CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY (2.28-MILE ROAD COURSE)
LOCATION: CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA
EVENT: NASCAR CUP SERIES (RACE 32 OF 36)
TUNE IN: 2:30 P.M. ET, SUNDAY, OCT. 11 (NBC/PRN/SIRIUSXM)
Chase Elliott
No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
Driver Chase Elliott Hometown Dawsonville, Georgia
Age 24 Resides Dawsonville, Georgia
2020 Season
4th in standings
31 starts
2 wins
1 pole position
12 top-five finishes
18 top-10 finishes
783 laps led
Career
180 starts
8 wins
9 pole positions
56 top-five finishes
92 top-10 finishes
2,627 laps led
Track Career
2 starts
1 win
0 pole positions
1 top-five finish
2 top-10 finishes
35 laps led
WHITE FLAG ON ROUND OF 12: Sunday will set the field for the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. Chase Elliott currently sits fourth in the driver rankings with a 44-point advantage over ninth place. The No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS driver would advance to the Round of 8 by earning 32 points and being ahead of the sixth winless driver if there is a win by a playoff driver outside the top eight. If there is a repeat winner (Kurt Busch or Denny Hamlin), Elliott would clinch with 12 points and by scoring above the seventh winless driver in the standings.
ONE TO 1,000: Since Elliott’s first full-time NASCAR Cup Series season in 2016, he has a led a total of 999 laps during the NASCAR playoffs. If the Dawsonville, Georgia, native leads one lap this weekend at the Charlotte road course, he will reach the 1,000-lap mark. During the playoffs this season, he has led a total of 253 laps, his most ever through the first five races of the postseason.
NAPA KNOW HOW: On Sunday at Charlotte, the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE will showcase the familiar blue, white and yellow NAPA AUTO PARTS paint scheme. The Atlanta-based company is serving as majority sponsor for Elliott and the No. 9 team for a total of 26 NASCAR Cup Series races this season. In February, it was announced that NAPA AUTO PARTS and Hendrick Motorsports will continue their partnership for another two seasons through 2022. Click here to read the full release.
PLAYOFF STATS: As the NASCAR playoffs approach the end of the Round of 12, Elliott has garnered the most stage points (64) and holds the best average running position (5.53) in the five playoff races. He has also collected the second-most points (190) and led the third-most laps (253).
ROAD-RACE RECORD: In August, Elliott scored his third consecutive road-course victory at the DAYTONA Road Course, matching NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart’s streak in 2004-2005. Four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon holds the record for most consecutive road-course wins with six (1997-2000).
ROAD WARRIOR: Elliott, driver of the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, is set to make his 12th Cup Series start on a road course this weekend. On road courses, he is tied with Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. for the most wins (four) of active drivers and has garnered five top-five finishes, seven top-10s and a total of 213 laps led. He has led 204 laps since the beginning of 2018, the most of all drivers, and holds the best overall average finish (9.6) on road courses of active drivers.
ROVAL REPEAT: On Sunday at Charlotte, Elliott and the No. 9 team look to become the first back-to-back winners at the roval. Last season, Elliott led a race-high 35 laps and overcame mid-event trouble to retake the lead on lap 65, capture his sixth career NASCAR Cup Series win and clinch his spot in the next round of the playoffs. He is tied with Clint Bowyer for the second-highest average finish at the roval (3.5) behind Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman (3.0).
GOING FOR FIVE: No. 9 crew chief Alan Gustafson currently leads all active crew chiefs with four road-course wins: Watkins Glen in 2018 and 2019, the Charlotte roval in 2019, and the DAYTONA Road Course in 2020.
SEASON STATS: In 2020, Elliott has delivered career bests in laps led (783), top-five finishes (12), top-10s (18), stage points (264) and stage wins (eight) through 31 starts in a season. His two wins and three runner-up results are the second most for him at the 31-race mark.
GIVE A HOOT: During the month of October, the Chase Elliott online store will donate $5 from every pink item purchased to the Hooters Give a Hoot program benefiting the V Foundation to support the fight against breast cancer. Click here to shop.
