Motorsports

Hendrick Motorsports Media Advance: Atlanta – Speedway Digest

Published

7 months ago

June 26, 2025

Your Sports Nation

5 KYLE LARSON

Age: 32 (July 31, 1992)

Hometown: Elk Grove, California

Last Week: 7th (Pocono)

Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels

Standings: 2nd

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No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet

2025

Cup Career

Atlanta

Races

383

Wins

Poles

Top 5

128

Top 10

194

Laps Led

851

10,107

452

Stage Wins

Average Finish

12.4

14.0

19.0

Kyle Larson will go head-to-head with Tyler Reddick in the first round of the NASCAR In-Season Challenge this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Larson is seeded 10th and Reddick 23rd in the field of 32.
In the Next Gen era (since 2022) Larson and Reddick have competed against each other 124 times. In those races, Larson has bettered Reddick 71 times. That includes 12 of 17 events this year.
In 2025, Larson has 12 top-10 finishes, the most of any driver in the field.
In 21 races together at drafting tracks, Larson has the edge over Reddick with 11 better results compared to Reddick’s 10.
With 452 laps led, Atlanta ranks first among tracks in which Larson has led the most laps without a victory.
Larson and the No. 5 HendrickCars.com team secured a third-place finish earlier this season at Atlanta.
With 23 playoff points under his belt, Larson is currently the projected top seed in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.

9 CHASE ELLIOTT

Age: 29 (Nov. 28, 1995)

Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia

Last week: 5th (Pocono)

Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson

Standings: 5th

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No. 9 NAPA/CHOA Chevrolet

2025

Cup Career

Atlanta

Races

339

Wins

Poles

Top 5

109

Top 10

180

Laps Led

5,621

164

Stage Wins

Average Finish

10.8

12.8

12.2

Heading to his home track, Atlanta Motor Speedway, Chase Elliott is fifth in the regular season NASCAR Cup Series points standings, 80 markers behind leader and teammate William Byron. Looking at the projected playoff standings with nine races left before the postseason, Elliott ranks 12th, 160 points above the line to advance.
Elliott has one win (July 2022) and three top-10 finishes in six starts at Atlanta on its current configuration. His 125 laps led on the drafting-style track ranks fourth and his average finish of 10.5 ranks second.
The 2020 Cup Series champion has three career wins on drafting tracks, with two victories at Talladega Superspeedway (2019 and 2022) joining his triumph at Atlanta. Two of those wins are in the Next Gen era.
Elliott’s average finish of 10.8 in 2025 is the best of all drivers and is his second best all-time in a season after 17 races behind 9.1 last year.
The Dawsonville, Georgia, native is the only driver to finish in the top 20 in all 17 races this year. This is the second straight year he has completed all but one lap this far into the season.
This weekend kicks off NASCAR’s In-Season Tournament. In the first of five rounds, Elliott will go up against Austin Dillon. In Elliott’s six starts on Atlanta’s new configuration, he’s placed higher than Dillon in all but one race and led 125 laps in that span compared to Dillon’s zero.
The Atlanta race weekend marks the return of the Chase Elliott Foundation’s Desi9n to Drive program. Elliott’s No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet and race uniform will don special designs created by a Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta patient.
Elliott’s autographed uniform will be up for grabs as part of a sweepstakes fundraiser that runs through July 9.

24 WILLIAM BYRON

Age: 27 (Nov. 29, 1997)

Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

Last Week: 27th (Pocono)

Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle

Standings: 1st

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No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet

