TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
GEICO 500
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
TALLADEGA, ALABAMA
APRIL 28, 2019
BOWTIE BULLETS:
ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT NUMBER FOR JOHNSON:
The race will mark Jimmie Johnson’s 625th Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start in 19 years. Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1, is tied with Cale Yarborough for sixth on the all-time wins list with 83. Johnson, who will be the 27th driver with 625 or more starts, has two wins at Talladega Superspeedway.
CHEVROLET PROMINENT IN RACETRACK MILESTONE:
The GEICO 500 will be the 100th MENCS race at Talladega Superspeedway since 1969. Chevrolet has a rich and successful history at the racetrack with 40 victories to lead all manufacturers. Long-time Chevrolet ambassador Dale Earnhardt holds the records for wins (10), top-five finishes (23), top 10s (27) and laps led (1,377) in 44 starts. Among active drivers, Kurt Busch in the No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 is tied for the most starts with 36, and Johnson is tops with 470 laps led in 34 starts.
REPRESENTING THE HOME STATE:
Bubba Wallace, driver of the No. 43 Worldwide Technology Camaro ZL1, is among 11 NASCAR national series race winners from Alabama. Wallace, of Mobile, has six victories in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series. Seventy-four drivers in NASCAR national series history have Alabama recorded as their home state.
MAKING HIS DEBUT:
Justin Haley, who has won in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series, ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, will make his MENCS debut this weekend in the No. 77 Fraternal Order of Eagles Camaro ZL1. The Indiana resident turns 20 on race day.
TUNE-IN:
FOX will telecast the 188-lap/500-mile GEICO 500 live at 2 p.m. ET Sunday, April 28. Live coverage can also be found on 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 779 wins and 703 poles in MENCS competition.
Chevrolet drivers have won 40 of 99 races at Talladega Superspeedway. Victories by current Team Chevy drivers:
Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1, has two wins (’06, ‘11)
QUOTABLE QUOTES:
KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 – 7th in Standings:
“With Talladega this weekend, I’m looking forward to the new rules package and exploring what type of draft it will create; whether there is the ability to side draft more, that’s what I’m hopeful for, or if it’s a bigger hole in the air to create that closing rate and that big mile-per-hour from that car behind. What we have seen of late with the teams, more so the manufacturers, is working more in harmony. Its not like you need to beat one certain competitor, you have to beat the whole group. The best way to beat the whole group is to get them separated. Keep the Toyotas and the Fords apart. We’ll see how things blend in with the new rules package. Also, with the Chevy teams trying to get into more of a harmonic mode on the track. At the same time fundamentals still win this race with raw speed in the car and execution with pit stops.”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW CAMARO ZL1 – 14th in Standings:
“I think everybody is looking forward to a little different speedway race and something to change it up. And this should definitely do that. When we get to Talladega, it will be a big pack; and being able to maneuver through that pack will be everybody’s focus that week. The handling of the car shouldn’t be as much of a focus as just being able to move through the field the fastest and trying to keep the lead the longest.”
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 HERTZ CAMARO ZL1 – 20th in Standings:
“Talladega is a wild card for sure, just like Daytona is. Last year we ran well there, leading laps in both races, but the finishes don’t tell the whole story. I think the rookie stripes made people hesitant to work with me, so hopefully that’s not the case this time. I think our strong run in Daytona in February will help as well. We were up front basically all race and I could really put my car wherever I needed to on track to get back to the front. Chad (Knaus) and the No. 24 team worked hard to build that car and get us that speed, so I’m excited to see what our Hertz Chevy will have this weekend at a similar track.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CAMARO ZL1 – 21st in Standings:
On comparing Talladega to Daytona:
“Daytona and Talladega are a little different, but not terribly different. I feel like if you have an ill-handling race car, but it’s fast at Daytona you can get away with it at Talladega. We had a pretty good car in Daytona in February, we just got caught up in an incident on track late in the race. Greg (Ives, crew chief) and the guys have been working throughout the off week to get this Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 dialed in and I know when we get on track on Friday, we will have some fun.”
On what it takes to get the win this weekend:
“I think superspeedway racing is just something where you have to stay out of trouble. Things can change on track quickly and you just have to be able to stay out of harms way. We were strong in Daytona and our Nationwide Camaro ZL1 is usually pretty good on superspeedways. The new aero package that we tested in Daytona a few months ago should be interesting to run and I am definitely looking forward to how it does on track. I am ready to see how it does and get to the track.”
TY DILLON, NO. 13 GEICO CAMARO ZL1 – 22nd in Standings:
“The GEICO 500 is always a special weekend for our Germain Racing team. We love taking our GEICO Camaro ZL1 to show it off on GEICO’s biggest weekend of the season. This year, the excitement is even greater because it’s also my 100th start in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Talladega has always been a great track for me. I’ve had some success there, and it works well with my aggressive driving style. Our guys build fast superspeedway cars, and I know that we’re going to have speed in each practice session, qualifying and the race. This is going to be a great weekend, and I know our entire team is anxious to get to Alabama.”
CHRIS BUESCHER, NO. 37 TIDE PODS CAMARO ZL1 – 23rd in Standings:
“Talladega is a wild card for sure, just like Daytona is. Last year we ran well there, leading laps in both races, but the finishes don’t tell the whole story. I think the rookie stripes made people hesitant to work with me, so hopefully that’s not the case this time. I think our strong run in Daytona in February will help as well. We were up front basically all race and I could really put my car wherever I needed to on track to get back to the front. Chad (Knaus) and the No. 24 team worked hard to build that car and get us that speed, so I’m excited to see what our Hertz Chevy will have this weekend at a similar track.”
Chevrolet Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Statistics
Manufacturers Championships
Total (1949 – 2018): 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 – 2018): 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)
2019 STATISTICS:
Wins: 0
Poles: 4
Laps Led: 459
Top-five finishes: 5
Top-10 finishes: 21
CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 779 (1949 – to date)
Poles Won to Date: 703
Laps Led to Date: 232,714
Top-Five Finishes to Date: 3,974
Top-10 Finishes to Date: 8,193
Total NASCAR Cup wins by Corporation, 1949 – To-Date
GM: 1,114
Chevrolet: 779
Pontiac: 155
Oldsmobile: 115
Buick: 65
Ford: 780
Ford: 680
Mercury: 96
Lincoln: 4
Chrysler: 466
Dodge: 217
Plymouth: 190
Chrysler: 59
Toyota: 128Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.
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.