William Byron
No. 24 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
Driver William Byron Hometown Charlotte, North Carolina
Age 22 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina
2020 Season
14th in standings
31 starts
1 win
0 pole positions
4 top-five finishes
11 top-10 finishes
110 laps led
Career
103 starts
1 win
5 pole positions
9 top-five finishes
28 top-10 finishes
404 laps led
Track Career
2 starts
0 wins
1 pole position
0 top-five finishes
1 top-10 finish
23 laps led
‘DEGA DETERMINATION: Despite starting from the 21st position in Sunday’s race at Talladega Superspeedway, William Byron kept his No. 24 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE out of trouble, putting himself in contention to capture his second career NASCAR Cup Series win. Lining up fifth for the third attempt at NASCAR overtime, Byron maneuvered his way through traffic and made a pass for the lead coming out of turn four. However, the No. 21 car forced him below the yellow line, halting Byron’s momentum. He ultimately crossed the finish line in the fourth position – a personal-best Cup Series finish at the track.
ROAD-COURSE RINGER?: With two previous appearances at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s roval, Byron is prepared for his third start at the 2.28-mile course. In his last two showings there, the 22-year-old driver had strong runs. While a flat tire derailed his race in 2018, Byron rebounded to capture the pole in 2019 and raced to a sixth-place finish. However, Byron’s road-course success extends further than just at his hometown track. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native is tied for the third-longest streak of top-10 finishes on road courses with two: the Charlotte roval in 2019 and the DAYTONA Road Course in 2020. He has also led the fifth-most laps (44) on a road course since the beginning of 2018.
HOMETOWN FAVORITE: Byron is the only active NASCAR Cup Series driver who calls Charlotte his hometown. After visiting the U.S. Legend Cars International headquarters in Harrisburg, North Carolina, with his father in 2012, Byron found himself behind the wheel for the first time the next year competing in the Young Lion Division. He won an incredible 33 of his 69 legend car events in 2013 and went on to lock up the U.S. Legend Young Lions National championship and the Thursday Thunder Young Lion championship at Atlanta Motor Speedway. In 2014, he progressed to the Legend Car Pro Division and signed with the JR Motorsports developmental program. From that point on, Byron hasn’t slowed down, quickly climbing the NASCAR national series ranks before making his Cup Series debut in 2018.
IT’S A CAROLINA THING: In addition to Byron, four other members of the No. 24 team are North Carolina natives who claim Charlotte Motor Speedway as their NASCAR Cup Series home track. Growing up just minutes from the venue, rear-tire changer Orane Ossowski was raised in Concord. Interior specialist Jacob Bowman (Pilot Mountain), fueler Landon Walker (North Wilkesboro) and jackman Spencer Bishop (Pinehurst) all grew up within a 100-mile radius of the Charlotte-based track.
CHECKING THE BOXES: Sunday’s race at the Charlotte roval marks the final track of five where crew chief Chad Knaus has yet to claim a victory on the current NASCAR Cup Series schedule. While Sunday marks only the third Cup Series race at the 2.28-mile course, Knaus came close to capturing the win in the inaugural event in 2018 with Jimmie Johnson, but a next-to-last corner move for the win by the No. 48 car resulted in a spin, ultimately leaving the team with an eighth-place finish. Knaus followed up in 2019 with Byron and the No. 24 team by sitting on the pole and racing to a sixth-place finish.
HENDRICKCARS.COM TAKE TWO: After a near-win last Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, HendrickCars.com will once again be on board Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for the Charlotte roval. The blue and white scheme pays homage to Ricky Hendrick, son of car owner Rick Hendrick, who drove a similar design in both the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series and in the Xfinity Series. Brian Vickers also piloted the scheme when he won the 2003 Xfinity Series championship. Byron will don the HendrickCars.com colors in one more race in 2020: Kansas Speedway on Oct. 18. Hendrick Automotive Group has more than 100 dealership locations in 14 states and 27,000 cars to choose from, which can be browsed at HendrickCars.com. It also offers same-day service and maintenance from factory-certified technicians, which can be scheduled online.
