CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY (1.5-MILE OVAL)
LOCATION: CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA
EVENT: NASCAR CUP SERIES (RACE 13 OF 36)
TUNE IN: 6 P.M. ET, SUNDAY, MAY 27 (FOX/PRN/SIRIUSXM)
Chase Elliott
No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Driver Chase Elliott Hometown Dawsonville, Georgia
Age 22 Resides Dawsonville, Georgia
2018 Season
15th in standings
12 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
3 top-five finishes
5 top-10 finishes
8 laps led
Career
89 starts
0 wins
3 pole positions
25 top-five finishes
43 top-10 finishes
926 laps led
Track Career
5 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
1 top-five finish
2 top-10 finishes
115 laps led
NAPA AUTO PARTS PATRIOTIC CHEVROLET: The No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will go red, white and blue for the Memorial Day weekend event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The patriotic paint scheme that Chase Elliott will pilot on Sunday was revealed last week via the Hendrick Motorsports Twitter account. To get an up-close look at how the new NAPA scheme came together, check out the video.
CHARLOTTE STATS: Elliott is set to make his sixth NASCAR Cup Series start at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday. In his five previous starts at the track, he has garnered a runner-up finish, two top-10s and 115 laps led. He averages a starting position of 10.6 at the venue. Elliott will also pull double duty in the NASCAR Xfinity Series this weekend at Charlotte. In the Dawsonville, Georgia, native’s four previous Xfinity starts at Charlotte, he has garnered three top-10s, led 66 laps and earned a pole award in Oct. 2014.
600 MILES OF REMEMBRANCE: This weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Elliott’s windshield will bear the name of U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. John Chester Robertson as part of the NASCAR Salutes initiative. Robertson was born Nov. 13, 1940. Upon enlisting, he served during Vietnam with the 3rd Marine Division, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, G Company as a rifleman. Robertson passed away on March 22, 1966, around South Vietnam from small arms fire. Robertson is memorialized at Edgewater New Smyrna Cemetery in Edgewater, Florida, and honored on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, panel 6E, line 40.
IF NAPA RACING WINS, NAPA REWARD MEMBERS WIN: If Elliott or his NAPA Racing teammate Alexander Rossi bring home a win this weekend, NAPA Rewards members will win big, too, with triple points and free shipping on May 29. This special offer is available on www.NAPAonline.com and in NAPA AUTO PARTS stores. The offer is for current NAPA Rewards members and anyone who signs up to be a NAPA Rewards member. When NAPA wins, NAPA Rewards members win, too.
INTREPID FALLEN HEROES FUND: NAPA continues to be a committed partner to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund (IFHF), which serves United States military personnel experiencing Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS). To date, the NAPA family has donated more than $10 million to IFHF. Elliott’s No. 9 Chevrolet and Rossi’s No. 27 patriotic paint schemes will include a NAPA + Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund “Support Our Troops” message during the Memorial Day weekend races.
DOUBLE DUTY: In addition to his full-time duty piloting the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the Cup Series, Elliott will also drive the No. 23 NASCAR Xfinity Series entry for GMS Racing on Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Hooters will serve as the primary sponsor for the No. 23 car this weekend in honor of the restaurant chain’s 35th anniversary and the 22nd Annual Hooters International Pageant. Elliott will also drive the No. 23 Chevrolet in the upcoming Pocono (June 2), Chicagoland (June 30), Daytona (July 6) and Bristol (Aug. 17) NXS races.
William Byron
No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Driver William Byron Hometown Charlotte, North Carolina
Age 20 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina
2018 Season
19th in standings
12 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
1 top-10 finish
31 laps led
Career
12 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
1 top-10 finish
31 laps led
Track Career
0 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
0 top-10 finishes
0 laps led
LIBERTY’S PATRIOTIC SCHEME: William Byron’s No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will have a special patriotic twist to the primary paint scheme this weekend. American flag details were added inside the Liberty University logos on the hood and the quarter panels to support the launch of NASCAR’s annual “NASCAR Salutes” initiative. The program is the industry’s collective expression of respect and gratitude for those who have served and continue to defend our nation today. Watch the patriotic No. 24 Liberty University Chevy come to life by clicking here.
HONORING MEMBERS OF THE U.S. ARMED FORCES: Perhaps the most notable feature of the Liberty University patriotic paint scheme will be seen on the No. 24 Chevy’s windshield, as the space that typically features the series sponsor will be replaced with the name of Maj. Michael Donahue. As part of NASCAR’s “600 Miles of Remembrance” program, all 40 drivers will honor United States Armed Forces members who have fallen in service for their country. Liberty is also featuring an additional name above the driver’s door.
