CHEVY NSCS AT KENTUCKY: Team Chevy Advance

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY
QUAKER STATE 400
JULY 11, 2015

TEAM CHEVY LOOKING FOR FIRST WIN AT KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY
New Low Downforce Rules Package Highlights Fifth Race at 1.5-mile Track

DETROIT – (July 7, 2015) – Throughout the season the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series visits 23 different racing venues.  Of those 23 tracks, Team Chevy has notched more wins than any other manufacturer at all but five (Homestead-Miami Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Michigan International Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway).  There is only one facility on the current schedule where the Chevrolet brand has never been to Victory Lane – Kentucky Speedway.

The 1.5-mile track was introduced to the schedule in 2011 and this season will hold its fifth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 400-mile race. The unique track, located in northern Kentucky, has always been a challenge for teams due to the bumps in the track surface.

“You’ve almost got to wear a mouthpiece in the No. 47 Kroger/SCOTT Products Chevrolet SS at Kentucky Speedway because it is one of the roughest tracks we race on,” said AJ Allmendinger.  “There are bumps that are really harsh that jar your teeth out and make the car bounce a lot and then there are just wavy bumps. It’s bumpy for sure and the goal is to get your car working over bumps. If you can do that, you should have a good car.”

Bumps are only one of the many unique facets drivers and teams will have to work through this weekend at Kentucky. On Wednesday, prior to the 167 lap/400 mile Quaker State 400 on Saturday night under the lights, drivers and teams will try a new lower downforce package on their cars.  They will participate in a four-hour practice session to try out the new configurations on their Chevy SS racecars as they make single car runs and race side-by-side with other competitors.  The hope is the package, which features a smaller spoiler, a smaller radiator pan and a shorter splitter, will promote a better on-track racing product.

There are a lot of unknowns going into the race weekend, but Chevrolet teams have the advantage of a hard working engineering staff supporting them with computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations, wind tunnel testing and many other tools.  They hope all the pre-race preparation will give them the advantage Saturday night to win Chevrolet’s first ever race at the tough 1.5-mile track.

As the progress of a new aerodynamics package unfolds, drivers also have time on their minds.  Kentucky Speedway marks the half-way point of the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.  With only eight races remaining until the Chase cut off race at Richmond International Raceway, time is dwindling for teams to score their first win of the season and lock themselves into a coveted Chase spot.

Not only is Kentucky Speedway the only track on the current circuit where Chevrolet has not scored a win, it is also the only track where veteran Chevrolet driver Jeff Gordon has yet to earn a trophy.  Gordon would like nothing more than to check this track off his list and earn a Chase position in his last full-time year of competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

“I’m already proud that I have won at every track except Kentucky, but to win there this weekend and have a win at every track at the Sprint Cup level is something that would mean a lot to me,” Gordon said.  “Winning at every track is not something that’s easy to accomplish. This will be a challenge, and I like a good challenge and the team does, too.”

Gordon and the other 22 Team Chevy drivers will try and make history this weekend driving a Chevrolet SS into Winner’s Circle at Kentucky Speedway for the first time.

The 267-lap/400.5-mile Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday July 11. Live coverage will be available on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN), PRN, Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 90 and NASCAR.com.

TEAM CHEVY IN NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES (NSCS) COMPETITION:

·        Chevrolet has won 38 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Manufacturers’ Championships

·        Team Chevy drivers have scored 749 wins and 675 poles in NSCS competition

 

CHEVROLET ON THE TRACK—KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY:

Following the first four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held at Kentucky Speedway, Team Chevy drivers have recorded eight top-five and 18 top-10 finishes
Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. are the only two Team Chevy drivers with poles at Kentucky Speedway.
A Chevrolet has led 217 laps (20.3% of possible 1068 laps) at Kentucky Speedway

 

DID YOU KNOW? Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac dealers in the United States delivered 259,353 vehicles in June 2015. Retail deliveries climbed seven percent year over year, and they were up more than the industry for the third month in a row. The drivers were stronger Cadillac sales, a 12 percent gain at GMC and a nine percent increase at Chevrolet. Together, they helped make the month General Motors’ (NYSE: GM) best June for retail deliveries since 2007 and its best June for retail market share since 2011.

ENGINEER EXPERTISE FROM THE GARAGE AREA – ALBA COLON, CHEVROLET RACING PROGRAM MANAGER – NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES:
“First of all, congratulations to Dale Earnhardt Jr., Greg Ives, Mr. Rick Hendrick and the entire No. 88 Nationwide Stars and Stripes Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS team for their dominant performance and win at Daytona International Speedway.  This was Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s second win of the year, both on superspeedway tracks; and his fourth win at Daytona.  Dale’s wins are always a crowd-pleaser. For Chevrolet, it was a great evening too, as we had seven drivers finishing in the top eight positions.

