TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY
FORD ECOBOOST 400
NOVEMBER 16, 2014
CHEVROLET LOOKING TO SOLIDIFY 38TH NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES MANUFACTURERS’ TITLE AT HOMESTEAD
DETROIT – (November 11, 2014) – It has been another successful year for Chevrolet in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series as the brand has earned multiple victories and poles. Chevrolet SS drivers and teams have gone to Victory Lane at 19 races, including the prestigious Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400. A Chevy SS race car has led the field down to the green flag 17 times this season at 15 different racing venues. Chevrolet SS drivers made up eight of the 16 participants in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. As the 2014 season comes to a close at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the Bowtie Brand is one race away from capturing yet another racing milestone.
Chevrolet will clinch this season’s manufacturers’ title if its top finishing SS concludes the race 38th or better, giving the historic brand its 38th Sprint Cup Series manufacturers’ championship. It will be the 12th consecutive manufactures’ trophy for Chevrolet and the second for the SS nameplate. Since its debut at the Daytona 500 in February of 2013, the Chevy SS had recorded 35 wins amongst 10 different drivers.
Two of those drivers are Kevin Harvick and Ryan Newman, the final two Chevrolet competitors still in the running to earn the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. Should Harvick or Newman earn this year’s trophy, it would be the first championship for either driver; and it would mark Chevrolet’s 30th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver’s title since 1949.
Not only can Chevrolet claim this season’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series manufacturers’ championship the brand also has the opportunity to take home it’s 16th Bill France Performance Cup, an award that recognizes the manufacturers’ champion in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Chevrolet can claim the title if its top finishing Chevy Camaro ends the race 26th or better. In 2014 Chevrolet Camaro drivers have visited Winner’s Circle 15 times. Last weekend at Phoenix International Raceway, 18 year-old Camaro driver Chase Elliott clinched Chevrolet’s 18th driver’s title.
Homestead-Miami Speedway has been crowning NASCAR champions since 2002. This weekend Chevrolet looks to continue to build upon its long history in NASCAR by adding to its title tallies with two manufacturers’ championships and another driver’s crown.
All will be decided for the 2014 season when the Ford EcoBoost 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Homestead-Miami Speedway begins on Sunday November 16th at 3:00 p.m. ET. Live coverage will be available on ESPN, MRN, Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 90 and NASCAR.com.
TEAM CHEVY IN NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES (NSCS) COMPETITION:
· Chevrolet has won 37 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Manufacturers’ Championships
· Team Chevy drivers have scored 737 wins and 664 poles in NSCS competition
DID YOU KNOW? For the second year in a row, the Chevrolet Spark is the most fuel-efficient vehicle, according to the 2015 Fuel Economy Guide released by the EPA and the US Energy Department.
CHEVROLET ON THE TRACK—HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY:
Chevrolet drivers have won three (3) of 14 races at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Victories by current Team Chevy drivers are:
o Tony Stewart, No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS, has three (3) wins at Homestead-Miami Speedway (’99, ’00 & ’11)
Kurt Busch, No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet SS, has one (1) victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway (’02)
Jeff Gordon, No. 24 Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet SS, has taken the checkered flag first at Homestead-Miami Speedway once (1) (’12)
A Chevrolet driver has won two (2) of the last three (3) races at Homestead-Miami Speedway
A Chevrolet driver has sat on the pole at Homestead-Miami Speedway four (4) times
Team Chevy drivers have scored 27 top-five and 64 top-10 finishes at Homestead-Miami Speedway
A Chevrolet has led 856 laps (21.3% of possible 4,010 laps) at Homestead-Miami Speedway
TEAM CHEVY IN THE GARAGE HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY– PAT SUHY, MANAGER, NASCAR ENGINEERING AND PROGRAM MANAGEMENT:
“Congratulations to Kevin Harvick, Rodney Childers and the No. 4 Budweiser Chevrolet SS team on their dominating win last Sunday in Phoenix. Congratulations also to our other ‘Championship’ round contender, Ryan Newman. It was great to see them both advance into the final race of this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. The revised Chase format has elevated the intensity in every race as drivers have either pushed harder for the win, or tried to gain every spot on the track if not in position to win.
