TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
BIG MACHINE VODKA 400 AT THE BRICKYARD
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
INDIANAPOLIS
SEPTEMBER 8, 2019
BOWTIE BULLETS:
CHEVROLET DOMINANT AT INDY
Chevrolet drivers have won 17 of the 25 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, including an amazing streak of 12 years (2004-13). Career Team Chevy driver Jeff Gordon, who won the inaugural event in 1994, leads all drivers with five victories on the 2.5-mile oval. In that first race, Gordon led seven different times for a total of 93 laps, including the final five. Gordon won the pole the next year and finished sixth.
SETTING THE STAGE
The 400-mile race at the “Brickyard” will set the stage for the playoffs and serve as the crowning event for the MENCS regular-season championship. Team Chevy drivers Kurt Busch is seventh in the standings, Chase Elliott is eighth and Kyle Larson is ninth. Alex Bowman is 11th. Seven-time MENCS champion Jimmie Johnson, aiming to qualify for the postseason, has had considerable success on the big oval. He leads active drivers with four wins (2012, ’09, ’08 and ’06) and also has a runner-up (2013) and third-place (2016) finish in 17 starts.
LARSON STREAKING INTO PLAYOFFS
Kyle Larson, driving the No. 42 McDonald’s Camaro ZL1, is riding a hot streak into Indianapolis. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver has placed in the top 10 the past five races, including a runner-up finish at Darlington Raceway. He’s qualified second at Bristol and third at Darlington the past two races. Overall, he has a dozen top 10s with an average finish of 14.5.
GORDON LEADS THE WAY
In addition to winning the inaugural MENCS race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on August 6, 1994, Jeff Gordon — at 23 years, 2 days — is youngest winner. The records don’t stop there. Gordon leads all drivers with five wins, 12 top-five finishes, 17 top 10s and 528 laps led in 17 starts. His last victory came in 2014. Additionally, he earned three pole starts.
TAKING IT STAGE BY STAGE:
Team Chevy drivers have registered 17 stage victories. Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson both have four stage wins to lead the way. Elliott has also 18 top-five finishes and is fourth among drivers with 189 bonus points. Larson has 11 top fives and 148 points.
TUNE-IN:
NBC will telecast the 160-lap race on the 2.5-mile oval live at 2 p.m. ET Sunday, Sept. 8. The NBCSports Gold app will stream the race and live coverage can also be found on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
BY THE NUMBERS:
* Victories by current Chevrolet drivers at Indianapolis Motor Speedway:
Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1, has four wins (2012, ’09, ’08 and ’06).
* Chevrolet has recorded 10 pole starts in the 25 races at Indianapolis, while GM brand Pontiac has added two top qualifying spots to the total.
* William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1, is tied for most poles with four. Team Chevy has 12 in the 24 races to lead all manufacturers.
* Chevrolet has won 39 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships.
PACING THE FIELD:
NASCAR Hall of Fame team owner Richard Childress will drive a Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Pace Car to lead the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series field to the start of the Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard Powered by Florida Georgia Line on Sunday, Sept. 8 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
FOR THE FANS:
· Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway Area located just outside the front of the iconic Pagoda
· Fans can check out an assortment of Chevrolet vehicles including: Silverado 1500 Crew High Country, 2020 Malibu Premier, Trax, Blazer RS, 2020 Traverse High Country, 2020 Tahoe RST, 2020 Equinox Premier, Silverado 2500 HD
· At the Chevrolet Display, fans can also view the No. 3 Bass Pro/RCR 50th Camaro ZL1, Accessorized Silverado LT, Accessorized Silverado Trail Boss, 2019 Camaro ZL1 1LE, 2020 Camaro 2SS, Laguna LT5, 1970 Camaro LT4, Jimmie Johnson LT1, C10 ZZ6 EFI, Accessorized Colorado
· 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, Sept. 6th
· 12:00 p.m. – Michael Annett
2:15 p.m. – Justin Haley
Saturday, Sept. 7th
· 10:00 a.m. – Kurt Busch
· 10:15 a.m. – Alex Bowman
· 11:00 a.m. – Tyler Reddick
· 12:30 p.m. – Chase Elliott
Sunday, Sept. 8th
8:45 a.m. – Bubba Wallace
9:10 a.m. – Austin Dillon
9:25 a.m. – Jimmie Johnson
10:00 a.m. – William Byron
Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation:
· Friday, September 6th: 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
· Saturday, September 7th: 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 8th: 8:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
QUOTABLE QUOTES:
KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 – 7th in Standings:
“Looking forward to Indy with the way that these cars have been drafting at the big tracks. The draft is going to be insane once they drop the green flag and everyone is out there together. On the opposite end, I’m hearing that we will be wide-open all the way around in qualifying, which I did that once before in an Indy Car at 230 mph, it shouldn’t be any problem at 180 mph! But the draft will be intense, its going to be a whole different race day, once they drop the green flag.”
