BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY (0.533-MILE OVAL)
LOCATION: BRISTOL, TENNESSEE
EVENT: NASCAR CUP SERIES (RACE 24 OF 36)
TUNE IN: 7:30 P.M. ET, SATURDAY, AUG. 18 (NBCSN/PRN/SIRIUSXM)
Chase Elliott
No. 9 Kelley Blue Book Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Driver Chase Elliott Hometown Dawsonville, Georgia
Age 22 Resides Dawsonville, Georgia
2018 Season
11th in points
23 starts
1 win
1 pole position
6 top-five finishes
12 top-10 finishes
108 laps led
Career
100 starts
1 win
4 pole positions
28 top-five finishes
50 top-10 finishes
1,026 laps led
Track Career
5 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
1 top-five finish
2 top-10 finishes
16 laps led
ON A ROLL: Chase Elliott has finished inside the top 10 in each of the last four races (New Hampshire, Pocono, Watkins Glen, Michigan), his longest streak of top-10 results since the summer of 2017 (Dover, Pocono, Michigan, Sonoma). The Dawsonville, Georgia, native’s four consecutive top-10 finishes tie him with Kyle Larson for the longest streak of top-10s by a Chevrolet driver in 2018. Elliott had his longest career top-10 streak during his rookie season, spanning six races from Talladega (May) to Michigan (June).
KELLEY BLUE BOOK SEASON DEBUT: This weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, Elliott will pilot the No. 9 Kelley Blue Book Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for the first time this season. Kelley Blue Book is the vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the automotive industry. Each week, the company provides the most market-reflective values in the industry on its top-rated website KBB.com, including its famous Blue Book Trade-In Values and Fair Purchase Price, which reports what others are paying for new and used cars this week. Kelley Blue Book extended its relationship with Hendrick Motorsports prior to the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season. In addition to Bristol, Elliott will also pilot the No. 9 Kelley Blue Book Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Texas Motor Speedway in November.
GREAT PERFORMANCE: So far this season, Elliott has had strong performances on non-aero tracks (ISM, Martinsville, Bristol, Richmond, Sonoma, New Hampshire, Watkins Glen). The 22-year-old driver has finished inside the top five in five of the seven non-aero track races.
SHORT-TRACK STATS: Elliott is set to make his 18th NASCAR Cup Series short-track start this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. In his previous 17 starts at tracks less than one mile in length (Martinsville, Richmond, Bristol), Elliott has collected three top-five finishes, six top-10s and 159 laps led.
DOUBLE DUTY: In addition to his full-time duty piloting the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the Cup Series, Elliott will once again compete in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race driving the No. 23 Chevrolet for GMS Racing on Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway.
ELLIOTT AT CHEVY STAGE: On Saturday, Aug. 18 , Elliott will appear at the Team Chevy Stage at 5 p.m. local time for a question-and-answer session.
MICHIGAN REWIND: Last Sunday at Michigan International Speedway, in his 100th career NASCAR Cup Series start, Elliott raced his No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to his 50th career top-10 finish.
William Byron
No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Driver William Byron Hometown Charlotte, North Carolina
Age 20 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina
2018 Season
21st in points
23 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
3 top-10 finishes
53 laps led
Career
23 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
3 top-10 finishes
53 laps led
Track Career
1 start
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
0 top-10 finishes
0 laps led
LIBERTY U AND IG STORY TAKEOVER: At Bristol Motor Speedway, the blue and red Liberty University colors will adorn the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for the 12th time this season. Liberty is the majority primary partner of the No. 24 team with 14 races in 2018, with the final two races as primary scheduled for Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Richmond Raceway. Liberty University, founded in 1971, offers more than 550 unique programs of study from the certificate to the doctoral level. William Byron, a junior majoring in business communications, takes online classes at Liberty, which offers more than 250 programs online. After a summer break, he’ll start back with classes in the next few weeks. Byron will take over Liberty University’s Instagram stories (@libertyuniversity) on Saturday to give fans and students a behind-the-scenes look at race day, so be sure to check it out.
