TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
Phoenix Raceway
March 5-8, 2026
A two-race west coast swing kicks off this weekend for the NASCAR Cup and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series with the pair traveling to the desert for their first of two appearances at Phoenix Raceway this season.
The Bowtie brand’s return to the one-mile oval sparks some pristine memories from its most recent visit to the venue with Phoenix Raceway serving as the site that delivered the manufacturer its 34th Cup Series Driver Championship and 23rd O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Driver Championship.
A Special Weekend for Chevrolet:
The weekend will feature a rare crossover between two of motorsport’s most competitive series – NASCAR and the NTT INDYCAR Series. For Chevrolet, the weekend is an opportunity to display its diverse profile in both stock car and open-wheel racing with the Bowtie brand boasting as the only manufacturer that will compete in all four events. A combined total of 75 Team Chevy drivers are entered for this weekend’s competition including 18 in the NASCAR Cup Series, 30 in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, 15 in the ARCA Menards Series and 12 in the NTT INDYCAR Series.
Chevrolet has had a long history of success at the one-mile desert oval, including three championship-clinching performances and 27 wins in the Cup Series and two championships and 10 wins in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. In INDYCAR, the Bowtie brigade earned its first win on an oval in 1969 at Phoenix Raceway, also marking its first of 10 all-time wins at the track.
MAKING MOVES
With the first road course event in the books, the NASCAR Cup Series points standings sees three fresh faces in the top-10 – all of which come from the Chevrolet camp. Capitalizing on their road racing prowess, Shane van Gisbergen, AJ Allmendinger and Michael McDowell all earned top-10 results at Circuit of The Americas to propel each of them to a double-digit jump in the standings heading into the west coast swing. Leading the charge was the 36-year-old Auckland, New Zealand, native that drove his No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet to his season-best runner-up finish in the Lone Star State – marking back-to-back top-five results to kick-off the season. The finish, along with a 45-point day, was enough to push Van Gisbergen up 11 spots to fifth in the standings. Allmendinger and McDowell each earned their best finish of the season at COTA and will head to Phoenix ranked eighth and ninth, respectively, in the points standings.
DOUBLING-UP
Sharing the seat of the organization’s third NASCAR Cup Series entry, Austin Hill will take his turn behind the wheel of the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet this weekend for his first of five starts in the division this season. Currently competing in his fifth full-time campaign in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series with the Chevrolet organization, Hill enters the weekend with 15 Cup Series starts under his belt, including a career-best finish of ninth that came in the entry at the Chicago Street Race last season.
The 31-year-old Winston, Georgia, native has already earned one trip to victory lane this season – driving his No. 21 Chevrolet to the win in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway. Since then, Hill has managed to maintain the points lead through the first-three weekends – holding a 28-point lead over his teammate and reigning champion, Jesse Love. Hill’s experience at the one-mile desert oval includes eight career starts in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series – producing six top-10s, including a best-finish of fourth in the March 2024 event.
BYRON’S BACK
With a rotation of Team Chevy drivers behind the wheel of the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet this season, it’s the 2017 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Champion, William Byron, that will be behind the reigns for a double-duty weekend in the desert. The 28-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina, native has a short but successful resume in the second-tier series. Byron competed in just one full-time campaign in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series before his venture to the Cup Series – a stint that ended with four wins, ‘Rookie of the Year’ honors and a championship title.
The Team Chevy driver made two appearances in the series last season – finishing no worse than second, including the win in front of a hometown crowd at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Byron is on an elite list of drivers that have earned victories in both of NASCAR’s top-two divisions at Phoenix Raceway – earning one win in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series with JR Motorsports in 2017 and one win in the Cup Series with Hendrick Motorsports in 2023.
