RICHMOND RACEWAY (.75-MILE OVAL)
LOCATION: RICHMOND, VIRGINIA
EVENT: NASCAR CUP SERIES (RACE 28 OF 36)
TUNE IN: 7:30 P.M. ET, SATURDAY, SEPT. 12 (NBCSN/MRN/SIRIUSXM)
Chase Elliott
No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
Driver Chase Elliott Hometown Dawsonville, Georgia
Age 24 Resides Dawsonville, Georgia
2020 Season
7th in standings
27 starts
2 wins
1 pole position
10 top-five finishes
15 top-10 finishes
644 laps led
Career
176 starts
8 wins
9 pole positions
54 top-five finishes
89 top-10 finishes
2,488 laps led
Track Career
9 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
2 top-five finishes
3 top-10 finishes
34 laps led
Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, will be available to members of the media via video conference on Thursday, Sept. 10 at 1:45 p.m. ET. Visit NASCARmedia.com for details.
ROUND OF 16: Saturday night’s event at Richmond Raceway will mark the second race of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs Round of 16. Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, currently sits seventh in the playoff standings, 61 points behind the leader. The last three seasons, he has advanced to the Round of 8.
RECORD YEAR: In 2020, Elliott continues to amass career bests in laps led (644), runner-up results (three), top-five finishes (10), stage points (208) and stage wins (six) through 27 races. His two wins and 15 top-10s are tied for a personal best at this point in a season.
NAPA KNOW HOW: The primary blue, white and yellow NAPA AUTO PARTS paint scheme will return to the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE this weekend at Richmond Raceway. The Atlanta-based company will serve as majority sponsor for Elliott and the No. 9 team for a total of 26 NASCAR Cup Series races this year. In February, it was announced that NAPA AUTO PARTS and Hendrick Motorsports will continue their partnership for another two seasons. NAPA will remain a primary sponsor of Elliott and the No. 9 team through 2022. Click here to read the full release.
NIGHT RACE ACE: Elliott continues to come alive during night races in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season. On Sunday night at Darlington Raceway, he led 114 laps before finishing 20th after suffering damage while battling for the lead in the closing laps. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native has one win (Charlotte), three runner-up finishes, five top-fives and 236 laps led in the last seven points-paying night races. Elliott’s NASCAR All-Star Race win at Bristol Motor Speedway was also collected under the lights.
SHORT-TRACK PERFORMANCE: Elliott has made 28 short-track starts (Bristol, Martinsville and Richmond) in his NASCAR Cup Series career. In those races, the 24-year-old driver has collected eight top-five finishes, 12 top-10s and 514 laps led. So far in the 2020 campaign, he has earned two stage wins on short tracks, the most of any driver.
RICHMOND RUNDOWN: On Saturday night, Elliott will make his 10th NASCAR Cup Series start at the .75-mile Richmond oval. In his previous nine starts there, he has collected two top-five finishes – one being a runner-up result – and three top-10s. Additionally, he has made four starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Richmond, never finishing outside of the top five and earning a win in 2015.
GUSTAFSON AT RICHMOND: No. 9 team crew chief Alan Gustafson is set to call his 30th NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond this weekend. In his previous 29 starts with five different drivers (Kyle Busch, Casey Mears, Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon and Elliott), Gustafson has accumulated 12 top-five finishes – five being runner-up results – 16 top-10s and 564 laps led at the track. His five runner-up finishes are tied with Kirk Shelmerdine. The only crew chief with more at the .75-mile oval is Dale Inman, who has 10.
PIT PERFORMANCE: As the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Richmond, the No. 9 team owns the third-best average time for four-tire pit stops at 13.93 seconds through 27 races. The team is comprised of jackman T.J. Semke, gasman John Gianninoto, tire carrier Jared Erspamer and tire changers Chad Avrit and Nick O’Dell.
