POCONO RACEWAY (2.5-MILE TRIANGLE)
LOCATION: LONG POND, PENNSYLVANIA
EVENT: NASCAR CUP SERIES (RACE 21 OF 36)
TUNE IN: 2:30 P.M. ET, SUNDAY, JULY 29 (NBCSN/MRN/SIRIUSXM)
Chase Elliott
No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Driver Chase Elliott Hometown Dawsonville, Georgia
Age 22 Resides Dawsonville, Georgia
2018 Season
13th in standings
20 starts
0 wins
1 pole position
5 top-five finishes
9 top-10 finishes
42 laps led
Career
97 starts
0 wins
4 pole positions
27 top-five finishes
47 top-10 finishes
960 laps led
Track Career
5 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
1 top-five finish
4 top-10 finishes
51 laps led
NAPA AUTO PARTS: The familiar blue, white and yellow NAPA AUTO PARTS paint scheme will grace the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 this weekend at Pocono Raceway. The Atlanta-based company will serve as majority sponsor for Chase Elliott and the No. 9 team for 26 NASCAR Cup Series races this year.
POCONO STATS: Elliott is set to make his sixth start at Pocono Raceway in the NASCAR Cup Series this weekend. In his first five starts, the 22-year-old driver collected one top-five finish and four top-10s. Elliott averages a starting position of 14.0 and a finishing position of 13.0 at the Pennsylvania track. During his rookie start at Pocono in June 2016, he led 51 laps en route to a fourth-place finish. Earlier this season, Elliott made his Pocono NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in the No. 23 Chevrolet, starting 10th and collecting a runner-up finish in the 100-lap event.
GUSTAFSON AT THE TRICKY TRIANGLE: No. 9 team crew chief Alan Gustafson will call his 28th Pocono race from atop the pit box at the 2.5-mile triangle this weekend. In his previous 27 starts with five different drivers (Elliott, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, Casey Mears and Kyle Busch), Gustafson has collected two wins – with Gordon in June 2011 and August 2012 – and garnered six top-five finishes and 15 top-10s.
ELLIOTT AT POCONO: On Friday, July 27, Elliott is scheduled to participate in the Pocono Raceway Fan Fest at 8 p.m. local time. He and teammate Alex Bowman will compete in a Hungry Fan Throwdown cooking competition. For more information, visit poconoraceway.com/fanfest.
HOME SWEET HOME: As the Cup Series heads to Pocono, there are four members of the No. 9 team that call the Keystone State home – car chief Josh Kirk (Chambersburg, Pennsylvania), engineer Matt Barndt (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania), primary truck driver Dave Ott (St. Marys, Pennsylvania) and co-truck driver Heath Edler (Williamsport, Pennsylvania).
NEW HAMPSHIRE REWIND: Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS team had a strong showing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last weekend after leading 23 laps and collecting their first stage win of the season en route to a fifth-place finish.
WEDNESDAYS WITH DALE JR.: This Wednesday, July 25, Elliott will join “NASCAR America” for “Wednesdays with Dale Jr.,” NBCSN’s weekly motor sports show featuring Dale Earnhardt Jr. The episode will air live on NBCSN at 5 p.m. ET.
William Byron
No. 24 Axalta/Imron Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Driver William Byron Hometown Charlotte, North Carolina
Age 20 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina
2018 Season
21st in standings
20 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
1 top-10 finish
43 laps led
Career
20 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
1 top-10 finish
43 laps led
Track Career
1 start
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
0 top-10 finishes
0 laps led
AXALTA’S IMRON SCHEME: This weekend at Pocono Raceway, Axalta returns as the primary partner of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, but with a special new scheme. The No. 24 Axalta/Imron Chevy (link to paint scheme unveil or preview) is reminiscent of the No. 9 Axalta Chevrolet that William Byron drove in the NASCAR Xfinity Series last year, with a gray base and neon yellow accents. Imron is Axalta’s premium quality polyurethane coating used to protect heavy-duty trucks, buses, RVs and other commercial vehicles from the harshest environmental conditions. The coating is available in more than 18,000 dazzling solid, metallic and pearlescent colors and is designed to deliver a consistent, high gloss, premium-quality appearance. Imron is a leader in its class and is the paint of choice for six of the seven Class 8 heavy-duty truck manufacturers. Following Pocono, Axalta will next appear as the primary on Byron’s throwback No. 24 Chevy – featuring the iconic rainbow scheme made famous by Jeff Gordon in the 1990s – at Darlington Raceway for the Sept. 2 race. In 2018, Axalta will be a primary partner on the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro for a total of 11 races.
