TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
CAN-AM 500
PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
AVONDALE, ARIZONA
NOVEMBER 12, 2017
BOWTIE BULLETS
IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS:
This weekend at Phoenix International Raceway, Jimmie Johnson and Chase Elliott are the only members of Team Chevy still in contention to be one of the final four drivers to compete for the 2017 championship title at Homestead. After last weekend’s race at Texas Motor Speedway, three drivers are assured trips to the championship finale based on wins and points performances. Following 312-laps/312-miles of racing around the 1-mile venue in the Valley of the Sun, one driver will emerge as the final championship contender.
Since the current elimination style format began in 2014, Chevrolet has had a championship player each and every season at Homestead and has walked away with the championship title in this format twice – 2014 and 2016. Johnson and Elliott are both in an all but must win situation heading into Phoenix. Johnson, a four-time winner at PIR has history and experience on his side as he fights to compete for an unprecedented eighth series title. Elliott, is still hunting for his first career Cup Series victory, but has been one of the most consistent drivers throughout this season’s 10-race Playoff’s.
PENULTIMATE RACE FOR CHEVY SS:
As the 2017 season winds to a close, so does the time on the track for the Chevy SS. The SS made its on-track debut at the 2013 during speed weeks in Daytona, winning the first points paying race as Jimmie Johnson took the SS to winner’s circle in the season-opening Daytona 500. Since then, the SS has gone on to win 72 more races, making it the most successful Generation-6 NASCAR race car over its manufacturer counterparts. The SS has carried two drivers to season-ending championship titles including Johnson to his record-tying seventh. With its stylized features and authentic showroom-to-race- track rear-wheel drive, the SS will hold special memories over its six-year run as Chevy’s flagship in the NASCAR Cup Series. Its successor, the all-new 2018 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 has big shoes to fill as it makes its way into the Cup Series next season.
LEADER OF THE PACK:
Chevrolet leads all other manufacturers with 23 victories at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR).
QUALIFYING RECORD:
Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS, holds the track qualifying record at PIR of 143.158 mph, set on November 13, 2015.
TUNE-IN:
The Can-Am 500 is scheduled to begin on Sunday, November 12th at 2:30 pm, EDT. Live coverage can be found on NBC, MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
BY THE NUMBERS:
Chevrolet has won 39 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships
Team Chevy drivers have scored 775 wins and 694 poles in MENCS competition
Chevrolet drivers have won 23 of 42 races at Phoenix International Raceway. Victories by current Team Chevy drivers are:
Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS, has four wins at Phoenix International Raceway (’07, ’08 – TWICE & ‘09)
Dale Earnhardt, Jr., No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS, has three trophies from Phoenix International Raceway (’03, ’04 & ’15)
Ryan Newman, No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet SS, has two victories at Phoenix International Raceway (’10 & ‘17)
Kasey Kahne, No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS, has one win at Phoenix International Raceway (’11)
A Chevrolet driver has won seven of the last eight races at Phoenix International Raceway
A Chevrolet driver has sat on the pole at Phoenix International Raceway 17 times
Team Chevy drivers have scored 105 top-five and 197 top-10 finishes at Phoenix International Raceway
A Chevrolet has led 5,806 laps (43.5% of possible 13,377 laps) at Phoenix International Raceway
FOR THE FANS:
Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway at Phoenix International Raceway
Fans can check out great a great assortment of Chevrolet vehicles including: Impala, Camaro, Silverado 2500 HD, Colorado ZR2, Traverse, Tahoe, Silverado 1500, Equinox
At the Chevrolet Display, fans can view the No, 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS and No. 3 DOW Chevrolet SS show cars
Also on display is a Chevrolet R07 racing engine complete with electronic fuel injection. Fans can also see a sample of engines, parts and accessories available for purchase from Chevrolet Performance at their local Chevrolet dealer
Other activities at the Team Chevy Racing Display include a variety of interactive games for adults and kids
TEAM CHEVY QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSIONS AT THE DISPLAY:
Friday, November 10th
12:15 p.m. – Johnny Sauter
12:30 p.m. – Kaz Grala
12:45 p.m. – John Hunter Nemechek
2:00 p.m. – Justin Haley
4:30 p.m. – Brandon Jones & Brendan Gaughan
Saturday, November 11th
9:15 a.m. – Spencer Gallagher
11:15 a.m. – Garrett Smithly & Harrison Rhodes
Sunday, November 12th
8:40 a.m. – Ryan Newman
9:45 a.m. – Ty Dillon
10:00 a.m. – Chase Elliott
Chevrolet Display Hours of operation: Fri. Nov. 10th – 9:00 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.; Sat. Nov. 11th – 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Sun. Nov. 12th – 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
QUOTABLE QUOTES:
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 24 HOOTERS CHEVROLET SS – 7TH IN PLAYOFF STANDINGS
“What makes Phoenix unique is just the different ends. (Turns) 1 and 2 being or 1 kind of being like it is and (Turns) 3 and 4 being so flat. You have to be … very similar to Darlington you have to pick a little bit of the best on both and try to marry the two together the best you can to be good there.”
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS – 8TH IN PLAYOFF STANDINGS
“I know we’re building a better race car and taking a few new ideas to Phoenix and we’ll go there and fight as hard as we can. That is one thing this team will never do it give up.”
CHEVROLET DRIVERS NOT IN PLAYOFF CONTENTION:
KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 REFRESH YOUR CAR! CHEVROLET SS – 9TH IN STANDINGS
“We’ve hit a bit of a rough patch, but I’m hopeful for a better weekend at Phoenix. We had a really fast car there earlier this year, and probably should’ve won the race on that late restart. I feel Phoenix has been a place where we keep getting better and better. We’ve always qualified good there, and our finishes keep getting better. I know this weekend will be an intense race with only one spot left in the final four, but I think we can be one of the cars in the mix up front at the end. Even though we’re not going for a championship or a spot at Homestead, we’re trying to get the best finishes we can in our Chevy’s to finish the year out on a high note and start gaining some momentum for next season.”
