Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, will be available to members of the media at the Auto Club Speedway media center on Saturday, Feb. 25, at 10:15 a.m. PST.
DAYTONA DOWN-LOW: Kyle Larson rolled off from the front row for the second consecutive year in the 2023 DAYTONA 500. He was in contention for his first superspeedway win at the NASCAR Cup Series level. On the second overtime attempt, Larson lined up on the front row next to eventual race winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. The No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 was involved in a multi-car incident, resulting in an 18th-place finish.
STARTED FROM THE BACK: In the 2022 race at Auto Club Speedway (ACS), the 2021 Cup Series champion started from the rear of the field for an unapproved adjustment and flexed his muscles late in the race to win by .195 seconds. His 108 laps in the top five were the fourth-most in the race. In eight Cup Series races at ACS, Larson has two wins (tied for fifth in track history with Tony Stewart), four top-five finishes and 138 laps led. With four top-two finishes at this facility, he is tied for second among active drivers.
WALK OF FAME: On Saturday, Feb. 25, at 8:00 a.m. PST, Larson’s 2022 win at the Fontana, California, facility will be celebrated at the track’s Walk of Fame (weather permitting). The reigning winner will step into cement to have his footprint solidified - marking a piece of the track’s history. Fans will be able to visit and view the ceremony at Gate B of the facility.
WESTERN BOUND: The Elk Grove, California, native has three Cup Series wins in his home state. He has two wins at ACS (2017 and 2022) and one win at Sonoma Raceway (2021). That places him third among active drivers with wins in the state of California. In addition, his five wins on the West Coast place Larson fifth among active drivers for left coast victories. Besides the aforementioned wins, Larson also has wins at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Phoenix Raceway – both coming in his title season of 2021. Four of those triumphs have come in the last 12 races out west. In last year’s three-race West Coast swing, the driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet led the way with 113 points.
2-MILE KYLE: Larson has won multiple times at both 2-mile tracks on the circuit – ACS (two wins) and Michigan International Speedway (three wins) – as both are among the three venues he has more than one win at. His 11.95 average finish on active 2-mile venues trails only teammate Chase Elliott. The other track that the 30-year-old has won at more than once is Watkins Glen International (two wins).
GET IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT: In this weekend’s Southern California race, Larson will drive the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. You can visit any one of Hendrick Automotive Group’s three California dealerships to pick your ride. Not located in California? No problem. Hendrick Automotive Group has 95 dealerships nationwide to choose from. 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. Technicians and other positions are being hired 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 trying to defend his victory at Auto Club Speedway: "We seem to be really good on that style racetrack. It’s a place that I really love with the line changes and the (way the) tires wear out. I remember last year you could draft pretty well down the straightaways. It was a fun race. Hopefully, we can be fast again and win in my home state again."
Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the difference in strategy this year compared to last year at Auto Club: "During the race last year, everyone was still trying to get their bearings on the new car. The race was more survival than it was strategy. There just was no strategy to be had in the race. I want to say the longest green flag that we had was around 15-20 laps. I would expect the race to play out a lot more similar to a standard intermediate race with longer green flag runs and potential green flag pit stops. That is where we will have to get into some strategy. We are doing our homework to prepare for whatever is going to come in that regard. I feel like it will play out much differently this year than what we saw last year." | 
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