASCAR brings my family together each week to share a meal and watch the race. That is probably my favorite thing about NASCAR.”
Q: What is your favorite NASCAR memory?
“I took my wife to her first NASCAR race at Pocono a few years back. Dale Jr won the race when Brad Keselowski got held up by Danica Patrick allowing Jr. to make a pass for the lead with just a few to go. The place went insane and my wife was just as excited as everyone else! She wasn’t a fan of anyone really at the point but we were sort of Junior Nation that day and it was a blast. She is pregnant with our first child right now, Gatlin James (this Fan Council Q&A was done before Gatlin was born in March). I’m hoping to make some new favorite memories with him by side like I have with my father!”
Q: Do you have a favorite in any of the following categories?
Current Driver: “Corey LaJoie.”
Past Driver: “Jeff Gordon.”
Up and Coming Driver: “Chase Briscoe.”
Team: “Stewart-Haas.”
Track: “Martinsville Speedway.”
Q: What do you like to do in your free time?
“I’m an outdoorsman so most of my free time is hunting and fishing related. I enjoy dirt track racing as well and have found a real love of Port Royal in Pennsylvania. This is about to shift I’m sure as we welcomed our first child Gatlin James!”
FROM ALL OF US AT NASCAR, WE THANK MATT FOR HIS CONTINUED SUPPORT AND LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM HIM IN 2021!
Look for Matt on the Official NASCAR Fan Council page on NASCAR.COM.
The fifth round of the 2021 eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series is set for Wednesday at virtual Chicago Street Course, with coverage beginning at 6 p.m. ET on FS1. The race, a 51-lapper featuring 37 cars and two resets, will get underway at 8 p.m. ET, also on FS1. Practice will be an extension of Race Hub/pre-race programming from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET on FS1.
The fan-vote winner, as revealed on FS1’s NASCAR Race Hub is once again Jesse Iwuji. The popular NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver will join promoter’s provisional pick Dale Earnhardt Jr. as special entries into the race.
Wednesday’s race was designed with the idea to give fans a preview of the Chicago Street Course, which has a tentative configuration of the virtual circuit measuring roughly 2.2 miles and connecting some of Chicago’s landmark streets, including Michigan Avenue and Lake Shore Drive, lapping the perimeter of Grant Park with the downtown skyline as a backdrop.
Here is the entry list for Wednesday’s Pro Invitational Series race (subject to change).
| No. | Team | Driver |
| 00 | StarCom Racing | Quin Houff |
| 2 | Team Penske | Brad Keselowski |
| 3 | Richard Childress Racing | Austin Dillon |
| 4 | Stewart-Haas Racing | Kevin Harvick |
| 5 | Hendrick Motorsports | Kyle Larson |
| 6 | Roush Fenway Racing | Ryan Newman |
| 7 | Spire Motorsports | Corey LaJoie |
| 8 | Richard Childress Racing | Tyler Reddick |
| 9 | Hendrick Motorsports | Chase Elliott |
| 10 | Stewart-Haas Racing | Aric Almirola |
| 11 | Joe Gibbs Racing | Denny Hamlin |
| 12 | Team Penske | Ryan Blaney |
| 14 | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chase Briscoe |
| 15 | Rick Ware Racing | James Davison |
| 17 | Roush Fenway Racing | Chris Buescher |
| 19 | Joe Gibbs Racing | Martin Truex Jr. |
| 20 | Joe Gibbs Racing | Christopher Bell |
| 21 | Wood Brothers Racing | Matt DiBenedetto |
| 22 | Team Penske | Joey Logano |
| 23 | 23XI | Bubba Wallace |
| 24 | Hendrick Motorsports | William Byron |
| 38 | Front Row Motorsports | Anthony Alfredo |
| 41 | Stewart-Haas Racing | Cole Custer |
| 42 | Chip Ganassi Racing | Ross Chastain |
| 43 | Richard Petty Motorsports | Erik Jones |
| 47 | JTG Daugherty Racing | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
| 48 | Hendrick Motorsports | Alex Bowman |
| 51 | Petty Ware Racing | Garrett Smithley |
| 52 | Rick Ware Racing | Josh Bilicki |
| 53 | Rick Ware Racing | Joey Gase |
| 77 | Spire Motorsports | Justin Haley |
| 78 | Live Fast Motorsports | Kyle Tilley |
| 99 | Trackhouse Racing Team | Daniel Suarez |
| 66 | MBM Motorsports | Timmy Hill |
| 88 | Promoter’s Provisional | Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
| 87 | Fan Vote | Jesse Iwuji |
NASCAR issued penalties to three Cup Series teams Tuesday, including a one-race suspension to Kevin Bellicourt of Spire Motorsports after Sunday’s event at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Spire’s No. 77 Chevrolet was found with two unsecured lug nuts after Justin Haley drove the car to a 28th-place finish in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600. The violation of Section 10.9.10.4 in the NASCAR Rule Book meant a $20,000 fine for Bellicourt, plus a one-race ban for the next points-paying event.