“Also, a big congratulations to Chase Elliott, crew chief Greg Ives and the No. 9 NAPA Camaro team on securing the drivers’ championship in the Nationwide Series. JR Motorsports provided the team with everything they needed to be successful, and they were able to take full advantage of it.
“As we move into the title run at Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend, the other battles on the line are the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Manufacturers’ Championships. This year the points system was changed, which has brought both of them down to the season finale to be decided. In the Cup Series, if just six Team Chevy drivers start the race, it will lock Chevrolet into its 38th title in this category. In the Nationwide Series, if just 14 Chevy Camaros start the race, or if the top Chevrolet finishes 26th or better, we will secure our 16th Manufacturers’ title.
“With as much success as Chevrolet has had over the years, most recently with 11 consecutive Cup Manufacturers’ titles, we know those rewards are the result of hard work ‘in the trenches’ by our engineers and program managers. Our focus has been to provide the best parts, people, and processes; which has made Chevrolet the ‘brand of choice’ for the best teams in the garage. They take full advantage of our superior engine and body parts by turning them into race and championship-winning combinations at the track.
“Team Chevy’s NASCAR Engineering Group works diligently to stay ahead of the competition and always tries to take full advantage of current technology. We look to the future to see what’s on the horizon and how it can be integrated into our programs.
“With two great Chevy teams in the final four, the race for the Sprint Cup trophy at Homestead is going to be very exciting. I’m looking forward to celebrating with one of them on the championship stage Sunday evening.”
TEAM CHEVY FROM THE DRIVER’S SEAT – CHASE CONTENDERS:
RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR CHEVROLET SS – 3RD IN STANDINGS
“I am so proud of my guys and all the effort they have put into this. I want to thank Luke Lambert, everyone at RCR, ECR Engines, Caterpillar, Chevrolet, Quicken Loans, WIX Filters and Kwikset for giving me the opportunity to race for the championship. We’ve been fighting very hard all year long. We did what we had to do to get to this position. We flew under the radar and turned in the solid performances to earn one of the four positions. There’s been so much on the line week in and week out during this new Chase format. We’ve been able to dig in and move on. It’s no different with the Homestead-Miami Speedway race. We are going to keep digging and hope it will be good enough to win a Sprint Cup Series championship.”
KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 4 BUDWEISER CHEVROLET SS – 4TH IN STANDINGS
“This is all about winning a championship. That’s what we all show up for. We all want to be competitive on a weekly basis, but at the end of the year, you want that championship trophy. I think I’ve been fortunate to have won all of the marquee races and won at different race tracks, Nationwide championships, Truck championships as an owner, so we’ve been able to achieve a lot of things. That Cup trophy is the one thing that’s eluded us up until to this point. I definitely want to check that off of the list and be able to experience that for not only myself, but for all the guys that work on my car and haven’t been able to win that championship either. It’s been fun and hopefully we can reach that goal if not this year at some point.”
TEAM CHEVY FROM THE DRIVER’S SEAT – NON-CHASE CONTENDERS:
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET SS – 5TH IN STANDINGS
“I’m disappointed we’re not one of the four teams battling for the championship this weekend, but we’re going to do everything we can to win the race and end the season on a positive note.”
DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET SS – 10TH IN STANDINGS
“We tested at Homestead last month as an organization. It was a good test and we hope to unload fast off the truck. We’ve had a lot of momentum these last races. We’re going to carry that to Homestead and hope to finish strong there.”
AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 47 HUNGRY JACK CHEVROLET SS – 11TH IN STANDINGS
“Homestead-Miami Speedway over the past few years has gotten really slick. It has always been pretty slick, but it has gotten slicker over the years it seems like and you run right by the fence. Obviously, that Florida weather, the humidity is a factor. Everything about it makes the track really slick. It changes a lot throughout the weekend. There are also a lot of cars running on it between all the Series. It’s always a tough place because we only go there once a year at the end of the season and so much changes from year to year. So, it makes it a tough place especially if you don’t test there because it has been so long since the last time you were there. When you get there, it’s always tough to transition to the racetrack and get out there right away. It is completely different than any other mile-and-a-half that we run on. We have just got to always try to keep up with the racetrack.”
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS – 13TH IN STANDINGS
“We tested at Homestead and had a really, really good test and found some speed. I think this weekend will be good for the No. 48 team. I’m looking forward to getting there and racing our race. The championship should be exciting for the fans and it will be really cool to see a first time champion crowned in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. We had a great year, learned a lot and are focused on 2015 at this point – I can’t thank my guys on the team and at the shop enough for all their hard work. It’s a long season and we are all looking forward to a little time off to reenergize.”
KURT BUSCH, NO. 41 HAAS AUTOMATION CHEVROLET SS – 14TH IN STANDINGS
“The way that Homestead works, it challenges the strength of the team on setups that you’ve had all year long. I think if you’re hot, you go to Homestead and you’re going to have no problem. If you’re not, it’s going to be a struggle to find it when you get there. It’s one of those racetracks that we only go to once a year, it’s at the end of the season, and it’s a tough place to get a hold of if you haven’t had the package right all year long.”
KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS – 17TH IN STANDINGS
“It’s hard to believe there’s only one race to go this season. This weekend should be another wild race, with the championship on the line. Even though we aren’t in the Chase, it’s been exciting to see everything play out these last nine races. I’m excited to finally be racing at Homestead, I’ve waited all year to get there. I really like that track and think we have a good shot there in the Target Chevy. We’ve come close at similar tracks, but I think the ability to run high at Homestead definitely gives me a little advantage. I’ll be pulling triple-duty this weekend, so hopefully I can bring home some hardware this weekend. I know Chevy is one win away from 200 all-time in the Truck Series, so it would be awesome to help them achieve that milestone on Friday.”
JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 CESSNA CHEVROLET SS – 18TH IN STANDINGS
“It’s hard to believe that we are already going to the final race of the season. Our goal at the beginning of the season was to make the Chase. We came up a little bit short, but we feel that we have had cars capable of winning all year. Even though we won the Sprint All-Star Race, we would love to put an exclamation on the end of the 2014 season with a win for our partners. Homestead is a fun track to race at and because teams can run so many lines through the corners, there will be a lot of action on race day and I just hope we will be there at the end for a strong finish in our Cessna Chevy SS.”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW CHEVROLET SS – 20TH IN STANDINGS
“Wow, what a year. I can’t believe there’s only one race left this season. We’ve grown so much as a team and I’m excited to close the year out at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It’s a fun track and I have a lot of memories there in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. RCR is heading there with a lot of excitement because we have a chance to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship with Ryan Newman. I hope he can bring it home to Welcome. It’s been a learning year for me and I almost wish I could go back and apply some of the things I’ve learned towards the end of the year, to the races we ran in the beginning of the year. It makes me excited for next year. We’re going to be that much stronger.”
PAUL MENARD, NO. 27 RICHMOND/MENARDS CHEVROLET SS – 21ST IN STANDINGS
“Yeah, we will go for the win this weekend. It’s been a good year for our team and RCR. It shows with Ryan (Newman, teammate) having the opportunity this weekend to race for the championship.”
MARTIN TRUEX, JR., NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW CHEVROLET SS – 24TH IN STANDINGS
“Homestead has been an awesome track for me. If there’s a racetrack on the circuit that I feel owes me a win it’s probably Homestead. I’ve been close so many times there and led plenty of laps. It’s just a great racetrack with that old gray asphalt and progressive banking. We can run all over it. We tested at Homestead a few weeks ago and it went well. We look forward to going there with the momentum we have and hopefully throw a little curveball into the Chase. Regarding the Chase, there’s going to be a lot of nervous people with so much on the line. I think a lot of times we forget how big a Sprint Cup championship is. To put all the marbles on the table for one race is really exciting. At the end of the day there will be three unhappy Chase drivers and one happy one. It’s going to be pretty nerve-wracking on those four guys There’s been no lull in the Chase and seems like the fans are enjoying it. I know I have.”
