TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
POCONO DOUBLEHEADER
POCONO RACEWAY
LONG POND, PA
JUNE 27-28, 2020
RACE #14 & #15: POCONO
For the first time in NASCAR history, Pocono Raceway will be the host of a NASCAR doubleheader race weekend. The ground-breaking weekend schedule will feature five races in three days, including two NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) events on back-to-back days: the Pocono Organics 325 in Partnership with Rodale Institute on Saturday, June 27th, and the Pocono 350 on Sunday, June 28th. The NCS doubleheader around the 2.5-mile track known as the ‘Tricky Triangle’ will mark the 14th and 15th races on the revised NCS schedule. In compliance with the pandemic guidelines, all events during the doubleheader weekend will be run without spectators.
ALL-TIME WINS LEADER
Of NASCAR’s premier series’ 84 trips to the 2.5-mile tri-oval, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with a total of 32 all-time wins. NASCAR Hall of Famer and career Chevrolet driver Jeff Gordon leads the way in wins at Pocono Raceway with six victories (1996, 1997, 1998, 2007, 2011 and 2012). Two Team Chevy drivers are in the record books as multiple race winners, including Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE, and Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE, both with three career wins at the track.
BOWTIE BULLETS
· Of the NASCAR Cup Series’ 84 races at the ‘Tricky Triangle’, Chevrolet has recorded 168 top-five’s, 367 top-10’s, and 7,180 laps led.
· Career Chevrolet driver Jeff Gordon leads the series in laps led at Pocono Raceway with 1,040 laps in 47-career starts. Of active drivers, Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE, has recorded the most laps led with a total of 743 laps in 36 starts. Of other lap leader statistics, Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE, holds the record for the most laps led in a single NCS race at the track with 175 of 200 laps (August ’07).
· A Chevrolet has led the field to the green from the pole position 34 times, more than any other manufacturer. The most recent Chevy pole winner at Pocono is William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1 (June ‘19).
· Chevrolet team Hendrick Motorsports has the most wins at Pocono of any team with 17 trips to victory lane: Jeff Gordon (six), Tim Richmond (three), Jimmie Johnson (three), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (two), Kasey Kahne (one), Geoff Bodine (one) and Terry Labonte (one).
· Of active drivers, Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE, leads the way in runner-up finishes with five and top-five finishes with 14 at the track. In other top-finishing statistics of note, Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch lead all active NCS drivers in top-10 finishes with 20 each in their careers.
· With 13 races in the books thus far, Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 1LE, leads all NCS drivers in an Average Running Position of 8.2, as well as topping the Fastest Laps Run list with 317. Following the GEICO 500 at Talladega, Elliott broke his longest career streak for races led (eight).
COMING TO THE GREEN
The race weekend format continues on with no practice or qualifying. The starting lineup for Saturday’s Pocono Organics 325 in Partnership with Rodale Institute will be set by virtue of owners points and a random draw. Here are Team Chevy’s top-20 starters:
5th Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 1LE
7th Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE
10th Alex Bowman, No. 88 ChevyGoods.com Camaro ZL1 1LE
12th Jimmie Johnson, No 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE
14th Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger Camaro ZL1 1LE
15th Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Caterpillar Camaro ZL1 1LE
16th William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1 1LE
17th Austin Dillon, No. 3 American Ethanol Camaro ZL1 1LE
The starting lineup for Sunday’s Pocono 350 will be set by the finishing order of Saturday’s event, with an inversion of the top-20 finishers.
TUNE-IN
FOX will telecast the 130-lap, 325-mile Pocono Organics 325 in Partnership with Rodale Institute live at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 27th. FS1 will telecast the 140-lap, 350-mile Pocono 350 live at 4:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 28th. Live coverage can also be found on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
QUOTABLE QUOTES:
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 4th IN STANDINGS
“So far, our prep hasn’t been any different for this weekend’s doubleheader. We ultimately want to run one car the whole weekend. I think keeping that in mind during the race on Saturday, but at the same time I don’t know that you are really going to approach it much different. You always want to try and finish, and finish toward the front, so I don’t think that is going to change. I do think track position is going to be really important with the shorter races, though, especially lining yourself up for the last stage in each event because it is going to be so short. It’s going to be hard to make up a lot of ground in a hurry.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 CHEVYGOODS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 8th IN STANDINGS
BOWMAN’S THOUGHTS ON POCONO:
“Pocono is a really fun track. It is one of my favorite tracks we go to. We are typically really fast here. This track is an interesting track because there is a big compromise in all three corners. It is definitely one of the more technical places that we go to.”
