With primary sponsorship from HendrickCars.com, Hendrick Motorsports will enter three NASCAR Xfinity Series road-course races in 2022. The limited schedule will mark the first time in more than a decade that the 14-time NASCAR Cup Series championship-winning team has competed on the circuit.
Hendrick Motorsports will field its No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro on July 2 at Road America with Kyle Larson, July 30 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course with Alex Bowman, and Aug. 20 at Watkins Glen International with William Byron. The three drivers have a combined 17 wins at the Xfinity Series level.
“Our drivers are always looking for more opportunities to compete,” said Jeff Andrews, president and general manager of Hendrick Motorsports. “We believe the additional road-course experience on Saturdays (in the Xfinity Series) will translate well to Sundays (in the Cup Series). It will be exciting to see the No. 17 return to the racetrack for Hendrick Motorsports, and we’ll do everything we can to take it back to victory lane.”
HendrickCars.com is Hendrick Automotive Group’s online destination for new and pre-owned vehicle shopping, locating centers for service and collision repair, exploring career opportunities, and learning about vehicle investment protection. It also sponsors Larson’s No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team, NHRA champion Greg Anderson and other racing efforts at the grassroots level.
“It will be special to see the No. 17 back in action for Hendrick Motorsports,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports and chairman and CEO of Hendrick Automotive Group. “It’s a great chance for Kyle, Alex and William to gain more time on the road courses and to do even more with our HendrickCars.com sponsorship. I’m looking forward to running the Xfinity Series again.”
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 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 Xfinity Series regular season championship in 2017.
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 Camping World 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.
Hendrick Motorsports most recently entered a race in the Xfinity Series on Feb. 14, 2009, at Daytona International Speedway, where driver Tony Stewart went to victory lane in a HendrickCars.com-sponsored Chevrolet. The organization has 26 wins and one driver’s championship (2003) in the series.
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