LOVE BEAMS IN CONFIDENCE AND CONSISTENCY
Phoenix Raceway with forever hold a special place in Jesse Love’s NASCAR career. Just a few months ago at the one-mile desert oval, the Menlo Park, California, native turned his sophomore campaign into a championship-earning season – driving his No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet to the race win and his first career championship title in the NASCAR national ranks. The only driver in the series to finish inside the top-10 in all three races this season, Love’s early consistency has paid dividends with the Team Chevy driver sitting just behind his teammate and points leader, Austin Hill, in the standings. Hungry for his first win of the season, there’s no better place for Love to check that box than at Phoenix Raceway. In his four career starts at the track, Love has yet to qualify and finish outside of the top-10, with his most notable result coming last November when he took the win and the championship title.
BOWTIE BULLETS:
· Chevrolet will serve as the official pace vehicle for the NASCAR, NTT INDYCAR and ARCA Menards Series race weekend at Phoenix Raceway, with the Corvette Stingray leading each series to the green flag in their respective events.
· As the only manufacturer that will compete in all four events at Phoenix Raceway, a combined total of 75 Team Chevy drivers are entered for this weekend’s competition including 18 in the NASCAR Cup Series, 30 in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, 15 in the ARCA Menards Series and 12 in the NTT INDYCAR Series.
· Active Chevrolet drivers with a NASCAR Cup Series win at Phoenix Raceway:
Kyle Busch – three wins (2019, 2018, 2005)
Ross Chastain – one win (2023)
William Byron – one win (2023)
Kyle Larson – one win (2021)
Chase Elliott – one win (2020)
· In 59 NASCAR Cup Series races held at Phoenix Raceway, Chevrolet has recorded 27 victories, including a record-setting streak of 10 straight – earned by six different drivers between 2005-2010.
· In 147 points-paying races in the NASCAR Cup Series Next Gen era, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 67 victories – a winning percentage of 45.6%.
· Chevrolet is coming off its 29th all-time sweep of the NASCAR Cup Series championship titles – capturing its 34th driver championship and 44th, and fifth consecutive, manufacturer championship in 2025.
· With its 44 NASCAR Cup Series manufacturer championships, 34 NASCAR Cup Series driver championships, and 881 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title as the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.
FOR THE FANS:
· Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway at Phoenix Raceway, which will feature a variety of vehicles including: Tahoe Z71, Silverado 1500 RST, Silverado EV, Colorado Trail Boss, Traverse Z71, Equinox EV RS, Corvette E-Ray, Equinox ACTIV, and NASCAR and INDYCAR show cars.
Team Chevy Driver Appearances at the Display:
Saturday, March 7
Rinus VeeKay: 10:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Ryan Hunter-Reay: 10:15 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Parker Retzlaff: 3:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Sheldon Creed & Sam Mayer: 3:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Jeremy Clements: 3:45 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 8
Connor Zilisch: 8:30 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.
Ross Chastain: 8:45 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Kyle Busch: 9:05 a.m. – 9:20 a.m.
Michael McDowell: 9:20 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr: 9:30 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
Kyle Larson: 9:45 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
William Byron: 10:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation:
Friday, March 6: 11:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 7: 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 8: 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
TUNE-IN:
NASCAR Cup Series
Straight Talk Wireless 500
Sunday, Mar. 8, at 3:30 p.m. ET
FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series
GOVX 200
Saturday, Mar. 7, at 7:30 p.m. ET
CW, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90
NTT INDYCAR Series
Good Ranchers 250
Saturday, Mar. 7, at 3 p.m. ET
FOX
ARCA Menards Series
General Tire 150
Thursday, Mar. 5, at 6 p.m. ET
FS1 and FOX One
QUOTABLE QUOTES:
Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
What are your thoughts on Phoenix Raceway?
“Phoenix Raceway is a tough place. We’ve tried. We’ve worked hard, really hard, to try and get our cars better there. I’m looking forward to the challenge of it. You try and turn it into a short track, but the aero platform in the car really matters. One end of the track is flat, one end is banked, and you’re just trying to get the car neutral in both. So, you’re constantly working on it, but we’re always optimistic every time we go to Phoenix Raceway. We are committed to getting better.”
Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Three races into the season with Spire Motorsports, how are you feeling about the team’s performance, and how has your experience behind the wheel been so far?
“My experience has been very good. I feel like we started off strong in Daytona and Atlanta. We have good speed and momentum. I am very pleased with Spire Motorsports. We are pushing ourselves to get better and better each week. You never know, you can work very hard, have all these meetings, communications, and chemistry, but you just never know exactly where you are going to stack up. I am impressed with the structure and speed at Spire. I was expecting to be fast, but this is faster than what I was expecting. In Daytona, I probably had the fastest superspeedway car I’ve ever been in. I still am learning the team and car, but so far to this point I am very impressed with what we are bringing to the racetrack.”
Who will you be rooting for in INDYCAR, and what do you think about crossover races with NASCAR?”
“I have a couple of friends in the IndyCar series — my amigo Paisano Pato, who I’ve known for over 20 years and also Scott McLaughlin. I’ll definitely be rooting for them. I think the INDYCAR Series is amazing. I really love watching those guys race. INDYCAR has a different fan base than NASCAR, which makes it great to bring families together to enjoy both series. I really enjoyed crossing over between the two at Indianapolis – it was a lot of fun – and I’m looking forward to doing it again.”
Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
What makes racing at Phoenix unique compared to other tracks? tomorrow
“Phoenix Raceway is a really cool racetrack because it’s only a mile in length, but it still races like a big track. Some of the most exciting opportunities at Phoenix to set up passes and make moves are on restarts. Everybody is so close together at the dogleg, which is really unique because it lends itself to ten wide racing where you can be ten lanes wide with grooves to operate in. You’re going to venture to get away from everybody that’s around you, but it all funnels down to about two to three lanes wide when you get to the corners, so it gets pretty tight when you get into the turns. You want to make your passes right after the restarts.”
How does the flat layout of the track affect the way you drive the track?
“Phoenix being a flat racetrack, has ten degrees of banking at one end and four degrees of banking on the other, so it’s pretty flat. You basically feel like you’re on ice and drifting around the track keeping as much speed possible and making sure you got a good handling racecar, one that grips the track better than everyone else so you can go out there, pass them and win.”
Do you think teams will be more conservative on tires this weekend compared to last November’s race?
“I think you’ll see a more conservative approach with tires this weekend, just because it’s the beginning of the season, and people wanting to take care of their equipment and try to get through the West Coast swing. So, you definitely don’t want to be tearing up too much equipment.”
AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
What is your mindset going into Phoenix after having a tough race the last time there?
“Phoenix is a racetrack that for whatever reason, whether racing in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (formerly NASCAR Xfinity Series) or the NASCAR Cup Series, it’s just a racetrack that as a company we have struggled at in the past. You know, I think it’s about going there and trying to have realistic expectations. We are just trying to be better and have speed. We do want to have a solid improvement from where we have typically been there and put on a good showing for Campers Inn RV.”
What is the best approach?
“We know we are going to face some challenges, but it’s how we handle them and stay positive that matters most. Over the next few weeks, we’ll really get to see where we stand as a race team with our cars. Our focus is making the most of every weekend and that’s unloading with speed, improving through practice/qualifying and getting better when it counts in the race.”
How are you feeling after receiving medical attention from the heat upon exiting your race car at COTA last Sunday?
“I feel okay. I was just a little sore earlier in the week, but otherwise, really, I feel pretty good now. All things considered, we got a solid top-10 finish out of the day at COTA, some stage points, and gained spots in the points standings.”
Austin Hill, No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
What are your overall thoughts of driving a Cup Series car for the first time at Phoenix Raceway?
