TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY (2.66-MILE OVAL)
LOCATION: TALLADEGA, ALABAMA
EVENT: NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES (RACE 32 OF 36)
TUNE IN: 2 P.M. ET, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23 (NBCSN/MRN/SIRIUSXM)
No. 5 UniFirst Chevrolet SS / Kasey Kahne
Driver Kasey Kahne Hometown Enumclaw, Washington
Age 36 Resides Mooresville, North Carolina
2016 Season
17th in standings
31 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
3 top-five finishes
12 top-10 finishes
0 laps led
Career
463 starts
17 wins
27 pole positions
89 top-five finishes
168 top-10 finishes
4,607 laps led
Track Career
25 starts
0 wins
1 pole position
3 top-five finishes
5 top-10 finishes
83 laps led
FIRST FOR UNIFIRST: After inking an eight-year contract with Hendrick Motorsports, UniFirst — the new Official Workwear Provider of Hendrick Motorsports — will be the primary sponsor on the No. 5 Chevrolet SS driven by Kasey Kahne this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. It marks the first time UniFirst will adorn a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car as a primary sponsor. Kahne will also pilot the No. 5 UniFirst Chevrolet SS at Martinsville Speedway next weekend.
KAHNE AT ‘DEGA: In Kahne’s 25 starts at Talladega Superspeedway, he has one pole award – October 2012. He’s also earned the outside pole position for two consecutive races at the 2.66-mile track – May and October 2015. Kahne is looking for redemption this weekend at Talladega after being involved in an incident in this year’s spring race, which ended his day early.
TALLADEGA LOOP DATA: According to NASCAR’s loop data from the last 10 years at Talladega, Kahne is first in the closer category, moving up 69 positions over the last 10 percent of the race. He’s 10th in green-flag passes with 7,043 and in quality passes with 4,053.The 36-year-old ranks 11th in laps in the top 15 with 1,816.
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.
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 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet SS / Chase Elliott
Driver Chase Elliott Hometown Dawsonville, Georgia
Age 20 Resides Dawsonville, Georgia
2016 Season
12th in standings
31 starts
0 wins
2 pole positions
9 top-five finishes
15 top-10 finishes
346 laps led
Career
36 starts
0 wins
2 pole positions
9 top-five finishes
15 top-10 finishes
346 laps led
Track Career
1 start
0 wins
1 pole position
1 top-five finish
1 top-10 finish
27 laps led
Chase Elliott will be available to members of the media on Friday, Oct. 21, at 11:30 a.m. local time in the media center at Talladega Superspeedway.
HONING IN ON THE HEART OF DIXIE: Chase Elliott’s time to shine is now as the Round of 12 competitor looks to keep his championship hopes alive. The rookie is honing in on Talladega and will essentially need to be victorious in the “Heart of Dixie” this Sunday to advance into the Round of 8. In the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Elliott has already led the second-most laps in two of the five races, trailing only six-time series champion and teammate Jimmie Johnson both times. After the halfway point in NASCAR’s 10-race postseason, Elliott has led laps in all but one race and even though the rookie didn’t lead any laps at Dover, he still reeled off an impressive third-place result at the Delaware track.
REIGNING ROOKIE: Elliott leads the 2016 Rookie of the Year contender standings heading into Talladega by 61 points over second-place Ryan Blaney and 90 points over third-place Chris Buescher. Elliott has accumulated a total of 285 rookie points this year through the first 31 races. Additionally, Elliott is one of only three rookies to ever make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs. He has yet to win his first race, but claims nine top-five showings – the most by a rookie since Carl Edwards scored 13 in 2005.
NO. 24 AT TALLADEGA: The No. 24 team earned its first win at Talladega in 1996 with the Chevrolet piloted by Jeff Gordon. After a rain delay and two red-flag conditions for major incidents, NASCAR halted the race due to darkness and Gordon, who had aptly displayed the art of preservation, was declared the winner. The team has gone on to earn five additional victories at the superspeedway as well as six pole awards and 21 top-10 finishes. Under the guidance of crew chief Alan Gustafson, in 2015 the No. 24 team swept both pole positions in Talladega qualifying and in 2016 Elliott earned his second pole award of the season at the Alabama track as well. At Talladega earlier this year Elliott was the top-finishing driver from Hendrick Motorsports with a fifth-place finish and is looking to improve on those results this weekend.
CHASE UNIVERSITY: “Chase University” – Elliott’s collegiate ticket package program – will return this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. 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 TalladegaSuperspeedway.com. Share the fun using #ChaseU on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
REACHING NEW HEIGHTS: The sky is the limit for Elliott. When the rookie is away from the track he is busy honing his aerial skills. Elliott earned his private pilot license in July 2015 and more recently secured his multi-engine instrument rating. He describes flying as “peaceful” but also “not something that can be taken lightly.” Earlier this month, NBC tagged along for a flight to check out Elliott’s skills. To see Elliott in flight, watch here.
