CONCORD, N.C. – All four Hendrick Motorsports drivers have advanced to the Round of 12 of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. The Round of 12 will have races at Texas Motor Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway and the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL.
At Bristol Motor Speedway, the organization had three cars place in the top five with Chase Elliott’s runner-up finish leading the way. William Byron took third, while Kyle Larson took fifth. Alex Bowman earned valuable stage points to secure his spot in the next round at the conclusion of stage two.
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Chris Buescher’s win marked the third straight victory for a non-playoff driver and the 19th different winner in the 2022 season.
Shifting to Texas, Hendrick Motorsports has 10 wins at the 1.5-mile track. Jimmie Johnson has an organization-best seven wins there, while Terry Labonte, Jeff Gordon and Kyle Larson each have one. Larson is the defending race winner as one of his five playoff wins en route to last year’s championship came in this race.
Get to lowdown on how each of the four Hendrick Motorsports drivers are positioned heading into the opening race of the Round of 12. Be sure to tune in to the race at Texas on Sunday, Sept. 25 at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network, PRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
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Chase Elliott, No. 9
POINTS POSITION: First with 3,040 points
POSITION TO CUTOFF LINE: +31
BRISTOL RESULT: Second
TEXAS OUTLOOK: In 11 starts, Elliott has two top-five finishes and six top-10s. His seventh-place run last fall was his first top 10 at Texas in five starts. The regular-season champion was able to overcome three starting spots outside the top 20 in the Round of 16 and it will be crucial to avoid a repeat of that as the field dwindles in the playoffs. His runner-up finish at Bristol marked a return to form for the 2020 champion. The 26-year-old had a solid points day at the other 1.5-mile track (Kansas Speedway) run thus far in the playoffs.
Kyle Larson, No. 5
POINTS POSITION: Fourth with 3,019 points
POSITION TO CUTOFF LINE: +10
BRISTOL RESULT: Fifth
TEXAS OUTLOOK: Larson won this race last year in dominating fashion – where he led 256 of 334 laps. He has four top-five finishes and five top-10s in 14 starts at this track. The reigning champion has fared well on intermediate tracks this season and had a solid result (eighth at Kansas) at the lone 1.5-mile track run so far in the playoffs.
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William Byron, No. 24
POINTS POSITION: Fifth with 3,015 points
POSITION TO CUTOFF LINE: +6
BRISTOL RESULT: Third
TEXAS OUTLOOK: Byron’s best finish at Texas came in last year’s race when he finished second and led 55 laps as well. He has three top 10s in seven starts at the 1.5-mile track. In the Round of 16, he was one of three drivers to finish all three races in the top 10. That round saw the 24-year-old look very much like he did early in the season when he won two of the first eight races. Expect him to have speed this coming weekend.
Alex Bowman, No. 48
POINTS POSITION: 10th with 3,007 points
POSITION TO CUTOFF LINE: -6
BRISTOL RESULT: 32nd
TEXAS OUTLOOK: Bowman has two top-five finishes in 12 starts at Texas. The 29-year-old had an impressive Round of 16 – highlighted by a fourth-place result and race-best 107 laps led at Kansas. He has one win at 1.5-mile track this season (Las Vegas Motor Speedway) and has five top 10s in six starts at tracks of that length in 2022.
STANDINGS ENTERING TEXAS
1-Chase Elliott: 3,040 points
2-Joey Logano: 3,025 points
3-Ross Chastain: 3,020 points
4-Kyle Larson: 3,019 points
5-William Byron: 3,015 points
6-Denny Hamlin: 3,013 points
7-Christopher Bell: 3,013 points
8-Ryan Blaney: 3,013 points
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9-Chase Briscoe: 3,009 points
10-Alex Bowman: 3,007 points
11-Daniel Suarez: 3,007 points
12-Austin Cindric: 3,006 points