TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
COCA-COLA 600
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA
MAY 27, 2018
BOWTIE BULLETS
CHEVROLET PERFORMANCE:
Chevrolet leads all other manufacturers with 24 victories in the annual Coca-Cola 600, one of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series crown jewel races.
CHEVY HISTORY MINUTE:
Did you know Joe Lee Johnson, driving a Chevrolet Impala, won the inaugural World 600 on June 19, 1960? Chevrolet has won the NASCAR Cup Series’ longest race with multiple models including Monte Carlo, Lumina, Monte Carlo SS, and most recently the Chevy SS.
LEADER OF THE PACK:
Career-long Chevrolet driver and seven-time Cup Series champion, Jimmie Johnson, leads all active drivers with four 600-mile victories to his credit.
TUNE-IN:
The Coca-Cola 600 is scheduled to begin on Sunday, May 27 at 6 pm, ET. Live coverage can be found on FOX, PRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
BY THE NUMBERS:
Chevrolet has won 39 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships
Team Chevy drivers have scored 776 wins and 696 poles in MENCS competition
Chevrolet drivers have won 24 of 58 Coca-Cola 600 races at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Victories by current Team Chevy drivers are:
Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s Patriotic Camaro ZL1, has four Coca-Cola 600 victories (’03,’04, ‘05 ‘& ’14)
Kasey Kahne, No. 95 Thorne Camaro ZL1, won the series longest race three times (’06, ’08 and ’12)
Austin Dillon, No. 3 Coca-Cola Camaro ZL1, earned his first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win in the Coca-Cola 600 in 2017
A Chevrolet driver has won one of the last three Coca-Cola 600’s
A Chevrolet driver has sat on the pole for the Coca-Cola 600 19 times
Team Chevy drivers have scored 144 top five and 253 top 10 finishes in the Coca-Cola 600
FOR THE FANS:
Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Fans can check out great a great assortment of Chevrolet vehicles including: 2500HD Crew High Country, Traverse High Country, Impala Premier, Cruze HB Premier, Malibu Premier, Equinox Premier, Tahoe Premier RST Appearance, Colorado ZR2 Dusk, Bolt, Trax Premier, Silverado 1500 Crew Centennial, Corvette Grand Sport, Camaro ZL1
At the Chevrolet Display, fans can view the No, 48 Lowe’s for Pros Camaro ZL1 show car and the 2018 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 used to unveil the 2018 race car in Detroit last season
Also on display is a Chevrolet R07 racing engine complete with electronic fuel injection. Fans can also see a sample of engines, parts and accessories available for purchase from Chevrolet Performance at their local Chevrolet dealer
Other activities at the Team Chevy Racing Display include a variety of interactive games for adults and kids
TEAM CHEVY QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSIONS AT THE DISPLAY:
Thursday, May 24th
3:00 p.m. – Matt Tifft
3:15 p.m. – Max Tullman and Quinn Houff
Sunday, May 27th
2:45 p.m. – Ryan Newman
3:00 p.m. – William Byron
Chevrolet Display Hours of operation: Thurs. May 24th – 3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., Sat. May 26th – 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Sun. May 27th – 10:00 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
QUOTABLE QUOTES:
KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 DC SOLAR CAMARO ZL1 – 10TH IN STANDINGS
“The All-Star Race was fun, and the package was better than I thought it would be, but definitely looking forward to getting back on track at Charlotte with some more engine in our Chevy. So far this year we’ve had solid races on the mile and a half tracks, but the 600 has been kind of tricky for us. With the race starting in the day and finishing at night the track changes quite a bit, so there’s always work to be done on the car to make the right adjustments to fit the conditions. This is pretty much a home race for everyone, so one that you’d really like to win. I was at the Coca-Cola headquarters earlier this year and found out that the winner gets a really cool vintage vending machine, so there’s some added incentive for me this time around.”
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S PATRIOTIC CAMARO ZL1 – 12TH IN STANDINGS
“The All-Star Race was fun, but this weekend is a different package, so that race didn’t do much to help us prepare for this weekend. The 600 is a long race, it’s a test of endurance and patience, and you have to accommodate for track conditions changing from the day to the night.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CAMARO ZL1 – 14TH IN STANDINGS
“The Coke 600 really isn’t that bad. I feel like Dover is physically tougher. It’s just a long race, so mentally you have to be prepared, but physically it’s really not that bad of a race. I don’t think that is one of the tougher ones it’s just time wise is a long day.”
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS PATRIOTIC CAMARO ZL1 – 15TH IN STANDINGS
“Charlotte has been kind of an up and down place. We have had some really good cars there and some not so good days too. I haven’t really felt like I have hit on any magic there, but it’s been a fun place to go and I don’t have anything against it.”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 COCA-COLA CAMARO ZL1 – 17TH IN STANDINGS
“The Coke 600 is a grueling 600-mile race, but it’s my favorite race of the year, especially with the military men and women that are out there. The start of that race there is nothing more American I feel like than that one. I would love to go back-to-back and win the Coke 600 again.”
