TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
YELLAWOOD 500
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
TALLADEGA, ALABAMA
OCT. 3, 2021
RACE #31 – TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
Chevrolet drivers from NASCAR’s three national touring series return to the always exciting Talladega Superspeedway where NASCAR’s longest oval will be the host of a Playoff tripleheader. The 188-lap YellaWood 500 on Sunday, October 3, will mark the second event in the three-race set of the Round of 12 for the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Playoffs. The upcoming race weekend is the second visit for NASCAR’s premier series to the 2.66-mile Alabama venue during the 2021 season. Championship contender William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1 1LE, led Team Chevy in the final running order of the April race at the track with a runner-up finish.
Four Team Chevy drivers are contenders in the Championship battle. The field will be trimmed from 12 drivers to eight following the third and final race of the Round of 12 held on the Charlotte ROVAL on October 10.
Here is a capsule look at Team Chevy in the title hunt:
Kyle Larson, No. 5 Cincinnati Camaro ZL1 1LE – 2nd in Playoff Standings (+57 points above cutline)
Victories: 6
Top-Fives: 16; Top-10’s: 22; Poles: 1; Laps Led: 2,000
Average Finish: 9.1
Stage Wins: 15
At Talladega (13 career NCS starts): Top-10’s: 2; Average Finish: 23.538
Of Note: Collected his series-best 15th stage win and led 95 laps on the way to a 10th-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the opener of the NCS Round of 12.
Chase Elliott, No. 9 A Shoc Camaro ZL1 1LE – 6th in Playoff Standings (+22 points above cutline)
Victories: 2
Top-Fives: 13; Top-10’s: 18; Laps Led: 525; Average Finish: 11.6
Stage Wins: 3
At Talladega (11 career NCS starts): Wins: 1; Top-Fives: 4; Top-10’s: 5; Poles: 2
Average Finish: 17.273; Average Running Position: 12.195 (series-best)
Of Note: The 2021 NCS season marks Elliott’s sixth consecutive year of being part of the Playoff field. Six of his 13 career NCS wins have come in the Playoffs. Elliott has wins at five of the next seven venues on the NCS schedule. Elliott garnered a runner-up finish at Las Vegas to open the Round of 12.
William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1 1LE – 9th in Playoff Standings (- 4 points below cutline)
Victories: 1
Top-Fives: 10; Top-10’s: 17; Pole Wins: 2; Laps Led: 283; Average Finish: 13.8
Stage Wins: 3
At Talladega (7 career NCS starts): Top-Fives: 2; Top-10’s: 2; Average Finish: 17.143
Of Note: The 2021 NCS season marks Byron’s third-career Playoffs appearance. Byron led the Team Chevy brigade with a runner-up finish in the April race at Talladega.
Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE – 11th in Playoff Standings ( -13 points below cutline)
Victories: 3
Top-Fives: 7; Top-10’s 14; Pole Wins: 1; Laps Led: 151; Average Finish: 14.4
At Talladega (12 career NCS starts): Top-Fives: 1; Top-10’s: 3; Average Finish: 24.583
Of Note: The 2021 NCS season marks Bowman’s fourth-career Playoffs appearance. Bowman scored a career-best runner-up finish in the April 2019 NCS race.
CHEVROLET STARTS STRONG IN NXS PLAYOFFS
Josh Berry drove the No. 1 JR Motorsports Camaro SS to victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) Playoff opener to lead a Team Chevy sweep of the top three positions. Championship contenders Justin Allgaier and Noah Gragson placed second and third, respectively. Regular-season champion AJ Allmendinger remains first in the standings. Allgaier will start on the pole in the No. 7 JR Motorsports Camaro SS for the 113-lap/300-mile Sparks 300 on Saturday, October 2, at Talladega Superspeedway. Chevrolet, now with 13 wins, remains first in the Manufacturer Standings.
RACE TWO OF NCWTS ROUND OF 8: CHEVROLET SILVERADO 250
The Chevrolet Silverado 250 on Saturday, October 2, is the penultimate race of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) Round of 8 Playoffs. Reigning champion Sheldon Creed, driver of the No. 2 GMS Racing Silverado, is fifth in the standings heading into the 94-lap/250-mile race at Talladega Superspeedway. Carson Hocevar is sixth and Zane Smith is seventh.