POCONO STATS: In Byron’s first Cup start at Pocono Raceway in June, he and the No. 24 team had a solid day. The 20-year-old was running inside the top 10 near the end of the event before losing a handful of positions during a series of late-race restarts and finishing 18th. The NASCAR Cup Series rookie has experienced past success at the 2.5-mile triangle in the other NASCAR national series, finishing in the top 15 in his lone Xfinity Series start at Pocono, and winning the 2016 Camping World Truck Series race after starting from the pole and leading 44 of 60 laps.
NO. 24 AT POCONO: Pocono Raceway has been a good track for the No. 24 team in the past, with four-time champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon earning six wins at the Long Pond, Pennsylvania, track – the most of any Cup Series driver – while behind the wheel of the No. 24 Chevrolet. Gordon’s six wins ties the No. 24 for the third-most wins by car number at Pocono. Hendrick Motorsports is tied for the most drivers to score victories at Pocono with seven different drivers accomplishing the feat. A win by Byron this weekend would push the number to eight, a new record. No. 24 team crew chief Darian Grubb has also led a driver to victory at Pocono, scoring a win with Tony Stewart in June 2009.
FIRST-TIME WINNERS: There have been four first-time winners at Pocono, a great sign for Byron, who has a successful history at the “Tricky Triangle” himself. Two of those first-time winners have come in the past two seasons – Chris Buescher as a rookie in August 2016 and Ryan Blaney in June 2017. In addition to Buescher, another Cup rookie had a great record at Pocono when Denny Hamlin swept both events in his rookie year in 2006. Overall, 16 rookies have earned top-five finishes in at least one of the Pocono events in their respective rookie seasons, another good omen for Byron.
BYRON Q&A SESSION: The rookie points leader will make an appearance at the Pocono Raceway “Tricky Triangle Club” in the Chalet Village on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. local time for a question-and-answer session. Tickets for Byron’s Q&A and access to the “Tricky Triangle Club,” which includes pit passes for the Cup race, are available here.
POCONO VICTORY TOUR VIDEO: Check out the video from Byron’s Pocono Victory Tour on July 11 in Episode 24 of “The Tricky Chronicles” here. The video shows Byron’s visit to Boy Scouts Camp Minsi, where he spent time with the scouts and members of the media, raced canoes and tried out archery as part of the Victory Tour. Byron became an Eagle Scout, the highest achievement rank of the Boy Scouts of America, in 2015 while racing full-time and attending high school.
NHMS RECAP: In last Sunday’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Byron scored a top-15 finish in the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. His 14th-place result also helped him increase his lead in the battle for the rookie of the year title, as he was the highest-finishing Cup rookie in the race.
Jimmie Johnson
No. 48 Lowe’s for Pros Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Driver Jimmie Johnson Hometown El Cajon, California
Age 42 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina
2018 Season
12th in standings
20 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
2 top-five finishes
7 top-10 finishes
15 laps led
Career
599 starts
83 wins
35 pole positions
224 top-five finishes
348 top-10 finishes
18,678 laps led
Track Career
33 starts
3 wins
3 pole positions
11 top-five finishes
20 top-10 finishes
740 laps led
Jimmie Johnson will be available to members of the media at 8:15 a.m. local time on Saturday, July 28, at Pocono Raceway in the media center.
600 STARTS: Jimmie Johnson will make his 600th career NASCAR Cup Series start this weekend at Pocono Raceway. Throughout his storied career, which began in 2001 with three starts in the Lowe’s Chevrolet, Johnson has accumulated seven championships, 83 wins, 35 pole positions, 224 top-five finishes and 348 top-10s – all with partner Lowe’s Home Improvement on the hood of his race car.
600 DECAL: To pay homage to Johnson’s milestone 600th start, the No. 48 team will run a special decal on the Lowe’s for Pros Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.
IN GOOD COMPANY: Johnson will be the 30th driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to start 600 races. Among the drivers to previously accomplish the feat, nine of them have driven for Hendrick Motorsports – and Johnson makes 10. NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty is the only driver to win a race on his 600th start, which took place at Richmond in February 1973.
LAPS RUN: Over 599 starts, Johnson has passed the start/finish line a total of 170,691 times in his No. 48 machine. Johnson has led 18,678 circuits over that span.
MOST WINS THROUGH 600 STARTS LIST: Johnson ranks third among drivers who have accumulated the most wins through 600 starts. On the list, he is surrounded by NASCAR Hall of Famers. Richard Petty leads with 150 wins, Darrell Waltrip had 84, Johnson sits at 83 and Jeff Gordon had 82.
LAST TIME OUT: In the most recent race at Pocono in June, Johnson started 15th, led two laps and scored an eighth-place finish. The El Cajon, California, native’s last win at the “Tricky Triangle” was on June 9, 2013, when he dominated the 400-mile event by leading 128 of 160 laps.
