TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE: TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
Lincoln, Alabama
April 20-21, 2024
DOUBLEHEADER AT ‘DEGA
Coming off yet another tripleheader sweep, Chevrolet’s drivers and teams in the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) will head to Talladega Superspeedway this weekend to embark on their third superspeedway race of the season. The Bowtie brand sits undefeated in superspeedway-style racing this season, with the manufacturer sweeping the wins across all three NASCAR national series at Daytona International Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway in February.
CHEVROLET IN THE NASCAR CUP SERIES AT TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
Sunday’s GEICO 500 will mark the NASCAR Cup Series’ 110th race held at Talladega Superspeedway. Chevrolet holds the title as the winningest manufacturer in series’ history at the 2.66-mile Alabama venue, with Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch taking the Bowtie brand to its 44th all-time NCS victory at the track one year ago.
The Bowtie brand’s first trip to victory lane at Talladega Superspeedway came with Darrell Waltrip and the No. 88 DiGard Racing Chevrolet in May 1977. A big piece of Chevrolet’s winning legacy at the Alabama superspeedway started in April 1999 when Dale Earnhardt, Sr., drove the famed No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet to victory lane – starting an impressive run that saw the manufacturer reel-off 17 wins in 18 races.
Chevrolet has lived up to its winning ways at Talladega Superspeedway during the Next Gen era, with the manufacturer owning wins in three of the four races held at the Alabama superspeedway since the debut of the Next Gen cars at the beginning of the 2022 season. Each victory was earned by a driver from a different Chevrolet organization, including Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain (April 2022), Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott (Oct. 2022) and Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch (April 2023).
Ross Chastain
No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Apr. 24, 2022
Chase Elliott
No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Oct. 2, 2022
Kyle Busch
No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Apr. 23, 2023
SUPERSPEEDWAY STUNNERS
Chevrolet has undeniably been the manufacturer to beat on superspeedway-style tracks during NASCAR’s Next Gen era. Since the debut of the Next Gen car at the beginning of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season, Chevrolet has earned a winning percentage of 71.4% on superspeedways with 10 victories in 14 races. The Bowtie brand enters the weekend with back-to-back superspeedway victories in NASCAR’s premier series this season, with wins courtesy of Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron (Daytona International Speedway) and Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez (Atlanta Motor Speedway).
NASCAR Next Gen Era – Superspeedway Winners
Daytona (Feb. 20, 2022) – Austin Cindric (Ford)
Atlanta (March 20, 2022) – William Byron (Chevrolet)
Talladega (April 24, 2022) – Ross Chastain (Chevrolet)
Atlanta (July 10, 2022) – Chase Elliott (Chevrolet)
Daytona (Aug. 29, 2022) – Austin Dillon (Chevrolet)
Talladega (Oct. 2, 2022) – Chase Elliott (Chevrolet)
Daytona (Feb. 19, 2023) – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Chevrolet)
Atlanta (March 19, 2023) – Joey Logano (Ford)
Talladega (April 23, 2023) – Kyle Busch (Chevrolet)
Atlanta (July 9, 2023) – William Byron (Chevrolet)
Daytona (Aug. 26, 2023) – Chris Buescher (Ford)
Talladega (Oct. 1, 2023) – Ryan Blaney (Ford)
Daytona (Feb. 19, 2024) – William Byron (Chevrolet)
Atlanta (Feb. 25, 2024) – Daniel Suarez (Chevrolet)
Suarez became the seventh different Team Chevy driver to reach victory lane at a superspeedway-style track in NASCAR’s Next Gen era, with his victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway delivering the Next Gen Camaro ZL1 its 10th superspeedway triumph.
Among those victories, Chevrolet earned no worse than four top-10 finishes in each event – including a manufacturer-leading six top-10s on three different occasions (Atlanta – March 2022; Talladega – April 2022; Atlanta – July 2023) and five top-10s twice (Atlanta – July 2022; Daytona – Feb. 2023).
EYEING DOUBLE-DIGIT ‘DEGA STREAK
Chevrolet is on the horizon of a double-digit win streak in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Talladega Superspeedway. Heading into Saturday’s Ag-Pro 300, the Bowtie brand is sitting at nine-straight NXS victories at the 2.66-mile Alabama venue – a streak that started with a victory by Spencer Gallagher and GMS Racing in April 2018. Within the last six years, seven different drivers have carried the Bowtie brand to victory lane in the series at the track – including two of Team Chevy’s current NXS full-time contenders (AJ Allmendinger – Oct. 2022; Jeb Burton – April 2023).