MAJ. MICHAEL DONAHUE: Donahue, who grew up in Columbus, Ohio, is a respected Liberty alumnus and was an assistant professor of military science for Liberty’s Army ROTC program from August 2008 to July 2010, during which time he completed his master’s degree in education and his Ed.D. Donahue served three combat tours of duty in the U.S. Army in which he was stationed in South Korea, Iraq and Afghanistan. On Sept. 16, 2014, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Donahue’s life was taken when a Taliban suicide bomber drove a vehicle laced with explosives into a foreign military convoy on the base. Donahue’s awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the Purple Heart, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with two campaign stars, the Iraq Campaign Medal with one campaign star, the Korean Defense Service Medal, the Combat Action Badge and the Senior Parachutist Badge.
DR. CHARLIE DAVIDSON: In addition to Donahue’s name on the windshield, Liberty University and the No. 24 team will also recognize another member of the United States Armed Forces – Dr. Charlie Davidson – by putting his name over the driver’s-side door in place of Byron’s. Davidson was a beloved Liberty faculty member who served in the chaplaincy department and made an incredible impact on the faculty, staff, and students of Liberty for many years. Lt. Col. Davidson was the first award recipient for George Rogers Champion of Freedom Award to represent the U.S. Air Force. He was the first Air Force chaplain to set foot on the soil of Baghdad, Iraq, and the first Air Force chaplain to be awarded the Bronze Star Medal for bravery and valor under hostile fire and combat conditions in Operation Iraqi Freedom on Nov. 7, 2003. His numerous awards and decorations include the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Joint Service Outstanding Unit Award, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with three oak leaf clusters, National Defense Service Medal, Southwest Asia Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster, and the Humanitarian Service Medal. Davidson also served on the board of directors at Bristol Raceway Ministries in Bristol, Tennessee.
CHARLOTTEAN: Byron, a native of Charlotte, North Carolina, finished seventh in the Open race before last Saturday night’s all-star event at Charlotte Motor Speedway, albeit with a different rules package than the NASCAR Cup Series will utilize this weekend. A win wouldn’t be out of the question for Byron, as seven drivers have picked up their first career wins in the 600-mile event. Two Hendrick Motorsports drivers have accomplished the feat – Jeff Gordon in 1994 and Casey Mears in 2007. Matt Kenseth won the race as a rookie in 2000. Byron himself has experience at the track in other series in addition to last weekend’s race. In two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway, he earned finishes of 14th and 16th. In the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Byron earned the pole and finished 10th at Charlotte. He began his racing career in Charlotte when his father took Byron to visit the U.S. Legend Cars International headquarters in Harrisburg, North Carolina, in the summer of 2012 to learn about a way to begin racing. Byron began competing in the U.S. Legend Young Lion Division in 2013, a year in which he won nearly half of the 69 legend car events he raced across the United States. All totaled, he earned 33 victories en route to the 2013 U.S. Legend Young Lions National Championship and the 2013 Thursday Thunder Young Lions championship at Atlanta Motor Speedway. After enjoying success in legend cars, Byron was ready to move up to full-size cars in 2014 and he hasn’t looked back.
TEAM LEADER WITH EXPERIENCE: No. 24 team crew chief Darian Grubb is no stranger to success at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The championship-winning crew chief has two wins specifically in the 600-mile race, with drivers Casey Mears (2007) and Carl Edwards (2015). The 2007 win with Mears came in Grubb’s first year as a full-time crew chief for Hendrick Motorsports. Grubb had previously served as the lead engineer for the No. 48 team.
ICYMI – AXALTA DARLINGTON THROWBACK SCHEME: Byron will pilot a throwback No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 paying homage to one of the most famous No. 24 paint schemes of all time – Jeff Gordon’s iconic rainbow-colored ride from the 1990s – at Darlington Raceway on Sept. 2. The throwback was unveiled last Friday afternoon at Charlotte Motor Speedway in a special ceremony featuring an original painting by Sam Bass titled “Hot Southern Night.” Bass has designed all but one of the primary Axalta Chevrolets for the Nos. 24 and 88 cars, notably including Gordon’s original rainbow paint scheme, which debuted in the 1992 season finale. Byron’s throwback isn’t modeled after a particular year. Rather, it is designed to pay tribute to Gordon’s entire NASCAR Cup Series career, which spanned more than two decades and brought with it four championships, 93 wins, 325 top-five finishes, 477 top-10s and nearly 25,000 laps led. Gordon drove the rainbow Chevrolet from his debut in 1992 through the 2000 season – and it returned for one final ride at Bristol Motor Speedway during his final full-time season in 2015. To see the paint scheme, click here.
