CONCORD, N.C. - Few tracks on the NASCAR Cup Series slate have been as kind to Hendrick Motorsports as Bristol Motor Speedway. At least, recently.
The organization has placed three drivers in the top 10 in four consecutive races at the Last Great Coliseum, the longest such streak ever. In those four races, a combined 16 starts for Kyle Larson, William Byron, Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports drivers have registered 12 top-10 showings and a win. That victory belonged to Larson in the fall of 2021.
Theoretically, Saturday night's finale of the playoff Round of 16 is coming at a good place for the four with all already at least 25 points above the cutline.
But success at Bristol is nothing new for the organization. It started back on Aug. 26, 1989 when Darrell Waltrip put Rick Hendrick and his race team in victory lane for the first time at the Tennessee short track. Since have come 11 more wins with vice chairman and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon leading the way with five. Seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson also tamed Bristol twice.
RELATED: See every winner for Hendrick Motorsports at Bristol Motor Speedway
As for the current stable of Hendrick Motorsports drivers? Larson has certainly led the way, scoring top-five finishes in each of the last four events and compiling an average finish of 3.3, best among all Cup drivers.
Here's how the four stack up statistically in their careers at Bristol as well as a quick look at history:
Kyle Larson driver averages, statistics at Bristol
- Starts: 16
- Wins: 1
- Poles: 1
- Top fives: 6
- Top 10s: 11
- DNFs: 1
- Laps led: 889
- Average start: 13.6
- Average finish: 11.6
Chase Elliott driver averages, statistics at Bristol
- Starts: 14
- Wins: 0 (Elliott won the 2020 NASCAR All-Star Race at Bristol)
- Poles: 1
- Top fives: 4
- Top 10s: 8
- DNFs: 0
- Laps led: 444
- Average start: 7.6
- Average finish: 11.6
William Byron driver averages, statistics at Bristol
- Starts: 10
- Wins: 0
- Poles: 0
- Top fives: 2
- Top 10s: 4
- DNFs: 1
- Laps led: 0
- Average start: 10.8
- Average finish: 17.4
Alex Bowman driver averages, statistics at Bristol
- Starts: 14
- Wins: 0
- Poles: 0
- Top fives: 3
- Top 10s: 4
- DNFs: 2
- Laps led: 3
- Average start: 18.9
- Average finish: 19.6
Hendrick Motorsports at Bristol
- Races: 78
- Wins: 12
- Winners: Jeff Gordon (five), Jimmie Johnson (two), Darrell Waltrip, Terry Labonte, Kyle Busch, Kasey Kahne, Kyle Larson
- Poles: 12
- Top fives: 69 (most)
- Top 10s: 121 (most)
- Laps led: 6,431