Hendrick Motorsports Media Advance: Charlotte

Career
461 starts
17 wins
27 pole positions
88 top-five finishes
166 top-10 finishes
4,607 laps led

Track Career
25 starts
4 wins
0 pole positions
9 top-five finishes
13 top-10 finishes
1,106 laps led

GREAT CLIPS AT CHARLOTTE: Kasey Kahne will pilot the No. 5 Great Clips Chevrolet SS this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It was announced two weeks ago that Great Clips has extended its relationship with Hendrick Motorsports through the 2018 season. Great Clips will be the primary partner on the No. 5 Chevrolet SS for 10 races annually through the 2018 season.

WINNING WAYS AT CHARLOTTE: Kahne has four wins at Charlotte, which ranks third out of all active drivers and ties him with four others for fourth on the all-time win list. The 36-year-old earned his wins in May and October 2006, May 2008 and May 2012 and also has three runner-up finishes at Charlotte.

KAHNE AT CHARLOTTE: Kahne has led a total of 1,106 laps at the 1.5-mile track, which ranks second among current drivers behind teammate Jimmie Johnson. He’s 10th on the all-time lap leaders list at the track. In Kahne’s 25 starts at Charlotte, he has earned the outside pole position three times.

CHARLOTTE LOOP DATA: According to NASCAR’s loop data, Kahne has an average driver rating of 95.2 at Charlotte. He’s second in the fastest laps run category with 703 and third-fastest early in a run at 178.897 mph. Kahne is third in green-flag speed at 176.605 mph and fourth in green-flag passes with 1,829.

KASEY’S KAROLINA KAHNEWICH: Kahne and the Kasey Kahne Foundation have partnered with PDQ (People Dedicated to Quality) restaurants to create the Karolina Kahnewich. Kahne’s revved-up BBQ sandwich will be served exclusively at all 11 PDQ locations throughout North and South Carolina from Oct. 4 through Nov. 30. The sandwich is $5.99 with $1 from each sandwich sold benefiting the Kasey Kahne Foundation in its effort to raise funds to support chronically ill children and their families.

COMING HOME: Several of the No. 5 team members are North Carolina natives, including crew chief Keith Rodden (Denver, North Carolina); interior mechanic John Oehler (Mooresville, North Carolina); engineer and front-tire carrier Michael Oxendine (Lumberton, North Carolina); and fueler Landon Walker (North Wilkesboro, North Carolina).

FIVE KAHNE 5K: For the seventh consecutive year, Kahne will hold his 5K charity run. The event will take place at the NASCAR Hall of Fame this Sunday, Oct. 9, at 10 a.m. ET. Interested participants can pre-register online by visiting https://fivekahne5k.racesonline.com/home. Over 8,000 children in the states surrounding North Carolina have benefited from the funds raised by the annual charity run.

GREAT CLIPS PROMOTION: Longtime partner Great Clips is working in conjunction with Levi Strauss to give fans the chance to win a VIP race experience with Kahne, free haircuts for a year, Signature by Levi Strauss & Co. jeans or a Wal-Mart gift card. Fans have until Nov. 1 to enter for their chance to win by visiting www.greatjeansgreathaircuts.com.

No. 24 3M Chevrolet SS / Chase Elliott

Driver Chase Elliott Hometown Dawsonville, Georgia
Age 20 Resides Dawsonville, Georgia

2016 Season
6th in standings
29 starts
0 wins
2 pole positions
9 top-five finishes
15 top-10 finishes
239 laps led

Career
34 starts
0 wins
2 pole positions
9 top-five finishes
15 top-10 finishes
239 laps led

Track Career
2 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
1 top-10 finish
0 laps led

3M: This will be the fifth and final primary paint scheme weekend of the year for 3M on board Chase Elliott’s No. 24 Chevrolet SS for Hendrick Motorsports. 3M was the primary partner for Elliott at Martinsville Speedway, the Sprint All-Star Race, Sonoma Raceway and Richmond International Raceway. For more information about the 3M racing program and the science behind racing, please visit .

MEET CHASE ELLIOTT: On Friday, Oct. 7, fans will have an opportunity to meet 20-year-old Elliott at the NAPA AUTO PARTS store located in Concord, North Carolina, courtesy of Valvoline. Elliott will be signing autographs beginning at 11 a.m. – be sure to get there early. The location address is 570 Concord Parkway in Concord.

CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDER: Elliott’s bid for the 2016 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup continues after a third-place finish in the Round of 16 finale at Dover International Speedway secured his spot in the next round of NASCAR’s playoffs. Elliott is ranked sixth heading into the Round of 12 this weekend at Charlotte. He is the only rookie to advance to the second round. Thus far in the playoffs, Elliott has secured two third-place finishes and one 13th-place finish. He’s looking to keep that momentum going as he heads to Charlotte Motor Speedway, where he finished eighth earlier this year.

TOP-RANKED ROOKIE: Elliott leads the 2016 Rookie of the Year contender standings heading into the race at Charlotte Motor Speedway by 62 points over second-place Ryan Blaney and 93 points over third-place Chris Buescher. Elliott has accumulated a total of 283 rookie points this year through the first 29 points-paying races.

