TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
PENNZOIL 400
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
MARCH 4, 2018
BOWTIE BULLETS
WEST COAST SWING:
2018 marks the fourth consecutive year that the NASCAR schedule has taken the series on a ‘West Coast Swing’ visiting Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Phoenix International Raceway and Auto Club Speedway in succession. Chevrolet has been the most successful manufacturer by earning six of the nine races in the past three seasons that the series has made this mecca. One manufacturer is yet to sweep the “West Coast” swing in its current configuration.
CHEVY HISTORY AT LAS VEGAS:
Chevrolet recorded their first victory at the 1.-5-mile track in 2001 when Jeff Gordon took his Chevy Monte Carlo to Winner’s Circle. Jimmie Johnson saw and raised Gordon’s victory by taking home three consecutive wins in ‘Sin City’ in 2005, 2006 and 2007 – a feat no other driver has been able to replicate since. Johnson added a record fourth Vegas victory in 2010. Two more Team Chevy drivers earned victories in Las Vegas in ’12 and ‘15. Throughout the seven wins four different Chevy nameplates have recorded Vegas wins – Monte Carlo, Monte Carlo SS, Impala and SS.
CHEVROLET WINNER’S CIRCLE:
Camaro ZL1 driver, Jimmie Johnson, is not only a seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion, but he is the most successful driver at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with four wins to his credit, including three back-to-back victories from ’05-‘07.
SPEEDING BOWTIE BULLET:
Kasey Kahne, pilot of the No. 95 Procore Camaro ZL1, holds the record for most poles at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with four top starting spots at the 1.5-mile venue on his racing resume.
TUNE-IN:
The Pennzoil 400 is scheduled to begin on Sunday March 4th at 3:30 pm, EDT. Live coverage can be found on FOX, PRN 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 776 wins and 695 poles in MENCS competition
Chevrolet drivers have won seven of 20 races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Victories by current Team Chevy drivers are:
Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s for Pros Camaro ZL1, has four wins at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (’05, ’06, ’07 & ‘10)
A Chevrolet driver has won one of the last three races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
A Chevrolet driver has sat on the pole at Las Vegas Motor Speedway four times
Team Chevy drivers have scored 45 top-five and 86 top-10 finishes at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
A Chevrolet has led 2,335 laps (46.9% of possible 4,975 laps) at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
FOR THE FANS:
Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the midway area at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Fans can check out great a great assortment of Chevrolet vehicles including: Silverado 1500 Crew LTZ, Silverado 2500HD High Country, Colorado LTZ, Tahoe Premier RST, Impala Premier, Camaro ZL1, Equinox Premier, Traverse Premier
At the Chevrolet Display, fans can view the No. 48 Lowe’s for Pros Camaro ZL1 show car and the 2018 Camaro ZL1 race car show car and matching ZL1 pace car
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, March 2nd
10:00 a.m. – Daniel Hemric
11:45 a.m. – Johnny Sauter
Noon – Justin Haley
12:15 p.m. – Cody Coughlin
12:30 p.m. – Dalton Sargeant
Saturday, March 3rd
8:45 a.m. – Spencer Gallagher
9:00 a.m. – Matt Tifft
Sunday, March 4th
8:45 a.m. – Chase Elliott
9:00 a.m. – Jamie McMurray
9:20 a.m. – Austin Dillon
9:40 a.m. – Jeffrey Earnhardt
Chevrolet Display Hours of operation: Fri. March 2nd – 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.; Sat. March 3rd – 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Sun. March. 4th – 7:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
QUOTABLE QUOTES:
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW CAMARO ZL1 – 6TH IN STANDINGS
“The bumps. I feel like it’s pretty bumpy, but also starting to move around quite a bit there. Move up to the top, move back to the bottom and chase that rubber. There is even some grip in the middle of the track sometimes. You can really move around and find speed. I feel like I’ve been very comfortable there since the first time I raced there in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. I won the Vegas race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in the past, too, so we’ve always liked Vegas. It’s a great location, and a great track.”
KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 CREDIT ONE BANK CAMARO ZL1 – 13TH IN STANDINGS
“I thought we had a decent race last week in Atlanta, but I think this weekend in Las Vegas will be a good measure of where we are with our cars. We tested at Vegas at the end of January, and were pretty happy with where we ended up speed and balance wise with our Camaro ZL1. Hopefully our Credit One Bank Chevy will have a solid run this weekend and we can kick off NASCAR Goes West the right way.”
BUBBA WALLACE, NO. 43 THE COSMOPOLITAN OF LAS VEGAS CAMARO ZL1 – 14TH IN STANDINGS
“I think everyone likes coming to Las Vegas. It’s just a lot of fun for fans and everyone in the sport. We had our first test in Vegas right before the season started. It was out first time in our Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, too. We were able to learn a lot, and it was my first time in a Cup car at Vegas. We got up to speed pretty quickly and felt good when we left. We just want to take what we learned and come back even a little bit better this weekend.”
RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR CAMARO ZL1 – 16TH IN STANDINGS
“The Las Vegas test was kind of an ice breaker for us and the entire RCR organization. We got to debut the new Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and to get an opportunity to test to not only learn about it but see how we stacked up against the teams there. It was a good test for us. I felt like we had some good speed and good reaction to some of the changes we made. We felt like we have a good grip on the track and what it needs. It still has a lot of character and a lot of bumps. It seems like it always changes when we go back.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CAMARO ZL1 – 17TH IN STANDINGS
ON USING INFORMATION TEAMMATE WILLIAM BYRON COLLECTED AT THE JANUARY TEST AT LAS VEGAS:
“Yeah, absolutely. It was the first time the Camaro was on the race track, so I think we got some really good notes with it. I think it will definitely help. We will just have to wait and see how Atlanta goes first. I think that is going to be a big tale, tale for how our car is going to be and really kind of set us off for how the season is going to be. We will just have to wait and see how practice and the race goes here.”