“This weekend we head to Kentucky Speedway, a very unique 1.5-mile Tri-Oval.  We have all been waiting for this race for the last several weeks.  The unknowns with the new racing package, has all of us working extra hard to be sure we have fast and well-balanced vehicles as soon as we hit the track.  To facilitate the new change, all the teams will have an opportunity to practice for an extra four hours on Wednesday, July 8th.  The extra day in the schedule will help with the understanding of the lower downforce package.   We have all been working hard on our simulators, CFD runs and wind tunnel tests; and in the next several days we will get to see for real how everything works at the track and with other racers around us.  It should be a fun race to drive and watch, for sure.

“This race marks the halfway point of the season, the 18th of 36 points races on the circuit.  In reviewing our scorecard, we have done really well by winning 11 events so far.  Still, there is a lot of work to do.  Consistency is vital in order to succeed.  The perfect combination of the right teams, finishes, and technology will make us succeed and obtain the coveted Manufacturers’ and Driver’s Championship trophies at the end of the season.

 

“Team Chevy is looking forward to a first win in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Kentucky. We are hoping that Saturday night will be our night!”

TEAM CHEVY FROM THE DRIVER’S SEAT:
KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 4 BUDWEISER/JIMMY JOHN’S CHEVROLET SS – POINTS LEADER
“It’s the newest, oldest track we go to. Kentucky Speedway is very rough. The corners are longer so they’re not as sharp, but the roughness of the racing surface is really what makes it unique in my mind. There is still a lot of grip, but the track has become rough over the years.”

DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CHEVROLET SS – 2ND IN STANDINGS
“It’s a unique venue. It’s a tough track; so I think it’s going to be a challenge to really see what the package is doing what you expect to see anyways at Kentucky. I don’t know that the racing is going to look a lot different just because the track is so rough and slick. So any package is going to kind of look similar. But I’m looking forward to seeing what happens. We’re going to be there for a couple of days practicing. They’re giving us a lot of ample time to practice and learn and understand how to adjust our cars to that package. So, I’m happy about the decisions they made and look forward to it.”

CHAD KNAUS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 LOWE’S PRO SERVICES CHEVROLET SS – 3RD IN STANDINGS
“Under normal circumstances this week would be difficult, but the rain delay in Daytona made it that much more challenging. We are going to Kentucky this week for a test day on Wednesday with a brand new rules package. All my Lowe’s guys were at the shop on Monday building the cars for this weekend after a 24 hour day at Daytona. It’s a tough work schedule – I’m proud of our guys for all their hard work.”

MARTIN TRUEX, JR., NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW/VISSER PRECISION CHEVROLET SS – 5TH IN STANDINGS
“No question, we had a rough two weeks in terms of points. We were a victim of circumstances in both Sonoma and Daytona. Our Furniture Row Chevrolet was fast in both of those races but never got to the end in each to show our strength. Those were two weekends to forget. We’re looking forward to Kentucky– it’s our kind of racetrack — an old, worn out bumpy mile-and-a-half oval. We’ve had success at tracks like Kentucky, but a new aero rules package will be in place at this race. There’s going to be a learning curve to deal with but I am confident about our situation. Our Furniture Row guys have been really good about figuring out things quickly.”

JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 CESSNA CHEVROLET SS – 6TH IN STANDINGS
“I guess it will be an interesting weekend in Kentucky. With the extra four hours to test on Wednesday with the new aero package and less down force, I’m curious to see how things will work. Kentucky is a tough track to begin with, the surface is pretty rough, but I like that because it makes it challenging. Drivers need to really work to get the car working good. Right now, as a team, we need to keep working on good finishes as we close down the last several weeks into the Chase. Hopefully we can keep that going in the right direction.”

KURT BUSCH, NO. 41 HAAS AUTOMATION CHEVROLET SS – 8TH IN STANDINGS
“Kentucky is a tough, 1.5-mile circuit that’s relatively new to the Sprint Cup schedule. The track has a unique set of bumps that makes it different from a lot of the typical 1.5-mile tracks we see. It’s kind of a one-off race with its own setup issues. You can overthink Kentucky a little bit because there’s nothing similar to it.”

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 AARP MEMBER ADVANTAGES CHEVROLET SS – 10TH IN STANDINGS
“I’m already proud that I have won at every track except Kentucky but to win there this weekend and have a win at every track at the Sprint Cup level is something that would mean a lot to me. Winning at every track is not something that’s easy to accomplish. This will be a challenge, and I like a good challenge and the team does, too.”

KEITH RODDEN, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 LIFTMASTER CHEVROLET SS – 11TH IN STANDINGS
“Kentucky is an interesting place where mechanical grip pays off due to the rough racing surface. There is going to be a new aero package for this weekend so we are excited to get there and do the test. We’ll see what we can learn and get our LiftMaster Chevrolet ready for the race.”

