CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY (1.5-MILE OVAL)
LOCATION: CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA
EVENT: NASCAR SPRINT ALL-STAR RACE
TUNE IN: 7 P.M. ET, SATURDAY, MAY 21 (FS1/MRN/SIRIUSXM)
No. 5 Drive Home a Winner Sweeps Chevrolet SS / Kasey Kahne
Driver Kasey Kahne Hometown Enumclaw, Washington
Age 36 Resides Mooresville, North Carolina
2016 Season
16th in standings
12 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
2 top-five finishes
4 top-10 finishes
0 laps led
Career
444 starts
17 wins
27 pole positions
88 top-five finishes
160 top-10 finishes
4,607 laps led
All-Star Career
12 starts
1 win
1 pole position
2 top-five finishes
5 top-10 finishes
69 laps led
ALL-STAR PAINT SCHEME FOR AN ALL-STAR WEEKEND: Kasey Kahne will drive the No. 5 Hendrick Automotive Group and Quicken Loans Drive Home a Winner Sweepstakes Chevrolet SS for this weekend’s All-Star Race. It marks the first and only time this season that Kahne will pilot that particular paint scheme.
ALL-STAR STATS: Kahne seeks to return to Victory Lane in this weekend’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. The Enumclaw, Washington, native has participated in the Charlotte Motor Speedway exhibition race every year since the start of his Sprint Cup career in 2004. This year, Kahne qualifies for the race by virtue of being an All-Star Race winner in 2008, when he received the most fan votes and went on to win the $1 million victory purse. In 2006, Kahne started on the pole position in the event.
ALL-STAR LOOP DATA: According to NASCAR’s loop data, Kahne has an average driver rating of 83.5 in the All-Star Race, which ranks sixth among active drivers. The 36-year-old driver also ranks sixth for average speed early in a run at 181.738 mph. In the fastest on restarts category he is third at 178.409 mph. Kahne sits fourth in both fastest laps with 66 and quality passes with 297. Quality passes are determined by the number of times a driver passes another car that is running in the top 15 while under green-flag conditions.
DRIVE HOME A WINNER SWEEPSTAKES: Not only does Kahne have a chance to win the grand prize of $1 million if he crosses the finish line first in this weekend’s All-Star Race, but Hendrick Automotive Group and Quicken Loans have teamed up to give one lucky person his or her own grand prize. With Hendrick Motorsports and the No. 5 team, they launched the Drive Home a Winner sweepstakes on May 3. One lucky winner will receive a free one-year lease on a Chevy Silverado from Hendrick Automotive Group and one year of free home mortgage payments courtesy of Quicken Loans. Fans can enter to win until June 30 by visiting DriveHomeAWinner.com.
SHARK TAGGING: On Wednesday, May 18, Kahne will be in Miami to tag sharks with the University of Miami and Oceana in preparation for Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, which begins on Sunday, June 26. If you are interested in shark tagging b-roll footage, please contact Lauren Emling. In addition to shark tagging tomorrow, Great Clips will reveal the Shark Week paint scheme that Kahne will pilot at Sonoma Raceway via @GREATRacing around 11 a.m. ET.
No. 24 3M Chevrolet SS / Chase Elliott
Driver Chase Elliott Hometown Dawsonville, Georgia
Age 20 Resides Mooresville, North Carolina
2016 Season
7th in standings
12 starts
0 wins
2 pole positions
4 top-five finishes
8 top-10 finishes
32 laps led
Career
17 starts
0 wins
2 pole positions
4 top-five finishes
8 top-10 finishes
32 laps led
All-Star Career
0 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
0 top-10 finishes
0 laps led
3M ON THE NO. 24 CHEVROLET SS: 3M will be the primary partner on board Rookie of the Year contender Chase Elliott’s No. 24 Chevrolet SS this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway as Elliott works to race his way from the Sprint Showdown Friday evening into the Sprint All-Star Race Saturday night.
ALL-STAR PURSUIT: To race with the best, you have to be the best and that is exactly what Elliott’s goal will be this Friday evening. The 20-year-old rookie will attempt to qualify for NASCAR’s Sprint All-Star Race by first competing in the Sprint Showdown. If Elliott wins Segment 1, Segment 2 or Segment 3, he will then advance to the main event on Saturday for the chance to earn $1 million. Elliott is coming off of his career-best finish of the year, a third-place result at the “Monster Mile.”
#VOTECHASE: In addition to competing in the Showdown, Elliott is one of 25 drivers still vying for the chance to race in NASCAR’s Sprint All-Star Race May 21 via fan vote. Among those 25 drivers that are not yet locked in, Elliott owns more top-five finishes than any driver eligible for the fan vote (four) as well as more pole positions than any driver eligible. The young driver has earned more top-10s (eight) than any driver competing for the fan vote and ranks higher than his fellow contenders in closers (2.1 average spots gained, second among all drivers next to teammate Jimmie Johnson), driver rating (86.8), fastest drivers early in a run (10.100 average), fastest drivers late in a run (8.900 average), fastest laps run (98 laps), fastest on restarts (14.333 average) and green flag speed (8.700 average). Fans and media members can vote through May 20 at http://www.nascar.com/SprintFanVote.