Jimmie Johnson
No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
Driver Jimmie Johnson Hometown El Cajon, California
Age 45 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina
2020 Season
15th in standings
30 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
4 top-five finishes
9 top-10 finishes
103 laps led
Career
681 starts
83 wins
36 pole positions
231 top-five finishes
373 top-10 finishes
18,937 laps led
Track Career
2 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
2 top-10 finishes
0 laps led
SPIN FOR THE WIN: Although Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, is the all-time winningest driver at the Charlotte Motor Speedway oval, he is seeking his first victory on the track’s roval, where he has two top-10 finishes. Each roval race has proven to be entertaining, with one of the more notable finishes coming in the inaugural event in 2018 when Johnson challenged Martin Truex Jr. on the final lap for the lead. Johnson came off turn four to attempt a pass but ended up making contact and causing both cars to spin on the frontstretch. The third-place car took the win and Johnson was eliminated from playoff contention despite an eighth-place finish.
STREAKING: Johnson is in a four-way tie for third-longest top-10 streak on a road course with two in a row. Earlier this season, Johnson placed fourth at the DAYTONA Road Course after starting 11th. His career stats are stellar for road courses as Johnson has an average start of fifth and average finish of 8.5.
‘DEGA-CATION: Last weekend, the Alabama State Parks and Talladega Superspeedway recognized seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Johnson with the dedication of a special cycling route from Talladega Superspeedway to Cheaha State Park, the highest point in Alabama. It will be called “Jimmie Johnson’s Trek to Mt. Cheaha.”
CBS THIS MORNING: Johnson will appear on “CBS This Morning” on Thursday, Oct. 8 at 8:30 a.m. ET with author and journalist Gayle King to discuss a variety of topics. The interview will air live with King, who is also the editor-at-large for “O, The Oprah Magazine.”
JUST FIVE TO GO: With five races remaining in 2020, Johnson still aims to move up on the all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins list. Currently, he has the most of all active drivers, and his next trip to victory lane will be his 84th. He secured his 83rd points-paying win in June 2017 to tie NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough for sixth on the list. An 84th would tie Hall of Famers Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Allison for fourth. Johnson is currently 10 wins behind former teammate and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon, who has 93 victories and is third all-time.
COUNTDOWN TO GREEN: Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Johnson and teammate Alex Bowman virtually sat down with NBC’s Mike Tirico for an in-depth discussion about Bowman’s transition to the No. 48 team in 2021 and Johnson’s final full-time season. The interview will air Sunday on NBC’s “Countdown to Green” Charlotte pre-race show at 2 p.m. ET.
Alex Bowman
No. 88 Valvoline Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
Driver Alex Bowman Hometown Tucson, Arizona
Age 27 Resides Concord, North Carolina
2020 Season
7th in standings
31 starts
1 win
0 pole positions
4 top-five finishes
11 top-10 finishes
394 laps led
Career
184 starts
2 wins
2 pole positions
14 top-five finishes
37 top-10 finishes
868 laps led
Track Career
2 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
2 top-five finishes
2 top-10 finishes
0 laps led
NEW NUMBER IN 2021: On Tuesday, Hendrick Motorsports announced that Alex Bowman and crew chief Greg Ives will move to the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for the 2021 season. The sixth-year driver will replace Jimmie Johnson, who is leaving full-time competition at the end of the 2020 season. Ives spent six years with the No. 48 team as an engineer from 2006-2012, winning five NASCAR Cup Series championships and 42 races. Together, Bowman and Ives have two wins, 14 top-five finishes, 37 top-10s and two pole awards, including one for the DAYTONA 500 (2018), since 2016. The 2020 season marks the third year in a row where the team has clinched a spot in the playoffs and the second consecutive season where the duo has claimed a race victory.
IMPRESSIVE STATS: Bowman has scored the fifth-highest number of points so far in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs with 175. He has earned the sixth-highest amount of stage points (40) and has the fifth-best average running position (10.1) so far. Bowman has three top-10 finishes in the five playoff events and is tied for first among drivers for the most top-10 finishes (five) in the last seven 2020 events overall. During the first 24 races of the season, Bowman’s average points per race was 26. In the last seven events, his average points earned is 34.