RELATED: Sonoma/Mid-Ohio weekend schedule
Spire announced Tuesday afternoon that veteran Peter Sospenzo would fill in for Bellicourt this weekend at Sonoma Raceway. Camping World Truck Series regular Ben Rhodes is set to make his Cup Series debut in Spire’s No. 77 in Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 (4 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN, SiriusXM).
Crew chiefs for two other teams — both from Hendrick Motorsports — were issued $10,000 fines for single-lug infractions after the 600-miler:
• No. 24 Chevrolet crew chief Ryan “Rudy” Fugle (driver William Byron)
• No. 48 Chevrolet crew chief Greg Ives (driver Alex Bowman)
One of the sports world’s premier, fan-friendly venues is set to play host to NASCAR Championship Weekend in 2022, Phoenix Raceway announced Tuesday.
The Valley of the Sun will once again host the final weekend of the NASCAR season, scheduled for Nov. 4-6, 2022. The 1-mile Avondale, Arizona oval first hosted the sport’s pinnacle events in 2020 and is scheduled to crown four champions in three days for the second consecutive season this fall.
MORE: 2021 NASCAR schedule
“We’re so proud of the fact that we get to host NASCAR’s biggest weekend, crowning those four champions and celebrating the series, our drivers, our teams,” track president Julie Giese told NASCAR.com. “It’s going to be a great event. We’re really looking forward to it and honored that we have the opportunity to host this once again.”
The 2022 NASCAR Championship Weekend will again feature culminating events in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the ARCA Menards Series West.
Phoenix played the backdrop to a historic weekend last fall, seeing Chase Elliott win his first career NASCAR Cup Series championship while teammate and seven-time title winner Jimmie Johnson wrapped up a Hall of Fame career behind the wheel of the No. 48 Chevrolet.
The scenic mountain views add to the ambiance, but the racing itself is front and center for some of the sport’s best fans as they get treated to a first-class sports-viewing experience.
“Not only is the weather amazing in Arizona in November, the experience at the race track is second to none,” said Giese. “We redeveloped the track a couple years ago and really made it about the fans. We reinvented that fan experience. It was all about immersing our fans into race weekend.
“I think what makes our sport so great anyway is the access, and just how much you can get into the sport when you’re at the race track and be part of it, for us it was taking that to the next level.”
The full 2022 NASCAR schedule will be unveiled at a later date, TBD.
Season ticket renewals are already underway for fans to lock in their seats for the 2022 championship weekend. To learn more about becoming a Phoenix Raceway Season Ticket Holder, please call 866-408-RACE (7223). Public on-sale for the 2022 NASCAR Championship Event will occur at a later date.
To learn more about all happenings and upcoming events Phoenix Raceway, including the 2021 NASCAR Championship Weekend later this season, Nov. 5-7, please visit PhoenixRaceway.com.