TOP-FIVE DRIVERS: On the heels of his eighth top-10 finish in 12 races this season, Elliott was announced as one of the top five vote-getters in the Sprint Fan Vote — and the polls are still open. The current top five — in alphabetical order — are Ryan Blaney, Matt DiBenedetto, Elliott, Kyle Larson and Danica Patrick. The fan vote will be announced May 20 after the Sprint Showdown race.
LOOKING FOR A WIN: Elliott has earned four top-five finishes in the past six races, accumulating eight top-10 finishes through the first 12 races. Only three drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series have more top-10 finishes this year (Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch — all former Sprint Cup champions). The Dawsonville, Georgia, native secured his first top-10 finish of 2016 at his home track, Atlanta Motor Speedway. He earned his career-best finish, third, at Dover International Speedway this past weekend.
FORZA MOTORSPORT COVER: America’s most popular form of motorsport is coming to the best-selling racing franchise of this generation – Forza Motorsport. And rookie-points leader Elliott will adorn the cover of the expansion pack in his NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet SS. The NASCAR Expansion for Forza Motorsport 6 arrives today, May 17, bringing NASCAR to the world stage. In addition to gracing the cover, Elliott also played an integral role in designing the authentic feel of the game. He worked alongside Forza engineers giving them an accurate representation on how the cars should drive and what the tracks are like. Forza Motorsport 6 NASCAR Expansion is available for $20 only on Xbox One.
No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS / Jimmie Johnson
Driver Jimmie Johnson Hometown El Cajon, California
Age 40 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina
2016 Season
5th in standings
12 starts
2 wins
0 pole positions
5 top-five finishes
6 top-10 finishes
219 laps led
Career
519 starts
77 wins
34 pole positions
212 top-five finishes
320 top-10 finishes
17,928 laps led
Track Career
14 starts
4 wins
1 pole position
8 top-five finishes
9 top-10 finishes
218 laps led
SUPPORTING THE HOME TEAM: Fans won’t have to look hard this weekend to spot Johnson’s race car. Johnson has run special paint schemes for the Sprint All-Star event in the past, but this year he is staying true to his ‘home’ colors and will pilot the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet’s traditional blue and silver scheme with yellow 48s. Next weekend for the 600-mile event, Johnson will run a traditional red, white and blue patriotic paint scheme to commemorate the Memorial Day weekend.
FOUR TIMES AN ALL-STAR: Johnson has won the storied All-Star Race a record four times. His first win came in 2003 when the race was called “The Winston.” He won again in 2006 as well as earning back-to-back wins in 2012 and 2013. Last year at the event Johnson finished 15th.
ANOTHER MONSTER MILESTONE ACHIEVED: Johnson accomplished a milestone last weekend in Dover. Heading into the weekend, Johnson had accumulated 10 wins and led 2,999 miles at the “Monster Mile.” When he took the lead on Lap 350, he became just the seventh driver in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history with 3,000 laps led at a single track.
CLIMBED A MOUNTAIN: On Sunday in Dover, Johnson tangled with a monster but on Monday morning, he climbed a mountain as a participant in the Assault on Mt. Mitchell. Johnson completed the 102.7-mile cycling event that started in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and finished at Mt. Mitchell in 6:11:24. The elevation gain was 10,203 feet and he commented after it was over that this event was “no joke”.
RACER X MAGAZINE JULY ISSUE: Johnson and longtime pal and supercross veteran Justin Brayton got together for a mountain bike ride last month in Charlotte, North Carolina, to talk to the writers of Racer X magazine about their friendship and commonalities. The issue is on newsstands now – you may preview the article here: http://racerxonline.com/issue/july-2016#&gid=1&pid=3.
JOHNSON TO CO-HOST RACEHUB: Johnson will trade in his driving skills for a teleprompter and try out the analyst seat this week as he will be an in-studio co-host of “Race Hub” on FOX Sports 1. The show will air at 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May 18. Johnson is no stranger to the role as he was the first athlete to co-host ESPN’s “SportsCenter” on November 19, 2013, just days after winning his sixth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship.
JJF 5K THIS SUNDAY: The Jimmie Johnson Foundation 5K is on May 22 in Huntersville, North Carolina. To register, visit www.jjfwellnesschallenge.org.
