Hendrick Motorsports Gears Up for Atlanta Race Showdown

Top Hendrick drivers aim to build on early-season speed and strategy success at key NASCAR event.

Published on Feb. 27, 2026

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Hendrick Motorsports is readying its driver lineup and teams for the upcoming NASCAR race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, bringing intense focus and determination after the recent Daytona event. The team's drivers—Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, William Byron, Alex Bowman, and rookie Corey Day—will take their Chevrolet cars to Atlanta with the goal of building on their early-season performances and capitalizing on improved speed and track strategy.

Why it matters

As a key part of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series, the Hendrick Motorsports Atlanta Race promises high-stakes competition on one of the sport's most challenging drafting tracks. Success at Atlanta could amplify the team's momentum and reinforce driver confidence as the series moves forward.

The details

Hendrick Motorsports holds a historic record at Atlanta Motor Speedway, marking 1,418 all-time races with 320 wins and 259 poles—both tied for most in the series. Their drivers have accumulated 1,323 top-five finishes and 2,261 top tens, further underscoring their dominance at this speedway. The team has led 85,376 laps and secured 3,763 stage wins, reinforcing their strong presence in NASCAR's premier events.

  • The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway is scheduled for this weekend.

The players

Hendrick Motorsports

An American professional stock car racing team that competes in the NASCAR Cup Series. It is one of the most successful teams in NASCAR history.

Kyle Larson

A 33-year-old driver from Elk Grove, California, who drives the No. 5 Valvoline Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports.

Chase Elliott

A 30-year-old driver from Dawsonville, Georgia, who drives the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports.

William Byron

A 28-year-old driver from Charlotte, North Carolina, who drives the No. 24 RAPTOR Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports.

Alex Bowman

A 32-year-old driver from Tucson, Arizona, who drives the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports.

Corey Day

A 20-year-old rookie driver from Clovis, California, who drives the No. 17 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports.

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What they’re saying

“Our No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team has shown strong speed to start the season, which gives us confidence heading into another drafting track weekend. Track position will be even more critical, so one of our focuses is on putting together a solid qualifying effort to set ourselves up for Sunday. We're excited to have Valvoline back on board our Chevrolet and look forward to making the most of the opportunity.”

— Kyle Larson (theconwaybulletin.com)

“For me, it's nice to stay close to home, number one, but number two, I think it's the excitement and the energy. I got to experience that firsthand after the race there over the summer (after the win), which was just really cool to see and kind of feel that support. It's a special place. It's my home track. I think there's been a lot of regenerated excitement for the speedway since the change. People have been telling me how much they enjoy going down there again, and that's always cool too. So, all of that is fun. I'm glad there's two races too. You get to experience it twice a year instead of once.”

— Chase Elliott (theconwaybulletin.com)

“It's tough having two drafting races back-to-back just for the element of the unknown. I do have confidence though in that we'll show up with a good car and have a good shot again as long as we're there in the end. The difference between Atlanta and Daytona though is that handling plays a bigger factor this weekend than it did last. Qualifying is the only lap you get to try get a feel for what you have. We have a pretty good notebook for there, so hopefully we unload close and can fine tune for Sunday.”

— William Byron (theconwaybulletin.com)

“Hendrick Motorsports had a strong showing last weekend (in the DAYTONA 500), which is really positive to see with the new Chevrolet body. Obviously, for our No. 48 Ally team, being in the wrong place at the wrong time ended our day early last weekend. With what we saw out of the car, we're ready to get to Atlanta, another drafting track, and see what we can accomplish. We have shown speed there, had good runs in the past and we'll look to continue building on that.”

— Alex Bowman (theconwaybulletin.com)

“Atlanta will be tough, it's a track I've never been to so, it's all new to me, but I'm ready for it. Daytona was my first drafting track and I learned a lot but have a lot more to learn. Our team has been putting in the work on building fast race cars and I'm excited to see what we can do at a new track.”

— Corey Day (theconwaybulletin.com)

What’s next

The Hendrick Motorsports drivers will compete in the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend.

The takeaway

Hendrick Motorsports' strong start to the 2026 season, combined with their historic dominance at Atlanta Motor Speedway, positions the team as a formidable contender for the upcoming race. The talented driver lineup and strategic crew leadership give Hendrick Motorsports a distinct advantage as they aim to capitalize on the high-stakes competition and challenging drafting conditions at Atlanta.