CHEVROLET LEADING DOWN THE STRETCH
Chevrolet remains the leader in the NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Standings in pursuit of its 40th title. Team Chevy has recorded field highs of 14 victories, 132 top-10 finishes, 3,415 laps led and 27 stage wins through 30 races. The Bowtie Brand has already surpassed its totals for wins (9), top-10 finishes (120), laps led (2,399) and stage wins (21) from the 36-race 2020 season.
RECOUNTING CHEVROLET WINS 10, 20, 30 YEARS AGO
Darrell Waltrip delivered Chevrolet’s first of a manufacturer-high 41 victories at Talladega Superspeedway on May 1, 1977, and a Chevrolet has taken the checkered flag in the fall race 10, 20 and 30 years ago. Clint Bowyer won the Oct. 23, 2011, race in the No. 33 Chevrolet Impala (Jimmie Johnson won the spring race for the Chevy sweep). Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the Oct. 26, 2001, race in the No. 8 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, leading a field-high 67 (Bobby Hamilton won the spring race for the Chevy sweep). Dale Earnhardt dominated the July 28, 1991, race in the No. 3 Chevrolet Lumina, leading 101 of 188 laps. He leads all drivers with 10 wins at the track.
ON THE WAY TO THE GREEN
With no practice or qualifying for the 188-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:
3rd Chase Elliott, No. 9 A Shoc Camaro ZL1 1LE
5th Kyle Larson, No. 5 Cincinnati Camaro ZL1 1LE
10th William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1 1LE
11th Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE
13th Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Realtree Camaro ZL1 1LE
14th Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE
16th Austin Dillon, No. 3 BREZTRI Camaro ZL1 1LE
18th Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Good Sam Camaro ZL1 1LE
BOWTIE BULLETS
· Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 14 wins, 132 top-10 finishes and 3,415 laps led of 7,560 total this season.
· In addition to its 41 wins, Chevrolet has amassed 196 top-five and 379 top-10 finishes at Talladega Superspeedway.
· Richard Childress Racing’s Tyler Reddick (seventh) and Austin Dillon (eighth) scored top-10 finishes in the spring race at Talladega.
· Reddick (11.3) has the best average finish among active drivers with three or more starts at Talladega.
· On May 1, 2016, Chase Elliott became the youngest pole winner at Talladega at 20 years, 5 months, 3 days.
· Kurt Busch is tied for most starts at Talladega among active drivers at 41.
· Busch leads active drivers with 21 top-10 finishes and 7,400 laps completed at Talladega.
· Ricky Stenhouse Jr. earned his first NCS win on May 7, 2017, at Talladega.
· Hendrick Motorsports continues to lead the Owner Standings.
· Kyle Larson paces all drivers with 2,000 laps led.
· Tyler Reddick is second among drivers with 99.51% of laps completed (7,523 of 7,560).
· Five Team Chevy drivers have combined for 27 stage wins: Chase Elliott (Daytona RC, Michigan, Daytona2); 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, Darlington2, Bristol2, Las Vegas2).
FOR THE FANS:
Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway at Talladega Superspeedway.
Fans can check out an assortment of Chevrolet vehicles including: 2021 Silverado 2500 HD Carhartt LTZ, 2021 Silverado 1500 RST, 2021 Tahoe Z71, 2021 Blazer RS AWD, 2021 Camaro ZL1, 2021 Corvette C8, Pink 1500 Crew 1LT.
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:
Saturday, October 2
· Carson Hocevar and Ryan Truex: 9:30 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
· Sheldon Creed, Jack Wood and Chase Purdy: 10:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Sunday, October 3
· Alex Bowman: 9:25 a.m. – 9:40 a.m.
