CONCORD, N.C. – Restrictor-plate racing returns this weekend as the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Talladega Superspeedway.
And Hendrick Motorsports has shined in restrictor-plate races over the years.
The organization leads all-active teams in restrictor-plate races with wins (24), sweeps of the top-two finishing positions (nine), poles (30), top-five finishes (103), top-10s (167) and laps led (4,524).
Jeff Gordon is the all-time leader in restrictor-plate wins with 12, including a sweep at Talladega in 2007. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is third on the list with 10 victories (three with Hendrick Motorsports) and Jimmie Johnson is sixth all-time with five.
Here’s a closer look at how Hendrick Motorsports has performed at Talladega Superspeedway over the years.
- At Talladega Superspeedway, Hendrick Motorsports has 12 wins (tied most all-time), 12 poles (most all-time), 13 second-place finishes (most all-time), 55 top-five finishes (most all-time), 82 top-10s (most all-time) and 2,712 laps led (most all-time). Earnhardt most recently won there for the organization in 2015.
- The organization’s 12 victories at the track were earned between six different drivers, a record at the Alabama superspeedway. Gordon found Victory Lane at the 2.66-mile oval six times, Johnson twice, and Brian Vickers, Earnhardt, Ken Schrader and Terry Labonte each won once.
- Courtesy of Jeff Gordon and Chase Elliott, the No. 24 car holds the record for consecutive restrictor-plate poles by a car number, winning five straight between 2015 and 2016. The No. 88 car is tied for the second most consecutive restrictor-plate poles with three, most recently capturing the pole at the Daytona 500 in February with Alex Bowman behind the wheel. Bowman will look to extend the No. 88 car’s streak to four and move even closer to the No. 24 car record this weekend.
- On restrictor-plate tracks, the organization has the record for most consecutive front row starts, tallying seven in a row between 2014 and 2016. The No. 88 car has started in the front row in the last five restrictor-plate races and won the pole for the last three.
- Hendrick Motorsports has been a solid contender at Talladega in recent years. Since 2015, the organization has accumulated one win, four poles (most), two second-place finishes, six top-fives (tied most), nine top-10s (most) and 365 laps led (most).
- All four Hendrick Motorsports crew chiefs have admirable backgrounds in restrictor-plate races. Chad Knaus has four restrictor-plate victories, Darian Grubb has three wins with three different drivers, Greg Ives has two wins and Alan Gustafson has nine plate poles and three runner-up finishes.
- Talladega has produced 11 first-time winners with two of them coming from Hendrick Motorsports. Schrader captured his first career win in 1988 and Vickers found Victory Lane for the first time in 2006. Elliott, William Byron and Bowman all have the chance to become the third Hendrick Motorsports driver to win their first career race at Talladega this weekend.