HOME TRACK: In addition to Charlotte Motor Speedway serving as the home track for Byron, who was born and raised in Charlotte, several other North Carolina natives on the No. 24 team claim the track as their home base as well, including race engineer Michael Oxendine, who hails from Lumberton; engineer Matt Piercy from Conover; and three members of the pit crew – tire carrier/jackman Eric Ludwig from Burlington, jackman/tire carrier Scott Riddle from Ramseur, and fueler Landon Walker from North Wilkesboro.
CHEVY STAGE: Byron will make an appearance at the Team Chevy stage on Sunday, May 27, at 3 p.m. ET. Fans can visit the Chevy stage in the midway to see the Q&A with Byron.
WATCH FOR BYRON: In case you missed it, Byron was included in two very different features this week. The first was a video for BuzzFeed Blue’s YouTube channel, where Byron and fellow Cup Series competitor Daniel Suarez took the written version of the driver’s ed test. Secondly, Byron was profiled in a sports documentary show called “The American Athlete,” which aired starting Friday, May 18.
Jimmie Johnson
No. 48 Lowe’s Patriotic Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Driver Jimmie Johnson Hometown El Cajon, California
Age 42 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina
2018 Season
12th in standings
12 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
1 top-five finish
4 top-10 finishes
0 laps led
Career
591 starts
83 wins
35 pole positions
223 top-five finishes
345 top-10 finishes
18,663 laps led
Track Career
33 starts
8 wins
4 pole positions
15 top-five finishes
20 top-10 finishes
1,930 laps led
Jimmie Johnson will be available to the media on Thursday, May 24, at 1:45 p.m. local time in the media center at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
NEVER FORGOTTEN: Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 Lowe’s for Pros Chevrolet will have a special look this weekend for the 600-mile event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The red, white and blue Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will carry the name of Staff Sgt. Francis G. “Frankie” Phillips IV, who was killed in action while serving in the United States Army in the Maiwand region of Afghanistan on May 4, 2013. Phillips’ mother, Cherie, is an employee of the Auburn, New York, Lowe’s Home Improvement store and she was able to select the paint scheme that will honor her son. Phillips was killed, along with four other soldiers, when a bomb exploded near their armored vehicle, and was laid to rest with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery on May 20, 2013. Phillips, lovingly referred to as “Frankie,” was awarded the Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. Members of Phillips’ family, including his mother, will be in attendance at the race event this weekend.
THE STORY OF FRANKIE PHILLIPS: Lowe’s Racing rolled out a series of emotional videos to adequately tell the story behind the man riding along with Johnson and the No. 48 team this weekend. Click here to view the video on Team Lowe’s Racing’s Facebook page.
PATRIOTIC CAR UNVEILED: Lowe’s unveiled the paint scheme honoring Phillips at the Lowe’s store in Auburn, New York, where Cherie Phillips works as an administrative assistant on May 17. Click here to see the video.
RANKING JOHNSON: There are eight drivers in NASCAR history who have three or more wins at the 600-mile race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip has five, Johnson has four and Bobby Allison, Buddy Baker, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne and David Pearson all have three wins apiece. Johnson’s wins were over 16 starts, which gives him the best win percentage of the group at 25 percent.
KIND OF A BIG DEAL: The 600-mile race at Charlotte is considered one of the “Crown Jewels” in NASCAR along with the Daytona 500, Southern 500 at Darlington and Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Johnson is one of four drivers who have ever won all of them in the modern era along with Gordon, Earnhardt and Kevin Harvick.
JIMMIE’S HOUSE: Johnson’s statistics at Charlotte Motor Speedway are fairly impressive. Including the four wins in the 600-mile race, the El Cajon, California, native has eight career points wins at the track in addition to four All-Star wins – both of which are the most all-time. Johnson has led in 26 of his 33 starts at the 1.5-mile track, which sits less than two miles from Hendrick Motorsports’ headquarters, for a total of 1,930 laps.
POWER OF PRIDE: Crew chief Chad Knaus narrated a video discussing how the “Power of Pride” has been a huge part of the No. 48 Lowe’s team since its inception in 2001. The video showcases paint schemes throughout the last 17 years honoring those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice fighting for freedom. Click here to see the video.
