CONCORD, N.C. - Over the past two seasons, Homestead-Miami Speedway has been a victorious site for both William Byron and Kyle Larson. Each of these drivers will look to recreate their past success as the season finale at Phoenix Raceway draws near. As a company, Hendrick Motorsports has tallied four wins at the venue.
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Byron's victory came in the early stages of the 2021 season. That year's race at the 1.5-mile track was the third points-paying event of the season. Under new crew chief Rudy Fugle, the group set out to prove themselves. Byron's only previous victory had come at Daytona International Speedway and he was coming off of an early exit in the 2020 postseason.
After starting 31st due to the qualifying metric, Byron drove up into the top five by the end of stage one on lap 81 and took the lead for the first time on lap 156. From there, he dominated the final stage as he led 98 of the final 106 laps of the race for the victory. It was the first NASCAR Cup Series victory for the Byron-Fugle pairing in just their third race together and it was Fugle's first win as a Cup crew chief.
PHOTOS: See every win for Byron at Hendrick Motorsports
"It was our third race together in Cup and it cemented that this was meant to be. That we were supposed to work together in Cup and it was going to work out if we put the work in," Fugle told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio this week.
The win also started a stretch of 11 straight top-10 finishes for Byron and the No. 24. While it was his only victory that year, the season served as a springboard for bigger things to come. He would follow this up with two wins in 2022 and a career-high six victories in 2023 (to date). In the span of three seasons, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native has grown to be one of the top title contenders in the sport.
Returning to the spot where the Byron-Fugle pairing earned their maiden victory will be a special moment for the No. 24 team. This trip, though, comes amidst a tight playoff battle. With a nine-point cushion over the projected cutline, Byron will have his sights set on Miami for another big victory, one that would lock him into his first career Championship 4.
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For Larson, the Florida track also holds special meaning shown by last season's dominating victory that led to a Championship 4 berth in the owner's title race. Coming into that event, the No. 5 HendrickCars.com team looked to be in must-win territory following an on-track incident in the previous weekend's race. With so much on the line, he delivered.
After taking the lead in stage one, the No. 5 entry cruised to a stage victory by over eight seconds. He would go on to win the second stage as well, finding time up against the wall on both ends of the racetrack. By the time it was all said and done, Larson had led 199 of the 267 circuits, earning his first career Cup Series victory at Homestead.
Returning in 2023, the situation is completely different. After locking himself into the Championship 4 via a win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the No. 5 group heads to Miami with the sole objective of maintaining momentum. Miami has long been one of Larson's best tracks. He has five top-five finishes in nine starts and his 529 laps led are the most among drivers entered in Sunday's 267-lap race. His ability to find the razor's edge of speed against the outside wall is a skill few drivers have mastered.
PHOTOS: See every Larson win at Hendrick Motorsports
Both Byron and Larson will look to lean on past success at the 1.5-mile track to pick up another victory in 2023. Tune in on Sunday, October 22 at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, NBC Sports App, MRN Radio and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90) to catch all of the action from Florida.