TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
1000BULBS.COM 500
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
LINCOLN, ALABAMA
OCTOBER 13, 2019
BOWTIE BULLETS:
CATCHING UP WIITH CHEVROLET CONTENDERS
Four Chevrolet drivers are among the 12 that remain in contention for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship after four of 10 playoff races. Heading into Round 5, here is a look at their start/finish in the last race – on the 1-mile Dover International Speedway oval – the April 2019 and October 2018 Playoff race at the 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway oval:
* Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1
At Dover: Start 5, Finish 38 At Talladega (April 28): qualified 11, finish 1
At Talladega (2018): qualified 5, finish 31
* Kyle Larson, No. 42 McDonald’s Camaro ZL1
At Dover: Start 2, Finish 1 At Talladega (April 28): qualified 10, finish 24
At Talladega (2018): qualified 34, finish 11
* Alex Bowman, No. 88 Nationwide/Amazon Echo Auto Camaro ZL1
At Dover: Start 12, Finish 3 At Talladega (April 28): qualified 9, finish 2
At Talladega (2018): qualified 7, finish 33
* William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1
At Dover: Start 6, Finish 13 At Talladega (April 28): qualified 25, finish 21
At Talladega (2018): qualified 8, finish 20
BOWMAN: A GREAT STORY OF THE PLAYOFFS
Alex Bowman finished second and third in the races at the “Monster Mile” this year. In the trips earlier this season to Talladega Superspeedway and the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway oval, the next races in Round 2 of the Playoffs, Bowman scored runner-up finishes.
“We have two more weeks in this round to get it done,” Bowman said of advancing to the Round of 8.
STANDING TALL AT THE CENTURY MARK
Kyle Larson’s victory at Dover International Speedway was the latest by a Chevrolet driver in the 100th MENCS race at a track. Others include:
Chase Elliott – Talladega Superspeedway; April 28, 2019
Jeff Burton – Charlotte Motor Speedway; October 11, 2008
Dale Earnhardt Jr. – Richmond Raceway; May 6, 2006
Jimmie Johnson – Darlington Raceway; March 21, 2004
Jeff Gordon – Daytona International Speedway; February 16, 1997
TAKING IT STAGE BY STAGE
Chase Elliott leads Team Chevy drivers with 214 stage bonus points, which includes five stage wins, 20 top-five and 36 top-10 finishes. Kyle Larson also has five stage wins, along with 16 top-five and 35 top-10 finishes for 199 points. William Byron (1), Kurt Busch (3), Jimmie Johnson (1), Austin Dillon (2), and Ty Dillon (2) have also contributed stage wins.
COMMEMORATING EARNHARDT’S SUCCESS IN CHEVY MONTE CARLO
Longtime Chevrolet ambassador Dale Earnhardt holds Talladega Superspeedway records for wins (10), top-five finishes (23), top-10s (27) and laps led (1,377) in 44 starts. Fellow Hall of Famer and Chevrolet team owner Richard Childress, who began his MENCS career in 1969 at the track’s grand-opening weekend, will lead the field to the green flag in the black No. 3 Chevrolet Monte Carlo that Earnhardt drove to his 76th and final victory in October 2000 at the Superspeedway. Career Chevrolet drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon are next on list with six wins at the track.
CHEVY DRIVES BREAST CANCER AWARENESS
This October, Chevrolet and General Motors will support the American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer initiative for the ninth consecutive year. Nationwide, dealers, employees, customers and loved ones will join forces to raise breast cancer awareness and make a difference for those affected.
This weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, Chevrolet is hosting breast cancer survivors and their guests on Saturday morning, October 12th, providing hot laps in pink Camaro ZL1 pace cars around the 2.66-mile track with Chevy drivers Chase Elliott and Ty Dillon. They will also be treated to a breakfast hospitality experience complete with a unique activity, a driver question-and-answer session, autographs, photos, and tickets to the race.
