TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
COKE ZERO SUGAR 400
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
DAYTONA BEACH, FL
JULY 6, 2019
BOWTIE BULLETS:
BOWMAN AND TEAM CHEVY EXCEL:
In registering his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory in 134 races on June 30 at Chicagoland Speedway, Alex Bowman secured a spot in the playoffs. Bowman, driving the No. 88 Axalta Camaro ZL1, led five Team Chevy drivers finishing in the top 10. Six Chevrolet drivers are in the top 14 in the standings as the series enters Round 18 of 26 in the regular season. Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 1 Global Poker Camaro ZL1, has been the most consistent of the Team Chevy contingent with nine top-10 finishes. He’s eighth in the standings.
CHEVROLET IS TOPS AMONG SEASON POLES:
Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 10 pole starts through 17 races. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Camaro ZL1, who earned the pole at Chicagoland Speedway, is tied with William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Patriotic Camaro ZL1, and Kevin Harvick for the season lead with three.
AND IN DAYTONA POLES:
A Chevrolet driver has sat on the pole at Daytona International Speedway 49 times, including the past five races. Chevrolet has earned the pole position for the Daytona 500 the past seven years, including this past February by William Byron. Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Batteries Camaro ZL1, is first among active drivers with three MENCS pole starts at the 2.5-mile track. On Feb. 21, 2016, Elliott became the youngest pole winner at the track (20 years, 2 months, 24 days). He was also the July 2018 race pole winner.
SIXTY YEARS SEEMS LIKE YESTERDAY:
Bob Welborn, driving a Chevrolet, won the first MENCS race at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 20, 1959 (100-mile qualifying race to start on pole for inaugural Daytona 500). Chevrolet or GM brands Oldsmobile and Pontiac won the first 17 races at the track. Winning drivers in that span also includes Fireball Roberts (six wins) and three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Johnny Rutherford in 1963. In all, Chevrolet drivers have won 46 of the 144 MENCS races (24 in Daytona 500 and 22 in July race). Oldsmobile, Pontiac and Buick have added 23 wins.
TUNE-IN:
NBC will telecast the Coke Zero Sugar 400 live at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday, July 6. NBCSports Gold will stream the race and live coverage can also be found on MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
BY THE NUMBERS:
* Victories by current Team Chevy drivers at Daytona International Speedway:
Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1, has three wins (February 2006, February and July 2013), which is the most among active drivers.
Austin Dillon, No. 3 Camaro ZL1, has one win (February 2018)
Kurt Busch, No. 1 Global Poker Camaro ZL1, has one win (February 2017).
* Kurt Busch is the leader among active drivers with 13 top-five and 17 top-10 finishes in 36 starts at the track.
* Career Chevrolet driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. was the last winner from the pole on July 5, 2015.
* Chevrolet has won 39 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships.
* Team Chevy drivers have scored 781 wins and 709 poles in MENCS competition.
Chevrolet will be pacing the field at Daytona International Speedway, with a Camaro SS leading the NASCAR Xfinity Series in the Circle K Firecracker 250 Powered by Coca-Cola and a Silverado RST leading the NASCAR Monster Energy Series in the Coke Zero Sugar 400.
FOR THE FANS:
· Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway at Daytona International Speedway
· Fans can check out an assortment of Chevrolet vehicles including: Blazer RS, Silverado TrailBoss, Traverse Premier, Equinox Premier, Camaro ZL1 Coupe, Colorado Bison W/Sports Bar, 2020 Silverado 2500 HD
· At the Chevrolet Display, fans can also view the No. 42 Credit One Bank Camaro ZL1 Showcar
· 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:
Friday, July 5th
· 1:35 p.m. – Joe Graf
· 2:00 p.m. – Justin Haley
· 2:15 p.m. – JD Motorsports
· 5:00 p.m. – Tyler Reddick
Saturday, July 6th
· 3:15 p.m. – Alex Bowman
· 3:45 p.m. – Daniel Hemric
· 4:00 p.m. – Austin Dillon
· 4:15 p.m. – William Byron
· 4:30 p.m. – Jimmie Johnson
· 4:55 p.m. – Chase Elliott
Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation:
· Friday, July 5th – 11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
· Saturday, July 6th – 11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
QUOTABLE QUOTES:
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA BATTERIES CAMARO ZL1 – 7th IN STANDINGS
“I love the summer Daytona race. You can almost enjoy that one a little more – it’s not the 500 and it’s not all the madness that comes with that first race of the season. It’s nice to be able to go back to Daytona, which is a cool area. I love going to the beach that time of year and just being able to go down there and race, it feels more like a normal race weekend. Always a lot of fireworks under the lights there it seems.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 VALVOLINE PATRIOTIC CAMARO ZL1 – 9th IN STANDINGS
“I’m still pretty speechless. I was able to go home and enjoy it even more with my friends and team and we won the race! I am just so thankful for Hendrick Motorsports, Axalta, Nationwide, LLumar, Valvoline and Chevrolet for believing in me. They stuck behind this team and it means so much. I am extremely thankful for this opportunity with this No. 88 team and Greg Ives. Greg is a great crew chief and I am so happy to get my first win with him.”
