HAMPTON, Ga. – Kyle Larson led the way for Hendrick Motorsports in Saturday’s qualifying session at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Larson will line up eighth in the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 after a lap of 176.628 mph in the final round of qualifying. This is the 30-year-old driver’s third straight start in the top 10 at the 1.54-mile track and his 12th start in the top 10 in 2023.
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William Byron is set to start 18th in the No. 24 Axalta Chevy. The 25-year-old driver has two wins on drafting tracks – the 2020 summer race at Daytona International Speedway and the 2022 spring race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Chase Elliott takes the grid from the 23rd position in the No. 9 NAPA/Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. The 27-year-old driver is the defending race winner and has two additional wins on drafting tracks – both at Talladega Superspeedway (the 2019 spring race and the 2022 fall race).
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Alex Bowman had a moment in the first turn that impacted his qualifying lap. He will line up from the 36th position in the No. 48 Ally Chevy. In 2023, The 30-year-old driver has earned three top-15 finishes on drafting tracks.
In the past eight points-paying races dating back to Dover Motor Speedway in May, Hendrick Motorsports has had at least one driver finish in the top five. It is the longest such streak by a team since Hendrick Motorsports had nine straight (from Atlanta in March to Kansas Speedway in May) in 2022.
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Since Atlanta reconfigured to a drafting track ahead of the 2022 season, Hendrick Motorsports has found great success. Over the last three races there, the Concord, North Carolina, team has the most wins (two), led the most laps (278) and is tied for the most stage wins (three). Byron and Elliott swept last year's Cup races and rank first and third, respectively, in laps led since the repave. In total, the Rick Hendrick-owned organization has 31 wins on drafting tracks (Atlanta, Daytona and Talladega), which are the most by any squad.
Hendrick Motorsports has seen eight of its drivers win at Atlanta Motor Speedway – the most among all organizations. Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson each won five times at the Georgia oval. Darrell Waltrip, Ken Schrader, Jerry Nadeau, Kasey Kahne, Elliott and Byron have one victory apiece. Gordon (23 years, 7 months and 8 days) and Byron (24 years, 3 months and 20 days) stand as the second- and fourth-youngest Cup Series winners in track history. The organization’s 16 wins at Atlanta are the most among all Cup teams and the fifth-most for the team at any track.
PHOTOS: See every Hendrick Motorsports winner at Atlanta
Tune in to watch the 19th Cup Series race of the season on Sunday, July 9, at 7 p.m. ET on USA Network, NBC Sports App, PRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).