TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
COKE ZERO 400
JULY 5, 2015
SUMMER HEATS UP AS NASCAR TRAVELS BACK TO DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
Chevrolet SS Ready to Battle at the Beach
DETROIT – (June 30, 2015) – What do you think of when you hear the word summer? Hot temperatures, long days, short nights and the beach! The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads back to the birthplace of speed this weekend, to Daytona International Speedway for the summer classic 400-mile race on the Daytona high banks just in time to celebrate Independence Day. As the midpoint of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season approaches, only nine races remain to secure a spot this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
Five Chevrolet SS drivers are locked into the Chase grid by virtue of a victory – Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Martin Truex, Jr. Each of the next nine races will be of utmost importance for those Chevy SS drivers who have yet to earn a win this season.
Points will also be at a premium as there will be a handful of drivers who make it into the elite 16 driver Chase field by way of point’s position.
This could be the weekend veteran Chevrolet driver Jeff Gordon punches his ticket into the Chase. Gordon has six victories at Daytona International Speedway, the most of any active driver. To do that, he and the other Team Chevy drivers will have to escape the ‘big one’: a large accident collecting multiple cars at once that is inherent to pack-style racing seen at Daytona and Talladega Superspeedways.
Since the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series last raced at Daytona in February, teams and drivers have made great strides in aerodynamics and engine packages. As always, restrictor plate racing is a crapshoot. All 43 drivers who start the Coke Zero 400 have an opportunity to take the checkered flag after 160 intense laps of racing. This weekend, under the light at Daytona International Speedway, will mark the 57th time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers will put on a thrilling summer Fourth of July spectacle for spectators.
While enjoying all the Fourth of July festivities and everything happening at Daytona International Speedway, fans are encouraged to visit the Team Chevy display to check out the great lineup of Chevrolet cars, trucks and SUVs on exhibit in the midway.
The display will open at Noon, Friday. Fans can see a variety of vehicles including: Cruze, Camaro Coupe, Corvette Stingray, Impala, Malibu, Suburban, Traverse, Equinox, Silverado Crew 1500, Silverado 1500 Double Cab, Silverado 2500 High Country, the 2015 Motor Trend Truck of the Year – Colorado Z71 Crew Short and Colorado Z71 Extended Cab. At the display fans can also see a variety of show cars and specialty vehicles including: Jimmie Johnson’s No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS, Jeff Gordon’s No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet SS, the No. 3 XFINITY Camaro Chevrolet, the Chevrolet Corvette C7.R racecar show car Silverado Midnight edition, the Chevrolet SS production car, the Chevrolet SS pace car, the Chevrolet Camaro Pace car and Impala Midnight
Before fans take their seats to watch all intense, edge of your seat racing, they can ask questions to some of their favorite Team Chevy drivers. Six-time Daytona winner Jeff Gordon will stop by the Team Chevy stage on Saturday to answer fans questions at 3 p.m. Justin Allgaier will make an appearance at the Team Chevy stage on Sunday at 4:20 p.m. followed by Martin Truex, Jr. at 4:45 p.m. just prior to the start of the Coke Zero 400.
