TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
COOK OUT SOUTHERN 500
DARLINGTON RACEWAY
DARLINGTON, SC
SEPTEMBER 6, 2020
DARLINGTON: RACE #27
With the end of the regular season in the books, the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) makes their Labor Day weekend visit to Darlington Raceway for the 71st running of the Cook Out Southern 500 on Sunday, September 6, at 6:00 p.m. ET. This will be the third appearance at the 1.366-mile venue dubbed the track “Too Tough to Tame” and “The Lady in Black” for NASCAR’s premier this series as the track previously hosted NASCAR’s ‘return to racing’ after the halt in season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The holiday weekend event marks the 27th race on the NCS schedule and the first of the 10-race Playoff stretch as drivers compete to be crowned the title of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Champion. This is the first time in history that the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs has started at Darlington Raceway.
Joining the NASCAR Cup Series in the popular ‘throwback theme’ race weekend, Darlington Raceway will also host the NASCAR Xfinity Series Sports Clips Haircuts VFW 200 on Saturday September 5, at 12:30 P.M ET and the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series South Carolina Education Lottery 200 on Sunday, September 6, at 2:00 p.m. ET. A limited number of fans will be in attendance for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series event, complying to all safety measures and protocols in place.
BOWTIE BULLETS
· Of the 118 appearances made by NASCAR’s premier series at Darlington Raceway, a Chevrolet has sat on the pole 22 times. The most recent Chevrolet pole winner was William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Throwback Camaro ZL1 1LE, who led the field to the green at the 2019 Southern 500, also making him the youngest polesitter at the track to-date (09/01/2019 – 21 years, 9 months, 3 days).
· Other Chevrolet statistics of note at the 1.366-mile track includes 188 top-five finishes, 395 top-10’s and 13,581 laps led.
· Current Chevrolet drivers that have recorded wins at Darlington Raceway include:
Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Throwback Camaro ZL1 1LE, with 3 wins (2004 sweep, 2012)
Matt Kenseth, No. 42 McDelivery Camaro ZL1 1LE, with 1 win (May 2013)
· Hendrick Motorsports leads all organizations in NASCAR Cup Series wins at Darlington Raceway with 14 victories among six drivers: Tim Richmond (1986), Ricky Rudd (1991), Jeff Gordon (1995, ’96 sweep, ’97, ’98, ’02, ’07), Terry Labonte (2003), Jimmie Johnson (2004 sweep and 2012) and Mark Martin (2009).
· Prior to the 2020 season, Darlington Raceway has held only one race during the Playoffs, which dates back to the start of Playoffs in 2004. The event was won by Chevrolet and Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson.
BACK IN TIME
The famed “Too Tough to Tame” racetrack has been staple event on the NCS schedule since its inaugural race on September 5, 1955, in which Herb Thomas, piloting a Chevrolet Bel Air, took the Bowtie Brand to victory lane. Of the 118 races held at the 1.366-mile egg-shaped racetrack, Chevrolet has scored 41 wins, more than any other manufacturer. Twenty different Chevrolet drivers and teams have added their names to the win history book. Career Chevrolet driver Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Throwback Camaro ZL1 1LE, leads all active drivers at “The Lady in Black” with three (2004 sweep, 2012), making him only one of three active drivers to be a multiple race winner at the track.
PLAYOFF FIELD IS SET
Following the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway, round 26 of 36 races in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, 16 drivers have now qualified to compete in the 10-race NCS Playoffs that will ultimately determine the 2020 NCS champion. Five of the 16 Playoff contenders are Team Chevy Drivers.
There are three rounds of Playoffs (3 races per round) in the 2020 format, plus one final championship-crowning season finale. Four drivers will be eliminated following each round of three.