2025

Cup Career

Atlanta

Races

269

Wins

Poles

Top 5

Top 10

114

Laps Led

769

3,747

181

Stage Wins

Average Finish

11.4

14.9

17.8

William Byron is having a career season in 2025, leading the driver points standings for 14 out of 17 weeks, including presently by 54 markers. He has also collected the most stage points (181).
Through the same stretch of 17 races, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native has paced the field in 13 events (769 laps), the most races with a lap led by any driver.
In addition, Byron has completed 99.91% of the laps, good enough for second most. With only four laps not completed, it’s his fewest in any 17-race stretch.
So far in 2025, the driver of the No. 24 has an average starting position of 10.6 (second best) and an average finish of 11.35 (third best).
In the Next Gen era, Byron has four wins on drafting tracks, double the next most. He has also collected the most points on drafting tracks (332) since the start of 2024.
Since Atlanta Motor Speedway was re-configured, Byron has the fourth-best average running position of 11.34 and has led the third most laps at 179. He also has two wins at the track, one in March of 2022 and again in July of 2023. His two wins ranks third all-time by a Hendrick Motorsports driver at Atlanta.
This weekend marks the first of the 2025 NASCAR In-Season Challenge, which will see one driver winning $1 million. For the first match up, Byron will be up against Ryan Preece with the better finisher at Atlanta moving on. He has two wins, two top-five finishes and four top 10s with 181 laps led compared to Preece’s track best-finish of 16th with three laps led.

48 ALEX BOWMAN

Age: 32 (April 25, 1993)

Hometown: Tucson, Arizona

Last Week: 11th (Pocono)

Crew Chief: Blake Harris

Standings: 13th

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No. 48 Ally Chevrolet

2025

Cup Career

Atlanta

Races

342

Wins

Poles

Top 5

Top 10

104

Laps Led

125

1,493

Stage Wins

Average Finish

18.8

19.3

18.0

Alex Bowman and the No. 48 Ally Racing team head to Atlanta Motor Speedway holding the final transfer spot, 20 points above the cutline in the NASCAR Cup Series playoff standings.
Bowman has earned two top-10 finishes at the reconfigured Atlanta layout. His best result at the 1.54-mile quad-oval came in September 2024, when he drove to a fifth-place finish. In total, Bowman has three top fives and four top-10 finishes at Atlanta in his Cup Series career.
The Tucson, Arizona, native has earned six top-10 finishes in the last 11 races on drafting tracks. He ranks third among all drivers in points earned on drafting tracks since the start of the 2024 season and leads all active drivers in laps led on drafting tracks without a win (132).
Through 17 races, Bowman has led 125 laps and earned 92 stage points, ranking inside the top 10 in both categories. He’s led at least one lap in nine events.
Atlanta marks the first race of the five-race NASCAR In-Season Challenge. Bowman enters the opening round matched up against Joey Logano.
For this weekend’s Atlanta race, the Best Friends Animal shelter partner is Thomasville-Thomas County Humane Society, in Thomasville, Georgia.
Ally and HendrickCars.com are teaming up again to give fans the chance to win prizes with this year’s “Open Road Sweepstakes.” Fans can win VIP experiences at various races throughout the season and one lucky winner will hit the open road in a Chevy Silverado LT Trail Boss with an Airstream camper. Fans can stop by the Ally Fan Zone to enter the sweepstakes in-person and check out the camper. Fans can also enter at ally.com/sweepstakes/nascar.

HENDRICK
MOTORSPORTS /
Hendrick Motorsports

2025

All-Time

Atlanta

Races

1,398

Wins

316*

17*

Poles

258*

Top 5

24*

1,303*

67*

Top 10

39*

2,226*

106*

Laps Led

1,840*

84,152*

3,690*

Stage Wins

15*

130

*Most all time
**Tied for most all time

With Chase Elliott finishing fifth at Pocono Raceway last Sunday, Hendrick Motorsports established a new organizational mark for consecutive races with a car in the top five at 25 events dating back to last season. It remains the only team to have a top-five finisher in each of this season’s races.
The Hendrick engine shop has won 15 combined poles (seven in the NASCAR Cup Series and eight in the Xfinity Series) and 15 combined races (four in the Cup Series, 10 in the Xfinity Series and the preseason Clash) this year.
Hendrick Motorsports has led 41% of all laps raced through 17 events this season. Its 1,840 circuits paced are the fourth most through a season’s first 17 races in company history. A Hendrick Motorsports driver has led a lap in 32 straight races, the longest active streak and the company’s third-longest ever.
The organization’s 15 combined stage wins are the most ever through 17 races in a season.
Hendrick Motorsports enters this weekend’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway as the all-time leader in wins (17), top-five finishes (67), top 10s (106) and laps led (3,690).
With six, Hendrick Motorsports has the most wins at drafting tracks in the Next Gen era. That includes this year’s DAYTONA 500, won by William Byron.

