CONCORD, N.C. -- Hendrick Motorsports will return to Las Vegas Motor Speedway this Sunday for the first race in the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs to try and sweep the track for the 2021 season.
Coming off a strong weekend of racing at Bristol Motor Speedway which saw three top-five finishes, including a race win by Kyle Larson, all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers advanced into the Round of 12. It marks the first time since 2014 that all four teams made it to the second round of the playoffs. At least two of the team’s drivers have advanced to the Round of 12 each year since 2014, including three in 2019.
Take a look at Hendrick Motorsports’ impressive stats at Las Vegas and tune in this Sunday, Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN to see the teammates try to cash in another win in Sin City.
- Hendrick Motorsports has six Cup Series victories at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, including Larson’s win in March. Going into Sunday’s playoff race there, the organization holds the track records for top-five finishes (24), top-10s (43) and laps led (1,695). Its four Las Vegas stage wins are tied for the most of any team.
- Larson’s Bristol win was Hendrick Motorsports’ 25th top-two finish of 2021, which is tied for the second-most all-time through 29 races (Joe Gibbs Racing in 2019). In 1956, Carl Kiekhafer Racing recorded a record 34 top-two finishes in the first 29 Cup Series events. This year, Hendrick Motorsports has 12 victories and 13 runner-up finishes.
- On Saturday night, Larson became the eighth Hendrick Motorsports driver to record a race win during the Cup Series playoffs. Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Chase Elliott and Mark Martin won as active playoff contenders, while Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch and Brian Vickers recorded victories as non-playoff spoilers. The organization has won a race during the playoffs in a record 17 of the 18 seasons since the format was established in 2004.
- Through 29 of 36 Cup Series races, Larson leads the series in wins (career-best six), top-five finishes (career-best 16), top-10s (career-best 21), stage wins (14), average start (6.9) and laps led (career-best 1,905). He has led 676 more laps than his closest competitor.
- Elliott is set to make his 10th Cup Series start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In his previous nine starts, he has collected two top-five finishes, three top-10s, led 177 laps and has picked up three stage wins. Elliott’s 177 laps led at LVMS are the second-most that he has at a track without a points-paying win (Bristol – 439). He has led in each of the last four Las Vegas races, tied for the second longest active streak at the track. The driver of the No. 9 also has the second-most stage top-10 results of active drivers (15) and he ranks second all-time in stage points earned at the 1.5-mile track (89).
- With the Cup Series racing six times on 1.5-mile tracks so far this year, William Byron has finished inside the top 10 in five of those events. This season, he has an 8.33 average finishing position in 1.5-mile races – the third best behind Busch and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Larson. Going back to last 10 races on 1.5-milers, Byron has secured seven top-10 finishes – tied for the fourth-most behind Busch (nine), Martin Truex Jr. (nine) and teammate Alex Bowman (eight).
- In six Cup Series starts on 1.5-mile tracks this season, Bowman has four top-10 results, including three top-fives. He has the eighth-best average finish (11th) at these venues in 2021. In the last 10 races on 1.5-mile tracks, the Tucson, Arizona, native has eight top-10 results, the third best on the charts. He is second only to Busch with six top-five finishes in the last 10 races at these tracks. In nine events with the 550HP package this year, Bowman is ranked seventh from his average finish (10th).