· Ross Chastain: 9:45 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
· Corey LaJoie: 10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
· Daniel Suarez: 11:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation:
Saturday, October 2: 8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Sunday, October 3: 8:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
TUNE IN
NBC will telecast the 188-lap NASCAR Cup Series YellaWood 500 at 2 p.m. ET Sunday, Oct. 3. Live coverage is also on MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. NBCSN will telecast the 113-lap NASCAR Xfinity Series Sparks 300 at Talladega at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday, Oct. 2. FS1 will telecast the 94-lap NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chevrolet Silverado 250 at 1 p.m. ET Saturday, Oct. 2.
QUOTABLE QUOTES
KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 CINCINNATI CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 2nd IN STANDINGS
LARSON ON HOW HE PREPARES FOR TALLADEGA:
“I’ve never really challenged for a superspeedway victory. It’s a different kind of race where you are in the middle of a draft for most of the race. I’ll look at past races and see what drivers did at the end of the stages or at the end of the races to see what might work or what I could possibly do different.”
CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 CINCINNATI CAMARO ZL1 1LE
DANIELS ON STRATEGY AT TALLADEGA:
“Talladega is a wildcard, for sure. We’re going to maximize points as best we can during the stages and we want to be there at the end. We’re going to have to call a smart race and work with our teammates. Hopefully we’re there at the end battling for the win.”
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 A SHOC CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 6th IN STANDINGS
ELLIOTT ON HEADING TO TALLADEGA:
“Talladega is such a toss up with how crazy that place can be. I’m not sure you can ever really feel good about heading into Talladega. Maybe if we would’ve won at Las Vegas, I’d feel good about heading into the weekend. The next couple weeks are going to be wild. We are looking forward to it.”
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 9th IN STANDINGS
BYRON ON FOCUSING ON RACING AT TALLADEGA:
“We’ll be aware of the point situation this weekend but we can’t focus on it since it’s not the final race of the round. It would have been nice going into Talladega above the cut line and with more of a cushion but that’s part of the playoffs. Talladega and the (Charlotte Motor Speedway) ROVAL are two of our best tracks, though. Both superspeedways and road courses can be unpredictable, but they are tracks that we have had some of the most success at. My first Cup Series win came on a superspeedway. I know Rudy (Fugle) and the guys will bring a fast Axalta Chevy – it will just be about execution and getting as many points as we can. That’s what our goal has always been.”
RUDY FUGLE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FUGLE ON THE TEAM’S GOALS FOR TALLADEGA:
“The bad luck we’ve had has definitely been frustrating, especially with how fast our car was in Las Vegas. That’s behind us now, though. What happened there doesn’t change how we approach this weekend at Talladega. We’re still going to prepare the best car we can to go out there and get the most amount of points we can and, hopefully, the win. Superspeedway racing is known to be a wildcard, so if you secure stage points early on, you’re in a better position. But we’re also not going to put William in a position where we’d be risking not being around at the end of the race, either. It’s a fine balance, but this style of races have been a strong point of not only William and the No. 24 team, but also Hendrick Motorsports. We’ll be ready.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 11th IN STANDINGS
BOWMAN ON THE CHARLOTTE FC SCHEME FOR THE ROVAL:
“I’m really excited about the No. 48 Ally/Charlotte FC paint scheme that we released on Tuesday. It was fun meeting Christian (Fuchs) and showing him around Hendrick Motorsports and giving him a ride in the pit practice car. I got to play a little soccer which was probably embarrassing that everyone got to see that on the “Unexpected Allies” series that was released. Having the Charlotte FC program on the car at the ROVAL is really cool and special that Ally do some cross-promoting.”
BOWMAN ON PREPARING FOR TALLADEGA THIS WEEKEND:
“I think some guys have Talladega figured out a little bit. I don’t think we have figured out the exact things we need at the track to make it to the end, but I feel like we are gaining on it. Superspeedways have been pretty rough on us this season, but hopefully we have built up some good fortune after the way Talladega and Daytona have been this year. The cars aren’t easy to drive in traffic, so it’s definitely nerve-wracking. This weekend gives us the opportunity to go out there and score a lot of points. Our Hendrick Motorsports cars are always super-fast at speedways, so I just need to go out there and do my job and stay out of the possible mess.”
GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE
IVES ON PAST SUCCESS AT TALLADEGA:
“We always have a fast car at Talladega and Alex seems to put himself in the right position. Whether we get wrecked leading or wrecked somewhere, we have a tendency to still have a strong day. We have to focus on going forward and strategizing ourselves to maximize points all day and you just never know what is going to happen. I think we are capable putting ourselves up front at Talladega.”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BREZTRI CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 17th IN STANDINGS
WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO BE SUCCESSFUL AT TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY?
“Anything can happen at Talladega Superspeedway. It’s a little bit of a coin flip, but my No. 3 team will be doing everything we can to try and win. In order to succeed at Talladega, you have to have a little bit of luck, and use momentum at the very end to take advantage of positions. Its speedway racing. Its drafting. And its chaos, but we’re up for the challenge.”
RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 SUNNY D CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 21st IN STANDINGS
“Our superspeedway cars have either been really good and close to a win or not, but we’d like to have a good race this weekend or at least land somewhere in the middle,” said Ricky Stenhouse Jr. “You never know what can happen at Talladega, but I do know my guys have prepared a fast No. 47 Sunny D Camaro ZL1 1LE. We want to go out there and try to get a win. We’ll also have Sunny D at the track with us and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 GOOD SAM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 24th IN STANDINGS
WILL YOU STILL FEEL GOOD AFTER SUNDAY’S RACE IN TALLADEGA?
“I hope so, but it is so difficult to tell. Twice this year at Talladega and Daytona we have been in the top three on the final lap before we got caught up in someone’s wreck. With just a little bit of luck we could have won both races. We will stay patient Sunday in Talladega and when it’s time to go we will have our Good Sam Chevrolet up front.”
WHAT IS IT LIKE BEING IN A MUSIC VIDEO?
“I never ever thought that would happen to me. It was a lot of fun. Pitbull is so much fun and such an amazing entertainer. We had fun. There are going to be a lot of people who have never seen NASCAR before see this video.”
ERIK JONES, NO. 43 US AIR FORCE: SPECIAL WARFARE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 25th IN STANDINGS
SUPERSPEEDWAY RACING IS CONSIDERED A WILD CARD. WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE SUCCESSFUL AT TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY?
“It’s a mix of things. We were in a really great spot in the spring race at Talladega (Superspeedway). We led some laps there at the end of the race and I felt like we were where we wanted to be. We got caught up in a wreck in the tri-oval coming to the checkered flag. You feel like sometimes you’re in the right spot and it turns out that it’s not. But overall, I feel like in our superspeedway races this year, we’ve done what we’ve needed to put ourselves in a good spot. We just got caught up in some wrecks that have hurt our finishes.”
“We look at Talladega as a chance to win. I feel like our car is going to be fast enough to do it. We just have to try and get our Camaro ZL1 1LE out front in the last few laps and try to stay out of the mess.”
COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 SCHLUTER SYSTEMS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 29th IN STANDINGS
“Talladega is one that stays circled on the calendar. It gives us a chance to get in the mix and contend for a win. We had a strong car at Daytona. I learned a lot racing around the guys in the front all day. Hopefully we will have the Schluter Systems Camaro dicing it up with the leaders at the end again this weekend.”
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: 14
Poles: 5
Laps Led: 3,415
Top-five finishes: 61
Top-10 finishes: 132
Stage wins: 27 – Chase Elliott (Daytona RC, Michigan, Daytona), William Byron (Homestead, Pocono 2, Road America), Kyle Larson (Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Atlanta x2, Kansas, Dover x2, Charlotte x3, Sonoma x2, Nashville, Darlington, Bristol), Kurt Busch (Nashville, Pocono 1, Atlanta 2, Las Vegas 2), Tyler Reddick (Road America, Indy RC x2)
CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 809 (1949 to date)
Poles won to date: 722
Laps led to date: 240,120
Top-five finishes to date: 4,126
Top-10 finishes to date: 8,534
Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:
General Motors: 1,143
Chevrolet: 809
Pontiac: 154
Oldsmobile: 115
Buick: 65
Ford: 811
Ford: 711
Mercury: 96
Lincoln: 4
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467
Dodge: 217
Plymouth: 191
Chrysler: 59
Toyota: 161Team 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.