CHRIS BUESCHER, NO. 37 NATURAL LIGHT CAMARO ZL1 – 18TH IN STANDINGS
“We did get to run the test as Las Vegas. That track is so fast and I feel like the pavement has aged pretty decent. You can widen out the groove quite a bit and move around and its getting some character through the bumps. It’s a fun racetrack.
“I’d say there’s some things that you can take from Atlanta Motor Speedway and bring to Las Vegas Motor Speedway. I feel like our setups from track to track have gotten more similar. Maybe now that the cars are so aerodynamically sucked down on the racetrack and we don’t get much movement, you keep the setup more similar than you would in the past. I don’t think there’s a whole lot that translates. I’m going to have to go back to my notes from the test and go from there.”
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 – 19TH IN STANDINGS
“Vegas is kind of interesting. The track has become a little bit temperature sensitive and sunshine sensitive. It has a lot of speed when it’s cool and it has a lot of speed when it can be warm, but the fall off is pretty massive. I think that was kind of a topic of conversation I heard from the test is how quickly the tires were falling off and so on. I’m curious to see where all that stacks up weather wise next weekend.”
JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 CESSNA/DC SOLAR CAMARO ZL1 – 21ST IN STANDINGS
“I think one of the biggest challenges with Las Vegas Motor Speedway would be the bumps in turn one. That seems to be what everybody talks about as soon as we get on-track. Being able to get though those quickly and not upsetting the car much is key. Kyle (Larson) and the No. 42 team went out there to test a few weeks ago. I think it was key to try and get a baseline from where we were last year. With the new body and the new rules that we have, you have to adjust the setup based on this new body versus last year’s. I think they learned all of that fairly quick on the first day which was beneficial.”
AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 47 KROGER CLICKLIST CAMARO ZL1 – 22ND IN STANDINGS
“Heading to Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend, there are some things we can take from Atlanta Motor Speedway and some you can’t. If you go to Atlanta and your car has speed in it, you kind of feel like you’re going to go to Las Vegas, another 1.5-mile track, and have speed in it there as well. The setup is a bit different for sure. Our teammate ran the test at Las Vegas in January, and we got some good notes from that in terms of how this new Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will handle once we race there. We’ll definitely use the test notes more than we’ll use the Atlanta notes going to Vegas.”
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 – 25TH IN STANDINGS
“Vegas will be a fast-paced race. The weather looks like it’s going to be pretty cool, so the biggest challenge for us will be keeping up with the racetrack and making sure we can keep our pace up as the run goes because it’s probably not going to be a quick falloff with the tires – definitely a lot different than what we just saw in Atlanta. We should have good short-run speed like we did out there at the test. I felt like we were really competitive out there, so we can carry over that setup and what we did there at the test and apply it this weekend. We’d like to have a smooth weekend, and hopefully we’ll qualify really well. I’m looking forward to it.”
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 95 WRL GENERAL CONTRACTORS CAMARO ZL1 – 28TH IN STANDINGS
“I’ve always thought Vegas was really good for me. Vegas and Charlotte are pretty similar – maybe not the actual shape of the track, but the pavement is really similar with the grip level and the bumps. I’ve won at Charlotte and have come close to winning at Las Vegas a few times, so I’m looking forward to this weekend. I feel like it’s going well at LFR, and we have a ton of potential. We are trying to progress and learn as we go. Everyone has the same attitude so that makes it really nice.”
TY DILLON, NO. 13 GEICO CAMARO ZL1 – 34TH IN STANDINGS
“We were out in Vegas earlier this year for the test. We learned a lot about ourselves as a team on top of what we learned about the car. It was our first time on track with Matt Borland as our crew chief, and it was an important opportunity to get to know how each other works. We gathered a lot of information from that test that we’re still learning from to this day as we pack up and prepare for Vegas this week. It was very productive for us. I’m glad that we got to go out there and make some laps in the GEICO Camaro ZL1 to get a good feeling for what it has. We definitely had results that we can build on. So I’m looking forward to going back now that we’ve been able to study our notes from both that test and this past weekend in Atlanta, another mile-and-a-half track.”
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S FOR PROS CAMARO ZL1 – 35TH IN STANDINGS
“This Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 is a brand new car to us. I am very proud of my team for all their efforts last weekend in Atlanta, they worked really hard. We all know it was not even close to the result we were looking for. The pit crew got some reps with plenty of four tire stops and we learned a lot. We have a lot of smart people on our team, so I’m not hitting the panic button. I posted this on Twitter: fear has two meanings – “Forget Everything And Run” or “Face Everything And Rise.” I’m ready to rise.”
Chevrolet Monster Energy NASCAR 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)
2018 STATISTICS:
Wins: 1
Poles: 1
Laps Led: 37
Top-five finishes: 3
Top-10 finishes: 7
CHEVROLET IN NASCAR SPRINT CUP CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 776 (1949 – to date)
Poles Won to Date: 695
Laps Led to Date: 87,836
Top-Five Finishes to Date: 3,935
Top-10 Finishes to Date: 8,075
Total NASCAR Cup wins by Corporation, 1949 – To-Date
GM: 1,111
Chevrolet: 776
Pontiac: 155
Oldsmobile: 115
Buick: 65
Ford: 759
Ford: 659
Mercury: 96
Lincoln: 4
Chrysler: 466
Dodge: 217
Plymouth: 190
Chrysler: 59
Toyota: 111
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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.
