NASCAR Cup Series Championship
Phoenix Raceway
Sunday, Nov. 10 | 3 p.m. ET
• In the final race of the NASCAR Cup Series Round of 8 at Martinsville Speedway last Sunday, William Byron qualified third, matching his best qualifying effort at the venue. He picked up critical stage points in stage one and two and went on to collect a sixth-place effort – his sixth consecutive top-six finish.
• Byron locked himself into the Championship 4 for this weekend at Phoenix Raceway. It will mark his second consecutive appearance in the Cup Series final four.
The #Championship4 decal is on. pic.twitter.com/O4XVf6LI8Z
— Hendrick Motorsports (@TeamHendrick) November 6, 2024
• So far in the 2024 playoffs Byron has an average running position of 7.48 and an average finish of 9.33 – best in both categories of the four remaining drivers.
• Byron has a previous win at Phoenix Raceway, claiming the 2023 spring race. He also has three stage wins – tied for his second-most at a single track – and seven top-10 finishes – his most at a single track. In his last four starts at Phoenix, Byron has three finishes of sixth or better.
• While in the Next Gen era, Byron has led 171 laps at the 1-mile facility which is the fourth most, and collected 198 points, good enough for second-most.
• In 2024, Byron has 12 top-five finishes – tied for the third most – and 20 top 10s – tied for the second best.
William Byron: “It’s a short week for sure, you’re not home much because of obligations and just prepping for the weekend. It’s a lot of fun though. I enjoyed being a part of it last year. I feel like I learned a lot, not just for on-track but also off-track and what my routine would be going back this year. It’s something as a competitor you want to be a part of.
“For us, we had really good qualifying last year. We qualified on the pole which was awesome. We just need to continue and improve for sure. We want to try to be better throughout the whole race though, especially the last run. That’s the part of the race that means the most, you don’t get paid for the first two stages, only the end.”
The scheme that’s racing for it all.
— Axalta Racing (@AxaltaRacing) November 6, 2024
One race, one goal, one champion. pic.twitter.com/YsOmUGAiCh
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS
• Heading into this weekend’s finale in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs at Phoenix Raceway, Hendrick Motorsports has won five of the last nine races on the West Coast and seven of 16 in the Next Gen era.
• The organization leads in most statistical categories at the 1-mile tri-oval, including wins (13), poles (15), top-five finishes (56), top 10s (102) and laps led (3,530). A Hendrick Motorsports entry has won at least one stage at Phoenix in four of the last six events.
• A Hendrick Motorsports Chevy has sat on the pole in four of the last five short track races. The organization’s drivers have combined to lead 39% of laps on short tracks this season.
• With 11 victories in 2024, Hendrick Motorsports eclipsed the 10-win mark for the fourth straight season, matching the longest such streak in the organization’s history (1995-1998). This year also marked the fourth straight season in which the company led the Cup Series in victories, also tying an organization high.
• Hendrick Motorsports has gone to victory lane 60 times in playoff races, 23 more than any other team.
• All four Hendrick Motorsports pit crews rank in the top six in terms of average time for a four-tire pit stop. The No. 24 over-the-wall squad of William Byron leads the organization and is second in the Cup Series at 10.8 seconds.