DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Most of the Hendrick Motorsports driving stable won’t have to look far for drafting help once the green flag drops at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night.
That’s because three of them –- William Byron, Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott -- qualified in the top 10 for the Coke Zero Sugar 400 on Friday evening.
Byron earned the seventh starting spot in his No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. Larson will start right behind him in ninth with Elliott alongside in 10th.
Alex Bowman, the fourth and final Hendrick Motorsports driver, will roll off 21st.
The three fastest Hendrick Motorsports cars qualified highest among Chevrolets on Friday night as well.
RELATED: Everything to know for Daytona
Byron has emerged as one of the best in the NASCAR Cup Series at drafting tracks. He claimed February’s DAYTONA 500 and is the only driver to win twice at the World Center of Racing over the past 10 events there. That includes his victory in the summer of 2020, the first Cup victory of his career. He has two wins at drafting tracks in his last seven starts.
Prior to qualifying on Friday afternoon, Byron visited the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 that he drove to victory lane in the Great American Race and was also on hand as his square was revealed on the DAYTONA 500 Champions Walk of Fame.
Elliott has won at each of the other two drafting tracks –- Talladega Superspeedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway –- but is still searching for his first victory on the Daytona oval. He was victorious on the Daytona Road Course in the summer of 2020. Alan Gustafson, a native of nearby Ormond Beach, Florida and crew chief of the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevy, is also searching for his first win on his home oval.
RELATED: Byron finishes second at Michigan
Larson, meanwhile, continues to pursue his first drafting race win. He led seven laps in the DAYTONA 500 and 17 the following week at Atlanta.
Bowman finished as the runner up to Byron in February and has the longest active streak of top-10 finishes at Daytona with three. Like Larson, Bowman will look to pilot the No. 48 Ally Racing Chevrolet to victory lane at a drafting track for the first time.
Hendrick Motorsports has recorded seven wins in the summertime Daytona date, second most of any organization. Jeff Gordon, Hall of Famer and Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman, piled up three of those victories with Tim Richmond, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Byron each winning once.
Saturday night’s race is set for 7:30 p.m. and will air on NBC.
