TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
FIRST DATA 500
MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY
MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA
OCTOBER 27, 2019
BOWTIE BULLETS:
ON TO NEXT ROUND FOR CHEVROLET CONTENDERS
Chevrolet drivers Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson advanced to the Round of 8 of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. Heading into the seventh of 10 races – on the .526-mile Martinsville Speedway oval – a look at their success in 32 starts:
* Chase Elliott, No. 9 Mountain Dew Camaro ZL1 (3 wins, 11 top-fives, 15 top-10s, 5 stage wins and 229 stage bonus points; 6th in points)
* Kyle Larson, No. 42 Clover Camaro ZL1 (1 win, 7 top-5s, 15 top-10s, 5 stage wins and 204 stage bonus points; 7th in points)
HOW CHEVY DRIVERS HAVE FARED
Chase Elliott’s runner-up finish at Kansas Speedway in the cutoff race clinched a berth in the next round. He erased a 22-point gap to keep his championship hopes intact. Larson advanced via a victory at Dover.
How the drivers fared at Martinsville on March 24 and in October 2018 playoff race:
Elliott – Started 7th, finished 2nd (March) Started 19th, finished 7th (2018)
Larson – Started 6th, finished 18th (March) Started 9th, finished 37th (2018)
Their career-best start and finish at Martinsville:
Elliott – Started 2nd (April 2017) Finished 2nd (March 2019)
Larson – Started 1st (April 2017) Finished 3rd (April 2016)
AIMING FOR A TOP-10 FINISH
Alex Bowman, No. 88 Llumar Camaro ZL1, and William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1, missed the second cut of the playoffs, but the young drivers gained plenty of experience and have season goals. “I think we can still further our position in the points, which is awesome,” Byron said after making a big move from qualifying 25th to finishing fifth at Kansas. “For us to make that next step, we have to compete for wins. We’re getting close.” Byron is 10th in the standings. Bowman, who finished 11th at Kansas after qualifying 16th, is 12th in points.
LEADERS OF THE PACK
Team Chevy drivers have scored 15 poles this season to lead all manufacturers. Bryon leads Team Chevy with five and Elliott has four. Others are Austin Dillon (3), Jimmie Johnson (1), Daniel Hemric (1) and Kyle Larson (1). Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1, leads current Team Chevy drivers with four pole starts at Martinsville Speedway. He has converted three into wins and was the last winner from the pole at the track on April 7, 2013. Overall, a Chevrolet driver has sat on the pole 54 times at Martinsville.
TUNE-IN:
NBCSN will telecast the 500-lap race live at 3 p.m. ET Sunday, Oct. 27. 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 Martinsville Speedway:
Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1, has nine wins (October 2016, April and October 2013, March and October 2009, April and October 2007, October 2006, October 2004).
Kurt Busch, No. 1 Global Poker Camaro ZL1, has two wins (March 2014, October 2002).
* Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 56 wins in the 141 races at Martinsville.
* Team Chevy drivers have recorded 260 top-five and 489 top-10 finishes at the track.
* Johnson has an average finish of 8.3 at Martinsville Speedway to lead active drivers.
* Johnson is the lap leader at the track among current drivers with 2,691 in 29 races. He’s also the active leader in wins (9), top-five finishes (19), top-10 finishes (24) and lead-lap finishes (30 in 35 races).
* Johnson needs one win to tie Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip (84) for fourth on the all-time list.
* Busch is tied for the most starts with 38 at Martinsville among active drivers.
* Ty Dillon, No. 13 GEICO Camaro ZL1, has been running at the finish in the past 41 races.
* Chevrolet has surpassed 100 top-10 finishes for the season.
* Chevrolet has won 39 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships.
Chevrolet will be pacing the field at Martinsville Speedway, with a T1 Silverado leading the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series in the NASCAR Hall of Fame 200, and a Pink Camaro ZL1 leading the NASCAR Monster Energy Series in the First Data 500.
QUOTABLE QUOTES:
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 MOUNTAIN DEW CAMARO ZL1 – 6th IN STANDINGS
“Martinsville has been hit or miss for us. We ran good there in the spring, ran bad there last fall. I feel like we have had really good runs there, and bad runs there. I haven’t really done anything different; we just need to really do our homework this week and just really focus on it.”
KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 CLOVER CAMARO ZL1 – 7th IN STANDINGS
“It’s no secret that Martinsville is one my toughest tracks. The driving style there is quite a bit different from what I grew up racing and different from what we race most weekends. But I’m excited to get there and start the Round of 8. I’ve changed up a few things with my driving style at tracks that are somewhat similar to Martinsville and seen some good results, so hopefully we can have a good race. I’ve put a lot of work into getting better at this track, and we’ll be looking to have a solid start to this round like we did in the last one.”
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 – 10th IN STANDINGS
“I was watching the fall Martinsville race back from 2017 and 2018. Last year’s race was relatively calm but the year before, that race was absolutely crazy. There was a lot of action, and as a fan, it was fun to watch. I think it will be more like that this year with very close racing and tempers on edge. There’s really only one way to get around that place and that’s right on the curb. You just try to keep it stuck to the curb all day and hopefully that pays off.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 LLUMAR CAMARO ZL1 – 12th IN STANDINGS
“I feel like we still have some work to do on our short track program. We went to Richmond earlier this year trying to get a car that turned better in the center and it did. The car lacked forward drive, which made it to where it didn’t have a good balance. I think we know what we need to change going into this weekend’s race in Martinsville. Having the best compromise between turn and drive at a place like Martinsville is going to be key.”
“Not advancing in the playoffs last weekend was definitely disappointing. We have four more chances to get a win this season and we are not stopping now. We are going back to the books and plan to capitalize during these next few weeks.”
“Making my 150th Cup Series start this weekend is pretty special. I have had a lot of ups and downs in my career, but so thankful that it led me to Hendrick Motorsports. Working alongside my 88 team and all of the amazing people back on the HMS campus is an honor. I am very happy to be making this milestone start with Mr. Hendrick and his organization.”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 AMERICAN ETHANOL CAMARO ZL1 – 23rd IN STANDINGS
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT SHORT TRACKS LIKE MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY?
“I love going to Martinsville Speedway. It’s an hour away from my house, so it feels like home. Anytime you can get to a short track and beat and bang and really work on those hard-braking corners you feel like you got a chance so I can’t wait to get there. Our cars have had speed this year, and I’m really looking forward to going to the flat paperclip that is Martinsville with Danny Stockman and the No. 3 team. We’re all racers at heart so we love short track racing.”
TY DILLON, NO. 13 GEICO CAMARO ZL1 – 24th IN STANDINGS
WHY IS MARTINSVILLE UNLIKE ANY OTHER SHORT TRACK?
“Martinsville is like no other. It’s so flat and so tight-cornered. It is truly unique to all of the tracks that we run. It has been good to us lately and hopefully we can continue the good runs that we have had for our GEICO team on the short tracks. We are looking to come out of there with a top-10 or top-15 again.”
WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT THE WAY THAT YOU HAVE TO GET INTO THE TURNS AT MARTINSVILLE?
“Yeah, with the paperclip and a 180-degree turn, you are driving straight in, braking straight, and don’t have a lot of wheel in on the entry to the corner. Then you have to be able to release the brake and roll the middle pretty fast. Whereas when you go to a Richmond or a Bristol, the corners flow a little bit better. You are not doing it all in one motion. You are slowly guiding the car through the corner. At Martinsville, you have to do it all in one quick snap.”
BUBBA WALLACE, NO. 43 VICTORY JUNCTION CAMARO ZL1 – 28th IN STANDINGS
GOING INTO THE LAST SHORT TRACK RACE OF THE SEASON AT MARTINSVILLE, HOW ARE YOU FEELING WITH THE WAY YOUR SHORT TRACK PROGRAM HAS BEEN THIS YEAR?
“Martinsville Speedway is one of my favorite places. I have had a lot of success there in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series. I am looking forward to getting to the Martinsville Speedway, and continuing our run of momentum. The track is exciting because it’s a short track. We don’t go to many on the schedule, so it will be good to get back there and see if we can get another grandfather clock.”
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: 15
Laps Led: 2,026
Top-five finishes: 42
Top-10 finishes: 102
CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 786 (1949 to date)
Poles won to date: 714
Laps led to date: 234,236
Top-five finishes to date: 4,011
Top-10 finishes to date: 8,274
Total NASCAR Cup wins by corporation, 1949 to date
General Motors: 1,120
Chevrolet: 786
Pontiac: 154
Oldsmobile: 115
Buick: 65
Ford: 785
Ford: 685
Mercury: 96
Lincoln: 4
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467
Dodge: 217
Plymouth: 191
Chrysler: 59
Toyota: 140
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.