The 160-lap/400-mile Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway is scheduled to begin at 7:45 p.m. ET on Sunday July 5. Live coverage will be available on NBC, MRN, 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 748 wins and 675 poles in NSCS competition
CHEVROLET ON THE TRACK—DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY:
- Chevrolet drivers have won 44 of 136 races at Daytona International Speedway. Victories by current Team Chevy drivers are:
- Jeff Gordon, No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet SS, has six (6) victories at Daytona International Speedway (’95, ’97, ’98, ’99, ’04 & ‘05)
- Tony Stewart, No. 14 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet SS, has made four (4) trips to Victory Lane at Daytona International Speedway (’05, ’06, ’09 & ‘12)
- Dale Earnhardt, Jr., No. 88 Nationwide Stars and Stripes Chevrolet SS, has three (3) wins at Daytona International Speedway (’01, ’04 & ’14)
- Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s Patriotic Chevrolet SS, has three (3) trophies from Daytona International Speedway (’06 & ’13 – TWICE)
- Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Jimmy John’s/Budweiser Chevrolet SS, has two (2) wins at Daytona International Speedway (’07 &’10)
- Jamie McMurray, No. 1 McDonald’s Chevrolet SS, has gone to Victory Lane at Daytona International Speedway twice (2) (’07 & ’10)
- Ryan Newman, No. 31 Grainger Chevrolet SS, has one (1) win at Daytona International Speedway (’08)
- A Chevrolet driver has won one of the last three races at Daytona International Speedway
- A Chevrolet driver has sat on the pole at Daytona International Speedway 43 times
- Team Chevy drivers have scored 195 top-five and 383 top-10 finishes at Daytona International Speedway
- A Chevrolet has led 7,426 laps (35.9% of possible 20,641 laps) at Daytona International Speedway
TEAM CHEVY FOR THE FANS AT MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY:
- Fans can check out great Chevrolet vehicles including: Cruze, Camaro Coupe, Corvette Stingray, Impala, Malibu, Suburban, Traverse, Equinox, Silverado Crew 1500, Silverado 1500 Double Cab, Silverado 2500 High Country, the 2015 Motor Trend Truck of the Year – Colorado Z71 Crew Short and Colorado Z71 Extended Cab
- At the display fans can see a variety of show cars and specialty vehicles including: Jimmie Johnson’s No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS, Jeff Gordon’s No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet SS, the No. 3 XFINITY Camaro Chevrolet, the Chevrolet Corvette C7.R racecar show car Silverado Midnight edition, the Chevrolet SS production car, the Chevrolet SS pace car, the Chevrolet Camaro Pace car and Impala Midnight
- 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:
- Saturday, July 4th – Six-time Daytona winner Jeff Gordon will make an appearance at the Team Chevy stage at 3 p.m.
- Sunday, July 5th – Justin Allgaier will stop by the Team Chevy stage at 4:20 p.m. followed Martin Truex, Jr. at 4:45 p.m.
- Hours of operation: Fri. July 3rd – Noon – 5:30 p.m.; Sat. July 4th – 10:00 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. and Sun. July 5th – 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
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ENGINEER EXPERTISE FROM THE GARAGE AREA – ALBA COLON, CHEVROLET RACING PROGRAM MANAGER – NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES:
“Team Chevy is looking forward to visiting Daytona International Speedway this coming weekend. There is something really special about celebrating the 4th of July holiday at this track. We always enjoy great racing under the lights, and for the first time in many years, the race will take place on Sundayevening. Also, the whole sport celebrates a new TV partner, NBC. Welcome!
“In our second visit to Daytona this year, we will be capitalizing on what we learned at the Daytona 500 in February. In addition to the lessons learned during that race, the teams have been able to improve their aerodynamic and engine packages in their Chevrolet SS race cars. And on this Superspeedway, it is very important to have the right combination of aerodynamics and speed. You also need to have the right drafting partners; and to simply just do your best to stay out of trouble. Restrictor plate racing is always a thrill, and this weekend’s action at Daytona promises to be nothing less.
“Our Chevrolet teams have done well so far this season; but we are still working on a daily basis to achieve consistency, which is the key to success in this sport.
“The start for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup is getting closer, so every point and every win counts more than ever. The ones who escape the ‘big one’ at Daytona, and get a good finish with valuable points attached, will leave feeling relieved and lucky.
“We are looking forward to a fireworks celebration with one of our Chevrolet SS teams on Sunday night!”
TEAM CHEVY FROM THE DRIVER’S SEAT:
KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 4 JIMMY JOHN’S/BUDWEISER CHEVROLET SS – POINTS LEADER
“Plate racing is something that you have to be aggressive at just for the fact that if you’re not aggressive it always seems like you are not going to be where you need to be. Nine times out of 10 I believe that the aggressor is going to be the guy that comes out on the good side of things just for the fact that you’re making things happen and you’re not waiting for something else to happen. When you wait for something else to happen that’s usually when you get in trouble because it’s usually someone else’s mess. You can still get in trouble if you’re aggressive, but it seems like with this rules package and the way that things are it’s best to stay aggressive and try to stay up front.”
