TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
FIREKEEPERS CASINO 400
MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
BROOKLYN, MICHIGAN
JUNE 18, 2017
BOWTIE BULLETS
MICHIGAN HERITAGE:
In 2013, Michigan International Speedway (MIS) began the tradition of honoring the winning manufacturer of each MIS race with a special trophy, the Michigan Heritage Trophy. Since the inception of the award, Chevrolet has earned four wins at MIS and has earned the prestigious award more times than any other manufacturer.
LOOKING FOR NUMBER 40:
The battle for the manufacturer’s title is not as publicly scrutinized as the driver’s championship, but it is equally as important to the original engine manufacturer’s (OEM’s) that compete within NASCAR. In 2017, Chevrolet is on a quest to earn an unprecedented 40th manufacturer’s award. Through the first 14 races, Chevrolet currently leads the race for the manufacturers title by six markers over its competitors.
CHEVY HISTORY MINUTE:
Cale Yarborough took Chevrolet to Victory Lane for the first time at Michigan International Speedway in 1977. Since then, Chevrolet has powered 14 different drivers to Winner’s Circle at the brands home track.
FASTER THAN A SPEEDING…CHEVROLET:
Career-long Chevrolet driver, Jeff Gordon, holds the track qualifying record at Michigan International Speedway. Gordon laid down a lap of 206.558 mph in his Chevrolet SS on August 15, 2014.
POLE MAN:
Chevrolet SS driver, Kasey Kahne, is tied with Joey Logano (Ford) for most poles at Michigan International Speedway by active drivers. Kahne and his fellow Cup Series competitor each have three pole wins at the 2-mile superspeedway to their credit.
RACE REWIND:
Last season, Chevrolet’s Kyle Larson earned his first career Cup Series victory in the backyard of his manufacturer, Chevrolet, by taking home the hardware from Michigan International Speedway. Larson is having his best season to date piloting the No. 42 Chevy SS for Chip Ganassi Racing, earning his second career victory earlier this season at Auto Club Speedway and currently sits second in the point standings.
TUNE-IN:
The FireKeepers Casino 400 is scheduled to begin on Sunday, June 11 at 3 pm, ET. Live coverage can be found on FoxSports1, MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
BY THE NUMBERS:
Chevrolet has won 39 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships
Team Chevy drivers have scored 771 wins and 690 poles in MENCS competition
Chevrolet drivers have won 24 of 95 races at Michigan International Speedway. Victories by current Team Chevy drivers are:
Dale Earnhardt, Jr., No. 88 Mountain Dew Chevrolet SS, has two wins at Michigan International Speedway (’08 & ’12)
Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS, has made one trip to Victory Lane at Michigan International Speedway (’14)
Kasey Kahne, No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS, has one victory at Michigan International Speedway (’06)
Kyle Larson, No. 42 Cars 3 Target Chevrolet SS, earned his first career victory at Michigan International Speedway (’16)
Ryan Newman, No. 31 VELVEETA Shells & Cheese Chevrolet SS, has two trophies from Michigan International Speedway (’03 & ’04)
A Chevrolet driver has won four of the last six races at Michigan International Speedway
A Chevrolet driver has sat on the pole at Michigan International Speedway 26 times
Team Chevy drivers have scored 172 top-five and 345 top-10 finishes at Michigan International Speedway
A Chevrolet has led 7,024 laps (37.3% of possible 18,831 laps) at Michigan International Speedway
FOR THE FANS:
Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Zone at Pocono Raceway
Fans can check out great a great assortment of Chevrolet vehicles including: Impala, Silverado 1500, Camaro Convertible, Tahoe LTZ, Malibu, Equinox, Cruze Hatchback and Silverado 2500 High Country
Chevrolet is bringing out an array of specialty vehicles while in Chevrolet’s hometown including: Bolt, Trax Redline, Corvette Grandsport, Colorado ZR2, Silverado Realtree edition and Silverado Redline
At the Chevrolet Display, fans can view the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS, No. 3 DOW Chevrolet SS and No. 7 Brandt Chevrolet Camaro Xfinity Series show cars
Also on display is a Chevrolet R07 racing engine complete with electronic fuel injection. Fans can also see a sample of engines, parts and accessories available for purchase from Chevrolet Performance at their local Chevrolet dealer
Other activities at the Team Chevy Racing Display include a variety of interactive games for adults and kids
TEAM CHEVY QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSIONS AT THE DISPLAY:
Friday, June 16th