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 FARMERS INSURANCE CHEVROLET SS – 12TH IN STANDINGS
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 REALTREE CHEVROLET SS – 13TH IN STANDINGS
“Yeah, Phoenix will be a good one for us. We can look at some of the stuff that the No. 31 (Ryan Newman) did and just kind of develop off of what we did. We had a decent run in that race. Just try and build on the rest of the season and finish strong off at the second to last race.”
JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 CESSNA CHEVROLET SS – 15TH IN STANDINGS
“I think the thing that I am looking forward to the most this weekend is turning around our string of bad luck. We have had some not so great finishes the last three or four weeks. Phoenix Raceway would be a great place to make that turn around. We have been pretty good there the last several races with our qualifying effort and races. Phoenix is a pretty tough track to pass on, so track position will be critical. Hopefully we can put a couple of strong runs together and finish our season strong”.
RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR CHEVROLET SS – 16TH IN STANDINGS
“The Phoenix win was pretty special. It was important to our team and to our entire organization. It’s been awhile since I’ve been back in Victory Lane and it meant a lot to get my crew chief and engineers their first win together and for me, with them. It was just what the doctor ordered. I remember telling people that I didn’t forget how to win, but it had me soul searching. ‘Is it really this hard or am I just losing it?’ The win helped set the tone for our season. It was a total collective effort and it felt so good. We were at the right place at the right time and did what we needed to do. I hope we can do it all over again on Sunday.”
DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CHEVROLET SS – 22ND IN STANDINGS
“Phoenix is a good track for us. We have certainly had a great car there the last several times. Knowing we have won there helps you just go in there with a good attitude. I don’t think that we’ve lost hope on winning a race by any means. So, we’ll go in there with a solid attitude and see how it works out for us.”
PAUL MENARD, NO. 27 DURACELL/MENARDS CHEVROLET SS – 23RD IN STANDINGS
“I have always liked racing at Phoenix. The track has aged well and lost a good bit of grip since it was repaved. Phoenix used to be real slick and it is starting to get back to that feeling now. Phoenix is a real driver’s track and you have to keep up with the adjustments throughout the weekend to be good all during the race. We will head there with the Duracell/Menards Chevrolet looking to follow up on our top-10 run last November.”
TY DILLON, NO. 13 GEICO MILITARY CHEVROLET SS – 24TH IN STANDINGS
“Our last trip to Phoenix was a successful one for our GEICO Chevrolet team. It was just our fourth race together as a team, and we went home with a decent, 16th-place finish. It’s definitely a track that we’ve been looking forward to going back to so that we can improve on that finish. We haven’t had the runs we wanted here recently, but we know what our GEICO Military Chevrolet is capable of this weekend, and we are going to finish the season strong. Phoenix is a track that I’ve always had strong runs at, and this weekend will be no different.”
CHRIS BUESCHER, NO. 37 CLOROX CHEVROLET SS – 25TH IN STANDINGS
“We’re back to Phoenix for the second time this year, although it’s been a really long time since we’ve visited out West. It was hot then, and it’ll be hot now in Arizona. It’s a short track race, even though it’s one of the longer race tracks that are considered to be ‘short track’. It’s very much a short track. A lot of the characteristics are the same – hard braking, a lot of free roll time through turns 3 and 4 make it a tough race track. We keep trying to learn there every time we go, and we’ll see if we can do a little bit better there than we did in the spring.”
MICHAEL MCDOWELL, NO. 95 JOLT CHEVROLET SS – 26TH IN STANDINGS
“It’s my home race! Until Alex Bowman gets back in the No. 88, I’m the only Arizona native that’s racing in the cup series. Lots of fans and cheers during driver intros – it’s just good to be home. Everyone at Phoenix International Raceway has been so good to me. They have a lot on their plate right now with this big renovation, but it will be good to get there and be with all my friends and family.”
AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 47 FRY’S CLICKLIST CHEVROLET SS – 28TH IN STANDINGS
“Phoenix is a race track that is unique like no other. Really flat on both ends, a track that we always typically struggle to get the car to be able to turn in the center, but not be too free off. If it’s really hot out the track gets really, really slick. Cooler temps it has some grip, but just like all repaves over the past couple of years it takes some time to get the rubber cleaned off the race track. The track changes a lot through practice into qualifying and for the race. So, it’s always a challenge, but a fun race track I always enjoy it and we have strong runs there. Hopefully, we can go back there and learn from what we did in the first part of the year and go have a really strong run to end the year.”
Chevrolet Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Statistics
Manufacturers Championships
Total (1949 – 2015): 39
First title for Chevrolet: 1958
Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-2015)
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 – 2016): 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 – (in 2007)
2017 STATISTICS:
Wins: 10
Poles: 6
Laps Led: 2,186
Top-five finishes: 49
Top-10 finishes: 104
CHEVROLET IN NASCAR SPRINT CUP CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 775 (1949 – to date)
Poles Won to Date: 694
Laps Lead to Date: 230,632
Top-Five Finishes to Date: 3,923
Top-10 Finishes to Date: 8,061
Total NASCAR Cup wins by Corporation, 1949 – To-Date
GM: 1,110
Chevrolet: 774
Pontiac: 155
Oldsmobile: 115
Buick: 65
Ford: 758
Ford: 658
Mercury: 96
Lincoln: 4
Chrysler: 466
Dodge: 217
Plymouth: 190
Chrysler: 59
Toyota: 109
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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.
