TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
BANK OF AMERICA ROVAL 400
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA
SEPTEMBER 29, 2019
BOWTIE BULLETS:
CATCHING UP WIITH CHEVROLET CONTENDERS
Five Chevrolet drivers qualified for the 10-race Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs that will determine the champion. Heading into Round 3, a look at their start/finish at Richmond Raceway and start/finish in the 2018 Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course race in the Playoffs:
* Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1
At Richmond: Start 3, Finish 13 At Charlotte: qualified 4th, finished 6th
* Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1
At Richmond: Start 9, Finish 18 At Charlotte: qualified 1st, finished 5th
* Kyle Larson, No. 42 Clover Camaro ZL1
At Richmond: Start 13, Finish 6 At Charlotte: qualified 5th, finished 25th
* Alex Bowman, No. 88 Nationwide Retirement Plans Camaro ZL1
At Richmond: Start 20, Finish 23 At Charlotte: qualified 3rd, finished 4th
* William Byron, No. 24 UniFirst Camaro ZL1
At Richmond: Start 23, Finish 24 At Charlotte: qualified 21, finished 34th
TEAM CHEVY CHAMPION TO MAKE ROVAL RUN
Josef Newgarden, who drove the No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet to his second NTT IndyCar Series championship on September 22 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, will make an exhibition run on the Charlotte Road Course in his IndyCar powered by the 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged, direct-injected Chevrolet V6 engine following MENCS qualifying. Newgarden, a resident of Mooresville, North Carolina, also won the series title in 2017 with Chevy power.
FROM THE ‘DID YOU KNOW’ DEPARTMENT
Jimmie Johnson won the third race of the Playoffs twice and went on to register the MENCS championship – 2013 at Dover (sixth title) and 2008 at Kansas (third consecutive title). … Career Chevrolet driver Jeff Gordon leads in MENCS career road course wins with nine (Sonoma, five; Watkins Glen, four).
JOHNSONS IN THE SPOTLIGHT AT CHARLOTTE
Joe Lee Johnson, driving a Chevrolet Impala, won the inaugural World 600 on June 19, 1960, at Charlotte Motor Speedway after starting 20th. Junior Johnson won the National 400 in October 1963, driving a Chevrolet, and won the previous October in a Pontiac. Jimmie Johnson leads active drivers with eight wins at the track, including sweeping the May and October races in 2004 and ’05.
UPDATES TO THE COURSE
Look for more overtaking in an updated backstretch chicane. The layout, which was 32 feet wide, was widened to 54 feet at its widest point. The new turns will require heavier braking and a sharper entry, but a wider radius will provide drivers with risk-taking opportunities and a slightly increased margin for error on exit.
“Just trying to avoid mistakes is the biggest challenge,” Larson said.
TUNE-IN:
NBC will telecast the 109-lap, 248.5-mile race on the 2.28-mile, 17-turn course live at 2:30 p.m. ET Sunday, Sept. 29. The NBCSports Gold app will stream the race and live coverage can also be found on PRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
BY THE NUMBERS:
* Victories by current Chevrolet drivers at Charlotte Motor Speedway:
Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1, has eight wins (May 2003, May and October 2004, May and October 2005, October 2009, May 2014, October 2016)
Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1, has one win (May 2010)
Austin Dillon, No. 3 Jack Daniel’s Camaro ZL1, has one win (May 2017)
* Johnson needs one win to tie Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip (84) for fourth on the all-time list.
* Busch needs one win to tie Dale Jarrett (32) for 25th on the all-time list.
* Team Chevy drivers have earned 12 pole starts this season, led by William Byron with four.
* Byron, No. 24 UniFirst Camaro ZL1, is third among drivers with 99.69% (7,844 of 7,868) laps completed this season.
* Ty Dillon, No. 13 GEICO Military Camaro ZL1, has a streak of 37 races running at the finish.
* Chevrolet has won 39 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships.
FOR THE FANS:
· Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway at Charlotte Motor Speedway
· Fans can check out an assortment of Chevrolet vehicles including: Equinox AWD, 2500 HD Crew LTZ Premier Diesel, Blazer AWD RS, Traverse AWD Premier, 1500 Crew LTZ Premier 6.2, and 2019 Camaro ZL1
· At the Chevrolet Display, fans can also view Kyle Larson’s No. 42 Camaro ZL1
· 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:
Saturday, September 28
· 10:30 a.m. – John Hunter Nemechek
· 11:00 a.m. – Justin Haley
· 11:15 a.m. – Ray Black Jr.