2:00 p.m. – Brendan Gaughan and Daniel Hemric
Saturday, June 17th
8:45 a.m. – Spencer Gallagher and Ben Kennedy
Sunday, June 18th
12:10 p.m. – Michael McDowell
12:30 p.m. – Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Chevrolet Display Hours of operation: Fri. June 16th – 10:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., Sat. June 17th – 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Sun. June 18th – 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
QUOTABLE QUOTES:
KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 CARS 3 TARGET CHEVROLET SS – 2ND IN STANDINGS
“Michigan I think will always be a place I look forward to racing. Even before I got my first win there, it was a track where our team had come close and had some good runs. It’s size and speed just make it a fun place to go race. Our cars were good there last year when we ran the low downforce package, so hopefully we’ll have good speed in our Chevy and can contend for another win. We’re also running a Cars 3 paint scheme with Target this weekend, so that’ll be cool to race on Father’s Day. We showed Owen the car in the shop on Monday and he seemed pretty excited to see dad’s car done up like Lightening McQueen’s.”
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 24 NAPA CHEVROLET SS – 6TH IN STANDINGS
“I think a lot of it is Alan’s (Gustafson, crew chief) success there in the past. He has won races there. He has a good feel for the race track. We ran well there the first race and I really think because we ran well, we went back and worked harder to try and run better. I think a lot of times when you have a good run at a race track, especially, with the way the Michigan dates are, they are so close together, you could think you could just go back with the same thing and run well. Where in reality, I think that is a good way to get behind and I think he did a good job of staying up on things and making sure we improved and didn’t just stay the same.”
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS – 7TH IN STANDINGS
“I’m in total amazement I didn’t even have a bruise from last weekend’s crash at Pocono. I’m looking forward to Michigan. It’s a fast track, speeds are crazy high, and all but once we have figured out how to lose that race in every way. Father’s Day weekend is always special – especially now since I am a Dad. My father Gary, is usually at the race tracks every weekend and it is always the intention to try and get a win for the dads. I’m thankful for all he sacrificed to allow me to follow my dream.”
JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 MCDONALD’S CHEVROLET SS – 8TH IN STANDINGS
“Fast is the first word that comes to mind for Michigan. We carry a lot of speed down the straightaways, but the track offers a lot of room to find a groove that works. Hopefully we can rebound a little bit this weekend after taking a hit in the point standings with the accident at Pocono. Our teammates won the last time we were in Michigan, so we know that we have a team capable of running up front. This often comes down to being a fuel mileage race, so there will be a lot of different strategies on Sunday most likely. I know that we all would love to have a win anywhere, but Michigan would be especially fun with it being in the backyard for our manufacturer and all the employees at Chevrolet who help support our team so much.”
RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 31 VELVEETA SHELLS & CHEESE CHEVROLET SS – 16TH IN STANDINGS
“The hardest thing for us to figure out at Michigan is having a good balance in Turns 1 and 2 and then having the same good balance in Turns 3 and 4. I think Michigan is more challenging as far as getting both ends to handle well versus getting all three corners right at Pocono Raceway.”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW SALUTES VETERANS CHEVROLET SS – 20th IN STANDINGS
“Well I think, just seeing Pocono, I thought it had changed colors a little bit since last year even. Yeah, I think the asphalt will be aged a little bit differently than last year. We will have to work on some grip with the low downforce package. Michigan is one of those places you can really make some ground up if you run well there on the long run.”
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 FARMERS INSURANCE CHEVROLET SS – 21st IN STANDINGS
“Michigan is cool because it’s a very fast track, but restarts can be tough and it can pretty hard to pass there. It’s obviously a big weekend because it’s in Chevy’s backyard and they are such huge supporters of our program. We’ve had a tough last couple of weeks, but Michigan would be a great place to turn it around.”
