DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Hendrick Motorsports quartet of Alex Bowman, William Byron, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson hit the track for Friday’s practice session at Daytona International Speedway.
The 50-minute session was the day’s only on-track activity for the NASCAR Cup Series. Saturday's final practice was canceled due to inclement weather.
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The practice was especially important for Byron after the No. 24 team decided to move to a backup car. The 26-year-old driver was involved in an incident in the second Duel at Daytona race that led to some damage.
Bowman, Byron, Elliott and Larson opened the practice session by drafting together in a four-car pack. At varying points in the session, the drivers spent time at different spots in their pack to see how their cars handled at the front, in the middle or at the back of the group. Teams also worked on pit road entry and exit speeds.
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Byron placed 17th in practice, Elliott was 18th, Larson was 19th and Bowman was 23rd.
Monday will see the 66th running of "The Great American Race." Elliott will line up fifth in the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and Bowman will start seventh in the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. Larson will take the grid from the 17th position in the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. Byron is slated to start 18th in the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 but will go to the back after moving to a backup car.
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Hendrick Motorsports has eight wins in the DAYTONA 500, which is the second-most among all teams. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was the most recent winner in the event for the organization in 2014. Team vice chairman Jeff Gordon’s three victories are the most by any one driver for the team followed by Jimmie Johnson’s two. Darrell Waltrip and Geoff Bodine also won this race for Rick Hendrick.
The 2024 DAYTONA 500 will take place on Monday, Feb. 19, at 4 p.m. ET with coverage on FOX, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).