“I’m looking forward to being back in the United Rentals Chevrolet this weekend. Based on my time in the simulator, I’m not sure how much the O’Reilly car is going to help me on the Cup side with the shifting differences and techniques of how you drive the Cup car. My approach will certainly be different from the O’Reilly race on Saturday to the Cup race on Sunday. Practice will be key to stay ahead of the racetrack. The track changes a lot in temperature and the way rubber is laid down, so we need to make sure we are not fighting the track and focusing only on the drivability of our car. You have to know where the track is going to go which we have gotten better with on the O’Reilly side. In that car, you want to be a couple numbers free in practice, because the track is going to tighten up as the race goes on. I’m not sure if that will translate to the Cup car, but that will be something to pay attention to. If we can get a decent qualifying effort, stay out of trouble, and play strategy at the end of the race, we should end up with a good finish.”
What is the expectation for the No. 33 team this weekend at Phoenix Raceway?
“We’ve been able to finish inside the top-10 before, although it was on a road course. A top-15 would be a great day, a top-20 would be a good day. In my opinion, we are past having the goal of just completing all of the laps. With the amount of times I’ve run on the Cup side now, we need to perform and have good results. If we can do that and finish around our teammates, the No. 3 and the No. 8, it would be a good day for us.”
Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet
“I think everyone is looking forward to going to Phoenix, as it’s going to be the first true test of the year from an oval standpoint. So we are looking forward to see how our HaasTooling.com Chevrolet Camaro will truly start the year off.”
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet
“We’re really excited to welcome Pylon Aviation to the team this weekend in Phoenix. Bringing a new partner on board is always a big deal for everyone at Hyak Motorsports — it gives us extra motivation to go out and perform. We take a lot of pride in representing our partners the right way, both on and off the track. Hopefully we can put together a strong run and give Pylon Aviation something to celebrate in their first race with us.”
Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet
“Phoenix has always been a difficult racetrack. It’s not really a short track because it’s so wide and so fast. It kind of blends the lines of an intermediate, downforce-style track into a short track. Like a short track, we’re doing a lot of shifting at Phoenix, and there are different ways to approach the corners in regard to how many times you’re shifting and where you’re shifting. Loose is fast at Phoenix, and the setups there are very aggressive. You’ve got to run the car mechanically free, so you never feel good around Phoenix. Even though it’s only a 312-lap race, it feels like a very long 312 laps. You’re out of breath at the end of it.”
Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Phoenix and Las Vegas will be your first traditional ovals of the year, what are you expecting?
“I feel like with Phoenix and Vegas you start to see and feel where you are as a team, because you go back-to-back on superspeedways and then a road course with Circuit of the Americas. They are all important. They all count points, but you don’t know really where you stack up on your overall program until you get through all those different types of tracks. So, building off last year, our Phoenix package was good. We finished in the top 10 last fall and we were fast. We have good notes and a good baseline going into Phoenix this weekend.”
Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
What is your outlook heading into the next few weeks?
“We are right where we want to be heading into this part of the schedule. Anything can happen at Daytona and Atlanta, and road courses aren’t my favorite, but we are still 10th in points with some really good tracks coming up for us. We qualified really well with MINER at Phoenix last year, but got caught up in someone else’s mess. We excel at the 1.5-mile tracks like Vegas, and we ran in the top 10 at the Southern 500 last year. I’m excited to get into the heart of the schedule.”
Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
What is your assessment of the first three Cup races this season? How different is the racing in Cup versus the O’Reilly Series?
“I feel like it’s aggressive in Cup, but when I was coming through the field at COTA there were a lot more guys who were generous than I remember on Saturdays. Even when you get to the top-10, guys aren’t racing you when they know that you’re faster. On Saturdays I feel like every guy races you hard for every spot, even if you’re a second faster. I can’t say the restarts are any less aggressive in Cup because I got taken out twice last Sunday. The Cup guys are all really smart. I feel like they make a lot more intelligent move to put you in bad spots. It’s a lot harder to make up positions in those moments than it is on Saturday.”
What are your thoughts entering Phoenix this weekend?
“I’m excited to go back to Phoenix and I love racing there. That track is awesome and the restarts are crazy. It’s wide and there’s a lot of room to make moves and move around to change the balance on your car. I’m looking forward to getting out there and sharing the track with IndyCar this weekend. We’ll get to see them in person for the first time in a few years, probably since the Indy road course. I’m looking forward to seeing the friends that I have in the IndyCar paddock.”
