Hendrick Motorsports will enter three races in the NASCAR Xfinity Series this year, Hendrick announced June 2.
The No. 17 will debut at Road America with Kyle Larson.
Alex Bowman will also wheel the car at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, while William Byron will drive it at Watkins Glen International.
“Our drivers are always looking for more opportunities to compete,” Jeff Andrews, president and general manager of Hendrick, said in a team release. “We believe the additional road-course experience on Saturdays will translate well to Sundays (in the NASCAR 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 will sponsor the effort, and Kevin Meendering has been added as crew chief.
Hendrick last competed in the series in 2009, fielding a car for Tony Stewart at Daytona International Speedway — a race he won.
Kevin Rutherford is the executive editor of Frontstretch, a position he gained in 2025 after being the managing editor since 2015, and serving on the editing staff since 2013.
At his day job, he's a journalist covering music and rock charts at Billboard. He lives in New York City, but his heart is in Ohio -- you know, like that Hawthorne Heights song.