HMS announced on Tuesday it would enter the No. 17 in 10 Xfinity races this year with primary sponsorship from HendrickCars.com.
Each of the organization’s four Cup drivers – Chase Elliott, William Byron, Alex Bowman and Kyle Larson – will compete with the team, along with an appearance by road racing veteran Boris Said.
Daytona 500 champion Byron will be the first in the car, driving in four races with the first on March 9 at Phoenix.
Brandon McSwain, the lead engineer on Byron’s No. 24 Cup team, will serve as crew chief for Byron’s races. The remaining six races for the No. 17 team will be called by former Cup crew chief, Greg Ives.
Byron will also compete at Darlington, Pocono and Watkins Glen. Larson will do the races at Circuit of the Americas and the Chicago Street Course, Bowman will drive at New Hampshire, Elliott at Charlotte and fall Darlington and Said will compete at Sonoma.
“The No. 17 is a big part of our story, and it would be special to see it win – and win often – during our 40th anniversary season,” said team owner Rick Hendrick.
“The sponsorship has been a big success for HendrickCars.com and our dealerships, and we’re pleased to add more races and take it to another level in 2024. It’s Victory Lane or bust.”
The No. 17 team made four Xfinity starts in 2022 and six in 2023. In 10 combined races, it has won three poles and has six top-five and seven top-10 finishes, including three second-place results. The No. 17 car number has a rich history with HMS. 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 the late Ricky Hendrick in various races, including in the Truck Series in 2000 and 2001.
