TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
KOBALT 400
MARCH 8, 2015
CHEVROLET SS LOOKING TO HIT THE JACKPOT IN VEGAS
DETROIT – (March 3, 2015) – The Chevrolet Monte Carlo had its turn; and so did the Chevy Impala. This weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS) the Chevrolet SS is putting all its chips on the table in hopes of hitting the jackpot with a trip to Victory Lane. Over the last 17 seasons the Bowtie Brand has hoisted the winner’s trophy six times at the 1.5-mile venue located just beyond the bright lights of the Las Vegas strip.
LVMS is one of only five facilities on the current 23-track NASCAR Sprint Cup Series circuit where Chevrolet has not been the ‘high roller’. A win on Sunday will raise the stakes and increase the number of victories for the most successful brand in the sport.
Chevrolet’s Jimmie Johnson upped the ante and won his first race of the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway a week ago. The six-time Sprint Cup champion is also Chevrolet’s most successful competitor at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with four wins to his credit. Given NASCAR’s new ‘win and you’re in’ strategy of making the Chase, that victory all but ensures Johnson an opportunity to vie for the 2015 title.
Chevrolet drivers will be betting against the house this weekend when LVMS provides plenty of challenges. Getting across the bumps in Turns 1 and 2 will be the biggest trial in tackling the 1.5-mile D-shaped oval. The winning team will not show all their cards until the 267-lap race gets underway and everyone is ‘all-in’ for a chance to put a tally in the win column, and to become the third driver to add his or her name to the list of 2015 Chase contenders.
As the Chevrolet SS race cars prepare for action at LVMS, fans can check out the great line-up of Chevrolet cars, trucks and SUV’s on display at the Team Chevy exhibit in the midway. Fans can see a variety of vehicles including: Cruze, Chevrolet SS, Corvette Stingray, Equinox, Colorado, Silverado 1500 Crew, Silverado HD Diesel and Tahoe. They can also check out a number of show cars including the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS, the No. 24 Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet SS, the No. 14 Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS and the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Camaro. Fans can also ask questions of their favorite Team Chevy driver. Spencer Gallagher, Paul Menard, Martin Truex, Jr. and Kasey Kahne will all make appearances at the Team Chevy stage during the race weekend.
The 267-lap/400.5-mile KOBALT 500 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is scheduled to begin on Sunday March 8th at 3:30 pm ET. Live coverage will be available on FOX, PRN, Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 90 and NASCAR.com.
TEAM CHEVY IN NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES (NSCS) COMPETITION:
· Chevrolet has won 38 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Manufacturers’ Championships
· Team Chevy drivers have scored 739 wins and 667 poles in NSCS competition
CHEVROLET ON THE TRACK—LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY:
Chevrolet drivers have won six (6) of 17 races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Victories by current Team Chevy drivers are:
Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 KOBALT Tools Chevrolet SS, has four (4) wins at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (’05, ’06, ’07 & ‘10)
Jeff Gordon, No. 24 3M Chevrolet SS, has taken the checkered flag first at Las Vegas Motor Speedway once (1) (’01)
Tony Stewart, No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet SS, has one (1) victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (’12)
A Chevrolet driver has won one (1) of the last three (3) races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
A Chevrolet driver has sat on the pole at Las Vegas Motor Speedway twice (2)
Team Chevy drivers have scored 34 top-five and 67 top-10 finishes at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
A Chevrolet has led 1,809 laps (43.4% of possible 4,174 laps) at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
TEAM CHEVY FOR THE FANS AT LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY:
· Fans can check out great Chevrolet vehicles including: Cruze, Chevrolet SS, Corvette Stingray, Equinox, Colorado, Silverado 1500 Crew, Silverado HD Diesel and Tahoe
· At the display fans can see a variety of show cars including: Jimmie Johnson’s No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS, Jeff Gordon’s No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet SS, Tony Stewart’s No. 14 Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS and Ty Dillon’s No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Camaro.