No. 88 Mountain Dew Chevrolet SS / Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hometown Kannapolis, North Carolina
Age 41 Resides Mooresville, North Carolina
2016 Season
11th in standings
12 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
4 top-five finishes
5 top-10 finishes
49 laps led
Career
589 starts
26 wins
13 pole positions
147 top-five finishes
251 top-10 finishes
8,183 laps led
All-Star Career
16 starts
1 win
0 pole positions
5 top-five finishes
13 top-10 finishes
44 laps led
ALL-STAR: Dale Earnhardt Jr. earned a victory in his first start in the All-Star Race on May 20, 2000. It was a 70-lap event, and he took the lead from Dale Jarrett on Lap 69 to lead the final two laps and win the race. Earnhardt has made every All-Star Race since 2000, although he has had to run the Sprint Showdown twice. Both times, Earnhardt transferred to the All-Star Race – once by winning the fan vote (2011) and once by winning the Showdown (2012). In the last four All-Star events, the Kannapolis, North Carolina, native has earned a best finish of fourth (2014) and a lowest finish of 10th (2015).
DEW RETURNS: Mountain Dew returns to the No. 88 for its second of three races. Earnhardt will drive the patriotic No. 88 Mountain Dew Chevrolet SS in Saturday night’s All-Star Race. By virtue of his race wins last season, Earnhardt has already secured his place in the 113-lap event and will have the opportunity to race for $1 million. Photos of the green-and-white patriotic Mountain Dew scheme can be seen here.
CAST YOUR VOTE: Don’t forget, as part of the DEWcision 2016 campaign, Mountain Dew is allowing fans to vote on which of its flavors, Baja Blast or Pitch Black, will have a permanent spot in the retail lineup. All summer long, fans will be able to vote for their favorite flavor on DEWcision.com or Twitter by including one of the following hashtags in their tweets: #VoteBajaBlast or #VotePitchBlack. Every hashtag will count as one vote and fans can also complete additional challenges, released every third week on Mountain Dew’s social channels, to rally for their favorite flavor. The flavor with the most votes at the end of the program wins a spot in DEW’s permanent retail lineup after summer is over.
SETTING THE PACE: Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen will be the honorary pace car driver for Saturday night’s Sprint All-Star Race. On Tuesday, May 10, Earnhardt’s pit crew put the tight end through the paces at Hendrick Motorsports when Olsen, who also sports the No. 88, took part in pit crew practice and a conditioning workout with the No. 88 over-the-wall crew. The NFL Pro Bowler tried each over-the-wall position, including jackman, fueler, tire carrier and tire changer. In case you missed it, you can watch the video of Olsen’s afternoon with the No. 88 pit crew and hear what he had to say about the experience here.
Hendrick Motorsports
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT THE ALL-STAR: In 31 All-Star Races, Hendrick Motorsports has scored eight wins, 34 top-five finishes, 52 top-10s and led 657 laps. Most recently, Johnson won the 2013 event after leading 10 laps to earn a record fourth All-Star victory. Kahne, Johnson and Earnhardt are all eligible for this year’s All-Star Race, with Elliott currently vying for a spot in the race through fan voting.
ORGANIZATION STATS: To date, Hendrick Motorsports has totals of 242 victories, 208 pole positions, 995 top-five finishes and 1,660 top-10 finishes in Sprint Cup competition. Its teams have led 65,317 laps since 1984.
QUOTABLE /
“I like racing at Charlotte. It’s nice to be home and I really like the track, too. I’m fortunate enough to be locked into the All-Star Race and it’s definitely on my list to win again. The guys work so hard on the car at the track and back at the Hendrick Motorsports shop, so it would be really cool to get them in Victory Lane.”
Kasey Kahne on the All-Star Race
“We’ll have a few different opportunities in each of the segments to try and race our way in. So that’s our goal and what we’re going to try to do.”
Chase Elliott on the All-Star Race
“We were fortunate enough to run the 600 last year. I think that’s good experience to have. That place is so temperature sensitive so it was good to get all of that information. I’m excited to get back and hopefully take what we’ve learned and get a little bit better.”
Elliott on racing at Charlotte
“I think the All-Star race outcome is really going to depend on tire falloff. The rules are pretty interesting and for the teams that are required to pit based on where they finish, hopefully there’s a ton of tire falloff and you can make up those positions lost in a very short final segment. I’d say that the conversation right now among the most drivers is there’s a race for ninth, 10th, 11th, whatever that transfer spot is and wherever that ends up being, that everybody is joking that’s the spot to be right now (laughs). But, hopefully we get to the track and we see that the tire wear is far different and people don’t have to play that game. It’s an exciting race in general – usually a spark or two fly – it’s in my sponsor Lowes’ back yard, and there is a million dollars on the line. How can it not be exciting?”
Jimmie Johnson on the All-Star Race
“This All-Star Race will be a good opportunity for us to work on things. But, I’ll be honest, I’d rather win the 600. Running well during the rest of the season matters more to me than stumbling into a million bucks on the All-Star weekend. If we come out of the All-Star Race as winners but don’t understand how to go into the 600 and be competitive, it does us no good. I’d put an understanding of how we can get better as a team going forward above everything else.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the All-Star Race
