Hendrick Motorsports adds part-time Xfinity Series entry for Bowman, Larson, and Byron

 

Logan Riely/Getty Images

    Hendrick Motorsports has announced on Thursday morning (06/02/2022) their plans to field a NASCAR Xfinity Series entry for the first time since 2009. Three of their full-time NASCAR Cup Series drivers, Kyle Larson, Alex Bowman, and William Byron will all have a shot to drive the No. 17 Chevrolet Camaro in the handful of races scheduled for the team.

The No. 17 car number has a rich history with Hendrick Motorsports. NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip drove it to nine wins for the team from 1987 to 1990, including in the 1989 "Daytona" 500. The car number was also driven by Ricky Hendrick in various races, including in the NASCAR Truck Series in 2000 and 2001. The HendrickCars.com paint scheme will be based on the No. 17 truck driven by Hendrick during his 2001 rookie season.

The three-race effort is headed by crew chief Kevin Meendering, who has three wins, 39 top-five finishes and 77 top-10s in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. As a crew chief with JR Motorsports, he led driver Elliott Sadler to top-five results in the series standings from 2016-2018, including two second-place showings. Meendering and Sadler won the NASCAR Xfinity Series regular season championship in 2017.

Hendrick Motorsports will field its No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro on July 2nd at Road America with Kyle Larson, July 30th at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course with Alex Bowman, and August 20th at Watkins Glen International with William Byron. The three drivers have a combined 17 wins at the NASCAR Xfinity Series level.