TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
FORD ECOBOOST 400
HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY
HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA
NOVEMBER 17, 2019
BOWTIE BULLETS:
AIMING FOR STRONG FINISHES
Chevrolet drivers will be seeking to complete the 36-race Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season with a strong finishing kick at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Kyle Larson, No. 42 Credit One Bank Camaro ZL1, is 23 points out of fifth place in the standings. He has an average finish of 8.5 in six trips to the 1.5-mile racetrack, with a best start of seventh in 2017. Aiming for top-10 finishes in points are William Byron (ninth), Chase Elliott (11th), Alex Bowman (12th) and Kurt Busch (13th).
REMEMBERING 2016
Career Chevrolet driver Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1, drove from 14th on the starting grid to victory in the 2016 NASCAR Cup Series playoff finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway to clinch his seventh driver championship and tie NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for most in series history. In 35 starts over the season, Johnson recorded four wins, 10 top-five and 15 top-10 finishes.
NEMECHEK TO BREAK RECORD IN CAMARO ZL1
Joe Nemechek, No. 15 Royalteakcollection.com Camaro ZL1, will break a tie with Richard Petty for most NASCAR national series starts. Petty made 1,185 starts, all in Cup, in his career. Nemechek, 56, has competed in the Gander Outdoors Truck Series (68 starts since 1996), Xfinity Series (444 since 1989) and NASCAR Cup Series (673 since 1993). “I have been doing this for 29 years, which is a long time and I still love it,” he said.
SEASON HIGHS
Team Chevy drivers earned 15 poles, led by William Byron with five. The second-year driver is third among drivers at 99.46 percent of laps completed (9,934 of 9,988). Chevrolet drivers have posted 118 top-10 starts and 108 top-10 finishes.
TUNE IN
NBC will telecast the 267-lap race live at 3 p.m. ET Sunday, Nov. 17. The NBCSports Gold app will stream the race and live coverage can also be found on MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
BY THE NUMBERS:
* Victories by current Chevrolet drivers at Homestead-Miami Speedway:
Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1, has one win (November 2016).
Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1, has one win (November 2002). At 24 years, 3 months, 3 days, he is the youngest winner at the racetrack. He is also the last winner from the first starting position.
* Johnson needs one win to tie Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip (84) for fourth on the all-time list.
* Johnson and Busch are tied for the most starts among active drivers with 18 in the 20 races at the track.
* Johnson started from pole in 2007 and ’09 at the track.
* Chevrolet has won the playoff race at Homestead-Miami Speedway four times and a Chevrolet has started from the pole five times.
* Ty Dillon, No. 13 GEICO Camaro ZL1, has been running at the finish in the past 44 races – tops among current drivers.
* Chevrolet has surpassed 100 top-10 finishes for the season.
* Chevrolet has won 39 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships.
QUOTABLE QUOTES:
KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 CREDIT ONE BANK CAMARO ZL1 – 6th in STANDINGS
“We’re not heading to Homestead the way we wanted to, but we’re still just as focused on running upfront and winning the race. I’m proud of what our team accomplished up to this point; we learned a lot during the playoffs, and overcame a lot throughout the year, to be really consistent and competitive in the second half of the season. We’ve been really good at Homestead and statistically have been one of the strongest cars there each race, and our whole group wants to prove we can get the job done and win. It should be another exciting event, and I hope we’re in the mix for the win at the end of the race.”
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA FLAMES OF INDEPENDENCE CAMARO ZL1 – 9th IN STANDINGS
“I love Homestead. It was instantly my favorite track. It wasn’t my favorite when we tested there because it was so hot. When I went there and ran the truck race though and won, it instantly became one of my favorites. I love the progression of the track and finding the balance of being aggressive versus saving the right side of your car. It’s just a really cool race. I’m really excited to go back to Homestead this weekend and see how it compares to my previous races there. I think it should be a really fun race overall.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CAMARO ZL1 – 12th IN STANDINGS
“Going into this weekend is a little bittersweet. With this being Nationwide’s final race on our Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, we definitely want to go out and try to get them one final win. This 88 team hasn’t given up. We may not be racing where we want to be on track, but this team keeps digging. The Hendrick Motorsports team back at the shop has been working hard on our cars for this weekend, so hopefully we can unload with some speed and get it done on Sunday to finish out the 2019 season strong.”
TY DILLON, NO. 13 GEICO CAMARO ZL1 – 24th IN STANDINGS
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE PROGRESSIVE BANKING AT HOMESTEAD?
“I like it honestly. It has been a place that I’ve been able to find a line, a way around the racetrack that works for me. Every other year we’ve been really good there. Last year we weren’t overly strong, so I’m looking forward to this being our year to go back and run good again. We have been kind of hit or miss there, but I’m proud of the direction that our mile and a half program is going with the finishes that we have. Hopefully we can finish out the season with an exclamation point and an emphasis on the mile and a half. That is somewhere that we have wanted to improve a lot and since we’ve been trending in the right direction, it would be nice to finish out with a good finish at Homestead.”
DANIEL HEMRIC, NO. 8 MYBLU CAMARO ZL1 – 25th IN STANDINGS
“I really enjoy racing at Homestead-Miami Speedway. I have always had solid runs at that track, even though I haven’t won a race there, I always performed well there. I love the grid of having to chase the racetrack throughout the weekend. This will be my first time there in a Cup car, so it is going to be that much more strenuous trying to keep up with it. It is hard to top what Homestead-Miami Speedway brings for the racers and the fans. It will be a little bittersweet that this will be the last time – for the foreseeable future – that it will be the final event of the season. Hopefully, we can go down there and have a solid day and go out in style with my last ride with this No. 8 team. We also have the Sunoco Rookie of the Year battle on the line this weekend, so if we can have a solid day and stay ahead of Ryan Preece it should all work out. I’m looking forward to finishing off strong with this group of guys and this is a good track to do just that.”
BUBBA WALLACE, NO. 43 VICTORY JUNCTION CAMARO ZL1 – 28th IN STANDINGS
GOING INTO THE FINAL RACE OF THE SEASON, WHAT ARE YOU HOPING TO GET OUT OF THE WEEKEND TO CARRY MOMENTUM FOR YOUR TEAM INTO 2020?
“Homestead-Miami Speedway is big to continue the momentum. With the off-season, you have a little bit of time to let that settle. I think looking-back on what Richard Petty Motorsports has done since halfway through the season, around the Coca-Cola 600 weekend, we have really stepped-up our program. I think there’s a lot to look back on and learn from; mistakes on our end and how can we clean that up going into next year. Making sure we are in tip-top shape to start the Homestead-Miami Speedway weekend is important.
“It is a little bit different schedule format next year. It will be a little different to adjust to that. Instead of going from the DAYTONA 500 to the Atlanta Motor Speedway, it’s Daytona straight to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. That will be a little different, but I think just getting into a rhythm early and trying to continue on that momentum is very important.”
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: 7
Poles: 15
Laps Led: 2,096
Top-five finishes: 45
Top-10 finishes: 108
CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 786 (1949 to date)
Poles won to date: 714
Laps led to date: 234,306
Top-five finishes to date: 4,014
Top-10 finishes to date: 8,280
Total NASCAR Cup wins by corporation, 1949 to date
General Motors: 1,120
Chevrolet: 786
Pontiac: 154
Oldsmobile: 115
Buick: 65
Ford: 786
Ford: 686
Mercury: 96
Lincoln: 4
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467
Dodge: 217
Plymouth: 191
Chrysler: 59
Toyota: 142
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.
