TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
COKE ZERO SUGAR 400
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA
AUGUST 28, 2021
RACE #26 – DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
With plenty at stake, intensity ramps up for Chevrolet drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) regular-season finale under the lights Saturday, August 28, at Daytona International Speedway. Five Chevrolet drivers have secured a Playoff berth and will aim to cement momentum, while eight other Team Chevy drivers remain in the running to fill the final spot in the 16-driver Playoff field. Kyle Larson, driving the No. 5 Valvoline Instant Oil Change Camaro ZL1 1LE, seeks to clinch the regular-season title. He’ll start from the pole in the 160-lap race.
Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 48 victories, including 20 in the summer race, in the 148 races on the high-banked, 2.5-mile tri-oval dating to 1959. Career Chevrolet driver, Jimmie Johnson, is among five drivers to win both the Daytona 500 and summer race in the same year. Johnson accomplished the feat in 2013 in an Impala SS among his three NCS wins at the track.
Team Chevy has finished 1-2 in the summer race the past two years. On July 7, 2019, Justin Haley prevailed from the improbable 34th starting spot with William Byron the runner-up. On August 29, 2020, Byron earned his first NCS win and clinched a spot in the 2020 Playoffs, with Chase Elliott finishing second. Byron, who earned a 2021 Playoff spot with an early-season victory, will start on the outside of front row in the No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 1LE in the 26th NCS race of the season.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) will race Friday, August 27, at Daytona International Speedway as four races remain before the Series’ Playoffs begin. Chevrolet has won seven of the past eight NXS races at the track, and Chevrolet or fellow GM brands have won 49 of the 59 races. AJ Allmendinger will start from the pole in the No. 16 Hyperice Camaro SS for Kaulig Racing.
Allmendinger led three drivers of the Camaro SS in the top-five at Michigan International Raceway to capture his third NXS victory of the season. He is second in the standings and JR Motorsports driver, Justin Allgaier, is third. Chevrolet returned to the top of the Manufacturer Standings.
CHEVROLET CONTINUES TO PACE MANUFACTURERS…
Chevrolet remains the leader in the NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Standings in pursuit of its 40th title. Team Chevy has recorded field highs of 13 victories and 112 top-10 finishes through 25 races, surpassing its win total (9) from the 36-race 2020 season.
… WHILE LARSON LOOKS TO CLINCH TITLE
Kyle Larson remains atop the Driver Standings. Hendrick Motorsports teammates William Byron is fourth and Chase Elliott is fifth.
Larson can clinch the regular-season championship and its 15-point Playoff bonus by accumulating 32 points at Daytona, where he has posted five top-10 finishes in 14 starts. Larson, a five-time winner this season, collected 51 points after a third-place finish at Michigan International Speedway.
WHO’S IN AND PLAYOFF SCENARIOS
Chevrolet will be represented by at least five drivers when the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs begin at Darlington: Kyle Larson, William Byron, Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman and Kurt Busch. Eight Chevrolet drivers – Tyler Reddick, Austin Dillon, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ross Chastain, Erik Jones, Daniel Suarez, Ryan Preece and Corey LaJoie – have a shot to fill the final spot in the 16-car field with a win at Daytona. Also, Richard Childress Racing teammates Reddick and Dillon can clinch the spot based on points.
Dillon has one win (2018 Daytona 500) among eight top-10 finishes in 16 NCS races at the track. Reddick has a best finish of 27th in four NCS starts. He won the NXS race in February 2017 and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) race in February 2015.
BACK AT THE START
Bob Welborn, driving a ’59 Chevrolet Impala, won the first NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway on February 20, 1959 – the 40-lap Daytona 500 qualifier – from the seventh starting position. Grand National qualifying races were counted as points-paying races. It began a 17-race winning streak at the track for Chevrolet and fellow GM brands Pontiac and Oldsmobile. Junior Johnson delivered the first Daytona 500 win for Chevrolet in 1960.
ON THE WAY TO THE GREEN
With no practice or qualifying for the 160-lap race, the starting lineup is determined by NASCAR’s metrics system that was introduced to the series last year and incorporates results from both individual races and season-long results.
Team Chevy’s Top-20 starters:
1st Kyle Larson, No. 5 Valvoline Instant Oil Change Camaro ZL1 1LE
2nd William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 1LE
5th Chase Elliott, No. 9 Unifirst Camaro ZL1 1LE
8th Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE
12th Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Funfetti Camaro ZL1 1LE
15th Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE
17th Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Camaro ZL1 1LE
BOWTIE BULLETS
· Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 112 top-10 finishes and 2,683 laps led of 5,861 total this season.
