TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
FOOD CITY PRESENTS SUPERMARKET HEROES 500
BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
BRISTOL, TENNESSEE
MAY 31, 2020
RACE #9 AT BRISTOL:
In the revised 2020 NASCAR Cup Series schedule, the 60th running of the historic Food City 500, the ninth race of the season, will be held Sunday, May 31st at the iconic Bristol Motor Speedway. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 266-mile, 500-lap race on the famed all-concrete high-banks will be held without spectators in attendance.
In honor of those serving on the front lines within the supermarket industry of the United States and around the world, the event has re-badged as the Supermarket Heroes 500.
BOWTIE BULLETS
· Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 45 all-time wins and 39 poles in 116 races at the track known as the ‘World’s Fastest Half-Mile’, more than any other brand.
· Of active Team Chevy drivers, Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1, is a six-time winner at Bristol (’02, twice in ’03. ’04, ’06, & ’18) and Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1, has won twice (’10 & ’17)
· The most recent Chevy pole winner is Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 1LE, (April ’19). Elliott’s 2019 pole holds the track’s current qualifying record with a time of 14.568 (131.713 mph).
· To-date, Chevrolet has also scored 209 top-fives, 432 top-10’s, and has led 23,613 laps around the .533-mile coliseum-style track.
· In 1971, Charlie Glotzbach captured Chevrolet’s first win at Bristol Motor Speedway, which was also the first NASCAR Cup win for Monte Carlo. With the aid of relief driver, Friday Hassler, the duo clocked an average pace of 101.074 mph throughout the caution-free, 500-lap race. That speed record still stands today.
SCORECARD:
With Chase Elliott’s Thursday night victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and Alex Bowman’s win at Auto Club Speedway on March 1st, two Team Chevy Camaro ZL1 1LE drivers have now secured spots in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs that will determine the 2020 champion. The Hendrick Motorsports teammates, Elliott and Bowman, are currently ranked third and fourth, respectively, in the point standings.
STARTING ORDER:
With no qualifying for the event, the starting line-up has been determined by a random draw. Five Team Chevy drivers will start in the Top-15:
Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 1LE – starts 6th
Alex Bowman, No. 88 ChevyGoods.com/Adam’s Polishes Camaro ZL1 1LE – starts 11th
Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE – starts 12th
William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Camaro Zl1 1LE – starts 13th
Matt Kenseth, No. 42 McDonald’s Camaro ZL1 1LE – starts 14th
TUNE-IN:
The Supermarket Heroes 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway gets underway on Sunday, May 31st at 3:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage will air on FS1, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
QUOTABLE QUOTES:
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 3rd IN STANDINGS
ELLIOTT ON CHARLOTTE WIN:
“We battled hard and finally got our car good enough there at the end. I’m not sure that we had it exactly perfect, but the guys did a great job making good adjustments and good pit stops there to put us in a position, and I think the race going long played into our favor as compared to what Kevin (Harvick) had to work with. Just had some good fortune and things went our way. Just appreciate all our partners for sticking with us. Finally good to get a Kelley Blue Book win. That’s our first win together, so hopefully many more.”
ELLIOTT ON HOW HE FEELS PHYSICALLY AFTER THREE RACES IN FIVE DAYS:
“I feel really good. I feel like I tried to stay biking and doing things throughout those two months off, and honestly coming back and going back to Darlington where it was hot and then coming into the 600, it kind of just threw us back right to the wolves, and I think that was really a good thing just to really get some hot races and some long races in right off the bat and just jump right to it. I feel good, and I’m certainly tired, it’s been a long week, but I’m going to rest these next couple days and get ready for Bristol. I am looking forward to going and hopefully having a good run.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 CHEVYGOODS.COM/ADAM’S POLISHES CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 4th IN STANDINGS
BOWMAN ON BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY:
“Bristol is strong track for us, but you have to have good track position. It’s tough to bounce back if you get down on track position, but this No. 88 team is great at figuring out exactly what we need here. We have had some decent finishes here in the past, so I know that we can do that again on Sunday.”
GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF FOR THE NO. 88 CHEVYGOODS.COM/ADAM’S POLISHES CAMARO ZL1 1LE
IVES ON BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY:
“Bristol is a strong track for the 88 team. We have had our struggles with the flatter short track, but that does not include Bristol. We hope to continue to build our momentum this Sunday and execute all race long.”
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 16th IN STANDINGS
“Bristol is going to be very complicated, in my opinion the biggest issue is going to be the track. When that track is green and has no rubber on it, is very low on grip. With the traction compound on the bottom lane , it needs traffic to work it in. So, to show up cold turkey with the setup required to be competitive for the first stage is going to be way different than the setup you will need to win the race. It’s going to be a tough challenge on the teams, pit road is going to be important, and minimal adjustments during a pit stop are key since we are short manned over the wall. In order to raise the track bar, change the wedge or pull a spring rubber it takes so long – and unfortunately, we will probably need adjustments like that as the race wears on. From a technical standpoint – this race is going to be the most difficult so far. The car will have to have some adjustability built in.”
TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 ALSCO UNIFORMS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 17th IN STANDINGS
BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY IS KNOWN FOR BEING A TOUGH TRACK. HOW DO YOU FEEL ENTERING YOUR FIRST CUP SERIES START THERE WITH NO PRACTICE OR QUALIFYING?
