Downshifting from what has become the norm in 2024 for Hendrick Motorsports, the team found only two of its drivers in the top 10 list at Darlington. William Byron came in sixth place after starting fifth. Right from the onset of the 400 miler, he complained of his car being a bit tight on certain corners. Crew chief Rudy Fugle made an aggressive decision bringing him to the pit road early.
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He lost several spots toward the end of Stage 1 with car problems persisting and he finished the cycle in ninth place. He started Stage 2 from seventh place and welcomed the changes that his team had made during the stop. Following a restart on Lap 129, he made a three-wide move that pushed him into fourth place. He continued running in the top five before finishing the stage in sixth place.
Good work by the #24 crew helped him gain three spots for the final stage start. He pitted later than his contenders in the final stage and came back into the mix in ninth place. Using the fresh tires, he made his way back into the top five by Lap 251. Unfortunately, a caution that came out soon foiled his momentum as he dropped to eighth place. He finished his race in sixth place.
Alex Bowman salvages the day for Hendrick ahead of Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson
The other driver who made it into the top 10 for Hendrick Motorsports was Alex Bowman. The 31-year-old finished Stage 1 and Stage 2 outside the top 15. He made contact with Justin Haley in the final stage and reported to his crew that he was feeling too loose. Crew chief Blake Harris kept him out a tad bit longer than the other drivers and pitted him from a top 10 position.
With some impressive performance from the #48 pit crew that gave its driver three pit stops under 9.70 seconds, he was able to an eighth-placed finish. It was Bowman’s fourth top-10 finish in Darlington. “We didn’t make any big mistakes and had a really good day on pit road,” Bowman said. “We never got the race car where we wanted it, but we were still able to come out with a top-10 finish.”
Chase Elliott started his day from near the rear end of the field at 31st place. Much like his counterparts, he had issues with his car from the beginning. With the #9 crew working on them continually throughout the race, he made some significant gains and finished in 12th place. Kyle Larson had a dominant race day until he didn’t. The #5 Chevy Camaro driver began his race from sixth place.
He almost immediately entered the top five and continued his dominance. He ended up winning Stage 1 and finishing Stage 2 in fifth place. Following a strong restart, he appeared poised for an equally strong finish when his left rear tire went down. He spun and hit the wall on Lap 254. He finished his race in 34th place. The Hendrick Men will next travel to North Wilkesboro for the All-Star race.