· In addition to its 48 NCS wins, Chevrolet has amassed 220 top-five and 444 top-10 finishes at Daytona International Raceway.
· Kyle Larson paces all drivers with 1,566 laps led.
· Larson has started from the pole six times this season.
· Tyler Reddick is second among drivers with 99.42% of laps completed (5,827 of 5,861).
· Kurt Busch is tied for most starts at Daytona International Speedway among active drivers with 40, which includes 20 in the summer races. He is also the leader among current drivers with 13 top-five and 18 top-10 finishes and 6,595 laps completed.
· Hendrick Motorsports is tied for the most wins at Daytona with 15.
· Career Chevrolet driver, Jeff Gordon, leads Chevrolet with six career wins at Daytona.
· Twenty years ago, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway in No. 8 Chevrolet Impala months after his father’s fatal crash at the track.
· Five Team Chevy drivers have combined for 23 stage wins: Chase Elliott (Daytona RC, Michigan); William Byron (Homestead, Pocono2, Road America); Tyler Reddick (Road America, Indianapolis Road Course x2); Kurt Busch (Nashville Superspeedway, Pocono1, Atlanta2); Kyle Larson (Las Vegas, Atlanta x2, Kansas, Dover x2, Charlotte x3, Sonoma x2, Nashville).
FOR THE FANS:
Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway at Daytona International Speedway.
Fans can check out an assortment of Chevrolet vehicles including: Silverado 1500 Trailboss, Silverado 2500 HD Custom, Traverse Premier, Tahoe LTZ, Blazer RS AWD, Corvette 3LT Convertible and Camaro Convertible 3LT.
At the Chevrolet Display, fans can also view Chase Elliott’s No. 9 Camaro ZL1 1LE show car.
TEAM CHEVY QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSIONS AT THE DISPLAY:
Friday, August 27
· Noah Gragson: 3:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
· Sam Mayer: 3:45 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
· Justin Allgaier: 4:35 p.m. – 4:50 p.m.
Saturday, August 28
· Daniel Suarez: 3:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
· Kurt Busch: 4:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
· Erik Jones: 4:30 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.
· Kaz Grala: 4:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation:
Friday, August 27: 12:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, August 28: 12:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
TUNE IN
NBC will telecast the 160-lap NASCAR Cup Series Coke Zero Sugar 400 at 7 p.m. ET Saturday, Aug. 28. Live coverage is also on the MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. NBCSN will telecast the 100-lap NASCAR Xfinity Series Wawa 250 at 7:30 p.m. ET Friday, Aug. 27.
QUOTABLE QUOTES
KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 VALVOLINE INSTANT OIL CHANGE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 1st IN STANDINGS
LARSON ON RACING AT DAYTONA THIS WEEKEND:
“With a playoff spot still available, I’m sure it’s going to be intense. (Second place in standings) Denny (Hamlin) runs well at Daytona, so I am glad we have a bit of a cushion in the points. But that lead can be gone in an instant, so I hope to avoid all the craziness and have a good solid finish.”
CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 VALVOLINE INSTANT OIL CHANGE CAMARO ZL1 1LE
DANIELS ON CALLING A RACE AT DAYTONA:
“Track position is important at Daytona, which is odd to say. We’ve seen over the last handful of years that cars that are able to get out front and be in the top five if single-file or in the top 10 if mixing it up can control the race inside that top group. What I mean is if you play your strategy wrong and are stuck back in 20th with a handful of laps left, it could be difficult to get back up to the front. We need to do our part right to hopefully have our car up front when it needs to be there. There are things we can control, but a lot is out of our hands.”
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 4th IN STANDINGS
BYRON ON THE STRESS OF LOCKING INTO THE PLAYOFFS LAST YEAR VERSUS THIS YEAR:
“Last year was stressful for most of the race. It was one of those Game 7-type moments that you go into knowing it’s do or die. I actually really like that sensation. You know exactly what you need to do to get the job done instead of trying to count points. It was interesting how that race played out, though. With things that happened on track with other guys, I was in a position that I could make it in on points as long as I finished. So, during that red flag, it was really a mindset change for me of, ‘Okay we don’t need to win, but if we can, we will to seal the deal.’ It’s nice to not be in that bubble situation this year. Now I can watch and see how it plays out. We’re still in a similar situation of going into this race with a clear objective – secure playoff points and a win to set us up better moving forward.”