QUOTABLE /

Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet, on the NASCAR In-Season Challenge: “I like the concept of the in-season bracket challenge, I feel like it’s a race within the race. This is something you pay attention to and with money and a trophy on the line, we all want to win. I feel like the last few weeks were challenging but the No. 5 team has stayed on top of it and we’ve got some good finishes but I would like for us to have a solid weekend – which I know we’re well capable of – it’s just been a little bit of a rough stretch of tracks for us but our team is great and our execution has been better and that is something I am proud of.”

Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet, on the Chase Elliott Foundation’s Desi9n to Drive initiative: “It’s been our foundation’s initiative over the last nine years. It’s just all in support of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. We have typically done something around the Atlanta race every year and it’s been a lot of fun to be a part of it and watch it grow. It started as a shoe initiative where we were designing shoes, and we were auctioning those off. Then NAPA got involved and, really when NAPA got involved, it kind of took it to the next step, because they have given up one of their races to let this happen. A young girl named Rhealynn has designed my car, my helmet and all the things for Atlanta. I am super excited to meet her and have her family out at the track and hopefully spread some joy with her and her family and also to help a good cause.”

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet, on heading to Atlanta Motor Speedway: “We had a rough weekend in Pocono but I’m proud of how the team came together to have our car ready for Sunday, the strategy just didn’t work out. We’ve put that behind us though, and we’ll be ready for this weekend in Atlanta. We’ve had success there in the past but there is still an unknown element after the reconfiguration. The goal remains the same though, go for the win and if that’s not the case maximize our points day. We just have to be there at the end.”

Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet, on Atlanta Motor Speedway: “Atlanta’s a wild card every time we go. It races like a superspeedway, but with way less room to work, so you’ve got to be aggressive but smart. We’ve had speed there and just need to put a full race together. With the playoff picture as tight as it is, every stage point matters, especially in a race like this where anything can happen.”

Hendrick Motorsports PR

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Motorsports

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Announces GR Yaris MORIZO RR | Toyota | Global Newsroom

Published

7 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Your Sports Nation

The GR Yaris MORIZO RR is a special-edition model created with Toyota Motor Corporation Chairman and Master Driver Akio Toyoda, aka Morizo, by applying insights gained through the challenge of competing as TOYOTA GAZOO ROOKIE Racing (TGRR) in the 2025 Nürburgring 24 Hours endurance race.

TGR, with its core mission of making ever-better motorsports-bred cars, and ROOKIE Racing, which hones GR vehicles, transcended organizational boundaries and came together based on roles rather than titles under Morizo’s leadership to form TGRR, aiming to further accelerate the making of ever-better cars.

In the Nürburgring 24 Hours, Morizo, as a team driver, took the wheel of the GAZOO Racing Direct Automatic Transmission-equipped No. 109 GR Yaris fielded by TGRR, logging more laps than scheduled despite the course’s grueling conditions. Upon the team’s successful completion of the race, Morizo was quick to convey how good he found the GR Yaris to be, and he credited its 8-speed automatic transmission with enabling him to conquer 15 laps.

The GR Yaris MORIZO RR is exceptional for its Nürburgring-cultivated delivery of car-driver unity for a high level of driver-vehicle interaction, its reliability and security, and its ability to make car-lovers smile and want to keep on driving it.

The GR Yaris MORIZO RR for the Japanese market is to be available in a total of 100 units from spring 2026, with purchasing lottery applications now being accepted via the TGR official smartphone application “GR app”. The model is also to be released in certain European markets in a limited run of 100 units.

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Motorsports

Mando Deodorant to Sponsor Josh Bilicki in Seven Races

Published

8 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Mando Deodorant will expand its relationship with NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driver Josh Bilicki in 2026, serving as an anchor partner of the No. 07 Chevrolet Camaro for SS-GreenLight Racing.

The company will serve as the primary sponsor of Bilicki’s Chevrolet in multiple events in NASCAR’s second-tier division in 2026, including the season-opener at Daytona International Speedway on February 14.

“Josh [Bilicki] is the kind of racer you want to root for,” said a representative from Mando. “He’s talented, humble, and puts in the work – just like the guys who count on Mando every day. We’re proud to expand our partnership with him in 2026 and to be part of what he’s building with SS-GreenLight Racing. He’s the kind of competitor who keeps fighting when others fade, and that grit is why he’s such a natural fit for Mando.”

