Kyle Larson’s busy weekend between North Wilkesboro and Indianapolis ended with him getting a fourth place finish in the All-Star race. It was the best result out of Rick Hendrick’s camp and came after Larson had to start from the rear of the field having missed All-Star qualifying on Saturday. He’d been in Indianapolis at the time for the Indy 500 qualifying.
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He told the press after qualifying in fifth place for his IndyCar debut, “Everything about Indy is a great atmosphere. Now I’m ready to go drive a stock car. So I’ll talk to you guys later.” With that he flew to the 0.625-mile oval in Wilkesboro, where Kevin Harvick had already driven and broken in his #5 Chevrolet Camaro.
Larson’s spurt to the front-end of the All-Star field came after the final caution of the race at Lap 150. Crew chief Cliff Daniels brought him to the pit road to put on option tires and as a result of having a tire advantage, he shot up from tenth to third when he restarted. By the end of the final 50 laps he lost a spot and ended in fourth place.
That’s it for All-Star Weekend. We will see you next year @NWBSpeedway! pic.twitter.com/m642ixKEWs
— Hendrick Motorsports (@TeamHendrick) May 20, 2024
Texas winner Chase Elliott was able to secure an eighth place after starting 15th. He gained multiple spots as the race proceeded to enter the top 10 but remained on that coast till the very end. His crew opted for option tires at Lap 150, like Larson’s did, and held the position till the checkered flag flew. Larson and Elliott were the only two in the top 10 for Hendrick Motorsports.
William Byron and Alex Bowman fail to impress at the All-Star race
With the exemplary skill that Byron displayed all-season he was expected to create an impact on Sunday. He moved up to 11th place during the opening segment when he made contact with the Turn 4 wall and broke the toe link on his Camaro. Although his crew made repairs, he wasn’t able to gain position with the car and ended up in 19th spot.
Bowman, driving the #48 Camaro, finished 6th in the All-Star Open and failed to qualify for the main race. He began the race in the front row but eventually was pushed back to fifth. After the halfway mark at Lap 50, he ran runner-up for a while before succumbing to fifth place once again. The next test for the Hendrick-men will be at Charlotte next weekend.
