LAS VEGAS – Hendrick Motorsports’ one-two-three finish in the NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway marked the third time in team history that the organization swept the top-three spots in a race.
William Byron won the race, while Kyle Larson finished second and Alex Bowman came in third. The team led 241 of the 271 laps run on Sunday at the 1.5-mile track. Byron also won both stages and this trio swept the top-three spots in stage two as well.
RELATED: Byron wins at Las Vegas | See scenes from the victory
"Fantastic day for Hendrick Motorsports and the one-two-three finish," team president and general manager Jeff Andrews said in a post-race press conference.
"Really proud of all of our cars and the effort that's gone into our cars and race teams in the offseason. Certainly felt like last week (at Auto Club Speedway) we had good cars and capable of something similar, but various issues and things kind of took us out.
"It’s very gratifying to come back this week and be able to execute like we did today. Obviously, very proud of Rudy (Fugle, crew chief) and William and the job they did today."
PHOTOS: Every driver to win at Hendrick Motorsports
Bowman won the last time Hendrick Motorsports finished in the top-three spots in a race (2021 at Dover Motor Speedway, which was actually a top-four sweep). He was thrilled to be a part of it as the No. 48 team continued its hot start to the season with a third straight top-10 finish and a second top-five in three races.
"I'm really pumped for Hendrick Motorsports to be one-two-three," Bowman said. "I've been on the good side of those consecutive finishes so now I'm on the other side. But it was a fun race with our teammates. To be one-two-three is really awesome."
Hendrick Motorsports has had three one-two-three finishes in team history. Take a look back at each of them.
DAYTONA 500 on Feb. 16, 1997
Top-three sweep: Jeff Gordon (WON), Terry Labonte (second) and Ricky Craven (third)
Laps led among team: 40 of 200
Dover Motor Speedway on May 16, 2021
Top-four sweep: Alex Bowman (WON), Kyle Larson (second), Chase Elliott (third) and William Byron (fourth)
Laps led among team: 382 of 400
Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 5, 2023
Top-three sweep: Byron (WON), Larson (second) and Bowman (third)
Laps led among team: 241 of 271
The team’s performance came days after the news that Chase Elliott underwent surgery for a fractured tibia after a snowboarding accident in Colorado. Andrews said on Saturday that there is no timeline for the 2020 Cup Series champion to return but did indicate it would be several weeks.
RELATED: Elliott undergoes successful surgery, no timeline yet for return
"I think just shows the strength that our teams have and the ability to come together in tough situations," Byron said of the organization’s strong showing at Las Vegas after his fifth Cup Series win. "I think I speak for everyone in the fact that we miss Chase out here. He's a big contributor to feedback and our debriefs and he's a great race car driver.
"I think there was a void there, but I think we were able to fill it with just kind of coming together as a team."