Bilicki and Mando first partnered for a one-off last Summer in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where the Wisconsin-native picked up a top-20 finish in the No. 91 for DGM Racing.

The 30-year-old driver moved away from his role as the anchor driver for DGM Racing at season’s end, to instead pursue a full-season effort in the No. 07 for SS-GreenLight Racing. Bilicki has worked with the organization previously, but 2026 will mark the first time the two parties have united for a full-season effort.

“I’m extremely excited to welcome Mando as an anchor partner for the 2026 season,” said Bilicki. “Their focus on confidence and performance aligns perfectly with what it takes to compete at this level, and having them on board for seven races, starting at Daytona, is huge for our team.”

Mando Deodorant will also expand its relationship with Bilicki beyond just the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, with the company serving as a partner for the Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin-native in the Chili Bowl Nationals next week in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Bilicki is a veteran of more than 250 starts across NASCAR’s National Series, having competed in NASCAR since 2016. The lion’s share of those starts, though, have come in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, where he’s collected four top-10 results — three for DGM Racing and one for Joe Gibbs Racing. Over the last decade, Bilicki has made starts for several organizations, including BJ McLeod Motorsports, RSS Racing, DGM Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing, and SS-GreenLight Racing.

The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series campaign will begin at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, February 14 at 5:30 PM ET on The CW, Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

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Motorsports

An Insider’s Account of NASCAR’s Tabasco Fiasco

Published

9 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Your Sports Nation

What looked like a perfect NASCAR startup, a rising driver, massive funding, and veteran leadership, collapsed almost instantly. The Tabasco-backed Todd Bodine program promised the world, but became one of the fastest implosions of the modern era, leaving chaos in its wake and unexpectedly changing one career forever.

• How did an $8 million per year Tabasco sponsorship unravel before the season even started?
• Why did elite promises like exclusive chassis and top-tier equipment never materialize?
• What red flags during testing exposed deeper problems inside the operation?
• How did missing the Daytona 500 trigger a life-changing opportunity for Jeffrey Baker?

On paper, the team had everything: manufacturer support, high-level personnel, and direct backing from one of the biggest sponsors in the garage. In reality, key deals quietly collapsed, used equipment replaced what was promised, and decision-making behind the scenes raised serious concerns. When the team failed to qualify for the Daytona 500, the entire project effectively imploded under the weight of its own hype. For Jeffrey Baker, the fallout became a turning point. A last-minute move to Penske Racing during Speedweeks led to a career spanning decades, championships, Indy 500 victories, and a permanent place inside one of motorsports’ most successful organizations. One of NASCAR’s biggest sponsor disasters accidentally launched a Hall of Fame-caliber career.

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Motorsports

CarBravo delivers affordability and confidence with new 12-month/12,000 mile warranty

Published

9 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Your Sports Nation

CarBravo delivers affordability and confidence with new 12-month/12,000 mile warranty

2026-01-08

When we created CarBravo, our goal was straightforward: make used car buying and owning more transparent, accessible and predictable.

Now, we’re giving customers more confidence with every vehicle purchased with CarBravo’s standard certification by increasing the warranty coverage from 6-month/6,000-miles* to 12-month/12,000 miles,* whichever comes first. This Bumper-to-Bumper Limited Warranty – with no deductible or added cost – sets a new standard in the used car market. That level of protection helps customers manage the total cost of ownership at a time when affordable vehicle options are at the forefront. Even older, higher-mileage vehicles that fall outside of CarBravo’s standard certification criteria can still qualify for a 30-day/1,000-mile BravoBudget Powertrain Limited Warranty.**

We’ve also included 24-hour roadside assistance and courtesy transportation, because peace of mind and convenience doesn’t stop at the purchase — it’s about keeping customers moving. Even better, unlike many other used car platforms, CarBravo’s warranty repairs are available through GM’s network of over 4,000 dealerships nationwide.

CarBravo is a General Motors program, and that shows up in how we think about quality, transparency and choice. Customers can shop online, in-store or through a seamless combination of both, with access to thousands of vehicles across a wide range of brands and budgets. Every vehicle is inspected, and customers have the information they need to make confident decisions.

In a crowded used-car market, we believe transparency, convenience and protection all go hand-in-hand. CarBravo is designed to deliver on those tenets — and to raise expectations for the customer experience around buying and owning a used vehicle.