BYRON ON HOW HIS DRIVING STYLE HAS CHANGED OVER THE YEARS ON SUPERSPEEDWAYS:
“I think I’ve learned a lot behind the wheel on these types of tracks. My driving style is really more dynamic now. With the stages, you have time to go really hard and then have times to relax and let the car find its way through traffic. Stage points are critical, though, in superspeedway racing. If you can get stage points you need to, but you don’t want to push it to get to that point and wreck right before the stage ends and wind up with 40th-place points. It’s a really tricky balance. I feel like for us, we’re going to try race for at least one of the stage wins to get the extra playoff point but also keeping strategy in mind to put us in position up front in the end. It’s up to me, though, on knowing when to push it, and I think I have a good idea of when those moments are.”
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 UNIFIRST CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 5th IN STANDINGS
“Yes, Daytona is the cutoff race, but it has always been on the schedule before the playoffs. Whether it is at the beginning of the year or last race before the playoffs, you are either in it or you’re not. You have 25 other races to solidify your spot before then. It’s nice to go into the weekend and be locked in because anything can happen at Daytona.”
TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CHEDDAR’S SCRATCH KITCHEN CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 11th IN STANDINGS
HOW CRAZY AND WILD DO YOU THINK DAYTONA WILL BE WITH DRIVERS HAVING THEIR LAST SHOT TO MAKE THE NASCAR PLAYOFFS?
“I played a big part in that excitement in the last Daytona cutoff race. I think you’ll expect to see drivers that were as desperate as I was in that race to try and get up front and get control of the race and win for their team and all their partners. It’s just going to be a matter of trying to have an understanding in the back of your head or have a point that you kind of have within yourself. Like okay, this is my fun meter. If we can stay within, we’re good. If we go over here, etc. We’re trying to make the Playoffs, right? But we’re also trying to get tenth and get that extra point if we can, too. So, there are a lot of things around. We’re going to try and control what we can. Someone going in and winning that race in Daytona is something that we can’t really control unless we win that race. But it’s a tough spot to be in.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 12th IN STANDINGS
“I think going to Daytona for the cutoff race to start the playoffs is interesting. You have guys kind of throwing everything they got at one race if they aren’t locked in. At a place like Daytona, that can cause a lot of things to happen. Hopefully we can stay out of the mess because I am sure that there will be one and be there at the end. Going into this race with a spot already in the playoffs, there probably isn’t as much pressure as there could be, but we are definitely going there with the goal of capitalizing on stage points, stage wins and the overall race win. It would be really cool to win at Daytona, so much history there. Regardless of what race it is, they’re all really special and it would be great to get a win.”
GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE
“Ultimately we need to go into Saturday’s race thinking about getting as many stage points and stage wins as we can. We need to try to get more playoff points with the overall win, which kind of our goal. Obviously, we want to learn as much as we can since Talladega is going to be a key factor in order to move to the next round. We are trying to learn as much as we can and put Alex (Bowman) in situations where we have to learn what the new package is. There is a lot of learning that we have to continue to do and run as many competitive laps as we can. Hoping to come out of Daytona with a strong finish for the Ally 48 and get us a win before we head to Darlington.”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS/TRACKER OFF ROAD CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 13th IN STANDINGS
WHAT IS YOUR CONFIDENCE LEVEL KNOWING THAT DAYTONA IS THE FINAL RACE IN THE REGULAR SEASON AND YOUR LAST CHANCE TO GET INTO THE NASCAR PLAYOFFS?
“Yeah, that gives the confidence to you as being the last race of the year. And the situation I am in right now, I think I’ve been in other situations down the road, it would probably be more stressful. But for me, we’re in a little bit of a nothing to lose attitude right now because we’ve got to gain on our teammate, and if not, we’ve got to win somehow. So, Daytona is that place and it gives us an opportunity with our ECR horsepower. I don’t know. We’ve just had the ability to keep that No. 3 at the front when we go to Daytona. I like it. It’s a magical place and I’ve had some great runs there. I’m pumped that it’s the last race of our regular season.”
RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 FUNFETTI CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 18th IN STANDINGS
“Daytona levels the playing field in a lot of ways. It gives drivers the opportunity to get their first win or get a win and make the playoffs. For us, we feel really confident going into Daytona that we are going to have a shot at it. Brian Pattie (crew chief) and the boys have been working on our No. 47 Funfetti Camaro for a long time to make sure we have the fastest race car that we can unload with on Saturday to see if we can get the job done. It’s been a good track for us before. Hopefully, we can find that magic again and get to victory lane.”