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 – 8th in Standings:
“Our number one goal is to get better at Indy and run better more consistently. That’s the main goal. It is such a special place that we want to run well. You want to run well everywhere you go, but especially at Indy.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CAMARO ZL1 – 11th in Standings:
BOWMAN ON THE PLAYOFFS:
“I think consistency is the key improvement we need. We go to a lot of places that we are really strong at and there are a lot of good tracks for us in the Playoffs, but at the same time, we are very hit and miss here lately. We have a lot of work to do I think, but I think the tracks that suit us can be very good. Starting at a place like Vegas, going back to Kansas and Dover, we are going to a lot of tracks that are good for us so we should be really strong. I think a lot of it is building momentum these two weeks after the off weekend. The first off weekend of the year was a really good reset for us. At the same time, we are working super hard on our Vegas stuff, really focused on that and getting it going.”
BOWMAN ON INDY:
“I’m excited to go to Indianapolis. We might actually get to practice this year, so that’d be nice. Every time I’ve been there, something has happened. So, I just want to have a good, solid race there. I feel like I still don’t have a good hang of that place and I’m still learning every time I go there.”
CHRIS BUESCHER, NO. 37 KROGER FAST LANE TO FLAVOR CAMARO ZL1 – 20th in Standings:
“I won’t lie, Indianapolis Motor Speedway is not my favorite big track. It’s been a really tough race for us in the past. However with the package we have now, some of these tracks that weren’t great for us last year, have been much better. It’ll be really hard to pass I think. We’ve been working really hard to get our qualifying speed better so we can start out with that track position and race well from there, and I think that showed at Darlington Raceway last weekend. Indianapolis is a place where we can overperform from where we were expecting to be, and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do in our No. 37 Fast Lane to Flavor Camaro ZL1.”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 SYMBICORT CAMARO ZL1 – 23rd in Standings:
YOUR GRANDFATHER IS GOING TO BE DRIVING THE PACE CAR THIS WEEKEND AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY. ARE YOU GOING TO GO UP THERE AND GIVE HIM A LITTLE NUDGE?
“I hope so. It would be cool to sit on the pole so that I can mess with him a little bit. I already told him that’s our goal, to go sit on the pole and give him a little bump before the race.”
DO YOU THINK HE MAY HAVE A LITTLE TROUBLE GETTING OFF THE TRACK LIKE RICHARD PETTY DID A LITTLE WHILE BACK WHEN HE DROVE THE PACE CAR AT DARLINGTON RACEWAY?
“Pop Pop usually has something up his sleeve. He’s not going to go out there and let it be just a regular pace car ride.”
RACING AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY WITH THIS NEW PACKAGE. THE XFINITY SERIES HAS DONE IT, YOU’VE DONE IT, WHAT DO YOU THINK THIS THING IS GOING TO RACE LIKE THIS TIME AROUND BECAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE EVERY YEAR IT’S DIFFERENT?
“It was a really fun race last year in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. I had a blast running it and I had a fast car. This time around, we’ll be running the package in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, and it will be the last race before the Playoffs. It should be wild. This package gives you an opportunity to really put yourself out there and gives you a chance to win a race and put yourself in the Playoffs.”
WHY DO YOU THINK I’TS SO HOT AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY? EVEN WHEN THE TEMPERATURE IS NOT THAT HOT IT JUST SEEMS LIKE THE AIR DOESN’T MOVE THERE WELL OR SOMETHING.
“It is a little stagnant. I don’t know if it’s the area you’re in or if it’s the bleachers that keeps the air packed in there. I don’t know, but it’s always warm when we’re out there.”
RYAN PREECE, NO. 47 KROGER CAMARO ZL1 – 26th in Standings:
“I’m ready for Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This will be my first Cup start there, but I was able to race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series last season and get a little bit of seat time. The package will be very different from that race, however. We’re continuing to take notes that we’ve learned from tracks at the beginning of the year and build on them for these final eleven races. While we haven’t raced at Indianapolis before, both of our teams (with Chris Buescher) work really well together and I think we’ll have a Kroger Camaro ZL1 that’s fast off the truck and is competitive to keep our momentum going for the final stretch of the season.”
BUBBA WALLACE, NO. 43 WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY CAMARO ZL1 – 27th in Standings:
“The Brickyard 400 is a really tough race. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is really big and a unique track. It’s a ‘crown jewel’ event for our sport.
“I feel like our racing and package hasn’t suited to the track well. Last year, the race was during the time when our team was going through brakes troubles, and had an incident that took our No. 43 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 out of the race early. Indy is a place where there’s a lot of time to be gained. It will be interesting to see how it’s going to race with this package, and how we can race around people because it’s so flat and there’s only one groove around there.”
Chevrolet Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Statistics
Manufacturers Championships:
Total (1949-2018): 39
First title for Chevrolet: 1958
Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15)
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 (2007)
2019 STATISTICS:
Wins: 5
Poles: 12
Laps Led: 1,593
Top-five finishes: 32
Top-10 finishes: 78
CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 784 (1949 to date)
Poles won to date: 711
Laps led to date: 233,848
Top-five finishes to date: 4,001
Top-10 finishes to date: 8,250
Total NASCAR Cup wins by corporation, 1949 to date
GM: 1,119
Chevrolet: 784
Pontiac: 155
Oldsmobile: 115
Buick: 65
Ford: 784
Ford: 684
Mercury: 96
Lincoln: 4
Chrysler: 466
Dodge: 217
Plymouth: 190
Chrysler: 59
Toyota: 136
Team 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.