MARTIN TRUEX, JR., NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW/DENVER MATTRESS CHEVROLET SS – 2ND IN STANDINGS
“It always feels good to be in Daytona. We had a great Speedweeks there back in February and I expect to have another fast Furniture Row Chevrolet for Sunday’s 400 miler. After what happened to us in Sonoma we can’t wait to get back to the track. But Daytona is a lot like Sonoma, trouble can find you anytime and at any point of the track. We just need to stay focused, run up front and take care of our equipment. A special welcome to NBC for its return to NASCAR and hoping it will be an exciting race for the network’s debut.”
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S PATRIOTIC CHEVROLET SS – 4TH IN STANDINGS
“Heading back to Daytona is fun – it’s anyone’s race though. We want to be there at the end but also want to stay out of any of the wrecks that might happen. We have a great speedway program so I know I’ll have a good Chevy SS – the patriotic scheme is going to be fun too.”
JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 MCDONALD’S CHEVROLET SS – 7TH IN STANDINGS
“I guess the biggest thing about Daytona is the unknown. You have to be lucky and try to stay out of trouble in order to be around at the end. We are seventh in the points right now, but Daytona is one of those places where a lot of teams can take a hit in the standings. It’s always fun to race under the lights at Daytona, I think that is fun for the fans. I just want to try to race up front all night and put our McDonald’s Chevy in position for a strong finish at the end of the night.”
KEITH RODDEN, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 GREAT CLIPS/SHARK WEEK CHEVROLET SS – 8TH IN STANDINGS
“I’m really excited to get the Great Clips/Shark Week Chevy out on the track this week. We ran good at Daytona earlier this year and we had a fast car at Talladega. We built from both of those runs and I think we have a good base looking forward to the race. It should be a good weekend.”
KURT BUSCH, NO. 41 HAAS AUTOMATION CHEVROLET SS – 10TH IN STANDINGS
“To me, it’s the patience that’s required to run 400 or 500 miles at those tracks. As a racer, you want to be up front the whole race. At tracks like Daytona and Talladega, you have to be a little more calculating in how you run those races and where you position yourself for the early part of the race. It’s one of those days where ‘to finish first, you must first finish.’ So you end up driving a little defensively for the first 350 miles of the race, just kind of feeling out your car. Maybe you will test it a little bit by going to the front to see how you stack up against the other cars. But, after that, you are in defensive mode and just trying to take care of your equipment for that final dash. It’s all about patience.”
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 AXALTA CHEVROLET SS – 11TH IN STANDINGS
“We’ve had great cars and led a lot of laps this year in the restrictor-plate races, but we don’t have the results to match because of two wrecks. Hopefully, we can avoid the ‘big one’ this Sunday night and battle for the victory.”
PAUL MENARD, NO. 27 NIBCO/MENARDS CHEVROLET SS – 12TH IN STANDINGS
“Daytona in July marks the second half of the season, and I would say we’re holding strong as to where we’re at, but always pushing to get better. We’ve had decent consistency, just need to move that consistency up a few spots in our average running position.”
RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 31 GRAINGER CHEVROLET SS – 14TH IN STANDINGS
“It’s all about survival. It is a track where most of the cars are fairly equal and you have to be there at the end. There is no guarantee when the end is going to be like last year. It could be rain shortened. We could have a long green-flag run or we could have several restarts where it is very difficult to pass at times. It all depends. If the cars go single file, it’s pretty difficult to pass as well. You just don’t know how it is going to pan out until you race.”
KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 COCA-COLA CHEVROLET SS – 18TH IN STANDINGS
“It’s hard to believe we’re already back at Daytona. Our team hasn’t had the best of luck at Daytona, but maybe this will be our weekend to get a good finish there. I’m running a Coke paint scheme this weekend on our Chevy, so hopefully we can have a good showing with the Coke car for their race.”