Sunday, September 29
· 10:45 a.m. – Kyle Larson
· 11:00 a.m. – Kurt Busch
· 11:15 a.m. – Ty Dillon
· 11:30 a.m. – Alex Bowman
Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation:
· Friday, September 27th: 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
· Saturday, September 28th: 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
· Sunday, September 29th: 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
QUOTABLE QUOTES:
KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 CLOVER CAMARO ZL1 – 8th IN STANDINGS
“Our Clover Chevrolet was fast last year at the ROVAL and we led a lot of laps, so I hope we’re good again this year. The race will probably be different this time with the much-narrower bus stop, but I’m looking forward to getting on-track and hoping that we have the same speed as we had last year. I’m glad we’ve had two decent races in this round of the Playoffs, and hopefully we can avoid mistakes and have a solid race on Sunday.”
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 UNIFIRST CAMARO ZL1 – 12th IN STANDINGS
LOOKING TO THE ROVAL, A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT BEAST THAT NO ONE HAD SEEN BEFORE LAST YEAR. NOT THE RESULTS YOU WANTED LAST TIME, BUT WHAT CAN YOU TAKE AWAY FROM THAT RACE LAST YEAR THAT YOU CAN APPLY?
“It was a really intense race. I think it will probably come down to a late-race restart. Last year’s race I think even had a fuel mileage aspect to it until the final few laps and everyone had really old tires no grip whatsoever. You try to prepare for that any way you can, and you try to judge the grip level coming to those restarts late in the race. Otherwise, you have to do your best to stay out of trouble early, but also know you can overcome issues at a place like that.”
WE RACED AT SONOMA AND WATKINS GLEN EARLIER THIS SEASON, BUT IT’S HARD TO GROUP THOSE TRACKS INTO THE SAME CATEGORY AS THE ROVAL. ANYTHING YOU CAN TAKE FROM THOSE ROAD COURSES TO APPLY FOR THIS WEEKEND?
“Sonoma is probably the closest track that we race at to the ROVAL, just with the atmosphere plus it has really slow, tight corners. Turn 7 and 8 at Sonoma are similar to the ROVAL as well but Watkins Glen has characteristics that we’ll see this weekend with the front chicane.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 NATIONWIDE RETIREMENT PLANS – 13th IN STANDINGS
“This is an interesting and busy week. The “ROVAL” is kind of awkward, but we finished decent there last year. We really need a good weekend on track. We are so close to the Round of 12 cutoff line, so we definitely need to focus on getting as many points as we can this weekend. Last week didn’t go the way we needed it to, so we are definitely going back to the books and hoping to unload strong in Charlotte on Friday.”
KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 – 15th IN STANDINGS
“Heading to the ROVAL this weekend with a few changes to the track. The new chicane is going to be tighter, everyone is going to be more aggressive going down into the back-straightaway chicane. It going to really slow down the pace on the back straightaway, it similar shape-wise to the front straight chicane. Why I think changing that chicane is a great idea, is exactly what we last year on the last lap. The two leaders battling it out and wrecking in the last corner on the final lap. With our team’s playoff hopes at stake this weekend we just need to go out and do our job as a team. We need to score some stage points, that can change the whole complexion for our Monster Energy team”.
CHRIS BUESCHER, NO. 37 VELVEETA CAMARO ZL1 – 20th IN STANDINGS
“I really like the challenge that the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL presents. I enjoy road racing. It’s not in my background by any means, but I’ve had some success in the Cup Series with strong finishes and got my first win in the Xfinity Series at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Last year, we had contact early in the race that gave us a really good shot at figuring out the ROVAL the best we could and getting a top finish. I’m definitely looking forward to ‘redo’ of that race in our No. 37 Velveeta Camaro ZL1.”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 JACK DANIEL’S CAMARO ZL1 – 22nd IN STANDINGS
FOR THE CHARLOTTE ROVAL, THEY’VE CHANGED THE CHICANE ON THE BACKSTRETCH A LITTLE BIT. HOW MUCH OF A DIFFERENCE DO YOU THINK THAT MAY MAKE?
“I think it will make a big difference. Last year we saw a lot of guys flying through the air in practice trying to gain speed through that section, but now it will be a little bit more technical. It will make the corner going into the start/finish line that much more important because you’ll be going a little bit slower when you get there. You have to have a car that brakes well and reacts well. I think it’s a positive change for the track.”