William Byron
No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
Driver William Byron Hometown Charlotte, North Carolina
Age 22 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina
2020 Season
9th in standings
27 starts
1 win
0 pole positions
3 top-five finishes
10 top-10 finishes
97 laps led
Career
99 starts
1 win
5 pole positions
8 top-five finishes
27 top-10 finishes
391 laps led
Track Career
4 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
0 top-10 finishes
0 laps led
TRIPLE DIGITS: When driver William Byron climbs behind the wheel of the No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for Saturday night’s race at Richmond Raceway, it will mark his 100th start in the NASCAR Cup Series. In the midst of his second playoff appearance, Byron has one win at stock car racing’s highest level of competition – coming just two weeks ago at Daytona. The 22-year-old driver also has accumulated five pole awards, eight top-five finishes, 27 top-10s and led 391 laps across his first 99 Cup races, as well as claiming the series’ rookie of the year honors in 2018.
7X REACHES 700: Byron isn’t the only member of the No. 24 team marking a milestone at Richmond. In his 20th season atop the pit box, crew chief Chad Knaus will call his 700th NASCAR Cup Series race on Saturday night. In his time as a crew chief, Knaus has worked with four different drivers: Casey Atwood, Stacy Compton, Jimmie Johnson and currently Byron and the No. 24 team. Knaus’ impressive résumé consists of seven NASCAR Cup Series championships – including five in a row – with Johnson and the No. 48 team, the second-most by a crew chief. He is also the only crew chief to make the NASCAR playoffs in all 17 seasons since its inception in 2004 and has collected 29 wins in the playoff format, the most of anyone. Adding to his achievements, Knaus has 82 Cup wins, the third-most of all-time, coming at 20 different tracks. He has recorded a win at all but five tracks on the Cup Series circuit: Chicagoland Speedway, the Charlotte Roval, the DAYTONA Road Course, Kentucky Speedway and Watkins Glen International. Knaus also has 42 pole awards, 227 top-five finishes, 369 top-10s and 18,912 laps led to his name.
GETTIN’ HOT: In the final stretch of the 2020 Cup Series season, Byron and the No. 24 team are picking up momentum when it matters most. In the last three races, Byron has finished fourth at Dover, won at Daytona and secured a fifth-place finish at Darlington. He is the only driver to have finished in the top five in all three races. Byron’s three consecutive top-five finishes is a first in his Cup career. In fact, it is the longest streak by a Hendrick Motorsports driver since Chase Elliott had five in a row from April to June 2019. Byron’s average finish in the last three races is 3.33 – the best of all drivers – and he has accumulated 125 points – second to only Kevin Harvick (126).
ONE DOWN, TWO TO GO: Valuable stage points and a top-five finish in Sunday’s race at Darlington Raceway allowed Byron to maintain the ninth position in the playoff standings. With two races remaining in the first round, Byron sits nine points above the cut line to advance to the Round of 12.
NIGHT MOVES: With his top-five finish Sunday night at Darlington, Byron continued his success racing under the lights. In the last five races run at night, including his win at Daytona, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native has finished in the top 10 in all five evening events in 2020.
SHORT-TRACK STYLE: Saturday’s race will be just the third short-track race of the 2020 Cup Series season after the field competed at Bristol Motor Speedway and Martinsville Speedway over the summer. Byron is just one of four drivers to have placed inside the top 10 for those two events, scoring eighth-place finishes in both. His active three-race streak of top-10 finishes on short tracks is tied for second with Kurt Busch and is behind Brad Keselowski’s record of six consecutive races.
READY FOR RICHMOND: With four Cup Series starts at Richmond Raceway under his belt, Byron looks to keep his momentum going when he gets to Virginia on Saturday. He has a best qualifying effort of ninth and finish of 12th at the track – both coming in April 2018. Aside from his four Cup Series starts, Byron has made two NASCAR Xfinity Series appearances at the short track, both in 2017. He earned a best starting position of sixth and finished seventh in the fall. He also has one NASCAR K&N Pro Series East start from 2015, when he won the pole and finished sixth.
VIRGINIA IS FOR KNAUS: Returning with Byron and the No. 24 team to Richmond Raceway for the third time, Knaus will call his 40th race at the Virginia track. With three previous victories, Knaus leads all active crew chiefs for most wins at Richmond. He also has collected two pole awards, seven top-five finishes and 15 top-10s at the .75-mile oval.