VIP EXPERIENCE: Johnson has three more VIP experiences remaining for the 2018 season. The package gives fans the opportunity to meet the driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s for Pros Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in a one-on-one setting and includes a meet-and-greet, an autograph and a photo with Johnson along with a behind-the-scenes garage tour and an amazing, exclusive gift. Packages remain for Indianapolis, Dover and Homestead. For more information, visit https://jimmiejohnsonvip.com/.
Alex Bowman
No. 88 Axalta All-Pro Teachers Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Driver Alex Bowman Hometown Tucson, Arizona
Age 25 Resides Mooresville, North Carolina
2018 Season
15th in standings
20 starts
0 wins
1 pole position
1 top-five finish
7 top-10 finishes
67 laps led
Career
101 starts
0 wins
2 pole positions
1 top-five finish
10 top-10 finishes
270 laps led
Track Career
5 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
0 top-10 finishes
0 laps led
AXALTA, EAGLES AND ALL-PRO TEACHERS: Axalta will be the primary sponsor on the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 this weekend in Pocono. Instead of its primary colors, the car will feature the colors of the defending Super Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles. The All-Pro Teachers campaign will be the primary focus of the weekend’s paint scheme, honoring teachers in the Philadelphia area. The 2017 All-Pro Teacher will be in attendance at Sunday’s race and will get to meet Alex Bowman and the No. 88 Axalta team.
BOWMAN AT THE TRICKY TRIANGLE: Bowman has five previous NASCAR Cup Series starts at Pocono Raceway. Earlier this season, the No. 88 team qualified 14th and finished 27th after an on-track incident on Lap 148 that caused heavy right-rear damage. In 2016, Bowman made his only start at the track in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and finished 10th. The Tucson, Arizona, native captured two third-place finishes at the track in the ARCA Racing Series in 2012, leading a total of seven laps. A win for Bowman this weekend would mark the eighth different Hendrick Motorsports driver to win at the track, which would be a record.
NO. 88 AT POCONO: The No. 88 machine is no stranger to Victory Lane at Pocono. The car number has won seven times – tied for second-most all-time at the track – with four different drivers. Dale Earnhardt Jr. swept the 2014 Cup Series events at the track, leading 25 laps in total. Dale Jarrett wheeled the No. 88 to Victory Lane in 1997 and again in 2002. Bobby Allison swept the Pocono events in 1982, leading 91 laps between the two events. In July 1978, Darrell Waltrip captured the victory in the No. 88 machine after leading a race-high 125 laps.
IVES AT POCONO: Crew chief Greg Ives has called the shots seven times for the No. 88 team at the “Tricky Triangle.” The Michigan native has two top-five finishes, both with Earnhardt. Ives was a race engineer for the No. 48 team from 2006-2012 and captured one pole, six top five and 11 top-10 finishes at the track during that span.
HOME-TRACK FEELS: Jason Seitzinger, shock engineer for the No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, grew up in Shartlesville, Pennsylvania, which is located approximately 70 miles from Pocono Raceway. It has been just a few months shy of 17 years that Seitzinger has been with Hendrick Motorsports.
NEW HAMPSHIRE REWIND: The No. 88 team qualified eighth for the rain-delayed event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last weekend. Bowman battled the handling of his No. 88 Chevy for much of the 301-lap event before bringing home an 11th-place finish. The team is currently 15th in the NASCAR Cup Series standings and 28 points above the cutoff line for the playoffs.
TRAINING CAMP: Bowman will visit with the Philadelphia Eagles at training camp, located at the NovaCare Complex in Philadelphia, on Friday, July 27. Bowman, along with Axalta VIPs and the All-Pro Teacher winner, will have the opportunity to meet some of the Eagles players and executives. In addition to the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 having an Eagles-themed paint scheme this weekend, Bowman will also wear a Philadelphia Eagles racing helmet that resembles the Eagles’ team helmet.
COOKING WITH BOWMAN: On Friday, July 27, Bowman will participate in Pocono Raceway’s Fan Fest at 8 p.m. local time. Joined by teammate Chase Elliott, the two will compete in a Hungry Fan Throwdown cooking competition. For more information, visit poconoraceway.com/fanfest.
SPOTIFY PLAYLIST: On Thursday, July 19, Hendrick Motorsports released Bowman’s Spotify playlist, featuring some of his favorite music to date. Bowman said his music taste began taking shape after receiving a Blink-182 album in fifth grade. Check out Bowman’s playlist, which features music genres ranging from pop-punk to alternative, here.
VALVOLINE: Valvoline is giving race fans the chance to win a trip for two to Las Vegas to meet Bowman, driver of the No. 88 Valvoline Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, and watch him race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, Sept. 16. One grand-prize winner will receive a travel voucher for airfare, hotel stay and car rental courtesy of Valvoline. The winner will also get the chance to be the honorary pit crew member for the No. 88 team, which includes premium seating, behind-the-scenes access, a meet-and-greet with Bowman and other exclusive experiences. Fans can enter here until Aug. 1.