Sept. 6 at Darlington, Sept. 12 at Richmond, and Sept. 19 at Bristol – 16 drivers
Sept. 27 at Las Vegas, Oct. 4 at Talladega, and Oct. 11 at Charlotte Road Course – 12 drivers
Oct. 18 at Kansas, Oct. 25 at Texas, and Nov. 1 at Martinsville – 8 drivers
Nov. 8 Championship race at Phoenix – 4 drivers
Heading into the Darlington race weekend, here are where the Team Chevy drivers rank to kick off the 2020 NCS Playoffs:
Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Throwback Camaro ZL1 1LE – 5th in Standings (2,020 points)
Victories: 2 (Charlotte Motor Speedway and Daytona Road Course)
Top-Fives: 10; Top-10’s: 15; Laps Led: 530; Average Finish: 12.8
Stage Wins: 6; Stage Top-Five’s: 18; Stage Top-10’s: 35
Alex Bowman, No. 88 ChevyGoods.com/Truck Hero Camaro ZL1 1LE – 8th in Standings (2,009 points)
Victories: 1 (Auto Club Speedway)
Top-Fives: 3; Top-10’s: 8; Laps Led: 388; Average Finish: 17.0
Stage Wins: 4; Stage Top-Five’s: 13; Stage Top-10’s: 28
William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Throwback Camaro ZL1 1LE – 9th in Standings (2,007 points)
Victories: 1 (Daytona International Speedway)
Top-Fives: 2; Top-10’s: 9; Laps Led: 97; Average Finish: 16.1
Stage Wins: 2; Stage Top-Five’s 8; Stage Top-10’s: 23
Austin Dillon, No. 3 American Ethanol Camaro ZL1 1LE – 10th in Standings (2,005 points)
Victories: 1 (Texas Motor Speedway)
Top-Fives: 2; Top-10’s 7; Laps Led: 80; Average Finish: 16.9
Stage Top-Five’s: 3; Stage Top-10’s: 13
Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE – 15th in Standings (2,001 points)
Top-Fives: 4; Top-10’s: 14; Laps Led: 91; Average Finish: 13.4
Stage Wins: 1; Stage Top-Five’s: 5; Stage Top-10’s: 21
STARTING LINEUP
For the remainder of the 2020 NCS season, the race weekend format will consist of no practice or qualifying. The starting lineup for Sunday’s Cook Out Southern 500 will be set by a combination of the following metrics from the previous event: 15% of a fastest lap time position, 25% of the driver’s final race finish position, 25% of the owner’s final race position and 35% of the owner points position. Chase Elliott will lead the field to the green from the pole position in his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Throwback Camaro ZL1 1LE.
Here are Team Chevy’s top-20 starters:
1st Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Throwback Camaro ZL1 1LE
3rd William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Throwback Camaro ZL1 1LE
4th Alex Bowman, No. 88 ChevyGoods.com/Truck Hero Camaro ZL1 1LE
12th Austin Dillon, No. 3 American Ethanol Camaro ZL1 1LE
16th Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE
17th Bubba Wallace, No. 43 Cash App Camaro ZL1 1LE
TUNE-IN
NBCSN will telecast the 367-lap, 501.3-mile Cook Out Southern 500 live at 6:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, September 6th. Live coverage can also be found on the NBC Sports Gold App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
QUOTABLE QUOTES:
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS THROWBACK CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 5th IN STANDINGS
“I am looking forward to the playoffs. I think these last 10 races are going to be super interesting and I look forward to the challenges myself and the NAPA team have ahead of us. It’s going to be a tough 10 for sure. We will have to bring our best to compete and I think we can do that. We just have to be consistent and be up front every week.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 CHEVYGOODS.COM/TRUCK HERO CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 8th IN STANDINGS
BOWMAN ON THE 2020 PLAYOFFS:
“Everything resets this weekend. As a team, we have to regroup and use the momentum from the last two races to start the playoffs strong. We have shown that we are capable of wins and we have shown we can move on in the playoffs. This No. 88 team and everyone at Hendrick Motorsports has been preparing for the playoffs since our win in California, so I am ready to get underway this weekend in Darlington.”
BOWMAN ON CAPITALIZING AT DARLINGTON:
“Earlier this year we had some good runs at Darlington. The first race back from the brief pause, was really good for us as a team. We finished second and really capitalized on stage points. Our goal for Sunday is to do the same thing. We need to have a solid race, earn stage points and get a good finish at the end of the night to start these playoffs off right.”
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY THROWBACK CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 9th IN STANDINGS
BRYON ON RACING AT DARLINGTON:
“Hopefully, we can have a good race and execute really well. Darlington is a really tough racetrack but luckily we’ve been there twice already this year. I have a pretty good idea of what the track is going to feel like and how it’s going to drive and handle. It definitely is a very temperature-sensitive track and it’s going to be warmer than when we were there in May. It rubbers up a lot, especially up by the wall. You have to move your line around and try to avoid the rubber at times until it covers the full track. Once it does, you can run wherever your car handles the best. It’s a balancing act of trying to chase clean track and trying to find good racetrack to run on.”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 AMERICAN ETHANOL CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 10th IN STANDINGS
WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO ADVANCE TO EACH ROUND OF THE NASCAR PLAYOFFS AND VIE FOR A CHAMPIONSHIP THIS YEAR?