PAUL MENARD, NO. 27 QUAKER STATE/MENARDS CHEVROLET SS – 13TH IN STANDINGS
“I’m excited about it and ready to test it out. A lot of people, me included, feel that less downforce will make for a better racing, forcing the drivers to slow the car more and in turn being able to beat another driver back to the gas to initiate a pass. I’m looking forward to it.”

RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR CHEVROLET SS – 14TH IN STANDINGS
“I really believe we are doing the right thing competition wise and race wise to get downforce off the cars. It will get us some difference in speed in the straightaways and in the corners. We tested there for three days back in April (13-15) and with this new package, it will totally be different. We are talking about a big difference in the aero package and hundreds of pounds of downforce difference. In the end, we’ll see. It’s a bit of a science experiment. It’s an educated guess so I think it’s going to be a good thing.”

KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS – 18TH IN STANDINGS
“Not having any experience with the new aero package, it’s kind of hard to know what to expect for this weekend in Kentucky. Some people have told me that I’ll like it, but we’ll see. I’m excited to get there tomorrow and have a chance to run some laps with less downforce and see how the car feels. We had a bad break last year in Kentucky when a tire went down, so hopefully we have better luck this time around in the Target Chevy. We’ve had more bad breaks this year than last, but everyone is still working really hard to get and keep our car out front and win a race to secure a spot in the Chase.”

DANICA PATRICK, NO. 10 GODADDY CHEVROLET SS – 20TH IN STANDINGS
“It’s one of those tracks where I have experience but, obviously, not in a lot of it in a stock car. I’ve been there a lot, but I’ve only run four stock car races there. I ran a lot of IndyCar races at Kentucky but, obviously, those aren’t really going to benefit me this weekend. The track definitely has character to it with the bumps, and we mainly practice during the day and then race at night on Saturday, so the track conditions can change a lot during the race. When you add all that up, it’s a challenging place.”

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW/STYROFOAM CHEVROLET SS – 21ST IN STANDINGS
“I love Kentucky Speedway. I had my first two NASCAR XFINITY Series wins there. It’s a rough track. It has a lot of character, and I think that’s what makes it such a cool place. I hope they don’t ever do anything to the track. We don’t get to go to many rough tracks. You’re heads bobbing the whole time, and you’re trying to figure out how to make the car turn better.”

CASEY MEARS, NO. 13 GEICO CHEVROLET SS – 22ND IN STANDINGS
“With less downforce on the No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet SS heading into a place like Kentucky, the obvious thought is that we will use more brake which may slow down corner speeds, but we’ll have to see how it plays out. The Goodyear tires we are getting for Kentucky aren’t quite the softer tire that has been talked about. The softer tire hasn’t been brought up to give drivers more grip – it’s really about giving us a tire that has less grip as the tires wear out. We’ve been here before with this amount of downforce. It’s an idea and it’s probably about half of it. It’ll be interesting to see how it works, for sure. The bumps at Kentucky are still bumps – so the amount of downforce there won’t make a difference over those.”

AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 47 KROGER/SCOTTS PRODUCTS CHEVROLET SS – 23RD IN STANDINGS
“We’re looking at the test date with the new package as a separate thing and it is a new car we are bringing and it’s a chance to get it fine-tuned. Our plans are making our cars better and this gives us a chance to see how this car is and put some work into the new rules package. We’re not sure what to expect. NASCAR is trying to put the best product on track for the fans and trying to take away downforce to allow for more passing – – making us be off throttle a little more instead of being in the throttle so hard. They are hoping for better racing for the fans by finding ways for more passing because there hasn’t been a lot of passing.”

TONY STEWART, NO. 14 RUSH TRUCKING CHEVROLET SS – 25TH IN STANDINGS
“Kentucky is so unique from the standpoint there are so many bumps. It really gives it a much different character than the other mile-and-a-half tracks we race on. If it was smooth, everybody would be able to figure it out a lot easier. That’s what makes it challenging and that’s what makes it unique. And really that’s what I think is fun about it. The drivers have to work harder because it is a unique surface. I wouldn’t mind if they’d take the double out of the front straightaway at the start‑finish line, but aside from that, that’s what makes that place so challenging.  Because of that character I think is what will make winning at Kentucky so rewarding is the fact that you’ve had to work on things that you don’t have to work on necessarily every week.”

JUSTIN ALLGAIER, NO. 51 FRATERNAL ORDER OF EAGLES CHEVROLET SS – 29TH IN STANDINGS
“Kentucky [Speedway] is so unique because of the bumps. They also make it one of the most challenging tracks to drive. We’ll be there on Wednesday for the test, and hopefully NASCAR likes everything they see during it and we can race that package on Saturday. Ultimately, we want to put on a great race for the fans at Kentucky. It looks like it will be pretty warm this weekend which is usually the case at Kentucky. That’ll make for a really slick track, and the slicker the better to me.”

 

 

 

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About Chevrolet:

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 140 countries and selling more than 4.8 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive & active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SpeedwayMedia.com

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