LIBERTY U BRINGING THE LUCK: While Byron and the No. 24 team have been on a string of strong races, there has been one common denominator – Liberty University. On board the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for the previous three races, Liberty will return for Saturday night’s race at Richmond, as well. Liberty University is in its sixth season of sponsoring the 22-year-old driver dating back to his time in the late model ranks. Liberty has been Training Champions for Christ since it was founded in 1971. Located in the mountains of Central Virginia, Liberty is a liberal arts institution with 17 colleges and schools that offers more than 600 degree programs from the certificate to the doctoral level, on campus and online. Working on an undergraduate degree in business communications, Byron is in his junior year at Liberty University through its online program.
Jimmie Johnson
No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
Driver Jimmie Johnson Hometown El Cajon, California
Age 44 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina
2020 Season
17th in standings
26 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
4 top-five finishes
9 top-10 finishes
102 laps led
Career
677 starts
83 wins
36 pole positions
231 top-five finishes
373 top-10 finishes
18,936 laps led
Track Career
36 starts
3 wins
2 pole positions
7 top-five finishes
16 top-10 finishes
461 laps led
GRAND DEDICATION: Although a win eluded Jimmie Johnson in his final appearance at Darlington Raceway as a full-time NASCAR driver, there will be a permanent reminder of his legacy for fans to enjoy for years to come at the track. The venue announced it renamed three eight-person suites on top of the Colvin Grandstand the “Jimmie Johnson Champions Club.” Click here for photos and details of the dedication.
TOP-10 RUNNERS: Three of the four Hendrick Motorsports drivers (William Byron, Alex Bowman and Johnson) rank top-seven in laps run in the top 10 over the last three races. Johnson finished second and fifth in the first two stages at Darlington Raceway Sunday night before fading late in the event to an 18th-place finish due to handling issues and body damage.
NIGHT LIFE AND SHORT-TRACK RACING: Johnson’s best finish in a night race this season was eighth at the second of the three events run at Darlington. The seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion also has two top-10 finishes at short tracks this season, finishing third at Bristol and 10th at Martinsville. Johnson currently has the fifth-best top-10 finish streak on short tracks of current drivers with two in a row.
SPOILER ALERT: You can never count out Johnson in the closing races of the year. Over 19 seasons, he has posted 41% of his 83 career wins in the final 10 events and has rained on the proverbial playoff parade more than once. Of the last five wins in playoff races won by non-playoff drivers, Johnson owns two trophies from Texas Motor Speedway in November of both 2014 and 2015 after he qualified for the playoffs but had been eliminated from contention.
SMOKE AND MIRRORS: Johnson and the No. 48 Ally Racing crew are running better than the finishing positions show. The Cliff Daniels-led team has an average running position of 12.80 and average finish of 15.46, which is 2.66 positions better than where they have crossed the finish line. The pit crew remains in the top 10 of best crews with a four-tire pit stop average time of 14.35.
DANIELS GOES HOME: Virginia native and No. 48 crew chief Daniels is heading to his home state this weekend. The Smithfield, Virginia, native is a former stock car driver who raced late models in and around Virginia at tracks like Langley, Southside and South Boston. After earning a mechanical engineering degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Daniels was hired by RAB Racing in 2011. He was a race engineer for driver Tony Stewart at Stewart-Haas Racing for two seasons (2013 and 2014) before joining Hendrick Motorsports. Daniels took over the helm of the No. 48 team in July 2019.
Alex Bowman
No. 88 ChevyGoods/Truck Hero Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
Driver Alex Bowman Hometown Tucson, Arizona
Age 27 Resides Concord, North Carolina
2020 Season
5th in standings
27 starts
1 win
0 pole positions
3 top-five finishes
9 top-10 finishes
389 laps led
Career
180 starts
2 wins
2 pole positions
13 top-five finishes
35 top-10 finishes
863 laps led
Track Career
8 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
0 top-10 finishes
1 lap led
PLAYOFFS ARE UNDERWAY: The 2020 season marks the third time that Alex Bowman has made an appearance in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. The No. 88 team clinched a spot this year following its March win at Auto Club Speedway. After last weekend’s event in Darlington, Bowman currently is in fifth in the playoff standings, just 54 markers from the leader. The 27-year-old driver raced his way into the Round of 12 the last two years, and this is the second season where he clinched a spot based on a victory.