CASEY MEARS, NO. 13 GEICO CHEVROLET SS – 26TH IN STANDINGS
“We had a great weekend in Phoenix and it showed how good we really are and how far we have come. We ran a special paint scheme in Phoenix to pay tribute to our nation’s military. The No. 13 GEICO Military Chevrolet SS featured camo accents. The weekend was a lot of fun and we’re now focused on Homestead. Our goal has been to finish strong and the last few weeks have proven successful for us. Homestead has challenged us in past years, but we feel like we have a pretty good plan heading into this weekend, so we’re looking to continue our roll of good runs and sneak out of there with a good finish. I’m really proud of all the folks on this Germain Racing team. The GEICO Chevy has been strong and it’s due to their hard work and commitment to our program. Also, RCR has been a great partner and we’re excited about ending this year on a strong note and getting to work with those guys on 2015.”
DANICA PATRICK, NO. 10 FLORIDA LOTTERY/GODADDY CHEVROLET SS – 28TH IN STANDINGS
“I’m ready for it. It’s a mile and a half, but it is unique in that it doesn’t have the dogleg. I’ve only run it once in Sprint Cup, but we got a top-20 and we’ve run well in Nationwide. We’ve qualified well in that series and had a top-15 in 2012. We finished second in IndyCar, so I’ve got some experience there, just not a lot in Sprint Cup.”
JUSTIN ALLGAIER, NO. 51 BRANDT CHEVROLET SS – 29TH IN STANDINGS
“This weekend will be my first time at Homestead [Miami Speedway] in a Sprint Cup car. It’s the last race of the season, and it’s important to finish it out on a good note. It makes going into the off season a little easier knowing that we did well in the last race of the year. We have a different BRANDT paint scheme for this race. It’s an international paint scheme to represent the different countries that BRANDT conducts business, and it’s also very fitting for Miami’s international market.”
MICHAEL ANNETT, NO. 7 PILOT FLYING J CONSTRUCTION CHEVROLET SS – 31ST IN STANDINGS
“I’m hoping we can end the season with a bang. It’s been a good first year in the Cup Series, a tremendous learning experience. Everyone at Tommy Baldwin Racing has had a hand in getting me up to speed and I think we’re as good now as we’ve been all season. We’re capable of good results on these intermediate tracks, so hopefully we can grab a good finish to close out the year.”
Chevrolet NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Statistics
Manufacturers Championships
Total (1949 – 2013): 37
First title for Chevrolet: 1958
Highest number of consecutive titles: 11 (2003-2013)
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
Drivers Championships
Total (1949 – 2013): 29
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
Event Victories
Record for total race wins in single season: 26 – (in 2007)
2014 STATISTICS:
Wins: 19
Poles: 17
Laps led: 5906
Top-five finishes: 90
Top-10 finishes: 188
CHEVROLET IN NASCAR SPRINT CUP CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 737 (1949 – to date); (2,423 possible = 30.0%)
Poles Won to Date: 664
Laps Lead to Date: 219,566
Top-Five Finishes to Date: 3,705
Top-10 Finishes to Date: 7,570
Total NASCAR Cup wins by Corporation, 1949 – To-Date
GM: 1,072
Chevrolet: 737
Pontiac: 155
Oldsmobile: 115
Buick: 65
Ford: 732
Ford: 632
Mercury: 96
Lincoln: 4
Chrysler: 466
Dodge: 217
Plymouth: 190
Chrysler: 59
Toyota: 65
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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 4.9 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature spirited performance, expressive design, and high quality. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.