BOWMAN’S THOUGHTS ON PASSING AT POCONO:
“Pocono is a tough place to pass cars. One of the keys is to qualify decent, but since we aren’t qualifying, we need to hope we get a good draw. The track is really a one groove track and since it doesn’t widen out a lot, it is tough to get by cars. Hendrick Motorsports is building some fast cars right now and I know when we go to Pocono this weekend, that is what we will have.”
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 14th IN STANDINGS
BYRON ON THE POCONO DOUBLE HEADER:
“I think overall it’s going to be a fun weekend. I really enjoy racing at Pocono. I think it’s one of those racetracks we go to that’s cool to race at, but is also really tough to get around. The restarts are really difficult and usually pretty treacherous. It’s important to have good, clean and consistent restarts there. You also need a good long run car that turns well to make speed. Now add in back-to-back races there, I’m looking forward to it. It’s going to bring a new challenge and I think we’re up for it. We’ve ran well at Pocono in the past so this is a chance for us to really capitalize.”
BYRON ON IF A GOOD CAR AT POCONO IS SETUP TO RUN BETTER IN ONE CORNER OR CONSISTENT IN ALL THREE:
“I think there’s still some truth to when people say you need to have your car setup better in one corner than the others at Pocono Raceway. However, I honestly think nowadays with the way engineering is, you have to figure out how to make it work in all three corners pretty well more than you use to. You have to be close to exceptional in all three turns to be competitive, but I think Turn 3 is the most important, personally. The way that corner is and how difficult it is for the majority of the field, you want to be better there than everyone else. I always look at racetracks and try to see where the majority of the field will be weak and usually the best cars throughout the race excel in those areas of weakness. With that being said, I think the saying still holds true today with the three corners and having to be good at one end over another.”
TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CATERPILLAR CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 16th IN STANDINGS
“The toughest thing to overcome at Pocono Raceway has got the be the dirty air. I’ve gotten in these Cup cars a few times on 1.5-mile tracks, and we ran a similar aero package in our Xfinity cars at Pocono a couple of years ago, and the draft is a huge part of your handling. Managing your track position to avoid as much dirty air as possible is going to be very important. If we’re entering that weekend on a draw, that draw could be the very thing that dictates the first half of the Saturday race and how you’ll need to go about getting track position. With the track being so flat, it’s also important to keep the front of the car rotating through all three corners, which is a challenge since you get tighter the longer we run. With this package, that’s going to get enhanced the longer we are in dirty air. It’s going to be a dogfight on the restarts because of how valuable the air is.”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 AMERICAN ETHANOL CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 18th IN STANDINGS
TALK ABOUT POCONO RACEWAY. IT’S AN INTERESTINGLY-SHAPED TRACK.
“Pocono is a fun, fast track and I feel like we’ve been able to build a good notebook there so I’m excited to get there this weekend for a double-header. Good finishes will be important for us and the points battle following Talladega. At Pocono Raceway, speed is definitely carried through turn two and through three to the start-finish line. I think those are the most important corners. Of course, every corner is important, but turns two and three are a little bit more important because it’s the flat end of the track.”
RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 20th IN STANDINGS
“Coming off of a really strong weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, I’m looking forward to the doubleheader at Pocono this weekend. The doubleheader is obviously going to create its own set of unique challenges. The races are shorter, and you could hit on something during the race on Saturday that could really help you on Sunday. We have definitely shown a lot of speed at the big tracks so far this season, and while Pocono Raceway has been a struggle for me in the past, I think Brian Pattie has hit on some things that will give us a strong run Saturday and Sunday in our No. 47 Kroger Camaro ZL1 1LE.”
RYAN PREECE, NO. 37 P&G CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 29th IN STANDINGS
“I really like the fact that Pocono Raceway is a doubleheader. I like racing twice in one weekend because of the opportunity it gives you to try something on Saturday and if that doesn’t work, you can readjust for Sunday. I think track position is huge at Pocono and being able to have clean air is a big advantage as well. It’s truly a ‘Tricky Triangle’ with the different turns and straightaways. We’ve got a new paint scheme with our partners at P&G this weekend, and I encourage our fans to go to pg.com/TakeOnRace for more information.”
Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics
Manufacturers Championships:
Total (1949-2019): 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 (1949-2019): 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)
2020 STATISTICS:
Wins: 2
Poles: 3
Laps Led: 1,095
Top-five finishes: 19
Top-10 finishes: 49
CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 788 (1949 to date)
Poles won to date: 717
Laps led to date: 235,401
Top-five finishes to date: 4,033
Top-10 finishes to date: 8,331
Total NASCAR Cup wins by corporation, 1949 to date
General Motors: 1,122
Chevrolet: 788
Pontiac: 154
Oldsmobile: 115
Buick: 65
Ford: 793
Ford: 693
Mercury: 96
Lincoln: 4
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467
Dodge: 217
Plymouth: 191
Chrysler: 59
Toyota: 147
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.