TUNE-IN:
NBC will telecast the 188-lap race live at 2 p.m. ET Sunday, Oct. 13. The NBCSports Gold app 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 Chevrolet drivers at Talladega Superspeedway:
Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1, has two wins (May 2006, April 2011)
Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1, has one win (April 2019)
*Chevrolet has won 41 of the 100 races at Talladega Superspeedway to lead all manufacturers.
* Johnson needs one win to tie Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip (84) for fourth on the all-time list.
*Johnson leads active drivers with 470 laps led in 35 starts at Talladega Superspeedway.
* Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1, leads active drivers with 20 top-10 finishes in 37 starts at Talladega Superspeedway.
* Busch, with an average finish of 15.8 in the October race at Talladega, leads active drivers with 11,309 green flag passes and 3,691 laps in the top 15 (66.9%).
* Team Chevy drivers have earned 13 pole starts this season, led by William Byron with five.
* William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1, is second with 99.69% (8,351 of 8,377) laps completed this season. Byron has been running at the finish in the past 29 races.
* With 160 laps led at Dover, Chevrolet surpassed 23,400 in its MENCS history.
* Chevrolet has won 39 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships.
Chevrolet will be pacing the field at Talladega Superspeedway, with a T1 Silverado leading the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series in the Sugarlands Shine 250, and a Pink Camaro ZL1 leading the NASCAR Monster Energy Series in the 1000Bulbs.com 500.
FOR THE FANS:
· Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway at Talladega Superspeedway
· Fans can check out an assortment of Chevrolet vehicles including: Equinox AWD, 2500HD Crew HC Diesel, Blazer RS, Traverse AWD Premiere, 1500 Crew LTZ Premier 6.2, and Camaro ZL1.
· At the Chevrolet Display, fans can also view Chase Elliott’s No. 9 Dew 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, October 11
· 1:45 p.m. – Young’s Motorsports (Gus Dean, Spencer Boyd, Tyler Dippel)
Saturday, October 12
· 2:30 p.m. – Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Sunday, October 13
· 9:00 a.m. – Austin Dillon
· 9:25 a.m. – Kurt Busch
· 9:45 a.m. – Jimmie Johnson
· 10:05 a.m. – Chase Elliott
Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation:
· Friday, October 11th: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
· Saturday, October 12th: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
· Sunday, October 13th: 8:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
QUOTABLE QUOTES:
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 NATIONWIDE / AMAZON ECHO AUTO CAMARO ZL1 – 7th IN STANDINGS
BOWMAN ON GOING INTO TALLADEGA AS A PLAYOFF DRIVER VERSUS EARLIER THIS YEAR:
“Honestly, it is probably just a little more stressful this go around. I feel like we’ve obviously done a good job as a company and Chevrolet to run well at these tracks. Our superspeedway cars are always really good, but we’re still at the mercy of everyone else. It is really just the unknown of what can happen on the track. We just have to be smart in a stressful environment. I think the easiest thing to do is stay our front all day. There isn’t really anywhere to hide, but you always have guys that try to run in the back and there is still a chance to get taken out anyway.”
BOWMAN ON THE NEW PAINT SCHEME:
“The paint scheme this weekend is pretty awesome. The Amazon Echo Auto device is such a cool product and it’s pretty cool that Nationwide is giving away one million of these devices to their policy holders. It was fun to shoot some of these videos with Dale (Earnhardt Jr.) and Nationwide a few weeks ago. Definitely be on the lookout for more videos this week.”
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 – 8th IN STANDINGS
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON TALLADEGA AND RESTRICTOR PLATE RACING?
“I’m not a huge fan of plate racing, but it is fun to show up at those tracks knowing you’re going to have an extremely fast car. This year especially, Hendrick Motorsports has had some of the best cars at restrictor plate races, and we’ve shown that with good qualifying and good results, especially at Daytona for the No. 24 team. We can lean on that once again this time. I just need to try stay disciplined with my teammates so we can stay at the front of the field and keep momentum going. It seems like lately you really have to work with your teammates to make up any ground through the field. As long as we can do that, and try our best to stay out of trouble, we should have a good chance at a good result.”