TY DILLON, NO. 13 TWISTED TEA CHEVROLET SS – 22nd IN STANDINGS
“Chevrolet is such a big part of my family, my life. Michigan is definitely bragging rights territory for manufacturers and I always want another Chevy win, for sure. This No. 13 team has been building good cars and we’ve been working well together. I’m looking forward to getting the Twisted Tea Chevrolet on track this weekend, and meeting some Twisted Tea fans at the track.”
DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 MOUNTAIN DEW CHEVROLET SS – 23rd IN STANDINGS
“We had a really fast car at Pocono, running top-five lap times. I was happy with the speed of the car, so hopefully we can carry that to Michigan. It’s typically a really good track for us. We’re back in the simulator this week preparing for it – we’ve just got to stay on it and keep working toward success.”
PAUL MENARD, NO. 27 NIBCO/MENARDS CHEVROLET SS – 24TH IN STANDINGS
“It’s definitely getting there. It’s still extremely fast, the fastest track that we go to. With the low downforce package, really extremely low downforce, we’ll be pushing 220 miles per hour down the straightaway but then you have to back it down for the corners. The track has widened back out. It’s not like the old Michigan by any stretch, but it’s getting better. I really enjoy going to Michigan. I’ve run well there in both Cup and XFINITY. I’ve led laps and have scored solid finishes. It’ll be fun to take our No. 27 NIBCO / Menards out there and see what we can make happen this weekend.”
CHRIS BUESCHER, NO. 37 KINGSFORD CHEVROLET SS – 25TH IN STANDINGS
“Michigan (International Speedway) is very similar to Auto Club (Speedway), in that you have multiple line options to run. I really like running at Michigan. You can move around the racetrack and find things that work, and it’s just a fun and enjoyable racetrack. Being able to choose your line on the apron is a really unique aspect of the track.
“I got a win in the ARCA Series at Michigan, and we ran really well here in the XFINITY Series. I think Michigan is a track where if we have speed off the truck, we can really run a good, smart race and continue having solid points days. At this point, I think it will take a win to qualify for the playoffs, but I know consistency is a big part of it.”
MICHAEL MCDOWELL, NO. 95 WRL GENERAL CONTRACTORS CHEVROLET SS – 27TH IN STANDINGS
“I didn’t get to practice and qualify at Michigan last year, because I raced at Road America on Saturday in the XFINITY series. Sam Hornish Jr. drove for us until I made it back, and then I hopped in for the race. It was a really tough race for us, and we really struggled. Luckily our downforce package has been really good, and that is important at Michigan. We have really good engines from ECR, so power is never an issue, so it should be a good racetrack for us. It’s still a fast and treacherous track, so hopefully we put on a good race.”
AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 47 KROGER/CLICKLIST CHEVROLET SS – 28TH IN STANDINGS
“Michigan is getting some of its old character back. Yeah, I mean it’s getting closure for sure. Practice is still not a ton. You kind of make practice where it’s one-and-a-half grooves wide. Then you have other races like the NASCAR XFINITY Series race that helps widen out the track on Saturday. On Sunday as we go, the racetrack widens out more.”
Chevrolet NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Statistics
Manufacturers Championships
Total (1949 – 2015): 39
First title for Chevrolet: 1958
Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-2015)
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, 2015
Drivers Championships
Total (1949 – 2016): 31
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, 2016
Event Victories
Record for total race wins in single season: 26 – (in 2007)
2017 STATISTICS:
Wins: 6
Poles: 2
Laps Led: 1,090
Top-five finishes: 23
Top-10 finishes: 42
CHEVROLET IN NASCAR SPRINT CUP CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 771 (1949 – to date)
Poles Won to Date: 690
Laps Lead to Date: 229,563
Top-Five Finishes to Date: 3,897
Top-10 Finishes to Date: 7,999
Total NASCAR Cup wins by Corporation, 1949 – To-Date
GM: 1,106
Chevrolet: 771
Pontiac: 155
Oldsmobile: 115
Buick: 65
Ford: 754
Ford: 654
Mercury: 96
Lincoln: 4
Chrysler: 466
Dodge: 217
Plymouth: 190
Chrysler: 59
Toyota: 97
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About Chevrolet:
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 100 countries and selling more than 4.0 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.