BRISTOL STATS: Byron has four national series starts at Bristol Motor Speedway – one earlier this year in the NASCAR Cup Series, two in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and one in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – in addition to one regional touring series start in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. In the April Cup race, the 20-year-old qualified 11th and came home 18th after rain interrupted the race on Sunday and it was completed on Monday. His best Xfinity finish is 12th, while he earned top-fives in Truck Series and K&N competition. In the truck series, he led a lap near the end of the event before coming home fourth, and in the K&N race, he came just shy of the win with a runner-up finish. Across all the NASCAR series, Byron’s average finish at “The Last Great Colosseum” is 11.8. At the 0.533-mile oval, 15 drivers have scored top-five finishes as rookie, including Chase Elliott when he drove the No. 24 Chevy in 2016. Five drivers have earned their first win at Bristol, with Kurt Busch the most recent in 2002.
NO. 24 AT BRISTOL: The Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet has a strong history at Bristol Motor Speedway, thanks largely to Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon. Of the organization’s 11 wins at Bristol, Gordon was responsible for five behind the wheel of the No. 24 Chevy. Gordon’s first win at the 0.533-mile oval came in April 1995, and he remains the third-youngest driver to win a race at Bristol at 23 years, 7 months and 29 days.
BYRON SCHEDULED FOR THURSDAY APPEARANCE: As part of the enhanced weekend festivities, Byron will participate in Bristol’s Food City Race Night on Thursday afternoon. His autograph session begins at 5 p.m. local time in the Hospitality Village outside of Turn 4 at the track. Admission is free, but only 150 wristbands will be distributed for the session, starting at 10 a.m. local time on Thursday at the wristbands distribution tent in front of the Hospitality Village.
BYRON AT CHEVY STAGE: On Saturday, Aug. 18, Byron will appear at the Team Chevy Stage at 5 p.m. local time for a question-and-answer session.
CLOSE TO HOME: Chris Burkey, the pit crew coach for the Nos. 9 and 24 teams, hails from Greeneville, Tennessee, which is only 47 miles southwest of Bristol Motor Speedway. Burkey has an extensive background in coaching, getting his start in football. He played football for Wingate University, where he eventually started his coaching career. Burkey coached college football from 1992 to 2005 for Wingate, East Tennessee and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 2005, he joined the NFL’s Miami Dolphins as a scout. Looking for a new challenge, Burkey made the transition from football to NASCAR when he was hired as a developmental pit crew coach for Hendrick Motorsports in 2009. He moved up to the head coach position for the former Nos. 5 and 24 teams in 2014.
Jimmie Johnson
No. 48 Lowe’s for Pros Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Driver Jimmie Johnson Hometown El Cajon, California
Age 42 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina
2018 Season
14th in points
23 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
2 top-five finishes
7 top-10 finishes
29 laps led
Career
602 starts
83 wins
35 pole positions
224 top-five finishes
348 top-10 finishes
18,692 laps led
Track Career
33 starts
2 wins
1 pole position
12 top-five finishes
19 top-10 finishes
914 laps led
RETURN TO BEST FINISH SO FAR: The last outing at Bristol Motor Speedway in April resulted in a third-place finish for Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 crew – their best finish of the season to date. Throughout the chaotic race, which started on a Sunday and was completed on a Monday due to rain, Johnson made some notable on-track evasive moves, driving through several multiple-car incidents to survive the 500-lap event.
SHORT-TRACK STUD: Johnson has 14 total wins on short tracks across the NASCAR Cup Series circuit, which is the most of all active drivers. In addition to his two wins at Bristol, the 42-year-old driver has nine wins at Martinsville Speedway and three wins at Richmond Raceway. In 99 short-track starts, the El Cajon, California, native has accumulated five pole positions, 28 top-five finishes, 57 top-10s and 77 top-20 results. Johnson has led 4,238 laps on short tracks and has completed 97.8 percent of all laps run. Also impressive, in those 99 starts, Johnson has only three DNFs (did not finish).
CONSISTENCY IS KEY: Over the last nine races at Bristol Motor Speedway, Johnson has racked up some consistent finishes. He has a win and a runner-up result, five top-five finishes and six top-10s – both of which are either first or tied for first in the NASCAR Cup Series in that span – and his average finish of 8.22 is the best among drivers to compete in all nine races. During that span, he has led 125 laps at the track. In April at Bristol, he drove from 17th to first to win Stage 1, ultimately taking the checkered flag in third – his best finish of the season to date. Since the advent of stage racing at Bristol, Johnson and Kyle Larson are the only drivers with top-10 finishes in both Stage 1 and 2 in all three races. In each of those three races, Johnson is the only driver to never have finished outside of the top five in Stage 2.