NEXT UP, 84: Johnson’s next trip to Victory Lane will be his 84th points-paying NASCAR Cup Series win. He secured his 83rd in June 2017 to tie NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough for sixth on the all-time wins list. An 84th win would tie Hall of Famers Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Allison for fourth all-time. Johnson is currently 10 wins behind former teammate Jeff Gordon, who has 93 victories and is third on the list. Johnson has the most wins of all active drivers and No. 48 team crew chief Chad Knaus has the most wins of all active crew chiefs with 81.
Alex Bowman
No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Driver Alex Bowman Hometown Tucson, Arizona
Age 25 Resides Mooresville, North Carolina
2018 Season
14th in standings
12 starts
0 wins
1 pole position
1 top-five finish
3 top-10 finishes
65 laps led
Career
93 starts
0 wins
2 pole positions
1 top-five finish
6 top-10 finishes
268 laps led
Track Career
5 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
0 top-10 finishes
0 laps led
NATIONWIDE IS ON OUR SIDE: The Nationwide colors will be back on board the No. 88 Camaro ZL1 this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but with a special paint scheme. Alex Bowman will pilot a patriotic Chevy this Memorial Day weekend to honor the men and women of the United States military. Nationwide has been the primary on the No. 88 Chevrolet five times at the 1.5-mile track with Dale Earnhardt Jr. The No. 88 team ran a Nationwide patriotic scheme in the last two spring races at Charlotte. Earnhardt drove the Nationwide machine to a third-place finish in the 2012 spring event.
BOWMAN’S CHARLOTTE SUCCESS: Bowman captured his first NASCAR national series victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October 2017 after leading 32 laps in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race. The 25-year-old driver has four total Xfinity starts at the speedway, with an average finish of 12.8. In October 2016, Bowman was behind the wheel of the No. 88 machine for Hendrick Motorsports and started on the outside pole. The driver has five NASCAR Cup Series starts at the track, with his best finish of 26th coming back in 2015.
FIRST-TIME WINNERS: Seven drivers have scored their first wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway during the 600-mile event, two of which were from the Hendrick Motorsports stable. If Bowman were to win on Sunday, he would be the ninth driver to get his first win with Hendrick Motorsports. Four drivers have earned their first Xfinity Series win and their first Cup Series win at the same track, and Bowman could become the fifth this Sunday.
IVES AT CHARLOTTE: Crew chief Greg Ives has called the shots six times for the No. 88 team at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The Bark River, Michigan, native has one top-five finish and two top-10s in the NASCAR Cup Series, with his best finish of third coming back in 2015 with Earnhardt. The crew chief’s résumé in the NASCAR Xfinity Series includes two top-10 finishes and one pole win in 2014. Ives was a race engineer for the No. 48 from 2006-2012 and captured one win (2009) and six top-five finishes.
HOME TRACK FOR LINEBACK: Dustin Lineback, jackman/tire carrier for the No. 88 Nationwide pit crew, considers Charlotte Motor Speedway his home track. Lineback grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina, and went to school approximately 235 miles from the Charlotte-based track at East Carolina University. The 29-year-old played football at ECU from 2007 until 2011 as a weakside linebacker. The ECU team won two conference championships and went to four bowl games while Lineback was enrolled at the school. Lineback joined Hendrick Motorsports in 2013.
CAPT. ROZANSKI: Bowman will carry the name of Capt. Nick Rozanski on the front windshield of the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 this weekend. Rozanski, a native of Dublin, Ohio, and a graduate of Ohio State University, was a member of the Ohio Army National Guard’s 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. He was deployed in 2004 to Kosovo, in 2007 to Kuwait/Iraq and again in 2012 to Afghanistan, his final deployment. Rozanski died on April 4, 2012 due to combat injuries sustained in Afghanistan. Jennifer Rozanski, his widow, worked at Nationwide in the staff sales organization during the time of his passing. In 2012, Jennifer started the Nick Rozanski Memorial Foundation to benefit students and families within the local Dublin community through scholarships and other charitable foundations. She and the couple’s two daughters will be guests of Nationwide and Hendrick Motorsports at this weekend’s event in Charlotte.
ALL-STAR RECAP: Bowman made his first appearance in the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race last weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway after capturing Stage 1 of the Open qualifying race. The No. 88 team started third in the Open and by Lap 5, Bowman was up to second. After battling side-by-side for the lead, the team was scored in first on Lap 14. Bowman lined up 18th for the all-star event, but on Lap 68 the No. 88 Chevy got loose on the exit of Turn 2 while running ninth and hit the outside wall. Bowman was scored with a 21st-place finish in the 2018 event.
Hendrick Motorsports
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT CHARLOTTE: Hendrick Motorsports has 19 wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway, which ranks first all-time among teams at the 1.5-mile oval. Jimmie Johnson most recently won the 2017 Bank of America 500 and has an all-time record eight career victories at Charlotte. The organization has 60 top-five finishes and 95 top-10s and has led 5,023 laps at Charlotte since 1984.