**CarBravo vehicles that are greater than 10 and less than 15 years old and/or have greater than 100,000 and less than 150,000 miles, are eligible to receive Powertrain Limited Warranty coverage for 30 days or 1,000 miles (whichever comes first).

When we created CarBravo, our goal was straightforward: make used car buying and owning more transparent, accessible and predictable.

*Coverage and terms are different in the State of California. See participating dealer and warranty booklet for limited warranty eligibility and coverage details, including limitations and exclusions. For non-GM vehicles, covered components vary from GM vehicles; please see a participating CarBravo dealer for component coverage details and full terms and conditions.
**CarBravo vehicles that are greater than 10 and less than 15 years old and/or have greater than 100,000 and less than 150,000 miles, are eligible to receive Powertrain Limited Warranty coverage for 30 days or 1,000 miles (whichever comes first).

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Motorsports

NASCAR star opens up on reality of sport – ‘I’ve had so many failures’ – Motorsport – Sports

Published

9 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Toni Breidinger has built a growing presence in NASCAR, but behind the highlight reels and rising profile is a reality she says few fans fully understand.

The 26-year-old NASCAR driver recently opened up about the constant uncertainty that comes with trying to survive in a sponsorship-driven sport, admitting that setbacks have been a defining part of her journey.

“I feel like I’ve had so many failures,” Breidinger, who also explained her concerns about working with Victoria’s Secret, said on The Burnouts podcast. “There’s been times where I’ve lost a sponsor right before a race, and I haven’t been able to race, and I was devastated. And then I got like a whole new opportunity after that.”

Breidinger, who competes full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, said those moments often arrive with little warning. Losing funding can mean missing a race altogether, turning months of preparation into a scramble just to stay on track.

“There’s been times even the past few years where I’m like, I don’t have a partner for this race. How am I going to do?” she said.

“And it’s just like a scramble to make it work. I actually have my hands in everything still. I’m very much kind of a control freak. So I’m very involved in all the pitches and everything.”

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Breidinger became the first Arab American woman to debut in a NASCAR national series race in 2021, and her visibility has grown rapidly. Across Instagram and TikTok, she has a combined following of roughly five million, with additional reach on Facebook and X that rivals, and in some cases exceeds, established Cup Series drivers.

Even with that audience, Breidinger said sponsorship remains fragile. Early in her career, she relied on cold emails and persistence after moving to North Carolina, long before social media traction became a selling point.

“When I first moved to North Carolina, it was a lot of just cold emails, not much success,” she said. “With my social media at the time, I don’t even think I had 10,000 followers. To me, I was like, I just want 10,000 followers, baby steps.”

Her growth eventually caught the attention of Toyota Motor North America, which signed her through its marketing department rather than its traditional driver development ladder. That partnership gives her access to Toyota’s performance resources, including training, nutrition support and simulator time, but it doesn’t remove the pressure to constantly secure race-by-race backing.

On track, Breidinger has delivered results. In 65 ARCA Menards Series starts, she posted 27 top-10 finishes, the most by a female driver in series history, along with four top fives and a fourth-place finish in the 2024 standings.

“I feel like it’s hard because I’m just being in a male-dominated space, you want to be respected,” Breidinger said. “I’ve always been cautious about how I present myself.”

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Keselowski to miss Clash, LaJoie to fill in

Published

9 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Your Sports Nation

CONCORD, N.C. — Brad Keselowski will miss the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium and Corey LaJoie will fill in for him, RFK Racing confirmed to TRE.

Keselowski will miss the Feb. 1 preseason exhibition race due to a leg injury sustained while skiing with his family in December. LaJoie will drive his No. 6 Ford in his absence.

LaJoie recently raced for Rick Ware Racing — a team closely aligned with RFK — in 2025. He previously filled in for a NASCAR Cup Series champion in 2023 when he drove Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 9 Chevrolet at World Wide Technology Raceway Gateway after NASCAR suspended Chase Elliott.

Keselowski is likely to be ready in time for the season-opening Daytona 500, set for Feb. 15. The 2012 NASCAR Cup Series champion is set to make his 17th start in the race. While he has won the Daytona summer race, he has never won the Daytona 500 before.

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Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.

A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.

Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick’s final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen’s stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers’ stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.

Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com

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