MICHIGAN REWIND: Johnson ran better than his 28th-place result showed at Michigan International Speedway. Starting 19th, he worked his way toward the front of the field throughout the event. Pit strategy helped him gain the lead at the start of Stage 2, and he led 13 laps around the two-mile track in the Irish Hills of Michigan. In the closing laps, Johnson looked as though he would bring home a solid top-10 finish before a vibration caused him to bring the No. 48 Lowe’s for Pros Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to pit road with seven laps to go. The unscheduled stop relegated the No. 48 team to a 28th-place finish.
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.
BIG EARL AT PRE-RACE PIT STOP: Longtime No. 48 team spotter Earl Barban will appear at the Pre-Race Pit Stop, located in the infield at Bristol Motor Speedway, for a fan question-and-answer session on Saturday, Aug. 18, at 4 p.m. local time.
CELEBRATE WITH SEVEN-TIMERS: Fans attending the race at Darlington Raceway will have an exclusive opportunity to hear from many of the stars and legends of NASCAR at Darlington’s “Saturday Night Celebration” event taking place at the track on Sept. 1. Seven-time Cup Series champion Johnson will appear alongside NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty. For more information, click here.
Alex Bowman
No. 88 Valvoline Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Driver Alex Bowman Hometown Tucson, Arizona
Age 25 Resides Mooresville, North Carolina
2018 Season
15th in points
23 starts
0 wins
1 pole position
2 top-five finishes
8 top-10 finishes
67 laps led
Career
104 starts
0 wins
2 pole positions
2 top-five finishes
11 top-10 finishes
270 laps led
Track Career
5 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
1 top-five finish
1 top-10 finish
0 laps led
CAREER BEST: Alex Bowman’s captured his first career top-five finish earlier this year when the NASCAR Cup Series visited Bristol Motor Speedway. The No. 88 team brought home a fifth-place finish in the weather-delayed event in April. The team has two top-10 finishes at short tracks this season, also including a seventh-place result at Martinsville. If Bowman were to win this weekend in Bristol, he would be the seventh Hendrick Motorsports driver to capture a win at the track.
BOWMAN’S BRISTOL STATS: Bowman has five previous Cup Series starts at Bristol Motor Speedway. Earlier this year, the No. 88 team qualified eighth before the 25-year-old driver captured his first career top-five finish. The Tucson, Arizona, native has two previous starts at the track in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, where he has an average finish of 14.5.
IVES AT BRISTOL: No. 88 team crew chief Greg Ives will call the shots atop the pit box for the eighth time at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend. Ives has two top-five finishes and three top-10s at the Tennessee venue. Ives has one runner-up finish, which came back in 2016 when Dale Earnhardt Jr. was behind the wheel.
GOODYEAR TIRE TEST: The No. 88 team is participating in a Goodyear Tire Test at Texas Motor Speedway Tuesday and Wednesday this week. Bowman will be available to the media in the Texas Motor Speedway media center on Wednesday at 12:15 p.m. local time.
WELCOME VALVOLINE: Valvoline Inc. – a leading worldwide supplier of premium branded lubricants and automotive services – extended its partnership with Hendrick Motorsports through 2022 on Jan. 30, 2018. Valvoline will be on board the No. 88 Camaro ZL1 during two events this season starting this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway and again at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in September. The Official Lubricants Partner for Hendrick Motorsports also serves as an associate sponsor on the team’s full stable of Chevrolets. The No. 88 Valvoline Camaro ZL1 paint scheme was unveiled on June 14. Check it out here.
MEET BOWMAN: The driver of the No. 88 Valvoline Camaro ZL1 will participate in the NASCAR Youth Autograph Session on Saturday, Aug. 18, at Bristol Motor Speedway from 3:30 to 4 p.m. local time. The session will take place in the Kid’s Zone in the Midway outside the facility. Bowman will be at the Chevrolet display on Saturday, as well, from 4:05 to 4:20 p.m. local time for a question-and-answer session and an autograph signing.
Hendrick Motorsports
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT BRISTOL: At Bristol Motor Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports has 11 wins, 11 pole positions, 57 top-five finishes and 101 top-10s. Jimmie Johnson most recently won there for the organization in April 2017. At Bristol in April of this season, the organization had two drivers finish inside the top five for the first time since October 2017 at Dover.