TY DILLON, NO. 13 GEICO MILITARY CAMARO ZL1 – 24th IN STANDINGS
WHAT DID YOU LEARN LAST YEAR AT THE ROVAL?
“I learned a lot every time we got on the track. I had to be patient at first, because it was very treacherous at the beginning with lots of people crashing cars. Our first goal was to not crash our GEICO Camaro ZL1 and then we wanted to get better every time we touched the track. We did that and were running pretty good, a top-20 finish for sure in our first try there, and got into it with (Daniel) Suarez on the last lap and probably lost too many positions. I feel really comfortable going back and I know the backstretch chicane will be different. I’m glad we won’t be entering it at 180 mph and going into pretty much a launch zone. I applaud NASCAR and Charlotte Motor Speedway for making some changes there and I’m interested to see what it will be like.”
DO YOU THINK THE NEW CHICANE WILL BE BETTER FROM A DRIVER’S STANDPOINT?
“Anything is better than we had last year. It was just too narrow, too fast and too dangerous honestly. I think the new chicane will provide better racing. Last year’s race was amazing and this year’s race is going to be just as good.”
DANIEL HEMRIC, NO. 8 CAT NEXT GEN EXCAVATORS CAMARO ZL1 – 25th IN STANDINGS
“I thought we had a pretty good shot to win last year’s Xfinity Series race at the ROVAL, but I wheel-hopped coming through the final chicane, had to serve a stop-and-go penalty and still came back to finish 10th. We were fast all weekend with the Cup car last year as well. We were running inside the top 10 late in the race but were caught up in that melee into Turn 1 and that hurt the overall result at the end of the day. Anytime you’re racing in front of your hometown it is special. The track has implemented the new backstretch chicane, and from what I can tell it is way slower than what was there for last year’s race. It seems to be very slow and very technical. That is going to change things up a lot this year. It will change everyone’s gear ratios, the approach to that part of the track, and I feel like it will become a valuable passing zone. Last year, it was kind of like a life-or-death decision to make a pass through there – which made it fun for the drivers and exciting for the fans. This year, you will need to be more patient and have more technique to not only get through that section of the track but to make passes there. I’m pumped to get there, I’m pumped to carry this amazing Cat Next Gen Excavator scheme on our No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, and I’m pumped to see what we can do.”
BUBBA WALLACE, NO. 43 LEITHCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 – 26th IN STANDINGS
THEY’VE CHANGED THAT CHICANE ON THE BACKSTRECTH. HOW MUCH OF A DIFFERENCE DO YOU THINK IT WILL MAKE?
“We will find out because I’ll go through there, and probably have to change it up again.
“The changes to the chicane will give the teams more room to race. It gives you a little bit more room for error, as well. It seems like you had to really tip-toe through there last year, and things were moved throughout the weekend. I think the Charlotte Motor Speedway did a nice job with it, but we’ll get a fair shot this week.”
RYAN PREECE, NO. 47 KROGER CAMARO ZL1 – 27th IN STANDINGS
“I enjoy racing the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL. To be honest, we’re all on the same playing field. It’s not like somebody has a shortcut somewhere. I enjoy road racing. We had a pretty strong run at Watkins Glen before a mechanical failure ended our day early. I was fortunate enough to run the ROVAL in the Xfinity Series last year, and we had a really strong run there as well. We passed a lot of cars and went for stage points, restarting the final stage in the back and drove all the way to fourth. So, I feel optimistic. It’s going to be a challenge. You’ve just got to be as prepared as possible, and I’m looking forward to having a good day in the No. 47 Kroger Camaro ZL1.”
Chevrolet Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Statistics
Manufacturers Championships:
Total (1949-2018): 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 (1949-2018): 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 (2007)
2019 STATISTICS:
Wins: 5
Poles: 12
Laps Led: 1,625
Top-five finishes: 35
Top-10 finishes: 87
CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 784 (1949 to date)
Poles won to date: 711
Laps led to date: 233,880
Top-five finishes to date: 4,004
Top-10 finishes to date: 8,259
Total NASCAR Cup wins by corporation, 1949 to date
General Motors: 1,118
Chevrolet: 784
Pontiac: 154
Oldsmobile: 115
Buick: 65
Ford: 783
Ford: 684
Mercury: 96
Lincoln: 4
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467
Dodge: 217
Plymouth: 191
Chrysler: 59
Toyota: 139
Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.
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.
