CONCORD, N.C. -- The four Hendrick Motorsports are heading to Darlington Raceway for Mother's Day with their throwback schemes.
The last time the NASCAR Cup Series field took to the track at Darlington on Mother's Day, Jeff Gordon took the checkered flag. The race originally was scheduled for Saturday, May 12, but was postponed a day due to weather. On May 13, 2007, Gordon earned his seventh win at the track on Mother's Day.
Take a look at the best Hendrick Motorsports stats at Darlington as the drivers get ready to head to the track this Sunday for the throwback race. Tune in Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1 to see all the action live.
- At Darlington Raceway this Sunday, Hendrick Motorsports is looking to secure a 30th consecutive top-10 finish in the NASCAR Cup Series. Chase Elliott (fifth) and William Byron (ninth) both finished in the top 10 at Kansas Speedway last weekend, extending a streak of at least one Hendrick Motorsports driver posting a top-10 result to 29 straight races. Team Penske ranks second with eight consecutive top-10s.
- On May 12, 2012, Jimmie Johnson won at Darlington Raceway to capture Hendrick Motorsports’ 200th NASCAR Cup Series victory. Overall, a record-tying six different drivers have combined for Hendrick Motorsports’ record number of 14 victories at the 1.366-mile track: Gordon (seven), Johnson (three), Terry Labonte (one), Mark Martin (one), Tim Richmond (one) and Ricky Rudd (one). The organization holds the record for most drivers to win for a team at a track with eight different Hendrick Motorsports drivers victorious at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
- Three different Hendrick Motorsports drivers have gone to victory lane in the first 11 races of 2021, marking only the 10th time in NASCAR Cup Series history a team has done so. Hendrick Motorsports also accomplished it in 2007 and 2009, while Joe Gibbs Racing did so in 2016, 2019 and 2021. Other teams with three different winners in the first 11 events: Team Penske in 2021; Roush Fenway Racing in 2005, Peter DePaolo Racing in 1957 and Carl Kiekhafer Racing in 1956. The earliest in a single season a team has won with four different drivers is race No. 12 by Hendrick Motorsports in 2007 and JGR in 2016.
- Hendrick Motorsports entered the 2021 season within striking distance of one of stock car racing’s most enduring achievements: Petty Enterprises’ all-time team record for NASCAR Cup Series victories. The legendary Petty organization captured the wins record from Carl Kiekhafer Racing more than 60 years ago when Lee Petty took the checkered flag at Orange Speedway on May 29, 1960, for the team’s 53rd victory. Its 268th and most recent win was delivered by driver John Andretti on April 18, 1999. Hendrick Motorsports has earned 266 points-paying Cup Series wins since Rick Hendrick founded the team in 1984 and currently needs just three to break the record at NASCAR’s highest level.
- In six NASCAR Cup Series starts at Darlington Raceway, Kyle Larson has three top-five finishes and five top-10s with his worst finish of 14th occurring in 2017. He has an average finish of 6.7, his best of all active tracks. The 2014 rookie of the year led in five of those six races for 500 laps – 23% of the laps he has competed in at the egg-shaped track.
- Elliott and the No. 9 team showed speed in all three events last year at Darlington. In those events, he led a total of 142 laps – the third-most of all drivers. Elliott is set to make his ninth NASCAR Cup Series start at Darlington Raceway this weekend. In his previous races at the 1.366-mile track, he has two top-five finishes and three top-10s.
- With five previous Cup Series starts at Darlington, Byron is looking to capitalize on his previously strong showings at Darlington Raceway this Sunday. Despite running well early on in past races, Byron currently has a track-best finish of fifth, which came last September. He's looking to extend his string of top-10 finishes to 10 races, which is the longest active streak in the Cup Series.
- Alex Bowman has seven previous starts in the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington Raceway. The 28-year-old’s best finish of second came in May last season, when the sport returned after a two-month break due to the coronavirus pandemic. Bowman led for 41 laps after rolling off second, earning the second-most points in the event. During the three races held at the 1.366-mile venue in 2020, Bowman captured the second-most stage points (39) and led the sixth-most laps (42) among active drivers.