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 – 11th IN STANDINGS
WHAT DOES TALLADEGA MEAN TO YOU, WITH YOU BEING FROM GEORGIA AND I KNOW YOU WENT TO THAT TRACK MANY OF TIMES WITH YOUR DAY?
“The race track has always kind of felt like a home race to me. It’s really as close as anywhere, it’s almost as close to going to Atlanta distance-wise. Any time you race close to home, it’s nice because you don’t have to go very far to go over there to the track, which is why I like it. Definitely the crowd makes you feel at home too; they certainly made me feel like that in the spring. I look forward to getting back over there. If it goes good, it goes good. If it doesn’t, we’ll figure it out after that.”
CHRIS BUESCHER, NO. 37 LOUISIANA HOT SAUCE CAMARO ZL1 – 20th IN STANDINGS
“Talladega Superspeedway and I definitely have a love/hate relationship. The superspeedway races have not been kind to us this season, so I’m looking forward to hopefully ending the season on a high note this weekend. Talladega can be so wide open, but it’s very different from the racing we see at Daytona International Speedway. The track is so much wider that it creates more lanes and can sometimes be the cause of more trouble. We’ve had every strategy at these superspeedway races, but the most important one is to be there at the end with the shiny side of our Louisiana Hot Sauce Camaro ZL1 up.”
BUBBA WALLACE, NO. 43 VICTORY JUNCTION CAMARO ZL1 – 26th IN STANDINGS
TALLADEGA CAN BE CONSIDERED A WILD CARD WHEN IT COMES TO FINISHES. WHAT IS IT GOING TO TAKE TO BRING HOME A WIN?
“Looking at the No. 43 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 we had at the Talladega Superspeedway this year, our team was really fast and I was simply trying to get out of the eye-of-the-storm. I ended up causing the eye-of-the-storm and that was unfortunate.
“Our Richard Petty Motorsports team didn’t qualify too well, but within ten laps, we were up there inside the top-five. Our speedway packages have always been really good, and we have always had fast cars. As a team, our resume this year has not been good compared to last year. We have to go to the Talladega Superspeedway, run a smooth and clean race, and be there at the end. We know our Chevrolet Camaro ZL1’s are fast there. I think we’ve destroyed all of our speedway cars, so we’ll have a new one for this one.”
RYAN PREECE, NO. 47 KROGER CAMARO ZL1 – 27th IN STANDINGS
“So far at Talladega Superspeedway, we’ve got some pretty good odds in our Kroger Camaro ZL1. However, superspeedway racing is its own animal. Of the three races at Talladega and Daytona International Speedway so far this season, we have two top-10 finishes. We have speed and I’ve been fortunate to be able to maneuver through some of the wrecks to keep our car clean at the end. That’s always the goal, and especially this weekend. While the season may be winding down, we’re still working hard and building to continue improving and hit the ground running next year, and we’ve got six races left to finish out the season strong.”
Chevrolet Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Statistics
Manufacturers Championships:
Total (1949-2018): 39
First title for Chevrolet: 1958
Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15)
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 (2007)
2019 STATISTICS:
Wins: 7
Poles: 13
Laps Led: 1,850
Top-five finishes: 39
Top-10 finishes: 95
CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 786 (1949 to date)
Poles won to date: 712
Laps led to date: 234,105
Top-five finishes to date: 4,008
Top-10 finishes to date: 8,267
Total NASCAR Cup wins by corporation, 1949 to date
General Motors: 1,120
Chevrolet: 786
Pontiac: 154
Oldsmobile: 115
Buick: 65
Ford: 784
Ford: 684
Mercury: 96
Lincoln: 4
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467
Dodge: 217
Plymouth: 191
Chrysler: 59
Toyota: 139
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.