OVER 100 TOP-10S: With 101 top-10 finishes at Bristol Motor Speedway on the organization’s résumé, the Tennessee track ranks fifth for venues where Hendrick Motorsports has earned 100 or more top-10s. The organization has also achieved the feat at Martinsville (124), Pocono (118), Richmond (105), Dover (103) and Charlotte (100).
BIG ON SHORT TRACKS: Hendrick Motorsports leads all active teams at short tracks in wins (50), poles (50), top-five finishes (218), top-10s (369) and laps led (20,618). Prior to 2018 the organization has won at least one short-track race in each of the last five seasons and in 15 of the last 16 (all but 2011). Hendrick Motorsports has gone to Victory Lane at a short track in 27 different seasons.
LEADING THE RACE: A Hendrick Motorsports driver has led laps in each of the past six races, amassing a total of 151 laps led during that span after the organization led just two laps in the prior six races.
PLAYOFF POSITIONING: Elliott secured his 2018 NASCAR playoff berth with his win at Watkins Glen, and two of his teammates are currently in position to join him: Johnson and Bowman. The three teammates in playoff position are tied for the second-most among all teams in the NASCAR Cup Series.
FIRST-TIME WINNERS: With Elliott earning his first Cup Series win at Watkins Glen, Hendrick Motorsports now holds the record for the most first-time Cup Series winners with nine. If William Byron or Alex Bowman wins at Bristol, it will extend the record to the 10th time a driver has recorded his first career Cup Series win while driving for Hendrick Motorsports.
ORGANIZATION STATS: To date, Hendrick Motorsports has totals of 12 championships, 250 race victories, 215 pole positions, 1,039 top-five finishes and 1,770 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 learning from an on-track incident earlier this year at Bristol:
“Bristol is Bristol, it hasn’t really changed a lot in the time that I have been there. Usually the same people run good there every time and I thought we had a pretty good car there in the spring. Obviously, it’s easy to say that when you crash, but I did think our car was pretty decent in practice, so that is encouraging, I think, and you know Jimmie (Johnson) won there last year straight up against the guys that were dominant all season. I think that we can go there and give ourselves a chance.”
Elliott on the atmosphere for the Bristol night race:
“Very different. The fall race to me just obviously has a lot more hype and a lot more excitement around it for whatever reason. I think the biggest reason is they only have it once a year and when you have things one time a year versus two, it just makes it that much more special. You appreciate it more. I think that is the case with the night race.”
William Byron on racing at Bristol:
“I think the Bristol night race is the signature race of the summertime. It’s a lot of fun just as a fan, and hopefully a lot of fun as a driver. It’s a good track. Bristol’s just very intense on your body – I feel like it’s the most intense race of the year physically. I think you just prepare for that and try to make sure you’re ready for 500 laps there.”
Byron on driving more aggressively at short tracks:
“I think the cars are so fast nowadays, you have to keep the fenders on the car to be competitive. But, you’re more aggressive and you don’t give near as much to other guys as you would at other places. The last race there was intense the whole time because you were trying to guess when the rain was going to get there.”
Byron on his first memory of the Bristol night race:
“I went to the night race in 2009. I think Kyle Busch won the race and it was a milestone start or something big for Mark Martin, which was pretty cool. It was just a neat race; I had never been to the night race and it was a spectacle for sure. It was fun to watch.”
Jimmie Johnson on racing at Bristol:
“Bristol really takes a lot out of you both mentally and physically. It’s the most physical track we run and you have to stay sharp and on your toes while there is just chaos everywhere. We’ve put together some solid finishes the past few races at Bristol and had a good run in the spring race. Last week at Michigan was one of the best cars my team gave me all year. If it wasn’t for a loose wheel at the end we would have been a solid top-10. We are making progress.”
Alex Bowman on racing at Bristol:
“Bristol Motor Speedway is a lot of close racing, and in the spring we had a really good car there. We struggled through practice and then all of a sudden in the race it was really strong. I think track position means a lot there and we started closer to the front, but our car was really good in the race. I think we can definitely take that same package and probably be really good there this weekend.”
Bowman on the upcoming off weekend:
“After Bristol, the Cup teams have the next weekend off. It is going to be nice to have a weekend off and get to spend a little time at home with friends and my dogs. We are going to Nashville that weekend with some friends, so I am really looking forward to having some time off and just hanging out with friends and exploring Nashville.”