Fans can see a sample of engines, parts and accessories in the Team Chevy Display available for purchase from Chevrolet at their local Chevrolet dealer
· Other activities at the Team Chevy Racing Display include a variety of interactive games for adults and kids
DRIVER FAN Q/A APPEARANCES:
· Friday, March 6th – Spencer Gallagher will stop by the Team Chevy Stage at 1:30 p.m. followed by Paul Menard at 2:30 p.m.
· Saturday March 7th – Fans can stop by the Team Chevy Stage at 10:30 a.m. for a question and answer session with Martin Truex, Jr.
· Sunday, March 1st – Kasey Kahne will stop by the Team Chevy Stage to answer fans questions at 10:00 a.m.
· Hours of operation: Fri. Feb. 27th – 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.; Sat. Feb. 28th – 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and Sun. March 1st – 8:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
CHEVROLET SPOTLIGHT: Of the 23 tracks on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule there are only five tracks that Chevrolet has not collected the most wins. Those tracks are Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, Michigan International Speedway, Kentucky Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway.
DID YOU KNOW? Three Chevrolet vehicles ranked highest in their segments in the 2015 J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study. Additionally, three other Chevrolet models placed in the Top 3 in their respective segments, contributing to the brands best-ever results in the benchmark dependability study.
ENGINEER EXPERTISE FROM THE GARAGE AREA – ALBA COLON, CHEVROLET RACING PROGRAM MANAGER – NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES:
“This weekend the circuit heads to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Round 3 on the NASCAR Sprint Cup tour, and the first leg of the western swing, which includes stops in Phoenix and Fontana. After our success in Atlanta, Chevrolet SS teams are looking forward to this weekend with momentum on our side.
“We finished 1-2-3 in Atlanta, which was a great success for Team Chevy. Congratulations to Jimmie Johnson, Chad Knaus, Rick Hendrick and the entire Lowe’s No. 48 Chevrolet SS group for their win there. Also, congratulations to Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. for finishing second and third, respectively. We are proud of all of them.
“The racing in Las Vegas will be very interesting in many ways. Warmer weather will be most welcome; and it will be our second opportunity to work with the new non-restrictor aerodynamic package along with the new engine package. With the lack of track testing, tools like simulation and tire data analysis are very important to our teams. The Chevrolet engineers have been working hard with the teams, adjusting set up strategies and aero tuning to optimize the on-track performance of our Chevrolet SS race cars.
“The opinions about the package are still undecided. Some teams like the new rules, and others do not. But what we know for sure is that all the crew chiefs, in conjunction with their crews, are working really hard on finding the right balance for their vehicles. Some teams will hit the right package immediately, while others will take several more races to find the perfect balance.
“Although we are just getting started with the new season and the new rules package, the one thing that remains the same race after race and year after year is that we must continue to work hard to maintain Team Chevy’s on-track success. We hope to make another visit to Victory Lane on Sunday in Las Vegas.”
TEAM CHEVY FROM THE DRIVER’S SEAT:
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS – 2ND IN STANDINGS
“I’m certainly excited about going to Las Vegas. The track itself is tough and we haven’t had a whole lot of success there lately, but I would really like to bring home that cool Kobalt trophy for my sponsor. Driving the Kobalt car for the Kobalt 400 adds some pressure and Chad and I really don’t like to see someone else in victory lane with our sponsor. I’d love to win it for them this weekend – it would be really special.”
KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 4 JIMMY JOHN’S/BUDWEISER CHEVROLET SS – 3RD IN STANDINGS
“I think right now you want to win as early as you can in the season. The first two weeks have gone really well. I think to win at a race track that we haven’t won at before would definitely be something. I think we are all looking forward to the challenge of trying to do.”
DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CHEVROLET SS – 4TH IN STANDINGS
“The Las Vegas track itself is an impressive facility. It has some good character with the bumps going into Turn 1 and it’s got a lot of banking and fast speeds. The groove has widened out quite a bit and makes it really appealing for drivers. It’s a fun track. The track is a lot flatter and has less speed since the reconfigure, but still just as enjoyable to race on.”