This story first appeared on NASCAR.com on March 24, 2021:
Street-course racing is headed to NASCAR, at least in a virtual sense, as series officials confirmed that iRacing is developing a street circuit set in the downtown Chicago Loop. The layout is scheduled to debut on the racing simulation later this spring and host the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series on June 2.
The tentative configuration of the virtual circuit measures roughly 2.2 miles and connects some of Chicago’s landmark streets, including Michigan Avenue and Lake Shore Drive, lapping the perimeter of Grant Park with the downtown skyline as a backdrop.
Ben Kennedy, NASCAR’s vice president, strategic initiatives, says he’s taken a test drive on an early unreleased version of the Chicago course, estimating that development of the track is 80 to 90 percent complete. He said the project was a joint effort among NASCAR officials, iRacing, The Specialized Marketing Group Inc. (TSMGI) agency, Chicago Sports Commission and the City of Chicago, which allowed the simulation team to laser-map the streets and surroundings under the cloak of early morning darkness last fall.
“Definitely not a traditional scan, and credit to Steve Myers and the group out at iRacing for being able to pull this off,” Kennedy said. “But it was one Sunday night in October at about 12:30 in the morning that they sent a scanner out there in the middle of the night and just made laps around the course. They were there for a little bit, captured some pictures and videos and some of the data that’s necessary to build that out.
“From there, they were able to build kind of that generic model and as you guys will see in some of the content today, you can really start to see it come to life with the buildings and walls and fencing and some of the street posts and lighting. Still a work in progress and we’ll have the final product on June 2nd to see, but certainly a very unique course and I think it’ll be an exciting one for our fans.”
Even though the rumble of racing engines echoing through the Chicago Loop will be a virtual one, city officials embraced the simulation’s debut there and the chance to host the real-life Cup Series drivers who participate in the invitational series.
“On behalf of the City of Chicago, I am thrilled to work with NASCAR and iRacing to showcase our great city to NASCAR fans who will be watching this cutting-edge event from around the country,” said Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot. “Through this exciting and innovative exhibition, fans will be able to see and experience Chicago’s iconic downtown in a way that has never been done before. I am excited to partner with NASCAR and iRacing to produce this event and look forward to providing a new, uniquely Chicago experience to those near and far.”
Said Kara Bachman, executive director of the Chicago Sports Commission: “Today’s announcement marks a huge milestone for Chicago and the Chicago Sports Commission. CSC and its partners, such as TSMGI who has been integral in securing this event, have long awaited the opportunity to collaborate with NASCAR. The iRacing Pro Invitational Series is the perfect virtual launching pad and a testament to NASCAR’s innovation.”
NASCAR officials announced in January that the iRacing Pro Invitational Series would return for a second season in 2021, starting with Wednesday night’s opener at the Bristol Motor Speedway dirt track (8 p.m. ET, FS1). When the first five dates were announced, the site of the fifth race was left to be determined. Wednesday’s Chicago announcement fills that slot. The second half of the Pro Invitational Series’ 10-race schedule — to be broadcast by NBC Sports — will be revealed at a later date.
iRacing has scanned existing street circuits before, and the sim service offers virtual versions of the streets of Long Beach, California, and the Belle Isle circuit in Detroit. Chicago represents iRacing’s first street-course project based on a real-world location that’s yet to be raced on in real life.
RELATED: See a lap of the course | Could Chicago Street Course become NASCAR option?
“Certainly something new to us. I think the big things are really creating a good racing product for our fans at the end of the day, so wide streets, good corners and unique characteristics to the track, too,” Kennedy says, noting the natural chicane that Congress Plaza Drive creates and the circuit’s dogleg near Lake Michigan’s shore.
“I think that’s what led us to it and then compile that onto just the iconic location of it, right along Lake Michigan. You have the Chicago skyline in the background and then the middle of Grant Park. Such a unique opportunity and it will be really neat to see it all come together in the virtual world.”