ERIK JONES, NO. 43 COLUMBIA PFG CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 24th IN STANDINGS
HOW DO YOU APPROACH THE COKE ZERO SUGAR 400 AT DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY WITH THE EVENT BEING THE FINAL RACE OF THE REGULAR SEASON?
“I think you just go for it. If you are not locked into the NASCAR Playoffs and you need to win, that is your last shot, for sure. It’s a crazy race. Last year being the first year that it was the cut-off race before the Playoffs, everyone was making big moves and trying to do things to get themselves locked in and win the race. You just want to be upfront and have a shot for it.”
“I like it. I think it is fun to do that kind of thing and have a little bit of that chaos. Hopefully, Richard Petty Motorsports is upfront, in contention to get a win and get ourselves into the Playoffs.”
DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 COMMSCOPE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 25th IN STANDINGS
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON DAYTONA?
“Daytona is going to be fun. Superspeedways are a lot of fun. Actually, I enjoy that type of racing now. I didn’t always like it, but now I do. Hopefully we can have a good, strong weekend.”
IS THERE MORE PRESSURE SATURDAY NIGHT?
“No more pressure than any other race. We want to win every weekend. Our team knows what it has to do. We have been working to be more consistent and put ourselves in the right position. We know we can win this race. Even after Saturday night we still have three months of racing left and we are going to keep working and improving.”
HAS YOUR SEASON BEEN A SUCCESS EVEN IF YOU DON’T MAKE THE PLAYOFFS? “We are proud of what we have done this year. It has been a little bit of a struggle of late, but we are in a good position for the future. We keep growing and getting better and we are looking forward to continuing on that path. As you know (team owner) Justin (Marks) has a lot of exciting plans for 2022 by getting us bigger and stronger and I see good things for us. I believe that we will win.”
WHAT DO YOU HOPE FANS LEARN ABOUT RACING SATURDAY NIGHT WHEN YOU CARRY THE WHOOP STRAP?
“I think they will find it very interesting. I have worn a Whoop strap in the car in a lot of races this season and was surprised at how high my heart rate was. I think people will find it fascinating to see our calorie burn and strain plus things like that. I think it will show people who aren’t familiar with our sport the physical exertions it takes to race.”
WHAT DOES OWNER JUSTIN MARKS DO FOR TRACKHOUSE?
“He does so much for us. He knows exactly what he wants to do with Trackhouse Racing and where he wants to go. He is very hungry and wants us so badly to be successful. I feel like I am in a very good spot. Because he is a race car driver himself, he understands what I want and need plus he is very good with our sponsors and employees. He has us really looking forward to the future. I think bringing Ross Chastain in next year in a second car will make us better. He is a great driver and will make me better.”
COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 BUILT BAR CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 29th IN STANDINGS
“Really excited to get back down to Daytona this Saturday night with our Built Bar Camaro. I’ve got some fresh legs after a week off, so we’re back, ready to rock and 100% healthy. My guys at Spire Motorsports have a really good Chevy hot rod prepared, so we’ll try to punch our ticket for the playoffs with a Hail Mary. Anybody has a shot at Daytona, so why not us this time? We have just as good of a chance as anyone else to get the job done. Hopefully we can get a little lucky, be in the right spot at the right time, miss the wrecks & get our Built Bar Chevy in Victory Lane after 400 miles.”
Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics
Manufacturers Championships:
Total (1949-2020): 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 (1949-2020): 32
First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)
Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)
Most Recent: Chase Elliott (2020)
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, 2020
Event Victories:
Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)
2021 STATISTICS:
Wins: 13
Poles: 5
Laps Led: 2,683
Top-five finishes: 52
Top-10 finishes: 112
CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 808 (1949 to date)
Poles won to date: 722
Laps led to date: 239,388
Top-five finishes to date: 4,117
Top-10 finishes to date: 8,514
Stage wins: 23 – Chase Elliott (Daytona RC, Michigan), William Byron (Homestead, Pocono 2, Road America), Kyle Larson (Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Atlanta x2, Kansas, Dover x2, Charlotte x3, Sonoma x2, Nashville), Kurt Busch (Nashville, Pocono 1, Atlanta 2), Tyler Reddick (Road America, Indy RC x2)
Total NASCAR Cup wins by corporation, 1949 to date
General Motors: 1,142
Chevrolet: 808
Pontiac: 154
Oldsmobile: 115
Buick: 65
Ford: 810
Ford: 710
Mercury: 96
Lincoln: 4
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467
Dodge: 217
Plymouth: 191
Chrysler: 59
Toyota: 158
Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.
About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 79 countries with more than 3.2 million cars and trucks sold in 2020. Chevrolet models include electric and 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.