CHASE UNIVERSITY: “Chase University” – Elliott’s collegiate ticket package program – will make its debut this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The exclusive ticket package will feature concerts, food, beverages and tailgating games before, during and after the race. Elliott will even make an appearance on race day prior to the green flag. Students with a valid college ID can enroll in Chase University with a special $24 party pass available online at CharlotteMotorSpeedway.com. Share the fun using #ChaseU on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS / Jimmie Johnson

Driver Jimmie Johnson Hometown El Cajon, California
Age 41 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina

2016 Season
11th in standings
29 starts
2 wins
1 pole position
7 top-five finishes
12 top-10 finishes
474 laps led

Career
536 starts
77 wins
35 pole positions
214 top-five finishes
326 top-10 finishes
18,183 laps led

Track Career
30 starts
7 wins
4 pole positions
14 top-five finishes
18 top-10 finishes
1,740 laps led

ROUND OF 12: With his seventh place effort in Dover, Johnson propelled himself and the No. 48 Lowe’s team into the second round of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series playoffs – the Round of 12. Johnson will have the next three races — Charlotte, Kansas and Talladega — to secure a spot in the Round of 8.

PAINTING WALL PINK: On Wednesday, Sept. 28, Johnson joined retired American professional soccer player Mia Hamm at Charlotte Motor Speedway to help raise awareness for a very important cause: Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Alongside partner Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina employees and many breast cancer survivors, the two athletes helped paint the pit wall pink to honor those who have fought and currently are fighting the disease. Click here to see photos from the event.

FIRST START: Charlotte Motor Speedway is special to Johnson for many reasons, one of which is the fact that it is the location of his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start on Oct. 7, 2001. Johnson started the No. 48 Lowe’s Power of Pride Chevrolet in the 15th position and was involved in an incident on Lap 192, forcing a 39th-place finish. Six Sprint Cup championships and 77 wins later, Johnson has been fortunate enough to maintain his partnership with Lowe’s and to carry the Lowe’s Home Improvement logo on his No. 48 Chevrolet for 536 starts since the first outing.

PINK HAT FOR BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH: In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Johnson and No. 48 team crew chief Chad Knaus will sport pink accents on their Team Lowe’s Racing hats.

CHARLOTTE DRIVER RATING: According to NASCAR’s loop data statistics, Johnson has the series-best driver rating at Charlotte with a score of 109.6 during the past 10 years at the track. The driver rating is a formula that combines wins, top-15 finishes, average running position while on the lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, most laps led and lead-lap finishes. The maximum a driver can earn in each race is 150 points. The driver rating number is used pre-race as a prediction tool and post-race as a performance evaluator. Johnson also has the series-best average running position with an 8.310.

WHERE HE STARTS: Johnson’s last win in the 500-mile event at Charlotte Motor Speedway was on Oct. 17, 2009. Johnson started from the pole, led 92 laps and finished first. Twice in his career, Johnson has won the 600-mile event from the pole position. The first was in 2004 when Johnson started first and led 334 out of 400 laps en route to victory. The second time was in May 2014 when Johnson won the pole and led 164 laps on his way to the win. Johnson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Charlotte with a 7.767.

SIX-TIME IS ALL-TIME AT CHARLOTTE: Johnson has a total of seven Sprint Cup wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway with four coming in the 600-mile event. His victory in 2014 broke a tie with NASCAR Hall of Famers Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip, making Johnson the all-time series points-paying win leader at Charlotte. He also leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at Charlotte with 1,740 laps led in 30 starts.

JIMMIE JOHNSON WELLNESS VIRTUAL TRIATHLON: Being a part of #TeamJJF means staying involved and being up-to-date with the Jimmie Johnson Foundation and its events not only by participating, but also by following through social media. The Jimmie Johnson Foundation is launching its first “virtual triathlon.” Joining #TeamJJF is a perfect way to support the Jimmie Johnson Foundation’s mission of assisting children, families and communities in need while taking on a personal athletic challenge. The Jimmie Johnson Foundation Virtual Triathlon takes place during the month of the month of October. The challenge is to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and run 26.2 miles. Learn more here.

No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet SS / Alex Bowman

Driver Alex Bowman Hometown Tucson, Arizona
Age 23 Resides Mooresville, North Carolina

2016 Season
4 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
1 top-10 finish
6 laps led

Career
75 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
1 top-10 finish
9 laps led

Track Career
4 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
0 top-10 finishes
0 laps led

BOWMAN IN THE NO. 88: Alex Bowman will be substituting for Dale Earnhardt Jr., who is out for the remainder of the season as he continues to recover from a concussion, in the No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet SS this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This will be Bowman’s fifth race behind the wheel of the No. 88 Chevy. In the first four races, he earned one top-10 and two top-15 finishes and ran inside the top 10 in every event. Charlotte will begin a three-race stretch for Bowman in the No. 88, which will also include Kansas Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.