Hendrick Motorsports
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT POCONO: Hendrick Motorsports leads all teams with 17 wins at Pocono Raceway, with the four most recent coming as season sweeps in 2013 (Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne) and 2014 (Dale Earnhardt Jr.). In addition, the organization also owns the most in each of the following categories at Pocono: 12 pole positions, 67 top-five finishes, 120 top-10 finishes and 3,226 laps led. At least two Hendrick Motorsports drivers have finished inside the top 10 on 39 different occasions at Pocono, including 24 of the last 30 races at the track.
POCONO PROWESS: Hendrick Motorsports’ 17 NASCAR Cup Series victories at Pocono have come via seven different drivers, a stat which is tied for the most different winners at a track by a team. The organization’s Pocono wins have come via Jeff Gordon (six), Johnson (three), Tim Richmond (three), Earnhardt (two), Geoff Bodine, Terry Labonte and Kahne.
TRICKY TRIANGLE STREAKS: Hendrick Motorsports owns the record for the most consecutive wins at Pocono Raceway with a five-race win streak that began with Gordon’s August 2012 victory and ended with Earnhardt’s August 2014 win. The first four of those five straight races were won by four different Hendrick Motorsports drivers, a feat that has been accomplished on just one other occasion by Carl Keikhafer Racing at Martinsville Speedway from 1955-1956.
ON THIS DATE: Prior to this season, there has been only one race run at Pocono on July 29. On that date in 2002, Chase Elliott’s father, NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott, won in the No. 9 car. Gordon also won on July 29, taking the No. 24 Chevrolet to Victory Lane at Talladega in 2002.
250 ON THE HORIZON: The next points-paying win by a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet will be the organization’s milestone 250th in NASCAR Cup Series competition. With 268 Cup victories, only Petty Enterprises has more. Joe Gibbs Racing is third all-time at 154, followed by Junior Johnson and Associates with 153 wins and Roush Fenway Racing with 137.
16 MAKES 249: Sixteen different drivers have contributed to Hendrick Motorsports’ total of 249 points-paying Cup wins. Only the Wood Brothers team, which has sent 19 different drivers to Victory Lane, has more. Junior Johnson and Associates won with 13 different drivers.
FIRST-TIME WINNERS: If Chase Elliott, William Byron or Alex Bowman wins at Pocono, it will mark the ninth time a driver has recorded his first career Cup Series win while driving for Hendrick Motorsports. Hendrick Motorsports and Roush Fenway Racing share the all-time record, having each sent eight first-time winners to Victory Lane in Cup Series competition.
ORGANIZATION STATS: To date, Hendrick Motorsports has totals of 12 championships, 249 race victories, 215 pole positions, 1,036 top-five finishes and 1,762 top-10 finishes in points-paying NASCAR Cup Series competition. Its teams have led more than 67,000 laps since 1984.
QUOTABLE /
Chase Elliott on racing at Pocono:
“I enjoy racing at Pocono. It’s pretty unique with shifting, so I think that is part of what makes it such fun place to race. There are some thing that we do at Pocono that we don’t do at other places, which can make it challenging, but I like the challenge.”
William Byron on racing at Pocono:
“I’m excited to go back to Pocono since we’ve been there already. It will help me just knowing what the car did last time there and what it should do. The shifting at Pocono is something that’s unique and I really enjoyed that last time around; I thought it was really cool. It made the track a lot more entertaining to drive because there was a lot going on inside the car. I think just going back there for the second time will be a good way to build on what we did the first time.”
Jimmie Johnson on racing at Pocono:
“As far as track conditions and car handling, the track at Pocono doesn’t change too much between the June and July race – it’s a little slower, but it’s not a huge swing. Things seems to be moving in the right direction and although we aren’t satisfied with our performance, we are chipping away.”
Johnson on his 600th Cup start:
“I’m not huge into milestones but I really can’t believe I am sitting here at 600 starts. All I ever wanted to do was win a race and now we are here with seven championships, 83 wins and hopefully there are many more to come. I’m proud to have come all this way with one sponsor in Lowe’s and hope that this weekend will be a good one for this No. 48 team. I definitely want to try to get more wins for Lowe’s before they exit the sport.”
Alex Bowman on racing at Pocono:
“That place is also very unique. It’s one of my favorite places we go. I enjoy it just because it’s so different and we shift and all that. We were really strong the first Pocono race, just got crashed late. So, hopefully we end up pretty solid there.”
Bowman on his special paint scheme:
“We are running the All-Pro Teachers car, so that will be pretty cool. We will have the winner of the All-Pro Teachers award there, too, so that will be pretty cool and hopefully we get it up front.”
