CONCORD, N.C. - One final race remains on the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series regular season. Thankfully for Hendrick Motorsports, all four drivers have secured their spots in the playoffs and will look to this weekend's main event at Darlington Raceway as a chance to rack up playoff points.
Also in action this weekend will be Chase Elliott driving the No. 17 HendrickCars.com entry in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native was successful in his last outing with the team at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May and will aim to bring home another victory in the division on Saturday.
RELATED: Hendrick Motorsports hosts playoff luncheon ahead of title run
Darlington, an odd, egg-shaped oval checking in at 1.366 miles, is one of the most historic circuits in the sport and has hosted Cup Series action dating all the way back to 1950. The track itself is very narrow and provides little room for error as drivers lose grip quickly thanks to the track's worn-out racing surface. As for the corners, turns one and two offer a gradual corner with 25-degree banking with turns three and four comprising a sharp, tight corner reminiscent of short-track racing but banked 23 degrees.
Hendrick Motorsports has accumulated 16 wins at, "The Track Too Tough to Tame", six more than any other organization. Hall of Famer and current vice chairman Jeff Gordon leads the way with seven of those victories. Jimmie Johnson won three times at Darlington with Kyle Larson, Mark Martin, Ricky Rudd, Terry Labonte, Tim Richmond and William Byron each carrying Hendrick Motorsports to victory lane once.
RELATED: Check out the colors for Darlington
KEY NUMBERS TO KNOW FOR DARLINGTON
Data provided by Racing Insights
Larson, No. 5 team
Exactly one year ago, Kyle Larson broke through to win at Darlington for the first time in the Cup Series. While the victory was only his first at the 1.366-mile facility, the track has been good to Larson statistically highlighted by 785 laps led and an average finish of 11.31 across 13 starts. While the regular season title may be a stretch (17 points behind Tyler Reddick) the team will look to earn stage points to close the gap as quickly as possible.
Elliott, No. 9 team
While Elliott has yet to score a victory at Darlington, he has earned seven top-10 finishes in his career at the track. While a crown jewel victory would certainly mean a lot to the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team, the regular season title might mean even more for the group. Elliott currently sits 18 markers behind Reddick for the point position. Keep an eye out for the team to also prioritize stage points in their quest to erase the lead by the end of the 500-mile main event.
Byron, No. 24 team
Statistically, Darlington has been a solid track for William Byron in his career. Having already won once in the spring of 2023 at the track, Byron has the most laps run inside the top 10 (1,367) and top five (1,041) in the Next Gen era at Darlington. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native is also riding a four-race top-10 streak at the track heading into the weekend. Watch for the No. 24 team to be in contention for another crown jewel victory on Sunday.
Bowman, No. 48 team
Heading into the weekend, Alex Bowman has scored 12 top-10 finishes in 2024. Highlighted by a win in Chicago, the Tucson, Arizona, native is set to make his sixth playoff appearance when the run to the title begins next weekend. As a group, the team has finished inside the top-10 in two of the last three Darlington races and Bowman will aim to win his first career crown jewel race this Sunday.
Hendrick Motorsports
In 2023, Hendrick Motorsports swept the two races at Darlington despite not winning at the track for the past 14 races. The team's 16 victories are also the most of any Cup Series organization. Having already won two crown jewel races this season (Byron's DAYTONA 500 victory and Larson's Brickyard 400 crown), the team will aim to take three of the available four with a win on Sunday.
DID YOU KNOW?
2024 will be the sixth season that four drivers from Hendrick Motorsports will be in the playoffs.
NASCAR TV SCHEDULE THIS WEEKEND
Saturday, August 31
10:30 a.m. ET: Practice (Xfinity) - NBC Sports App
11:10 a.m. ET: Qualifying (Xfinity) - NBC Sports App
12:35 p.m. ET: Practice (Cup) - USA Network
1:20 p.m. ET: Qualifying (Cup) - USA Network
Elliott will be the third car out to qualify in the No. 17 entry. For the Cup Series, Larson, Elliott and Byron will be in Group A while Bowman will be in Group B.
3:30 p.m. ET: Xfinity Series main event - USA Network
Sunday, September 1
6 p.m. ET: Cup Series main event - USA Network
STAGE LENGTHS (Xfinity)
STAGE 1: LAP 45
STAGE 2: LAP 99
END OF RACE: LAP 147
STAGE LENGTHS (CUp)
STAGE 1: LAP 115
STAGE 2: LAP 230
END OF RACE: LAP 367
WILL THE RACE BE ON THE RADIO?
Yes, listeners can find both events on MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
CAN I STREAM ONLINE?
Yes. Download the NBC Sports App for online coverage. Fans can also keep up with the action on X by following @TeamHendrick.