RECAPPING THE CLASH: For two consecutive years, Kyle Larson has finished fifth at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. His fourth-place finish in the heat race resulted in a 14th-place starting spot for the main event of the Clash at the Coliseum. The No. 5 HendrickCars.com driver held a top-15 position for the entirety of the race and battled his way towards the front for a fifth-place finish.
WORLD CENTER OF RACING: This Sunday, Larson will make his 18th NASCAR Cup Series start at Daytona International Speedway. The 2014 Cup Series rookie of the year has earned five top-10 finishes and led 18 laps at the "World Center of Racing." In the DAYTONA 500 specifically, Larson’s best finish is seventh (2016 and 2019) and four of his top-10 results have come in the season-opening, points-paying event.
DEFENDING THE POLE: In 2022, Larson earned his first DAYTONA 500 pole position. This marked the fifth instance in the Cup Series where a driver won the pole position at Daytona the year after winning the championship (Cale Yarborough in 1978, Jeff Gordon in 1999, Dale Jarrett in 2000 and Jimmie Johnson in 2008 were the others). With teammate Alex Bowman on the outside, Hendrick Motorsports swept the front row for the start of "The Great American Race" for the eighth time in team history.
QUITE THE PAIRING: Larson is in his full-time season with the 14-time Cup Series championship-winning organization. Paired with crew chief Cliff Daniels, the duo looks to add to their series-best total of 13 wins over the past two seasons and are on the hunt for their second championship together. Larson's 13 victories place him fourth on the all-time wins list at Hendrick Motorsports.
OUT IN THE DESERT: Following the Clash weekend, Larson headed to his new home in Arizona for two events. On Tuesday, Feb. 7, the 2021 Cup Series Champion visited Phoenix Raceway to show support at Basket of Hope’s charity event preparing gifts for seriously ill children in local hospitals. Larson led a track tour for patients and volunteers following the event. On Wednesday, Feb. 8, Larson took part in Radio Row at the Phoenix Convention Center to talk football and NASCAR just before Super Bowl LVII and the 2023 DAYTONA 500.
GET IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT: Larson will pilot the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 against 39 other drivers in this weekend’s DAYTONA 500 and you can see every angle of the paint scheme here. Prospective car buyers can pick their own ride at one of Hendrick Automotive Group’s 95 dealerships nationwide. Customers can also shop from the convenience of their home selecting the category, make, model and vehicle packages that are important to them from the nearly 30,000 new, high-quality pre-owned and certified cars, trucks and SUVs available at HendrickCars.com.
WE'RE HIRING: Join 10,000+ others nationwide in working at Hendrick Automotive Group. The company is hiring technicians and other positions at its dealerships throughout the country. Positions are open for all skill levels and offer tuition and training reimbursement. Individuals who are interested can apply at HendrickCars.com.
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the 2023 DAYTONA 500: "I’m excited to get going. It’s definitely a historic year with NASCAR’s 75th anniversary. I’m glad I’ve won one of the championships out of the 75 years. It’s pretty cool to think about your name on a fairly short list of champions. I would love to add my name to the winner’s list at Daytona. That’s our biggest race."
Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on what winning the pole at the DAYTONA 500 means to Mr. Hendrick: "I think what it represents to him is everyone in the company working together and really trying to put our best foot forward to start the season. With all of the newness and change that it (a new season) brings from rules, to people, to resources and technology. Can we be the ones to put our best foot forward in outright car speed? There’s not any quirkiness to how you qualify at Daytona (International Speedway). It is straight up car speed. You either got it or you don’t. I think that’s why it’s always meant a lot to him. He’s mentioned it to us again this year, He certainly wants the pole at Daytona." | 
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