In the series’ 35-race history at Talladega Superspeedway, Chevrolet has earned a winning percentage of 65.7% with 23 all-time victories at the track – more than double its current manufacturer competitors combined.
AJ Allmendinger
No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Oct. 1, 2022
Jeb Burton
No. 27 Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet
Apr. 22, 2023
BY THE NUMBERS:
Since the beginning of the 2021 season, the NXS has contested 17 races on superspeedway-style venues, with the Bowtie brand earning 14 victories within that time span. Eight drivers from six different Chevrolet organizations contributed to those victories, led by Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill with six NXS superspeedway wins – including Daytona International Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway in February to start the 2024 season.
NXS Superspeedway Winners (Since 2021)
Daytona (Feb. 13, 2021) – Austin Cindric (Ford)
Talladega (April 24, 2021) – Jeb Burton
Daytona (Aug. 28, 2021) – Justin Haley
Talladega (Oct. 2, 2021) – Brandon Brown
Daytona (Feb. 19, 2022) – Austin Hill
Atlanta (March 19, 2022) – Ty Gibbs (Toyota)
Talladega (April 23, 2022) – Noah Gragson
Atlanta (July 9, 2022) – Austin Hill
Daytona (Aug. 26, 2022) – Jeremy Clements
Talladega (Oct. 1, 2022) – AJ Allmendinger
Daytona (Feb. 19, 2023) – Austin Hill
Atlanta (March 3, 2023) – Austin Hill
Talladega (April 22, 2023) – Jeb Burton
Atlanta (July 8, 2023) – John H. Nemechek (Toyota)
Daytona (Aug. 25, 2023) – Justin Allgaier
Daytona (Feb. 19, 2024) – Austin Hill
Atlanta (Feb. 24, 2024) – Austin Hill
TRIO OF TRIPLEHEADER TRIUMPHS
Chevrolet tallied yet another tripleheader sweep last weekend with victories at Texas Motor Speedway by three different organizations: Chase Elliott (No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1) in the NASCAR Cup Series; Sam Mayer (No. 1 JR Motorsports Camaro SS) in the NASCAR Xfinity Series; and Kyle Busch (No. 7 Spire Motorsports Silverado RST) in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Already the only manufacturer to accomplish the feat this season, the Texas trio of triumphs marks the Bowtie brand’s third weekend sweep when all three NASCAR national series are contesting on the same weekend.
The victories were celebrated by an overall near dominate performance by Chevrolet drivers at the 1.5-mile Texas oval – with the manufacturer also claiming the pole, sweeping the stages and leading the most laps in all three events.
In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series:
Race Win: Kyle Busch
Pole Win: Nick Sanchez
Stage Sweep: Kyle Busch
Laps Led: Team Chevy Drivers led all 167-laps of the event (Kyle Busch – 112 laps; Christian Eckes – 31 laps; Nick Sanchez – 16 laps; Zane Smith – eight laps)
In the NASCAR Xfinity Series:
Race Win: Sam Mayer
Pole Win: Jesse Love
Stage Sweep: Justin Allgaier
Laps Led: Team Chevy drivers led 154 of 200-laps (Justin Allgaier – 117 laps; Austin Hill – 25 laps; Sam Mayer – fives laps; Parker Kligerman – four laps; Brandon Jones – two laps; Jesse Love – one lap)
In the NASCAR Cup Series:
Race Win: Chase Elliott
Pole Win: Kyle Larson
Stage Sweep: Kyle Larson (Stage One) and Ross Chastain (Stage Two)
Laps Led: Team Chevy drivers led 150 of 276-laps (Kyle Larson – 77 laps; Chase Elliott – 39 laps; Ross Chastain – 33 laps; Austin Hill – one lap).
BOWTIE BULLETS:
· With 24 races complete across NASCAR’s three national series this season, Chevrolet has a winning percentage of 66.7% with 16 victories (NASCAR Cup Series – six wins; NASCAR Xfinity Series – four wins; NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – six wins).
· Chevrolet is the only manufacturer to accomplish a tripleheader weekend sweep in the NASCAR national ranks this season, with the Bowtie brand earning its third tripleheader sweep at Texas Motor Speedway last weekend.
· Active Chevrolet drivers with a NASCAR Cup Series win at Talladega Superspeedway:
Kyle Busch – two wins (2023 & 2008)
Chase Elliott – two wins (2022 & 2019)
Ross Chastain – one win (2022)
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – one win (2017)
· In 109 NASCAR Cup Series races at Talladega Superspeedway, Chevrolet has recorded a series-leading 44 victories – including three of the four events since the competition debut of the Next Gen cars (Ross Chastain – April 2022; Chase Elliott – Oct. 2022; and Kyle Busch – April 2023).