No. 48 Lowe’s ProServices Chevrolet SS / Jimmie Johnson
Driver Jimmie Johnson Hometown El Cajon, California
Age 41 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina
2016 Season
1st in standings
31 starts
3 wins
1 pole position
9 top-five finishes
14 top-10 finishes
629 laps led
Career
538 starts
78 wins
35 pole positions
216 top-five finishes
328 top-10 finishes
18,338 laps led
Track Career
29 starts
2 wins
1 pole position
7 top-five finishes
11 top-10 finishes
467 laps led
LOWE’S PROSERVICES PAINT SCHEME: Johnson will race the No. 48 Lowe’s ProServices Chevrolet SS for the final time this season in this weekend’s race at Talladega. Lowe’s Commercial Services is designed to help customers save time and money and make their businesses run more smoothly. Stores across the country have a dedicated ProServices team ready to help by offering 5 percent off everyday purchases with a Lowe’s Business Credit Account, quick-turn, customizable quotes on volume purchases, providing an order-ahead option and pulling materials for pickup, giving reduced delivery rates and offering bulk discounts on supplies used the most
‘DEGA STATS: In the last four outings at Talladega Superspeedway, Johnson has led a total of 168 laps. Over his 29 starts at the track, Johnson has an average start of 9.6 and an average finish of 17.1.
‘PUSHY’ TEAMMATE: Restrictor plate racing is known for teammates “pushing” each other through the draft, so one could say Johnson has been a pushy teammate. Johnson has finished second at Talladega three times and each has been behind a Hendrick Motorsports teammate. Johnson and teammate Gordon swept the 2007 season events at Talladega by finishing one-two. Johnson also finished second to teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. one year ago.
SO CLOSE: Talladega is known for its close finishes and on May 3, 2015, Johnson finished second by 0.159 seconds behind race-winner and teammate Earnhardt at the 2.66-mile superspeedway.
LEADERBOARD: Of the 29 races Johnson has run at Talladega Superspeedway, he has led laps in 26 of them for a total of 467 segments around the 2.66-mile track.
LOCAL TIES: Longtime No. 48 front-tire carrier R.J. Barnette hails from nearby Pinson, Alabama, and played football at Samford University. Barnette has been on the Lowe’s team for seven seasons and has earned two championships with Johnson behind the wheel.
MOVING ON: Johnson and Kevin Harvick are the only two drivers who have clinched a spot in the Round of 8, which begins next weekend at Martinsville Speedway. Johnson will move on to the penultimate round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup regardless of his finish this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.
AND THEN THERE WERE EIGHT: The odds are in Johnson’s favor as far as success goes at the final four races of the season. Johnson has a total of eight wins at Martinsville, six wins at Texas and four wins at Phoenix. Homestead-Miami is one of the four tracks where Johnson has never scored a win in his career but he has a pair of second-place finishes.
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 October. The challenge is to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and run 26.2 miles. Learn more here.
No. 88 Mtn Dew Take It Outside Chevrolet SS / Alex Bowman
Driver Alex Bowman Hometown Tucson, Arizona
Age 23 Resides Mooresville, North Carolina
2016 Season
6 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
2 top-10 finishes
6 laps led
Career
77 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
2 top-10 finishes
9 laps led
Track Career
4 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
0 top-10 finishes
0 laps led
KANSAS RECAP: After qualifying fifth on Friday, Alex Bowman earned his career-best NASCAR Sprint Cup Series finish on Sunday at Kansas Speedway. Bowman finished seventh driving the No. 88 Chevrolet for the sixth time as the substitute for Earnhardt, who is out for the remainder of the season as he continues to recover from a concussion.
MTN DEW TAKE IT OUTSIDE REVEAL: Things might get a little “wild” this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. Last week, Hendrick Motorsports and Mountain Dew revealed the No. 88 Mtn Dew Take It Outside Chevrolet SS that Bowman will drive at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend. The No. 88 Chevy is white with TrueTimber® camo adorning the bottom half of the race car and the roof. Mountain Dew also has a brand new commercial coming later this week with the tagline, “Answer the Call of the Wild.” Click here for a sneak peek.
TALLADEGA STATS: Talladega Superspeedway will mark Bowman’s seventh start in the No. 88 Chevy. In the first six races, he earned two top-10 and three top-15 finishes, and has run inside the top 10 in every event. Bowman has four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at the 2.66-mile superspeedway with a best finish of 16th. He has one start there in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, where he finished 13th.