RACING AT RICHMOND: Bowman, a Tucson, Arizona, native, has eight previous Cup starts at Richmond Raceway and will be making his 100th consecutive series start on Saturday night. His best Richmond finish came in the fall 2018 race when the team finished 12th after 400 laps. He also has three starts at the Virginia track in the NASCAR Xfinity Series where he qualified a career-best second and finished ninth in 2016 for JR Motorsports. In 2011, Bowman made one start at the track in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, qualifying fourth and finishing fifth after 100 laps.
TOP-10 STREAK: Bowman, driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet, has three top-10 finishes in the last three events from Dover, Daytona and Darlington. These results are the tied for the longest active top-10 streak in the series with Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron.
UNDER THE LIGHTS: Bowman has finished inside the top 10 in four of the last five night races this season. He finished sixth at Martinsville Speedway on June 10, eighth at Kansas Speedway on July 23, seventh at Daytona International Speedway on Aug. 29 and sixth last weekend at Darlington Raceway.
ALL IN THE NUMBERS: The No. 88 team has four stage wins this season, which is tied for third overall in the NASCAR Cup Series. Bowman has captured 179 stage points in 2020, which includes 12 stage points in Sunday’s event at Darlington. He is also running much better than his finishing positions show with an average of 12.58 and an average finish of 16.60 – a difference of 4.02. The 27-year-old driver has finished in the top 10 in four of the last five night races, including the last three.
IVES IN VIRGINIA: Crew chief Greg Ives is set to call his 10th race at Richmond Raceway in the NASCAR Cup Series on Saturday evening. The Bark River, Michigan, native’s best finish at the track came back in 2015 when Dale Earnhardt Jr. brought home a fifth-place finish after 400 laps. Ives’ drivers have completed 99.8% of the total laps at the Virginia-based venue. The fifth-year Cup Series crew chief has four starts in the Xfinity Series as well at Richmond and his drivers finished inside the top five all four times. Chase Elliott finished second in both events in 2014 and Regan Smith finished fifth and third in 2013. Ives was a race engineer for the No. 48 team at Hendrick Motorsports from 2006 until 2012. During that time, he was a part of three wins, one pole award and seven top-10 finishes at Richmond.
WELCOME, TRUCK HERO: Saturday night’s event at Richmond Raceway will mark the second race of the 2020 season with Truck Hero featured on the No. 88 ChevyGoods.com machine. Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Truck Hero offers customers a full range of branded automotive accessories for vehicles with market-leading functionality, engineering, quality and design. Hendrick Motorsports announced its partnership with ChevyGoods.com earlier this season, which includes branding on Bowman’s Camaro for 26 events. Associate brands featured are Adam’s Polishes, NOCO and Truck Hero.
NEW MONTH, NEW DEALS: During the month of September, No. 88 team sponsor ChevyGoods.com is providing discounts on various accessories on its website. Customers can receive 10% below MSRP on all Adam’s Polishes, NOCO and Truck Hero accessories purchased online. Use code CHEVYGOODS to receive the discount at ChevyGoods.com.
SPEEDY ON PIT ROAD: The No. 88 pit crew ranks seventh in the NASCAR Cup Series with an average four-tire stop time of 14.12 seconds after 27 events this season. The team includes fueler Jacob Conley, tire carrier Rowdy Harrell, jackman Dustin Lineback and tire changers Scott Brzozowski and Devin DelRicco.
Hendrick Motorsports
DON’T LOOK NOW: Over the last three NASCAR Cup Series races, all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers rank inside the top 10 in both average running position and total laps run inside the top five. In the last five events, Hendrick Motorsports has earned two victories, a series-leading 13 top-10 finishes and an average result of 10.65, best among all Cup-level teams.
SHORT-TRACK RICHES: Going into Saturday night’s playoff race at the .75-mile Richmond Raceway, Hendrick Motorsports has 50 Cup Series wins on short tracks – the most among active teams. Ten different drivers have posted a short-track victory for car owner Rick Hendrick, which is one away from tying the NASCAR record held by Junior Johnson and Associates.
