LAS VEGAS — The déjà vu experience continued for Hendrick Motorsports at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In the second successive Cup Series event, it seemed like they were heading towards a nail-biting fuel mileage run to the end.
A yellow flag was displayed on Lap 195 due to an incident. multicar pileup On the backstretch, Kyle Larson was at the head of several lead drivers heading towards pit road, among them were his Hendrick Motorsports teammates William Byron and Chase Elliott, as well as Christopher Bell, Austin Cindric, and Ross Chastain. If the race had continued without further cautions until the end after the restart, it would have been uncertain whether the crews who decided not to pit could make their fuel last till the checkered flag.
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Rudy Fugle, the crew chief for the No. 24 Chevrolet, stated to Pawonation.com, "They took that risk assuming they believed they would succeed and had much higher efficiency than we anticipated." He added, "In the end, we proved that none of them made it through."
At the beginning of the race, Chastain and Cindric moved ahead of the Hendrick pair, Larson and Byron, gaining valuable track position. During this time, Tyler Reddick and Denny Hamlin chose to pit during a caution-free period, which put Joey Logano out in front. With 25 laps left, Noah Gragson experienced issues when his tire went flat, leading to another restart for those who were running on fresh rubber. This placed Daniel Suárez and Josh Berry at the head of the pack as they lined up first and second respectively.
This was a common scene for Larson’s No. 5 team. Joey Logano emerged as the winner. October of 2024 In Las Vegas, they gambled on fuel efficiency.
It’s essentially the same situation as before; during the previous race, your crystal ball would have warned us about the cautions, which we didn’t encounter then but faced today," stated Cliff Daniels, who serves as the crew chief for the No. 5 vehicle. "This is precisely what set things apart.
That was our opportunity regarding fuel usage. Now you're ready to stop for fuel, and the rest of them definitely won't be able to match. Last autumn, I remained out there knowing I wouldn't clear the fuel limit, which meant I needed to come into the pits during a green flag period. Throughout the entire winter, I kept berating myself because I realized that if I'd stayed out longer back then, we might've been competing with those who managed their fuel successfully. Back in the fall, we potentially could’ve secured a podium spot; however, things turned completely around today.
After the lastrestart, Berry and Suárez went head-to-headforthelead.Byron felt great abouthispositioning at therestart,buthecouldn’tpassChastainandfelltofifthplace.When theraisedcheckertookflight,No. 24endedupinfourthspot.Larson’sfinishing positionwasninth.
It's disappointing, but I thought our car performed well," Byron stated. "In a regular race scenario, I believe it would have been a contest among us, the No. 5, and No. 45. We faced difficulties navigating through heavy traffic, which ultimately hindered us when the strategy changed.
Neither crew chief felt they would have acted otherwise, convinced their approach was correct. The timing of the final yellow flag couldn’t have been worse.
You're not familiar with playing this game—it's challenging," Fugle stated. "That's just how it goes. No matter what you do, it seems wrong. If a few elements had gone another way, I believe we could've won. Finishing fourth with a strong vehicle means we still have plenty to learn and enhance upon for future improvements.
What’s even more frightening for the opposition heading into the playoffs is that Larson seemed more confident with the No. 5 vehicle during this contest—leading an impressive 61 laps—than he has been in recent races in Sin City. Prior to this event, Larson had claimed victory in two out of the last three races held in Vegas. Additionally, this marks the first time since 2020 that Hendrick hasn’t secured a win in the inaugural spring race in Las Vegas.
MORE: Cup Series standings | Cup Series schedule
What stands out for me today is that my car performed well," Larson stated. "We seemed to be slightly more competitive compared to usual at this track, which typically suits us quite well anyway. Our vehicle really shone when leading the pack. However, during the caution periods and changes in race pace, along with various strategic shifts, I struggled somewhat in congested areas unlike earlier in the event. Additionally, I missed some opportunities on the restarts. Overall though, I’m pleased with our racing machine. Such are the ups and downs.
The top six positions in the championship standings are occupied by all four Hendrick Motorsports vehicles before the upcoming Cup series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway next Sunday (3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
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