Can you describe what the restarts are like at Phoenix going from the flat surface back up on the banking?
“Even in the O’Reilly Series there were times you had to pull your helmet back down because pulling back onto the track is so aggressive. It’s a big bump coming back up on the racetrack after getting down on the dogleg. The restarts at Phoenix are just crazy. I feel bad for the spotters having to call however many wide you are, how many are outside of you and how many are inside. It’s always chaotic there. I’m looking forward to seeing how it is with the Cup guys.”
Is running at the very bottom on Turn 1 an option at Phoenix?
“It’s an option but you have to have a tire advantage on the cars ahead of you to make it work. If you are on similar tires to the people around you and you go down there, you’re going to come off Turn 2 going what feels like 20 miles an hour slower and everybody is going to be blowing by you on the outside. It’s risky. You’ve got to get clear and be able to take other people’s momentum. If you exit Turn 2 all the way down by the wall, that’s where you’re going to get yourself into trouble.”
Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
You’ve only started your NASCAR career a little over two years ago. Now you have 11 road course wins across the NASCAR Cup and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. How cool is that?
“It’s been pretty awesome! I’ve had a whole lot of fun racing here. Every year I’ve enjoyed it so much and it doesn’t seem like a grind. I got to the end of last year and I was tired, but I had a week off and I was ready to get going again (laughs). There is such a great group of guys and girls at Trackhouse, and it makes racing every weekend so enjoyable.”
You are starting to head to some tracks for the second and third time. What do you want to do better as you approach these tracks in the 2026 season?
“There are a couple of tracks I really struggle at for some reason, Phoenix is one of them. It’s a type of track I need to improve myself. I know my car can do it, but that racing is so much more tough with not a lot of practice. It’s hard, but that is where I need to get better personally. Then, just continue to keep growing at the bigger tracks. I felt like we’ve made some real progress there, so we need to keep it going.”
You talk about set-up and different stuff like that, how different is it when you have that year in the Cup Series under your belt?
“You just learn what you want and need from a car. My driving style was very different to most, I guess. The way I make the car work or want it to work is very different to others. We noticed a lot of trends which took a while to get everyone to adjust to. I adjusted a bit but now we’re sort of coming my way a bit, which has kind of helped me. It’s interesting. The cars are set up so different to what I’m used to, and I’m still trying to understand what I need or want from the car.”
Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics
Manufacturer Championships:
Total (1949-2025): 44
First title for Chevrolet: 1958
Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15)
Most recent: 2025
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, 2024, 2025
Driver Championships:
Total (1949-2025): 34
First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)
Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)
Most recent: Kyle Larson (2025)
Driver and Manufacturer Championship Sweeps: 29
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, 2025
Event Victories:
Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)
2026 STATISTICS:
Wins: 0
Poles: 1
Laps Led: 142
Top-Fives: 7
Top-10s: 11
Stage Wins: 1
CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 881 (1949 to date)
Poles won to date: 767
Laps led to date: 256,876
Top-fives to date: 4,443
Top-10s to date: 9,162
Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:
General Motors: 1,215
Chevrolet: 881
Pontiac: 154
Oldsmobile: 115
Buick: 65
Ford: 847
Ford: 747
Mercury: 96
Lincoln: 4
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467
Dodge: 217
Plymouth: 191
Chrysler: 59
Toyota: 206
Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.
About General Motors
General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future.
GM Motorsports, including the Cadillac Formula 1® Team develops and proves advanced technologies in the most demanding environments, accelerating innovation in performance, safety, efficiency, and electrification for its production vehicles. Cadillac Racing is one of the leading manufacturers in the IMSA and FIA World Endurance Championships (WEC). Chevrolet competes in single seaters in the US IndyCar series, and in NASCAR with multiple team partners and drivers. Corvette customer teams compete in GT series across the globe including IMSA and WEC. Learn more at GM.com.