“It’s going to be tough on Sunday. Bristol is one of the toughest tracks to go around when it doesn’t have rubber and heat on it. I’ve ran Truck races there through my career, and when we’re one of the first ones on the track, that first hour of practice, you can’t really learn much. The traction compound is slick – you go down in there to try to use it and you almost spin out. You run the middle, and that’s about it. Man, the first hour or so of practice you can’t get up in that either because it’s slick, and you almost wreck. I remember the first time they put traction compound down at Bristol, I went out for practice and I was in the middle of it, so we were OK. But I wanted to try the bottom, so I went down there, got loose and couldn’t go anywhere. I realized that wasn’t going to work, so I went up to try to use the top and I drove it straight into the fence. Given that experience, I’m worried that the start of Sunday’s race is going to be very chaotic. I don’t know how that’s going to go. There’s only one groove, and we’re going to be starting double-file, so that’s going to be very interesting.”
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 18th IN STANDINGS
“The race at Bristol will probably bring the biggest unknowns during all of this with it being a short track, fast and a rhythm track. I had good runs going last year; we just needed some luck. I also had success there in iRacing during the time off so hopefully some of those trends and knowledge of the track will carry over. You need to be good at running the top groove there – it is really important. You also need to be patient when running the bottom and running in the PJ1 (track compound). It’s a dynamic track for that reason and you always have to be on your toes for sure. Hopefully we can get a good starting spot there and run up front to avoid some of that.”
RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 20th IN STANDINGS
“I feel really good about Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway in our Kroger Camaro. JTG Daugherty Racing has had some really good runs at short tracks such as Bristol in the past, and we have some similar setups for how I like to race short tracks versus what’s been run before. The feel that I have in this race car is better than any that I have had in my Cup cars throughout my career. I know I saw that in our race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Thursday night where I could put my car where I wanted to and it did a lot of the things that I was asking it to. It’ll definitely be different at Bristol knowing that our first ‘out of breath’ lap will be the first lap of the race. Normally we get that in practice, but it will be the same for everyone. The biggest unknown is the top groove that would get rubbered up in practice, and won’t before the race. It’ll be nerve wracking, but we’ve had a couple second-place finishes at Bristol and I’m looking forward to bringing our momentum from Charlotte to Bristol this weekend and continue moving forward.”
BUBBA WALLACE, NO. 43 VICTORY JUNCTION CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 23rd IN STANDINGS
“It takes a lot to be successful at the Bristol Motor Speedway. You have to have the awareness; I think that is probably the biggest thing. You get a hundred laps in, you are sunk-down in the seat, and you can’t really see what is ahead of you. If you are in the entry of Turn 1 and there is a crash off of Turn 2, you have to be ready for it and the spotter has to be on top of it.
“It is really a team effort when you go to the Bristol Motor Speedway. The team has to have a good set-up. It goes back to awareness. You just have to be capable of putting yourself in the right spot at the right time. When the groove starts to move up, you have to be able to move up and be competitive. Richard Petty Motorsports has always been good at the bottom and once it moves to the top – we’ve never been super great. So, our team will have to work on that. You have to be able to adapt really well.”
JERRY BAXTER, CREW CHIEF FOR THE NO. 43 VICTORY JUNCTION CAMARO ZL1 1LE
“We have the Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 Victory Junction Camaro ZL1 1LE ready to go. We’ve been showing pretty consistent speed over the last few events, so that’s a good thing. Going into Bristol Motor Speedway, that’s one of Bubba’s favorite tracks, so we’re looking forward to getting the Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet a good finish this weekend.”
RYAN PREECE, NO. 37 BUSH’S BEANS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 30th IN STANDINGS
“Bristol Motor Speedway is a track that I always circle on the schedule for us. I’ve obviously had a lot of success there, winning in the Xfinity Series as well as in the Modified Series. It’s no secret that our 2020 season has been hindered by bad luck. We’ve had some pretty fast cars and running where we want to be, and just haven’t been able to finish it off with things that have been out of our control. Without any practice, we have to expect the unexpected. The VHT compound can make the bottom groove really slippery to start, but putting 40 cars out there at once might speed that process of bringing in the top lane and bottom lane up a little bit. I think the field has been a lot closer since we returned to racing, with everyone on one playing field of just lining up and racing. Our random draw hasn’t left us with the greatest starting position, but we have 500 laps to figure it out and move our BUSH’S Beans Camaro to the front.”
Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics
Manufacturers Championships:
Total (1949-2019): 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 (1949-2019): 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)
2020 STATISTICS:
Wins: 2
Poles: 3
Laps Led: 823
Top-five finishes: 14
Top-10 finishes: 29
CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 788 (1949 to date)
Poles won to date: 717
Laps led to date: 235,129
Top-five finishes to date: 4,028
Top-10 finishes to date: 8,311
Total NASCAR Cup wins by corporation, 1949 to date
General Motors: 1,122
Chevrolet: 788
Pontiac: 154
Oldsmobile: 115
Buick: 65
Ford: 790
Ford: 690
Mercury: 96
Lincoln: 4
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467
Dodge: 217
Plymouth: 191
Chrysler: 59
Toyota: 145
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.