FINDING VICTORY LANE: Hendrick Motorsports’ 19 wins at Charlotte are tied with Dover International Speedway for second for the organization’s most at a track, behind only Martinsville Speedway with 24 wins. The Charlotte victories have come via seven different drivers – Johnson (eight), Jeff Gordon (five), Darrell Waltrip (two), Ken Schrader, Terry Labonte, Casey Mears and Kasey Kahne.
600-MILE WARRIORS: Hendrick Motorsports leads the way for all teams in the 600-mile event at Charlotte with 11 wins, 31 top-five finishes, 47 top-10s and 2,882 laps led. The organization has won 11 of the last 30 600-mile events – 37 percent – and has not gone more than four years without a Charlotte 600 win since its first win in 1988.
1.5-MILE WINNERS: All-time, Hendrick Motorsports owns 57 wins on 1.5-mile tracks. That is the most of any organization, ahead of Joe Gibbs Racing’s 43 wins, Roush Fenway Racing’s 41 wins and Team Penske’s 22 wins.
250 ON THE HORIZON: The next points-paying win by a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet will be the organization’s milestone 250th in NASCAR Cup Series competition. With 268 Cup victories, only Petty Enterprises has more. Junior Johnson and Associates is third all-time at 153 wins, followed by Joe Gibbs Racing with 151 and Roush Fenway Racing with 137.
16 MAKES 249: Sixteen different drivers have contributed to Hendrick Motorsports’ total of 249 points-paying Cup wins. Only the Wood Brothers team, which has sent 19 different drivers to Victory Lane, has more. Junior Johnson and Associates won with 13 different drivers.
FIRST-TIME WINNERS: If Chase Elliott, William Byron or Alex Bowman wins at Charlotte, it will mark the ninth time a driver has recorded his first career Cup Series win while driving for Hendrick Motorsports. Hendrick Motorsports and Roush Fenway Racing share the all-time record, having each sent eight first-time winners to Victory Lane in Cup Series competition.
ORGANIZATION STATS: To date, Hendrick Motorsports has totals of 12 championships, 249 race victories, 214 pole positions, 1,034 top-five finishes and 1,753 top-10 finishes in points-paying NASCAR Cup Series competition. Its teams have led more than 67,000 laps since 1984.
QUOTABLE /
Chase Elliott on racing at Charlotte:
“It has been kind of an up-and-down place. We have had some really good cars there and some not-so-good days, too. I haven’t really felt like I have hit on any magic there, but it’s been a fun place to go and I don’t have anything against it.”
William Byron on racing 600 miles at Charlotte:
“Hopefully we can improve on our performance in Kansas and have a chance to work with the car. It’s a long race at Charlotte, so hopefully we stay up near the front and get some points in each of the stages to make up some points there, and then just have a good race. It’s an honor to have Maj. Donahue and Lt. Col. Davidson on the car this weekend. It’s a great-looking car and should be a lot of fun.”
Jimmie Johnson on honoring SSG Frankie Phillips at Charlotte:
“Staff Sgt. Frankie Phillips, we thank you for your service to our country. And to his mother, Cherie, I couldn’t be more honored to drive the No. 48 with Frankie’s name on the car. This race is always special to us to honor the men and women who serve and have served our country.”
Johnson on the All-Star Race versus the 600-mile race at Charlotte:
“The All-Star Race was fun, but this weekend is a different package, so that race didn’t do much to help us prepare for this weekend. The 600 is a long race, it’s a test of endurance and patience, and you have to accommodate for track conditions changing from the day to the night.”
Alex Bowman on the physical toughness of the 600-mile race:
“The 600 really isn’t that bad. I feel like Dover is physically tougher. It’s just a long race, so, mentally you have to be prepared, but physically it’s really not that bad of a race. I don’t think that is one of the tougher ones, it’s just time-wise a long day.”
Bowman on changing track positions at Charlotte:
“Just staying ahead of it is a big thing. Charlotte changes a lot with the sun. As the sun goes down, staying ahead of it and knowing what changes you are going to need to make and not going the wrong direction at any point is really important.”
Bowman on the No. 88 patriotic paint scheme:
“The paint scheme this weekend is really special. Everything we do for veterans is really special around the 600 and everything Nationwide does. It’s a really cool thing to be a part of. We are honoring Capt. Rozanski with his name on the windshield, and it is such an honor to carry his name on our Camaro ZL1 this weekend.”