MARTIN TRUEX, JR., NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW/DENVER MATTRESS CHEVROLET SS – 5TH IN STANDINGS
“The first two races have given us a strong start, something we didn’t have last year. It’s been fun to run up front, but we still have room for improvement. You don’t stand still in this business. Our performances at Daytona Speedweeks and Atlanta have been gratifying because of the offseason work and personnel moves that were made. We’re making progress, especially with consistency. Regarding Las Vegas, it’s a fast track, but those tricky and choppy bumps in turn one throw a curve into the setup of the car. Over the years, the track has lost some of its grip and the groove has gotten wider. It’s a fun track that has been good to me over the years. We had a strong run in our No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet last year, but a late-race issue was costly in track position.”
CASEY MEARS, NO. 13 GEICO CHEVROLET SS – 6TH IN STANDINGS
“We’ve had a great start to the season and Atlanta showed that we’re improving our mile and a half program. The GEICO Chevy has been really strong in each of our first two races and it’s been fun to show up and be competitive and be able to go out there and race these guys. I appreciate all the hard work of the guys on this Germain Racing team. Las Vegas has been a real challenge for us in the past, so we’re looking forward to getting there this weekend and making gains. It’s definitely nice to be sitting sixth in the point standings after two races, so we’re hoping to have a strong run in Vegas.”
AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 47 CLOROX CHEVROLET SS – 8TH IN STANDINGS
“You hope that if your car is good on a mile-and-a-half that you can take it to the next one and be just as good. However, Atlanta Motor Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway are two totally different racetracks. From the top view, you would say ‘Oh, same racetrack, same setup,’ but Vegas – although it’s starting to get a little more bumps in it – still has a ton of grip in it and doesn’t use up tires much. Vegas over the last couple of years has become difficult. It is the most typical racetrack on a Friday/Saturday where it has a ton of grip. Whether it is from the desert sun, the sand/grit that gets over the track just sitting there Sunday morning, when they drop the green flag you are sideways. The track is just slick. It does not have a lot of grip. Really, it is a tough place. I’m hoping from the Goodyear tire test in January we will be better. Vegas has always been a weakness of mine for whatever reason. I don’t know if it is bad memories or what. I missed the first two races there. I didn’t qualify. So, it has always had bad memories. Last year, was our best race there, but still that was 18th. We definitely have to improve there.”
DANICA PATRICK, NO. 10 GODADDY CHEVROLET SS – 16TH IN STANDINGS
“It’s always nice to start well because it seems like you spend the whole year catching up if you don’t. And it seems like if you have a good start then it’s so much easier to keep it there. I think so far the GoDaddy team has done a good job of giving me cars that feel comfortable. I feel like we made a lot of progress as a team last weekend in Atlanta and hopefully that will carry over to Las Vegas.”
PAUL MENARD, NO. 27 QUAKER STATE/MENARDS CHEVROLET SS – 17TH IN STANDINGS
“They’re (Atlanta and Las Vegas) pretty similar in how the bumps are on the track and are both pretty rough tracks. Vegas is not nearly as abrasive but it does have some fall off with the tires. We definitely take away some things from Atlanta to Vegas but they’re pretty different tracks in some aspects. They’re both fast mile-and-a-half tracks so qualifying is going to be balls to the wall and the race is going to be pretty crazy.”
MICHAEL ANNETT, NO. 46 CYPRUSHQ CHEVROLET SS – 20TH IN STANDINGS
“It should be a lot warmer this weekend than it was last weekend (in Atlanta), so even though those two tracks are similar, the handling should be way different. From where I sat, a lot of cars struggled with handling in this race last year, so it’s important to make sure that we stay on top of that in practice.”
RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR CHEVROLET SS – 21ST IN STANDINGS
“In Vegas the bumps in turns one and two really dictate your lap speed and how much speed you can carry off Turn 2 down the back straightaway, which is significant. I believe the key is to just have a car that rides good over those bumps, which I assume have only gotten worse not better.”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW CHEVROLET SS – 25TH IN STANDINGS
“I love Las Vegas. I love the atmosphere, I love the speed of the track and I love the bumps. I’ve won a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Las Vegas, so I like going there. We did qualify well there last year and that was my first 1.5-mile track in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with this team, so I think it was a solid run. We backed up a little bit from where we qualified, but if we can have another good qualifying run like we did last year and maintain our speed throughout the race it will be good. I remember Paul Menard was really fast at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last year for RCR, so we have some things we can build on for sure.”
JUSTIN ALLGAIER, NO. 51 BRANDT CHEVROLET SS – 26TH IN STANDINGS
“Las Vegas [Motor Speedway] is a very fast mile-and-a-half. The test time we had last week at Atlanta [Motor Speedway], will be really beneficial to me this weekend. I feel like we learned a lot as a team at the test for mile-and-a-half tracks, especially now that we have two cars to gather information from. Las Vegas was always one of my favorite tracks to race on in the Xfinity Series. There’s a lot of grip and it’s a multi-groove track.”
KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS – 29TH IN STANDINGS
“Our team is definitely looking forward to getting out to Vegas this weekend. I thought both Ganassi Chevy’s were really good last weekend in Atlanta, and showed good speed during the test and practice. We didn’t have the best day in the 42 on Sunday, but fortunately we have another mile and a half this weekend to go out and show what the Target team is capable of. I know this team is strong, and our cars are fast, so we just have to put last weekend’s race behind us and go out and execute at Las Vegas.”
JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 CESSNA CHEVROLET SS – 32ND IN STANDINGS
“We had a really good car in Atlanta last weekend, which makes me feel good about heading to Las Vegas. Unfortunately we have fallen victim to being involved in accidents the first two races of the season, so we go into this week at a little bit of a deficit. My team has done a great job of preparing good cars, we just need a little bit of “Lady Luck” on our side this weekend in Las Vegas.”
TONY STEWART, NO. 14 MOBIL 1/BASS PRO SHOPS CHEVROLET SS – 35TH IN STANDINGS
“It’s no different at Las Vegas than anywhere else. You have to get the car to rotate through the corner, but still stay tight enough on entry and exit. There’s no unique challenges there. The track is really smooth and that lets you work on the attitude of your car, and I think that’s a luxury we have there that we don’t necessarily always get everywhere else because every track has its unique set of bumps. Vegas has bumps too, but for the most part, it’s so smooth that you can really fine-tune the attitude of the car.”
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 3M CHEVROLET SS – 36TH IN STANDINGS
“Las Vegas Motor Speedway has a lot of speed and a lot of grip. There are a lot of bumps in Turn 1 that you have to deal with. You have to find the best line – whether it’s the low line or the high line – and have your car ‘balanced’ because you are carrying so much speed. It definitely keeps you on your toes.”
Chevrolet NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Statistics
Manufacturers Championships
Total (1949 – 2014): 38
First title for Chevrolet: 1958
Highest number of consecutive titles: 12 (2003-2014)
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
Drivers Championships
Total (1949 – 2014): 30
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
Event Victories
Record for total race wins in single season: 26 – (in 2007)
2015 STATISTICS:
Wins: 1
Poles: 1
Laps led: 371
Top-five finishes: 6
Top-10 finishes: 12
CHEVROLET IN NASCAR SPRINT CUP CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 739 (1949 – to date); (2,424 possible = 30.0%)
Poles Won to Date: 667
Laps Lead to Date: 220,182
Top-Five Finishes to Date: 3,715
Top-10 Finishes to Date: 7,588
Total NASCAR Cup wins by Corporation, 1949 – To-Date
GM: 1,074
Chevrolet: 739
Pontiac: 155
Oldsmobile: 115
Buick: 65
Ford: 733
Ford: 633
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 4.8 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive & active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.