NASCAR has a history of racing in Chicago’s vicinity, dating back to a Cup Series race in 1956 at Soldier Field — not far from the iRacing street circuit. NASCAR held two Camping World Truck Series events (2000-01) at the short-lived Chicago Motor Speedway in Cicero, Illinois, on the city’s outskirts. And Cup Series events were held from 2001-19 in Joliet at Chicagoland Speedway. Officials indicated they continue to work with the Chicagoland track on possible options beyond 2021.
This Chicago venture marks the latest collaboration between iRacing and NASCAR, a partnership that gained prominence under dire circumstances when the sports world shut down after COVID-19’s global outbreak a year ago. The Pro Invitational Series helped fill that void, allowing stock-car racing’s stars and cars to trade paint in pixelated form from remote locations.
More recently, iRacing helped create a sim model for Auto Club Speedway’s proposed reconfiguration into a short track, helping NASCAR officials determine the feasibility of the concept. That same modeling and cooperation will soon transform Chicago’s bustling city streets into a virtual racing venue for iRacing subscribers and NASCAR’s invitational field.
“I think the idea really came together in collaboration with the group out in Chicago and then really integrating iRacing throughout the process,” Kennedy says. “They’ve been great to work with whether it’s on the Auto Club project and what the redevelopment of that track looks like, as well as a handful of other developments as we think about what future tracks could be or look like. It’s been a great collaboration so far. This one is kind of a concept right now more than anything else, but certainly need to have them a part of the process.”
Charlotte Motor Speedway has always been Rick Hendrick’s personal playground.
Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 brought new life to the team owner’s dominance at the 1.5-mile oval that sits just 1.8 miles away from the Hendrick race shop.
Kyle Larson, Hendrick’s newest driver, earned Hendrick’s 269th Cup Series victory to push the organization past Petty Enterprises on the all-time list. It served as the 21st Hendrick win at Charlotte and the 12th time it’s been accomplished in the 600-mile Memorial Day weekend crown jewel.
RELATED: Larson claims Coca-Cola 600 | Elliott: No. 5 team deserved win
It was only fitting the milestone was reached in Hendrick’s backyard.
“Well, I’m going to remember that I really wanted to break the record at home,” Hendrick said late Sunday night in a post-race press conference. “I really wanted to do it in Charlotte. When the cars — when the race started and it looked like we were going to be really strong and all of them running in the top five, I thought we’ve really got a shot.”
With a new record achieved, there appears to be no slowing down for the organization for the future. Hendrick’s fleet of drivers – Alex Bowman, William Byron, Chase Elliott and Larson – has been a force for the better part of the 2021 season. All four drivers have recorded wins this year; Bowman, Elliott and Larson have won the past three races and Byron has earned 12 top-10 finishes in the past 13 events.
The combination seems to naturally click. But it’s something that didn’t just happen for Hendrick overnight.
“I’ve worked with Chase since he was 14, William walked up to me at the JRM shop when he was about 15 and said he wanted to drive one day, Alex … Dale picked him, and he and I are car nuts and we worked together, and Kyle is a racer,” Hendrick said. “I think they have tremendous respect for each other because I sit in the debriefs and listen to them sharing information, and I think the age does have a lot to do with it. I think that they respect each other, and each one offers a little bit that maybe the other one doesn’t have.”
The four drivers have an average age of just 26 years old. With that mixture of youth and talent so prevalent, Hendrick has put together a group proving it’s going to hang around Victory Lane for years to come.
Though having four competitive drivers and teams who are hungry for race wins is a fantastic problem to have for a team owner, the stress level elevates when you have them running up front consistently and competing in close proximity of each other.
RELATED: Why friendly competition among Hendrick drivers breeds more winning
“Well, it’s a lot of stress when they get close together and if they try to block,” Hendrick said. “The fear I have is wrecking each other because that destroys the organization’s ability to pull together. I’ve had that happen, and I had to get them in a room and say, you can’t — don’t touch each other. If you’re going for the win, okay, but just remember what you’re getting ready to do to the organization. It’s going to break us down if we have a lot of friction and we’re not working together.
“They want to win, but they race each other clean. I’ve heard all of them say, you’ve seen them on the track, they don’t push people around and they try to pass clean, and that’s the way we like to race.”
