CONCORD, N.C. – The NASCAR Cup Series is on the homefront again for 600 miles of racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
In the annual event, Hendrick Motorsports leads all teams in wins (11), top-five finishes (31), top-10s (47) and laps led (2,882).
As the Hendrick Motorsports teammates prepare for 600 miles of racing this coming Memorial Day weekend, check out how the organization has performed in the event over the years.
- The organization’s 11 victories in the 600 were earned between five different drivers, an all-time record in the event. Jimmie Johnson has found Victory Lane in the 600 four times, Jeff Gordon three times, Darrell Waltrip twice, and Casey Mears and Kasey Kahne once.
- The 600-mile race at Charlotte is considered one of the “crown jewels” in NASCAR along with the Daytona 500, Southern 500 at Darlington and Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Only four drivers have won all four – with Gordon and Johnson two of those drivers. Gordon is also one of only two drivers to earn their first two career wins in “crown jewel” events – the 600-mile race and Brickyard 400 in 1994.
- There are eight drivers in NASCAR history who have three or more wins at the 600-mile race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. NASCAR Hall of Famer Waltrip has five, Johnson has four and Bobby Allison, Buddy Baker, Dale Earnhardt, Gordon, Kahne and David Pearson all have three wins apiece. Johnson’s wins were over 16 starts, which gives him the best win percentage of the group at 25 percent.
- In addition to four 600 wins, Johnson’s eight points race wins and four All-Star Race victories are both the most of all drivers at the 1.5-mile track. He’s also led in 26 of his 33 points starts at Charlotte for a total 1,930 laps, which is the second-most all-time.
- Johnson’s eight points wins at Charlotte is the fourth-highest number of victories by a driver at a single track. The top two leaders in that category are Johnson himself, whose won nine times at Martinsville and 11 times at Dover.
- Hendrick Motorsports has tallied 19 total wins spread out between seven different drivers in all points races at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The win total is a record at the venue and the seven different drivers is tied for the most all-time. The organization’s 19 wins are tied for its second-most at a track with Dover International Speedway, behind only its 24 wins at Martinsville Speedway.
- Chase Elliott is set to make his sixth NASCAR Cup Series start at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday. In his five previous starts at the track, he has garnered a runner-up finish, two top-10s and 115 laps led. He averages a starting position of 10.6 at the venue.
- Darian Grubb, crew chief of the No. 24 team, has had success in the 600 over the years – capturing two wins with two different drivers. He guided Mears to victory in 2007 and won a second time in 2015 with Carl Edwards. His current driver, William Byron, is a Charlotte native who earned his best career finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, starting on the pole and finishing 10th.
- In recent years, May 27 has treated Hendrick Motorsports well at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The organization won the last two 600s raced on that date – Mears won the event in 2007 and Kahne earned the victory in 2012.
- At Charlotte last October, Alex Bowman captured his only Xfinity Series win. With a win in the 600 this weekend, the driver can become the fifth person to win their first Xfinity Series race and Cup Series race at the same venue.
- The 600 has produced seven first-time winners, with two of them coming from Hendrick Motorsports. Gordon captured his first career win in the event in 1994 and Mears found Victory Lane for the first time in 2007. Elliott, Byron and Bowman all have the chance to become the third Hendrick Motorsports driver to win his first career race in the 600 this weekend. The organization has eight total first-time winners, which leads all teams.
- On 1.5-mile tracks, Hendrick Motorsports leads all Cup Series teams with 57 wins, 14 more than the next closest team, Joe Gibbs Racing. Of those 57 victories, Johnson and Gordon have combined to win 45 of them, 28 and 17, respectively. The two lead all drivers for most 1.5-mile track victories. Johnson’s 5,753 laps led and his 11.4 average finish (drivers with more than 21 starts) are also records in 1.5-mile events.