“Over the years, running in the NASCAR Playoffs I’ve figured out that every point does matter, so I think you have to attack from the opening green flag. Stage points are important. In 2016, I missed advancing to the Round of 8 by one point over Denny Hamlin. That really makes you realize how important every single point is. It does help that the Playoff drivers will all be starting the races towards the front of the field together, but as a team we need to do a good job of starting up front and keeping that track position. Throughout the season so far, we have done a good job of adjusting our car throughout the race and finishing well but we need to start our races with our Chevys just a little better so that we can put ourselves in the next round.”
HOW DOES DARLINGTON SUIT YOUR RACING STYLE?
“I think long races in the past have fit my racing style. There is plenty of time to make the car better during a long race, and all of our wins have come in races 500 miles or more. So, I think that bodes well for Darlington. We like the long-distance races and it’s a place that falls off. RCR has always been known for a long run speed. Short run speed is something that we’ve struggled with, but we’re trying to change. It’s nice that we’re going to place that long run speed matters a bit.”
TALK ABOUT HOW SPECIAL IT IS TO RUN A JUNIOR JOHNSON TRIBUTE SCHEME THIS WEEKEND AT DARLINGTON RACEWAY.
“This Junior Johnson car means so much to me and I’m grateful to American Ethanol to be able to work with them to honor a NASCAR Hall of Famer this weekend. It’s a beautiful car. I grew up going to school with Junior’s kids and Junior came to our school and spoke to us when I was in middle school. He was a hero to me and when he came and spoke to us, he took me aside and talked to me because he knew my grandfather, obviously. He was nice and always a great person to be around. My mom and Lisa Johnson are very close friends. They talk all the time, so to do this throwback for Junior is very special. My grandfather is pumped about it, too. Darlington Raceway would be a great place to grab a win to honor Junior, solidify our place in the NASCAR Playoffs and earn our third Crown Jewel race. It would be special.”
KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 15th IN STANDINGS
“The first race in the Playoffs! I love the excitement and the focus from all of our team members. The car that we are bringing to Darlington went to the wind tunnel an extra time and our setup will be what we had from last year’s race. That car ran up front and led a bunch of laps, that is what we’ll have underneath the Monster Energy Camaro again this Sunday. it’s just a matter of executing as a team and having smooth day on pit road. Pit stops are a huge part of Darlington with all the tire wear and the abrasive surface of that track. Each pit stop is that important towards the end of the race; if we have that, a good set-up and make smart decisions we should be in good shape. The racetrack it just old school Darlington, which means we just have to race the track as much as the other cars. Darlington is a great place to kick-off the Playoffs!”
TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CAT POWER CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 19th IN STANDINGS
WE’RE HEADED BACK TO DARLINGTON RACEWAY THIS WEEK, BUT IT’LL BE A MUCH LONGER RACE FOR YOU THIS TIME AROUND. HOW ARE YOU PREPARING FOR THAT?
“Well, based on the two races we had at Darlington earlier this year, I need to avoid hitting both the wall and things that come off the wall. That sponsor banner that came off the wall and got stuck on the grill of my Caterpillar Chevrolet during the first race there back in May completely messed up the handling of it. The handling got so bad that I got into the wall too, and that didn’t help things either. So, I need to avoid both those things. 360-plus laps at Darlington is a long time with lots of opportunity to have success, but also a lot of opportunities to receive a Darlington stripe. Everything will be important on Sunday, and we’ll need to run a perfect race. Adapting to the changing track conditions as the rubber comes in throughout the night will be key to being successful.”
CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR THROWBACK SCHEME YOU’LL BE RUNNING THIS WEEKEND?
“We’re running a scheme on our No. 8 Cat Power Chevrolet that honors longtime Caterpillar driver, Jeff Burton, and his rookie season. Jeff also ran the No. 8 during his rookie year and captured Rookie of the Year honors, so our scheme highlights the Raybestos scheme that he accepted the trophy with. I love participating in NASCAR’s Throwback weekend and really appreciate all the history in our sport, so I’m looking forward to having a good run with our scheme on Sunday.”
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: 5
Poles: 3
Laps Led: 1,421
Top-five finishes: 33
Top-10 finishes: 87
CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 791 (1949 to date)
Poles won to date: 717
Laps led to date: 235,727
Top-five finishes to date: 4,047
Top-10 finishes to date: 8,369
Total NASCAR Cup wins by corporation, 1949 to date
General Motors: 1,125
Chevrolet: 791
Pontiac: 154
Oldsmobile: 115
Buick: 65
Ford: 800
Ford: 700
Mercury: 96
Lincoln: 4
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467
Dodge: 217
Plymouth: 191
Chrysler: 59
Toyota: 150
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.
