DARLINGTON, S.C. – William Byron was the best qualifier among the Hendrick Motorsports quartet for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway.
Byron posted a lap of 168.342 mph in the final round of qualifying to earn the fourth starting spot in the No. 24 Axalta Throwback Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. The 25-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina, native nearly won this race last year, leading before contact coming to two to go knocking him out of the way. In nine starts at the 1.366-mile track, he has two top-five finishes and three top-10s.
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Kyle Larson will take to the grid from the seventh position (167.562 mph) in the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Throwback Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. In 10 starts at Darlington, he has three runner-up finishes, five top-fives and seven top-10s. He has a 9.2 average finish, which is the second-best mark of the field for Sunday’s race. His 686 laps are the third-most all-time among drivers that don’t have a win at the track "Too Tough to Tame."
Chase Elliott is set to line up 21st in the No. 9 LLumar Throwback Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. The 27-year-old Dawsonville, Georgia, native drove to a fifth-place finish here last spring in a backup car. In 12 starts, he has three top-five finishes and five top-10s. Since returning from injury, the 2020 Cup Series champion has not finished outside the top 12 in four races.
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Josh Berry will be starting from the 23rd position in the No. 48 Ally Throwback Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 as he continues to fill in for Alex Bowman. This marks Berry’s eighth start of the season for Hendrick Motorsports and his first at Darlington. Driving for Hendrick Motorsports affiliate JR Motorsports, the 32-year-old has a best finish of second (from the 2021 race) at this track. Bowman remains sidelined with a fractured vertebra suffered in a sprint car accident last month.
Martin Truex Jr. earned the pole position for the Mother’s Day race.
Elliott led the way on the scoring sheet from the combined group practice, while Byron placed third. On the 10-lap average board, Byron and Elliott placed one-two. The 2020 Cup Series champion was the best across the 15-, 20- and 25-lap averages. Larson was the best in the 30-lap average category.
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Hendrick Motorsports’ 14 wins at the South Carolina track are the most all-time by a team. NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon's seven wins account for half of the total. Jimmie Johnson posted three wins, including the organization's 200th Cup Series win in 2012. Terry Labonte, Mark Martin, Tim Richmond and Ricky Rudd each tallied one trip to victory lane at the venue.
This season, Hendrick Motorsports has led the most laps this season with 1,226 circuits out front. The team has led laps in all but one race this season (Atlanta Motor Speedway in March) and has controlled the race for 38% of the laps run. Byron (589) and Larson (553) rank one-two in that statistical category. The team's total is more than double the total of the team that ranks second (593). In addition, the organization’s nine stage wins are also the most in the series with Byron leading the way with six stage victories.
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Sunday’s 293-lap race is the 13th of the 2023 Cup Series season. Tune in to catch all the action at 3 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).