VIRGINIA IS FOR RACERS: Car owner Hendrick was raised in Palmer Springs, Virginia, just 90 minutes from Richmond Raceway. Six of his drivers have posted a combined 10 wins at the track, with the first coming in September 1986 with Tim Richmond. Hendrick Motorsports has earned 110 top-10 finishes and led more than 4,000 laps there.
DID SOMEONE SAY PLAYOFFS?: Since the inception of the format in 2004, Hendrick Motorsports has 44 NASCAR Cup Series playoff wins – 16 more than any other team. The organization has scored at least one playoff victory in a record 15 different seasons, missing only 2017. A series-topping seven different drivers have won a playoff race for Hendrick Motorsports.
SETTING THE STAGE: Hendrick Motorsports’ 13 NASCAR Cup Series stage wins in 2020 are more than its totals in 2018 (four wins) and 2019 (eight wins) combined. Only Team Penske (15) has more this season.
THE NUMBERS: Since its inception in 1984, Hendrick Motorsports has earned 260 race victories and holds the all-time records for championships (12), pole positions (226), top-five finishes (1,091), top-10s (1,882) and laps led (70,121) in points-paying NASCAR Cup Series competition. Including 2020, the organization has won at least one race in 35 consecutive seasons, the longest-ever streak. Hendrick Motorsports is eight wins away from tying Petty Enterprises’ all-time Cup record of 268.
QUOTABLE /
Driver Chase Elliott on the pressure of the playoffs:
“I think the pressure of being in the playoffs is a good thing. You just have to embrace it and recognize that you’d much rather be in the position of having a chance than not. It’s a good opportunity and we can turn that into motivation to try to do better.”
Elliott on the Round of 16:
“It is great that we are going to short tracks to kick off the playoffs. I think this first round is three exciting tracks. Darlington didn’t end like we had hoped, but we will move on to Richmond and Bristol. Richmond hasn’t been the best for me and the No. 9 team but hopefully this go around will be a little bit better.”
Crew chief Alan Gustafson on the playoffs:
“Our team is going to focus on doing everything that we can do. In the playoffs, it’s a lot of late hours and you just do everything that you can do to make sure you’re in the best position you can possibly be in. In the playoffs, every race could be your last so you have to treat it that way and that’s how we go about it. Just try to get everything out of the team and the cars. If we do that, I think we will be successful. Ultimately, you can’t be too over-concerned or you can’t let fear paralyze you. You can’t let the pressure get to you or impact your decision-making process of what you are going to do. You still have races to win. You bring your A-game and put as much effort into the 10 races as you can and put yourself in the best position that you can.”
Driver William Byron on the challenges at Richmond:
“Richmond is a difficult track. It’s pretty slow in the middle of the corner and that’s what makes it interesting and a challenge at the same time. You’re fighting for front grip and also rear grip on the exit of the corners. It’s all about getting the car pointed in the right direction and driving straight off the corner. Richmond has very normal characteristics for a short track, but at the same time it’s a lot slicker than a lot of places we go. I think with the race being at night, the biggest thing will be keeping up with the track changes.”
Driver Jimmie Johnson on racing at Richmond:
“I’ve kind of had a love-hate relationship with Richmond over the years. Yes, we have three wins, but I just remember the pressure of that race every year. Richmond was historically the transfer race into the playoffs and I just remember always being super nervous there. It never was one of my better tracks – it’s always been just a scrappy, tough track to figure out. We have shown improvement there lately, so I am looking forward to Saturday night under the lights.”
Driver Alex Bowman on keeping the No. 88 team’s momentum going at Richmond:
“We have struggled at Richmond in the past. The last three weeks have been pretty good to us and we have some momentum going into this weekend’s race. We had as strong run in Darlington last weekend and are sitting in a good spot in the playoff standings. As a team, we have to go into Richmond and capitalize on stage points and keeping the car clean. This ChevyGoods.com/Truck Hero team have been working hard on our short-track program and I know that we are capable of having a strong race on Saturday night.”
