CONCORD, N.C. – With the final race of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series schedule in the books, another season has come to a close. Hendrick Motorsports came oh-so-close to its 15th championship in the sport’s top series, but ultimately, Kyle Larson and William Byron finished second and third in the final standings.
Over the year, several notable stats and achievements were accumulated by all four teams and the organization. Check out these statistical highlights from the year in racing action for the Rick Hendrick-owned team.
Hendrick Motorsports 2023 Cup Series highlights
- The organization earned its 300th Cup Series win on Sept. 24, 2023, at Texas Motor Speedway with Byron’s victory in the Round of 12 opener. Currently, the team has 301 Cup Series wins.
- The Hendrick Motorsports engine department notched its 500th national series win on Sept. 3, 2023, with Larson’s victory in the playoff opener at Darlington Raceway. Presently, the engine department has 506 wins across the three national series.
- For the third time in organizational history, Hendrick Motorsports earned a top-three sweep in a race. Byron, Larson and Alex Bowman placed 1-2-3 at the spring race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The other two times in team history were the 1997 DAYTONA 500 and a top-four sweep in the 2021 race at Dover Motor Speedway.
- All four of the team’s cars finished in the top 10 at Phoenix Raceway in March (Byron won, Larson was fourth, Bowman placed ninth and Josh Berry, subbing for an injured Chase Elliott, finished 10th. It was the first time that the team had accomplished that at Phoenix and the only race this season where all four of its cars grabbed top-10 finishes.
- With 10 wins, Hendrick Motorsports led the Cup Series in victories. This is the 18th season that the organization had the most wins or was tied for the most in the sport’s top series. It is also the 13th season where the team won at least 10 times and marked the third straight season with at least 10 wins.
- The four-car team led 2,440 laps in 2023. This is the third straight season that the organization has crossed the 2,000-lap led mark and it is the team’s longest streak in the last nine years.
- This season marked the fifth time that at least two drivers led over 1,000 laps with Byron and Larson accomplishing that. The other occurrences were in 1986 (Geoff Bodine and Tim Richmond and 2004, 2007 and 2014 (Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson).
- Between the August race at Michigan International Speedway and the October race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports had at least one driver finish in the top five over those 12 races. It was the longest streak by the team since its 14-race mark in 2021.
Kyle Larson and the No. 5 team
RELATED: Title race result leaves Larson eager to get going for '24
- The spring race at Atlanta Motor Speedway marked Larson’s 300th Cup Series start.
- Larson’s four wins were the second-most in the series. He also won the All-Star Race in NASCAR’s historic return to North Wilkesboro Speedway to claim his third $1,000,000 prize in the annual event.
- With 1,127 laps led, Larson led the series in that statistical category. He also became the first driver in the Next Gen era (since 2022) to lead at least 1,000 laps in a season.
- Eight of Larson’s 17 wins at Hendrick Motorsports have come during the Cup Series playoffs. He added two to that total during the 2023 postseason with wins at Darlington and Las Vegas.
- The No. 5 HendrickCars.com pit crew had the second-fastest four-tire pit stop average of 11.033 seconds. The crew consists of Blaine Anderson (front-tire changer), R.J. Barnette (tire carrier), Brandon Harder (fueler), Brandon Johnson (jackman) and Calvin Teague (rear-tire changer).
- This season marked Larson’s second Championship 4 appearance. He won the title in 2021 in his other appearance in the championship round.
Chase Elliott and the No. 9 team
PHOTOS: See every paint scheme from the 2023 season
- No. 9 crew chief Alan Gustafson called his 650th race as a crew chief at Talladega Superspeedway in April.
- The No. 9 team qualified for the owner playoffs and reached the Round of 8 in that postseason. The owner standings account for all starts made by the car number even if the primary driver is out due to injury.
- Elliott surpassed 5,000 laps led in the Cup Series with 15 laps led at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL in October. In addition, his 83 laps led in the fall race at Martinsville Speedway put him at 1,040 laps led at the 0.526-mile venue. It is the first track that he has led over 1,000 laps.
- Elliott’s average finish of 13.1 was fifth-best among full-time drivers in 2023.
- While he did not add to his seven road course wins in 2023, Elliott enjoyed a solid season in races on serpentine layouts. He had three top-five finishes (highlighted by a runner-up finish at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course), four top-10s and an average finish of 10.2 on that track type.
- The No. 9 pit crew’s average four-tire pit stop time of 11.228 seconds was the ninth-fastest in the series. The crew consists of Chad Avrit (rear-tire changer), Jared Erespamer (tire carrier), John Gianninoto (fueler), Nick O’Dell (front-tire changer) and T.J. Semke (jackman).
William Byron and the No. 24 team
RELATED: 'Lot to be proud of' in 2023 season for Byron
- Byron’s six wins were the most by the No. 24 car since 2007 and the sixth-most in the history of the iconic number. The six victories stood as the most in the series for 2023. In addition, he led the series in stage wins (nine), top-10 finishes (21) and average finish (10.97). He was also tied for the most top-five finishes (15) with teammate Larson.
- His 1,016 laps led were a single-season best for the 25-year-old driver and were the second-most in the series in 2023.
- Byron’s win at Darlington in May marked the 100th victory for the iconic No. 24 Chevrolet. At season’s end, the car number has 103 wins with Byron accounting for 10, while NASCAR Hall of Famer and team vice chairman Gordon is responsible for 93.
- With eight wins over the last two seasons, Byron is the winningest driver in the Next Gen era (2022-present).
- The No. 24 pit crew’s average four-tire pit stop time of 10.934 seconds was the best in the series. The pit crew consists of Spencer Bishop (jackman), Jeff Cordero (front-tire changer), Orane Ossowski (rear-tire changer), Ryan Patton (tire carrier) and Landon Walker (fueler).
- The Championship 4 appearance for Byron was his first and came in his sixth full-time season.
Alex Bowman and the No. 48 team
- Bowman’s fourth-place finish in the Clash at the Coliseum is the best result for Hendrick Motorsports in the two-year history of the historic venue hosting the exhibition race.
- For a record sixth straight year, Bowman started on the front row for the DAYTONA 500. For the third time in that span, he earned the pole position.
- Bowman’s start of six top-10 finishes and an average finish of 7.14 in the first seven races of the season was his best beginning to any campaign. It also led to him leading the point standings for the first time in his career.
- A 10th-place finish at Kansas Speedway in September was the 30-year-old driver’s eighth top-10 at the 1.5-mile track. That is his most at any venue on the Cup Series schedule.
- This season marked the first for Bowman with crew chief Blake Harris. He had previously worked with Greg Ives (2016, 2018-2022) while at Hendrick Motorsports.
- With 10 top-10 finishes in 2023, Bowman has posted double-digit seasons of top-10s in each of his six years at Hendrick Motorsports.