· In NASCAR’s Next Gen era, Chevrolet has recorded 10 victories in 14 NASCAR Cup Series superspeedway races – recorded by seven drivers from four different Chevrolet organizations.
· Team Chevy’s William Byron is the only driver to have a double-digit win record in the NASCAR Cup Series’ Next Gen era – with his victory at Martinsville Speedway marking his 11th all-time victory in the Next Gen Camaro ZL1.
· In 81 points-paying races in the Next Gen era, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 43 victories – a winning percentage of 53%.
· Within the first three points-paying races of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series races season, each Chevrolet organization had already recorded at least one top-10 finish.
· With its 42 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championships, and 857 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title as the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.
Manufacturer Points Standings
Chevrolet: 338
Toyota: 322 (-16)
Ford: 297 (-41)
Manufacturer Points Standings
Chevrolet: 295
Toyota: 294 (-1)
Ford: 244 (-51)
Manufacturer Points Standings
Chevrolet: 273
Toyota: 240 (-33)
Ford: 224 (-49)
TUNE-IN:
NASCAR Cup Series
GEICO 500
Sunday, April 21, at 3 p.m. ET
(FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Ag-Pro 300
Saturday, April 20, at 4 pm. ET
(FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)
QUOTABLE QUOTES:
ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 JOCKEY OUTDOORS BY LUKE BRYAN CAMARO ZL1
How do you feel heading to Talladega?
“(Laughs) Fine. There’s a lot of one-time winners at that track and I’m in that group, but a lot more wrecks and hurt feelings leaving there and last fall stings really hard. I made an aggressive move and crashed in Stage 1. I want to be running at the end and then we’ll race it out.”
Bubba Wallace said that once he had the mindset of enjoying superspeedway racing that his performance improved. How do you fall into that group? Do you enjoy racing in close quarters?
“I do. In the Truck Series I was the same way; I was so nervous and just trying to survive and I would ride in the back and then I would go race at the end and then I would get torn up. I finally just decided that when I got to a team that was okay with me crashing…that was the other thing, I drove for teams that didn’t want me to crash because that was their opportunity to make money if you could just finish the race – so when I got to the Xfinity Series and the 10 car, they told me to go win and it doesn’t matter if you crash it or not. I’ve crashed a lot on superspeedways but I also have two superspeedway wins (Xfinity and Cup). Not a great percentage but the two wins do go a long way. Yes, I had a mindset change and I agree with Darrell (Bubba) that it makes the week a lot more enjoyable versus dreading going into it.”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS CAMARO ZL1
Talk about racing at Talladega Superspeedway. What kind of race do you expect we will see at Talladega Superspeedway?
“You can do certain things throughout that race to put yourself in a better position, but it’s one of those tracks you go into knowing that there’s probably a 75 percent chance that you could be in a wreck. You have to take that 25 percent and make it yours. I have Talladega Superspeedway circled on my calendar. I love racing there and I can’t wait to get on track in the Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off-Road Chevrolet Camaro. Talladega Superspeedway is a little bit different real estate than Daytona International Speedway. At Daytona, you’re packed in there and it’s hard to get to someone’s inside or outside, and there is less movement in the draft. At Talladega, there’s a lot of movement in the draft, the packs are big and wide, and with the way this package works, there is more two-lane racing around the bottom. It’s going to be interesting to see if we can make that third lane work at some point and move around. You’re kind of holding on at times waiting to see what happens. Everybody is pushing, and you’re hoping you can get through the mess.”
COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 GAINBRIDGE CAMARO ZL1
You’ve had Talladega circled on your calendar since last October. After a tough stretch of races, you’ve got to be eager to see the green flag on Sunday.
“I’m really looking forward to getting back in the Gainbridge Chevrolet this weekend. We’re looking to keep up the momentum we’ve had on superspeedways, so it’s time to shake that monkey off our backs and put together a solid finish like we all know our team is capable of.”
KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 CHEDDAR’S SCRATCH KITCHEN CAMARO ZL1
How cool was it to win a fuel mileage race last year at Talladega?
“Winning is always cool. You strive to get to victory lane every single weekend and celebrate with your team and it’s great when you get there. I’ve not been known as a great speedway racer, so it was especially gratifying to score the win at Talladega, my first there since 2008.”
Do you anticipate the same kind of race at Talladega that we saw in the Daytona 500 back in February?
“I do think we will see similar racing as we did in Daytona with guys trying to modulate their fuel consumption as best as they can to minimize their time on pit road and make their next stop as short as possible.”
You won a Talladega last spring and ran well at both Daytona and Atlanta earlier this season. Does that give you any optimism entering Talladega?