ROWDY RETURNS: William “Rowdy” Harrell, rear-tire carrier for the No. 88 Mtn Dew Take It Outside Chevrolet team, can certainly be called a hometown hero when he returns to Alabama, and particularly to Moundville, the small town where he grew up. After playing football in high school, Harrell was a walk-on linebacker for Nick Saban’s well-known University of Alabama football team, winning three national championships in his four years with the team. The tire carrier can also add race winner to his list of accolades, as he joined the Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 team in 2014 and became one of the six primary over-the-wall crew members in 2015. During those two seasons, the No. 88 team racked up seven wins, including the 2014 Daytona 500. Alabama’s football team is undefeated to this point of the college football season, which the outgoing former linebacker still follows very closely.
MARTINSVILLE VICTORY TOUR RECAP: Last Wednesday, Oct. 12, Earnhardt traveled to Martinsville Speedway for his second Victory Tour appearance. He assisted the track in announcing that the half-mile facility will be installing lights. “Light Up Martinsville” is a $5 million project, providing Martinsville Speedway with the first LED lights among major motor sports facilities. Installation will begin shortly following this year’s race on Oct. 30 and is expected to be completed by January 2017. Click here for a photo gallery from the event.
Hendrick Motorsports
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT TALLADEGA: At Talladega Superspeedway, Hendrick Motorsports has 12 wins, 11 pole positions, 54 top-five finishes and 78 top-10s. Hendrick Motorsports’ most recent Talladega win came last season, when Earnhardt made his way to Victory Lane in the May race after qualifying fourth.
SIX MAKE 12: Hendrick Motorsports’ 12 wins at Talladega have come thanks to six different drivers. Ken Schrader earned the organization’s first win at the track in 1988. Gordon contributed six wins, Johnson has earned two, and Brian Vickers, Terry Labonte and Earnhardt have claimed one apiece.
ORGANIZATION STATS: To date, Hendrick Motorsports has totals of 243 victories, 209 pole positions, 1,006 top-five finishes and 1,687 top-10 finishes in Sprint Cup competition. Its teams have led 66,058 laps since 1984.
QUOTABLE /
“I’d love to win in one of these final few races of the season. Each race and each weekend we are getting better as a team and Hendrick Motorsports always brings great cars to the track. Talladega is so challenging because of the draft and all of the variables that are out of your control. This is UniFirst’s first weekend on the car and I’m looking forward to having another strong performance.”
Kasey Kahne on racing at Talladega
“Talladega is always known for close finishes and I’m excited to get back. The racing there, you can’t really compare it to anything else. Talladega is a special place because it’s a historic racetrack for our sport. I remember watching a lot of races there. My dad still has that qualifying record and it’s obviously very impressive. It says a lot of him, Uncle Ernie and Uncle Dan, and really everybody who worked on those cars back then. They all went the extra mile to make things like that happen. So, when I think about that, it just takes the respect level that I already have for all that they did with what they had back then, and makes it even greater.”
Chase Elliott on racing at Talladega
“We will just need to go and race our hearts out and try to win. That’s about all we can do. The best place to be at Talladega, as everybody knows, is to try to be out front. That is hard to sustain for a long period of time in those races, but we’ve seen guys who have gotten good at it over the past few years. They make it happen and are able to control a race really well. I do think there is an art to it. There are obviously a lot of things you can’t control and running as close as we do there, that is a big factor, but I do think there is something that you can do better than others rather than just riding around and hoping for the best.”
Elliott on Talladega strategy
“We haven’t taken anything for granted and we raced last weekend going for a win. We will do the same this weekend in Talladega. It is nice to not have to worry about advancing with Talladega being the cut-off race, but our speedway program is outstanding and we will have a great Lowe’s ProServices Chevy for this weekend. It’s going to be an interesting race with so many good guys going for the Round of 8 and this being their last opportunity to make it through. It’s going to be wild.”
Jimmie Johnson on racing at Talladega
“I’m excited about getting to Talladega. Speedway racing is always really stressful, but going there we’ve got a great Mountain Dew camo scheme – half the car is invisible (laughs) – so hopefully (No. 88 team spotter) T.J. (Majors) can still see it from the spotter’s stand. Hendrick Motorsports brings such fast race cars to that racetrack, so I’m really excited. Their speedway stuff is amazing, always – especially the No. 88 – so I’m just really looking forward to having a chance to win. I’m going to sit Dale (Earnhardt Jr.) down and have a couple-hour discussion with him about speedway racing because if there’s a speedway racer left in this garage, it’s him, for sure.”
Alex Bowman on racing at Talladega
