CONCORD, N.C. - For the second time in four races, Hendrick Motorsports and the NASCAR Cup Series will compete in "The Lone Star State." For this weekend, Texas Motor Speedway will host its one race on the 2024 schedule. This marks the first event at the track since William Byron took home Hendrick Motorsports' 300th victory as an organization.
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After opening in 1997, the 1.5-mile facility has hosted the top series of stock car racing at least once per season for the last 26 years. This season, the track's date has moved from the Round of 8 in the Cup Series playoffs to the spring. While the stakes may be different, expect no limits to be shown over the 400-mile main event.
Rick Hendrick's team has taken home the checkered flag 11 times at Texas. Jimmie Johnson holds the track record with seven wins. Four drivers have each won a single race at the facility, with Jeff Gordon, Kyle Larson, Terry Labonte, and Byron each adding their names to the record book as winners for Hendrick Motorsports in Texas.
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After a day of running towards the front, race-winner Byron broke through to the point position on a late-race restart before driving away in the final six laps to earn his sixth victory of the year and the 300th for the organization. While fighting for the owner championship, Chase Elliott put together a solid run with an 11th-place finish. Alex Bowman followed closely behind his teammate with a 12th-place run. While Larson would finish 31st, the No. 5 entry led 99 circuits before an incident in turn two ended his race early.
KEY NUMBERS TO KNOW FOR TEXAS
Data provided by Racing Insights
Larson, No. 5 team
Larson has taken pole position in the last two races (Richmond Raceway and Martinsville Speedway) and won at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the most recent 1.5-mile track to host a Cup Series main event. Since joining Hendrick Motorsports, Larson has led 40% of the laps run (374 of 935) at Texas. The 31-year-old driver's three wins on 1.5-mile tracks are the most in the Next Gen era (since 2022).
Elliott, No. 9 team
Elliott's 367 laps run inside the top 10 at the 1.5-mile circuit, the fourth-most of any driver in the field. As for this season, the driver of the No. 9 ranks fourth in most laps run inside the top-five spots (762). In 13 starts at Texas, Elliott has two top-five finishes and six top-10s. In 2024, the 28-year-old driver has three top 10s in his last four races.
Byron, No. 24 team
Fresh off a victory at the 40th anniversary weekend at Martinsville, Byron is the 10th driver in the last 30 years to win three of the first eight races in a season. As for Texas, not only is the driver of the No. 24 entry the defending winner, but he is riding a top-10 streak of three races at the facility. Byron has two wins and the second-most points earned (564) on 1.5-mile tracks in the Next Gen era, both marks trailing only teammate Larson (three wins, 566 points).
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Bowman, No. 48 team
With three top-five results this season, Bowman is tied for the second-most of any driver in the Cup Series. In his career with Hendrick Motorsports, he has earned two top-five results at Texas with a pair of fifth-place runs in 2019 and 2020. The 30-year-old driver has two career wins on 1.5-mile tracks in the Cup Series (Chicagoland Speedway in 2019 and Las Vegas in 2022).
Hendrick Motorsports
With three straight pole positions, Hendrick Motorsports is one pole position away from reaching 250 pole awards in the Cup Series. The team has earned seven pole positions at Texas in its 43 races there.
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DID YOU KNOW?
Hendrick Motorsports has six wins on 1.5-mile tracks in the Next Gen era and has swept the stages in four of those victories. The sweeps came at Homestead-Miami Speedway (Larson in 2022) and Las Vegas (Byron in 2023 and Larson in 2023 and 2024).
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS AND TV COVERAGE
Saturday, April 13
10:35 a.m. ET: Practice - FS1
11:20 a.m. ET Qualifying - FS1
Bowman and Elliott are in Group A, while Byron and Larson are in Group B.
Sunday, April 14
3:30 p.m. ET: Cup Series race - FS1
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STAGE LENGTHS
Cup Series race
Stage 1: Lap 80
Stage 2: Lap 165
End of Race: Lap 267
WILL THE RACE BE ON THE RADIO?
Yes, listeners can find both events on PRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
WHERE CAN I STREAM THE BROADCAST?
Fans can watch all the action with the FOX Sports Live app. For live updates and additional content during the race, head over to X and follow @TeamHendrick for the most accurate and up-to-date information.
HOW CAN I FIND FS1?
The channel number may vary depending on the location. Use this link to enter your zip code and select your television provider for assistance in finding what channel number FS1 is on your provider.