DANICA PATRICK, NO. 10 GODADDY CHEVROLET SS – 19TH IN STANDINGS
“It’s super easy to drive around the track flat-out by yourself. It’s not hard at all. When you put all of the other cars around you, it’s not necessarily about how the car feels on the track, although that can be an issue for sure at times, but it’s more about what everyone else is doing around you. You’re constantly looking at what’s happening in front of you, but you’re also looking at what’s behind you, too. Probably more important than what’s happening in front of you is what’s happening behind you – who’s coming, who’s following you, who’s helping you move forward. There have been plenty of times that I’ve gone to the bottom and complained, ‘Where’s my help?’ It seems like I’ll slot in on the bottom line and then everyone behind me disappears. You really have to have people behind you pushing you. The race is constantly evolving and you and your spotter have to be on it. It’s a big race for spotters, so having a really good one that you trust is very important.”
CASEY MEARS, NO. 13 GEICO CHEVROLET SS – 21ST IN STANDINGS
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS CHEVROLET SS – 22ND IN STANDINGS
“Speedway racing from the day to nighttime definitely has its differences. I think the biggest difference is at night when you have a little more grip. You can take more chances and be more aggressive at night. The speeds are definitely up at night, too. You can do a lot more with the car and take advantage of runs you have during the race.”
AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 47 KROGER/BETTER THAN BOUILLON CHEVROLET SS – 23RD IN STANDINGS
“It’s anyone’s race – – it’s definitely a crap shoot. We have a shot at it just like everyone else does. We just have to be smart, try to avoid the wrecks around us and be there at the end. Just finishing a race at a superspeedway is sometimes a tall order. You can get wrecked in the front, middle or back of the pack. Nowhere is really safe.”
TONY STEWART, NO. 14 BASS PRO SHOPS CHEVROLET SS – 26TH IN STANDINGS
“Everybody has got a shot at Daytona. We’ve been in that position before and have actually been able to take advantage quite a few times. The biggest thing is it gives you confidence that you’ve got a shot.”
JUSTIN ALLGAIER, NO. 51 TRADEMARK NITROGEN CHEVROLET SS – 31ST IN STANDINGS
“I like going to Daytona [International Speedway] in July. It’s a night race and it falls around the fourth of July holiday. We have TradeMark Nitrogen on the car this weekend and they are based in Tampa. It’s a red, white and blue paint scheme with stars and stripes on it which is very fitting for this weekend. The hardest part about restrictor plate racing is making it until the end. We have Hendrick engines and cars, so now it is all left up to me and my spotter to take the checkered flag.”
BRIAN SCOTT, NO. 33 CHEVROLET SS:
“Daytona Rising really is carrying the banner for what the track of the future is going to look like and how, as a NASCAR community, we are going to deliver the best fan experience to the people who are paying money, vacationing and choosing to come out and see NASCAR races. I think it’s really important for us to give them what they pay for, to give them what they want. It’ll be really exciting when Daytona gets done to see how the fans interact with it and how that experience is heightened for them, then hopefully more tracks will follow.”
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: 10
Poles: 9
Laps led: 3321
Top-five finishes: 52
Top-10 finishes: 104
CHEVROLET IN NASCAR SPRINT CUP CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 748 (1949 – to date); (2,434 possible = 30.0%)
Poles Won to Date: 675
Laps Lead to Date: 223,132
Top-Five Finishes to Date: 3,761
Top-10 Finishes to Date: 7,680
Total NASCAR Cup wins by Corporation, 1949 – To-Date
GM: 1,083
Chevrolet: 748
Pontiac: 155
Oldsmobile: 115
Buick: 65
Ford: 734
Ford: 634
Mercury: 96
Lincoln: 4
Chrysler: 466
Dodge: 217
Plymouth: 190
Chrysler: 59
Toyota: 69
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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.