As he reflected on his storied history in the sport on Sunday night as the celebration was set to continue well into the night, Hendrick felt blessed that he’s been able to hire drivers who have used their unique talents to attain countless triumphs.
But most importantly, it’s how they’ve all become part of his family that has been the most rewarding.
“It’s like having a bunch of kids,” Hendrick said. “You love them all the same.”
CONCORD, N.C. — For the past three weeks, it’s been Hendrick Motorsports versus the rest of the NASCAR Cup Series field.
Team owner Rick Hendrick celebrated a record-breaking 269th Cup Series victory — surpassing Petty Enterprises on the all-time list — with Kyle Larson’s win in Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. His other three drivers, Alex Bowman, William Byron and Chase Elliott, filled four of the top-five finishing positions. Hendrick drivers have now won the past three Cup Series races, beginning with Bowman’s win at Dover International Speedway.
Elliott backed up his first victory of the 2021 season at Circuit of The Americas with a second-place finish in the 600-mile Memorial Day weekend classic. The defending series champion feels all four drivers are maximizing opportunities because those moments are fleeting at NASCAR’s highest level.
RELATED: Hendrick passes Petty Enterprises
“This is a sport that comes in waves,” Elliott said. “It’s a roller coaster. There’s going to be good times, there’s going to be bad times. I hope we’re always this good and always this competitive, but I think the law of averages would tell you that that’s not going to last forever, so I think we all want to try to take advantage of the opportunities that we have right now as a company and continue to challenge ourselves to be better because our competitors are getting better, they’re pushing harder.”
One of those competitors, Kyle Busch, made it a point to call out Hendrick Motorsports’ recent rise, who broke up the organization’s party at the top on Sunday night with a third-place finish. Busch radioed to his crew after the race, noting that the Hendrick dominance should be a cause for concern.
But what have been the keys to the Chevrolet brigade’s success? Two-time 2021 race winner Bowman feels part of that answer is Chad Knaus in his new role as competition director.
“The four of us, we’re all somewhat quiet,” Bowman said after finishing fifth at Charlotte. “We’re all pretty quiet for the most part, so Chad leads the meetings for the most part more than he ever has. I think that’s really the biggest vibe change in the meetings I see is being led strictly by Chad instead of Chad in there as a crew chief.”
For Larson, those competition meetings with Knaus are a time for all four drivers to show camaraderie and lay everything on the table.
“I think at least for me, and I think all of us teammates are like this, I think we’re pretty open with each other,” Larson said. “I don’t think any of us hide anything. I know I don’t. I’m not afraid to ask — I don’t know anything about cars, but I’m not afraid to ask somebody why they’re driving like this or how that helped them, and they’ve asked me the same questions, and I give them a 100% honest answer.
RELATED: Larson takes Coca-Cola 600 victory
“I think when you’re honest with each other and want to help each other out, it just makes the whole program better. I’ve always taken a lot of pride in being a good teammate, and I think my other three teammates are the same way.”
Byron, who finished fourth at his home track Sunday night and earned victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway earlier this year, is enjoying the friendly competition amongst his teammates this year. The drive to beat each other on the race track stems from the willingness to help each other within the walls of the organization’s campus down the street from Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The No. 24 driver has also scored 12 top 10s in the last 13 races.
“It’s maybe more competitive than racing against the other guys because I feel like we know we’ve got the tools and the resources inside,” Byron said. “It’s just about racing the other drivers (at Hendrick), the other cars, the crew chiefs racing each other. It becomes very competitive, which breeds even more winning I feel like. I love it. You wake up knowing you have an opportunity to win.”
While Hendrick drivers are relishing in their peak performance as of late, Elliott warned they shouldn’t lose sight on what’s ahead of them.
“We need to make sure we’re not just happy with where we are, we’ve got to get better, too,” Elliott said. “We’ve got to push, because May isn’t … that’s not when we hand out the big trophy. We need to make sure we’re on our game when it counts.”