“There’s definitely some optimism entering the speedway races with RCR. Both ECR and RCR have been strong at the restrictor plate races for as long as I can remember and it’s nice when we can continue that trend like we have last year and again this year.”
DANIEL HEMRIC, NO. 31 CIRKUL CAMARO ZL1
“Talladega is the place that we all feel like we have equal opportunity. That style of racing has changed, as we learned back in Daytona, especially fuel saving with this car. Our No. 31 Cirkul car was really strong in the first superspeedway race of the year, so I’m excited to get there. I’m also really pumped up to have Cirkul back on the car and hosting them this weekend. Hopefully we can put on good show for them.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1
Bowman on racing at Talladega Superspeedway:
“Things certainly didn’t go as planned last weekend Texas (Motor Speedway), but our team turns to Talladega (Superspeedway) hungry for a strong finish. Our Ally racing team has certainly seen some good finishes this season and we’re ready to get back on track and compete for another (one). At Daytona (Superspeedway) we were really close to a win, and that’s what we want. Our No. 48 team has shown we have what it takes to perform well, we just need all the pieces to come together. You never know what’s going to happen at these superspeedways, but hopefully we can work as a team to come out good at the end of it Sunday.”
BLAKE HARRIS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1
Harris on racing at Talladega Superspeedway:
“I think the superspeedway races have been kind of solid for us honestly- even last year when things weren’t going so well. As a company, I feel like Hendrick Motorsports is able to run well working together amongst our teammates at drafting tracks. Our No. 48 Ally racing team expects to bring another fast chevy to Talladega (Superspeedway), just like we did at Daytona (International Speedway).
ZANE SMITH, NO. 71 FOCUSED HEALTH CAMARO ZL1
How do you feel after that great run at Texas Motor Speedway?
“I told my team that was the best car we’ve had all year. It’s a bummer that the result doesn’t match the day that we had. It felt great to run and compete in the top five for part of the race and it was just a solid day, in general. Unfortunately, we were on the other side of luck during that late restart. Overall, I’m super proud of my team. That was the boost we needed. I’m looking forward to Talladega.”
CARSON HOCEVAR, NO. 77 ZEIGLER AUTO GROUP CAMARO ZL1
What is the key to a good day at Talladega?
“Of course, the thing is just surviving to the end. I felt like we did a good job with that in Texas and with the Duels at Daytona. Obviously, the Daytona 500 was a different story but I feel like we did everything we possibly could there. I am going try to be a good citizen and help people when I can and, hopefully, people will help me out when they can. We just want to be on the right end of it at the end of the race.”
How do you feel going into this week’s race after your first top-10 finish?
“I feel pretty good. I wish we could take advantage of the metric for qualifying and be able to qualify later, but Talladega is obviously a little different. I am excited to build on that finish and have some positive momentum, especially with Zeigler Auto Group coming on for their first full primary of the year.”
DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 TOOTSIES ORCHID LOUNGE CAMARO ZL1
How would you assess Trackhouse so far?
“We are top five and top-10 on the mile and a half and road courses. The short tracks are where we have the most work to do. I feel like we are just outside the top-10. Hopefully we can close that gap in the next couple of months.”
Are you looking forward to Talladega?
“Honestly, I’m the kind of guy that is looking forward to the next race regardless of where we are racing whether it is on dirt or a superspeedway. I feel like that’s the mentality you have to have. I have learned that if you hate something you will suck at it forever, so you have to change your mindset. In Daytona we ran well, scoring points in every stage including the Duels. I think our Tootsie’s Chevrolet will be just as quick Sunday in Talladega.”
Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics
Manufacturers Championships:
Total (1949-2023): 42
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, 2021, 2022, 2023
Drivers Championships:
Total (1949-2021): 33
First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)
Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)
Most Recent: Kyle Larson (2021)
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, 2021
Event Victories:
Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)
2024 STATISTICS:
Wins: 6
Poles: 4
Laps Led: 992
Top-five finishes: 19
Top-10 finishes: 33
Stage wins: 7
· Chase Elliott: 1
· Kyle Larson: 5
· Ross Chastain: 1
CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 857 (1949 to date)
Poles won to date: 747
Laps led to date: 250,167
Top-five finishes to date: 4,317
Top-10 finishes to date: 8,894
Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:
General Motors: 1,191
Chevrolet: 857
Pontiac: 154
Oldsmobile: 115
Buick: 65
Ford: 828
Ford: 728
Mercury: 96
Lincoln: 4
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467
Dodge: 217
Plymouth: 191
Chrysler: 59
Toyota: 183
About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. 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.