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY PATRIOTIC CAMARO ZL1 – 19TH IN STANDINGS
“Hopefully we can improve on our performance in Kansas and have a chance to work with the car. It’s a long race at Charlotte, so hopefully we stay up near the front and get some points in each of the stages to make up some points there, and then just have a good race. It’s an honor to have Major Donahue and Lieutenant Colonel Davidson on the car this weekend. It’s a great-looking car and should be a lot of fun.”
RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 31 LIBERTY NATIONAL CAMARO ZL1 – 20TH IN STANDINGS
A lot about this race is speed and durability. It’s the longest race of the year, and everyone knows that. The track typically goes through a lot of changes over the course of the night. Keeping yourself in the game is really what it is all about. The last thing you want is a bad pit stop under green. Things like that that will put you a lap down and pretty much out of the race. It’s really similar to how you race the Daytona 500. It’s all about keeping all the simple things in check, but you also must have a fast race car to be there in the end.”
DARRELL ‘BUBBA’ WALLACE, NO. 43 CAMARO ZL1 – 22ND IN STANDINGS
“I’m looking forward to my first Coca-Cola 600. I’m not really worried about the length of the race. I’m sure I’ll be pretty fired up to go 600 miles. I think, for us, it’s just a matter of having a good handle on our car and the track. We’re working hard on our Camaro ZL1 package to get better. We’re making gains and hopefully we can show that on Sunday.”
AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 47 KROGER CLICKLIST CAMARO ZL1 – 23RD IN STANDINGS
“The Coca-Cola is so unique in the time frame that we run the race and we’re up for the challenge to get our setup just right for when the track changes. The sun on the racetrack definitely makes the track slicker during the day, and then we get a little bit of grip once the sun goes down. The last couple of years, I feel like Charlotte (Motor Speedway) has just gotten slicker anyway. It’s still very temperature sensitive but in general, it doesn’t have a lot of grip in it. To me, it’s more dependent on if it’s really cool out, then there’s enough grip that you can ride and stay in the throttle. If it gets more than 70 degrees or so outside, it’s just a really slick racetrack. We know the speed is there in our 1.5-mile program at JTG Daugherty Racing. We’re looking forward to putting it all together and we have 600 miles to do so on Sunday night.”
JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 MCDONALD’S CAMARO ZL1 – 24TH IN STANDINGS
CHRIS BUESCHER, NO. 37 COTTONELLE WAVY CLEAN RIPPLE CAMARO ZL1 – 26TH IN STANDINGS
“With running a different package last weekend in the Monster Energy Open, we didn’t have a chance to test and tune Charlotte Motor Speedway like we have in the past. Fortunately, Charlotte is a similar shape and banking to other 1.5-mile tracks we’ve run so far this season, and we know the speed is there. We had good runs at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway and have a lot of good notes that we can take from those tracks and apply it to Charlotte this weekend. The track conditions will be unlike we’ve seen, so we have that challenge there. Running from the slick, warm daytime temperatures to the cooler, nighttime temperatures where we have more grip will be something that we’ll have to adjust throughout the race. The good thing is that we have 600 miles to work on it and keep our No. 37 Cottonelle Wavy Clean Ripple Camaro ZL1 up front.”
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 95 THORNE CAMARO ZL1 – 27TH IN STANDINGS
TY DILLON, NO. 13 GEICO MILITARY CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 – 30TH IN STANDINGS
“Memorial Day weekend is always a special time at the racetrack. NASCAR does such a great job throughout the year to honor our service men and women, but this weekend we get to go the extra mile and honor individuals that made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Our team has chosen to honor PFC Charlie Anthony, and he has a special connection to our team being from Naples, FL, the same town as our team owner Bob Germain. He is a true hero. He lost his life protecting his unit from insurgents during the Vietnam War. It’s a sacrifice that we can never repay, but it’s so important to take opportunity that we can to say ‘thank you’ to his family. His wife, daughter, brother and their families are coming up to spend race day with us, and I can’t wait for them to see Charlie’s name on our GEICO Military Camaro ZL1.”
Chevrolet Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Statistics
Manufacturers Championships
Total (1949 – 2015): 39
First title for Chevrolet: 1958
Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-2015)
Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
Drivers Championships
Total (1949 – 2016): 31
First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)
Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005 – ’11)
Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016
Event Victories
Record for total race wins in single season: 26 – (in 2007)
2018 STATISTICS:
Wins: 1
Poles: 2
Laps Led: 524
Top-five finishes: 13
Top-10 finishes: 31
CHEVROLET IN NASCAR SPRINT CUP CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 776 (1949 – to date)
Poles Won to Date: 696
Laps Led to Date: 231,325
Top-Five Finishes to Date: 3,945
Top-10 Finishes to Date: 8,099
Total NASCAR Cup wins by Corporation, 1949 – To-Date
GM: 1,111
Chevrolet: 776
Pontiac: 155
Oldsmobile: 115
Buick: 65
Ford: 765
Ford: 665
Mercury: 96
Lincoln: 4
Chrysler: 466
Dodge: 217
Plymouth: 190
Chrysler: 59
Toyota: 115
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About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 100 countries and selling more than 4.0 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.