DOVER RECAP: Jeff Gordon, who filled in for Earnhardt last weekend in Dover, earned his first top-10 finish in the No. 88 Chevrolet. It was his seventh of eight races in which he will drive the No. 88. The four-time champion was fast in both practice sessions at the one-mile oval, turning the fastest lap of final practice, but with qualifying cancelled due to rain, Gordon lined up 18th based on owner’s points. Earnhardt watched from atop the No. 88 pit box as Gordon rallied to a 10th-place finish after leading seven laps in the 400-mile event.

CHARLOTTE STATS: Bowman has four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Charlotte with a best finish of 26th. In his three starts in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, he has a best finish of 12th, which came while driving the No. 5 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports in 2014.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DALE: Earnhardt will celebrate his 42nd birthday on Monday, Oct. 10. Please join us in wishing the driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet SS a very happy birthday!

HOME STATE: While many in the NASCAR garage presently call Charlotte home, Dustin Lineback, the front-tire carrier for the No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet SS, was actually born and raised in North Carolina. He hails from nearby Greensboro and attended Eastern Carolina University, where he played outside linebacker for the ECU Pirates football team. Lineback joined Hendrick Motorsports in 2013. For more on his transition from football, check out this story.

‘DEGA VICTORY TOUR: Last Thursday, Sept. 29, Earnhardt visited Talladega Superspeedway for his Victory Tour appearance. He was joined by Bowman, who will be behind the wheel of the No. 88 Chevrolet when the series returns to Talladega for the Alabama 500 on Oct. 23, along with the three original members of the Alabama Gang – Red Farmer, Donnie Allison and Bobby Allison. After touring the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, Earnhardt and Bowman unveiled the Barney Hall MRN booth and then surprised a large group of fans. After lunch, all five drivers spoke with members of the media. During the press conference, Earnhardt was inducted as an honorary member of the Alabama Gang and presented with special gifts. The group then went out to pit road where Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s 1979-1980 No. 2 Chevrolet Monte Carlo was driven by Donnie Allison, and then the group continued to the Alabama Gang Superstretch for a photo opp. For a photo gallery from the event, click here.

UPCOMING – MARTINSVILLE VICTORY TOUR: On Wednesday, Oct. 12, Earnhardt is scheduled to be at Martinsville Speedway for his second Victory Tour appearance. There will be a media portion of the event, so interested media members can contact Tiffany Daniels for more information.

Hendrick Motorsports

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT CHARLOTTE: Hendrick Motorsports has 18 wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway, which ranks first all-time among teams at the 1.5-mile oval. Johnson most recently won the 600-mile event there in May 2014 and has an all-time record seven career victories at Charlotte. Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kahne ranks second among drivers competing in the 500-mile event this weekend with four wins at Charlotte. The organization has 58 top-five finishes and 92 top-10 finishes and has led 4,730 laps at Charlotte since 1984.

FINDING VICTORY LANE: Hendrick Motorsports’ 18 wins at Charlotte are tied with Dover International Speedway for the organization’s second-most at a track. The Charlotte victories have come via seven different drivers — Johnson (7), Gordon (5), Darrell Waltrip (2), Ken Schrader, Terry Labonte, Casey Mears and Kahne.

ORGANIZATION STATS: To date, Hendrick Motorsports has totals of 242 victories, 209 pole positions, 1,003 top-five finishes and 1,682 top-10 finishes in Sprint Cup competition. Its teams have led 65,796 laps since 1984.

QUOTABLE /

“I really like Charlotte. It’s a track where you can search around for different lines that will work for your car better. It’s also a place where you can keep your speed and momentum up. It’s a cool place to win at because we’re so close to home and a lot of the Hendrick Motorsports team members come out to the track to cheer us on. So it’s always a little extra special when a Hendrick Motorsports car ends up in Victory Lane at Charlotte.”
Kasey Kahne on racing at Charlotte

“I’m proud of the way we’ve been running. I think we’ve been building and gaining on some things that we’ve been missing. Really, really cool to move on, I’m proud of that. Like I said, this group has been doing a really good job. I’m proud of all these guys and we are excited to get on to Charlotte. We had a good car there in the spring and fought hard. Hopefully we can get that next little bit there this weekend.”
Chase Elliott on advancing in the Chase and looking ahead to Charlotte

“I’m thankful to everyone working so hard at Hendrick Motorsports that has put so much emphasis on giving me great cars for the Chase. Last week was a race that got away from us — my team gave me the best car I’ve ever had at Dover — but we are now heading to Charlotte, also one of our best tracks. We had a lot of speed a few weeks ago in Chicago and have led a lot of laps in the last three races. This Chase is tough. Every week we have to perform. This track is in Lowe’s corporate’s backyard, so it would be great to win at home.”
Jimmie Johnson on performing in the Chase and looking ahead to Charlotte

“It’s always cool to come to Charlotte because you’re at home. My family and a lot of the team members’ families will come out to watch us, which is really nice. As far as the racetrack itself, there are two really unique corners – (Turns) 1 and 2 are really simple, while (Turns) 3 and 4 are really challenging. I’m looking forward to getting going. I love night racing there – the track gets really fast, and it should be a lot of fun.”
Alex Bowman on racing at Charlotte