“Going to Daytona this weekend, we have a little bit of a monkey off our back. I was one who definitely kept track of the point standings and now we can go out and focus on stage points and race wins. Being locked into the playoffs is an amazing feeling. Our goal is to get to Miami and be in the running for a championship.
This team brought an amazing car to Talladega earlier this year and I know that these guys were back in the shop this weekend putting together a great car for this weekend. The superspeedway program at Hendrick Motorsports has always been good and the teams all work together pretty well on track. I think we have a shot at the win this weekend too, which is a great feeling.”
WILLIAM BRYON, NO. 24 AXALTA PATRIOTIC CAMARO ZL1 – 12th IN STANDINGS
“I’m excited to get to Daytona this weekend. We obviously started off the season there with a lot of speed by getting the pole for the Daytona 500, and we really had a good race going until the last couple laps. As a team we’ve gotten stronger since then, on and off the track, and I think that can only help us. The thing with Daytona though is you can’t really prepare for it; it’s about making sure you’re still there in the end. The hope is to collect as many points as possible in the first two stages to help balance out what may happen in the end, but even then, it’s easy to lose a ton as well. Hopefully though we can get the result that I think our team deserves. I honestly feel like we should be contending for the win at the end.”
CHRIS BUESCHER, NO. 37 SCOTT COMFORT PLUS CAMARO ZL1 – 22nd IN STANDINGS
“Superspeedway racing and I have not had the best relationship this season. At both the Daytona 500 and the race at Talladega, we got caught in two big ones that ended our days early, and I’m really hoping to not be involved again this weekend at Daytona International Speedway. However, Daytona is a place that’s been good to me in the past. This season, I really think we’ve been able to step up our program at every track, and we’ve seen improved qualifying positions at the superspeedways. Obviously, Ryan (Preece) has had really great success at both of those tracks this season. We just need to be in the right place at the right time with our Scott Comfort Plus Camaro ZL1 and I know we can make a move for the win.”
TY DILLON, NO. 13 GEICO MILITARY CAMARO ZL1 – 23rd IN STANDINGS
“Our team has been putting so much time and effort into not just making our cars faster, but also making them handle well. I think sometimes people underestimate the need for that at a superspeedway. Myself, my crew chief and my spotter have also been building up our patience at superspeedways. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement and your adrenaline early in the race and make a mistake or get caught up in someone else’s. We try really hard to focus on the bigger picture, which is making it to the end. It’s all about feeling the energy of the pack and knowing when to go and when not to go. It’s not an easy game to play, but we’ve gotten pretty good at it. Our GEICO Military team has finished sixth in our last two races there. So I know that we’re all looking forward to heading back and breaking our sixth-place finish streak. We’re looking for a top-five finish this week.”
DANIEL HEMRIC, NO. 8 CESSNA CAMARO ZL1 – 24th IN STANDINGS
THIS IS GOING TO BE THE FIRST TIME RACING THIS PACKAGE AT DAYTONA. WHAT DO YOU EXPECT?
“I think some of what we saw at Talladega, we’ll see again. I think you’ll see a lot more of the teams and their manufacturers working closer together, especially with Chevrolet. The handling is going to be so much bigger and so much more critical. You need to have handling at Talladega, but nowhere near what you have to have at Daytona.”
YOU RUN PRETTY GOOD AT DAYTONA. DO YOU LOOK AT IT AS YOUR CHANCE TO GET A WIN?
“I definitely think the opportunity is greater. I think what we did at Talladega and Speedway racing in general has never really been a huge strong suit for me, so it’s good to kind of get my feet on the ground.”
RYAN PREECE, NO. 47 KROGER CAMARO ZL1 – 26th IN STANDINGS
“Daytona International Speedway is definitely a track I have circled on my list for the season. Running my first Daytona 500 and finishing eighth was a moment in my racing career that I’ll never forget. The superspeedway races seem like a reset for me, because anything can happen at any point during the race. I know we’ve got the speed in our Kroger Camaro ZL1 to get to the front and finish out at the checkered line, and I’m looking forward to doing that on Saturday night in Daytona.”
Chevrolet Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Statistics
Manufacturers Championships
Total (1949 – 2018): 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 – 2018): 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)
2019 STATISTICS:
Wins: 2
Poles: 10
Laps Led: 1144
Top-five finishes: 20
Top-10 finishes: 53
CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 781 (1949 – to date)
Poles Won to Date: 709
Laps Led to Date: 233,399
Top-Five Finishes to Date: 3,989
Top-10 Finishes to Date: 8,225
Total NASCAR Cup wins by Corporation, 1949 – To-Date
GM: 1,114
Chevrolet: 781
Pontiac: 155
Oldsmobile: 115
Buick: 65
Ford: 782
Ford: 682
Mercury: 96
Lincoln: 4
Chrysler: 466
Dodge: 217
Plymouth: 190
Chrysler: 59
Toyota: 132
Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.
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.