SITTING SEVENTH: Coming off a 14th-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, Bowman is now seventh in the NASCAR Cup Series playoff standings. The Tucson, Arizona, native sits 22 markers above the cutoff line going into Sunday’s cutoff race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway roval. Bowman earned 35 points in last year’s roval event after finishing second.
ROVAL CUTOFF: Bowman will make his third start on the roval this weekend in the final race in the playoffs Round of 12. He has the best average finish (3.0) among all NASCAR Cup Series drivers in two starts on the 2.28-mile track. Last season, Bowman finished second to teammate Chase Elliott after 109 laps around the road course. The second-place result locked the 27-year-old driver into the Round of 12 in 2019. Bowman has finished inside the top 15 in all seven of his road-course starts with Hendrick Motorsports.
IVES ON THE ROAD: Crew chief Greg Ives has two starts at the Charlotte roval with two top-five finishes, including a runner-up result in 2019. He has 13 road-course starts as a NASCAR Cup Series crew chief with two top-five results and five top-10s. Earlier this season when the Cup Series visited the DAYTONA Road Course, the No. 88 team finished 12th after rolling off 27th.
NEW LOOK FOR VALVOLINE: Last week, Valvoline unveiled an updated paint scheme that Bowman will pilot on Sunday at Charlotte. The scheme features the brand’s red, white and blue colors, and the Valvoline logo prominently on the hood in a fresh new look. Check it out here. In January 2018, the leading worldwide supplier of premium branded lubricants and automotive services extended its partnership with Hendrick Motorsports through 2022. The Official Lubricants Partner for Hendrick Motorsports will be on board the No. 88 for the final time this season on Sunday.
NEW MONTH, NEW DEALS: During the month of October, No. 88 team sponsor ChevyGoods.com is providing discounts on various accessories on its website. Customers can receive 10% below MSRP on Adam’s Polishes and NOCO accessories purchased online with code CHEVYGOODS. With code TRUCKHERO, customers can receive 20% below MSRP on Truck Hero accessories purchased online.
HOME-TRACK FEELS: Two members of the No. 88 team call Charlotte Motor Speedway their home track. Scott Denton, the backup transporter driver for the No. 88 team, grew up in Belmont, North Carolina, and attended his first NASCAR race at Charlotte in 1988. No. 88 team jackman Dustin Lineback grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina, and went to East Carolina University from 2007 until 2011. While at ECU, Lineback played football for the Pirates while receiving his degree. Learn more about Lineback here.
SPEEDY ON PIT ROAD: The No. 88 pit crew ranks seventh in the NASCAR Cup Series with an average four-tire stop time of 14.1 seconds after 31 events this season. The team includes fueler Jacob Conley, tire carrier Harrell, jackman Dustin Lineback and tire changers Scott Brzozowski and Devin DelRicco
Hendrick Motorsports
FIVE DECADES OF ROAD WINS: Going into Sunday’s playoff event at the Charlotte Motor Speedway roval, Hendrick Motorsports has won NASCAR Cup Series road-course races in five different decades: the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s. The team holds the all-time record for Cup Series road-course victories with 19, including four of the most recent six and each of the last three. Six different drivers have won a road race for car owner Rick Hendrick: Jeff Gordon (nine), Chase Elliott (four), Tim Richmond (three), Jimmie Johnson, Geoff Bodine and Ricky Rudd.
WE’RE STREAKING: Hendrick Motorsports has notched as least one top-10 finish in 13 consecutive NASCAR Cup Series races, its longest streak of the 2020 season. The last time the team reeled off more than 13 consecutive top-10s was in 2016 when it posted 15 in a row during a championship year. Hendrick Motorsports has also led laps in each of the last nine races, which is the longest active streak of any organization.
TAKE THE STAGE: In 2020, Hendrick Motorsports has recorded 15 stage wins, just one shy of Cup Series leaders Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske. The total is nearly double the eight stage wins the team posted in 2019 and almost quadruple its four from 2018.
PLAYOFF WINS: Since the inception of the format in 2004, Hendrick Motorsports has 44 NASCAR Cup Series playoff wins – 15 more than any other team. The organization has scored at least one playoff victory in a record 15 different seasons, missing only 2017. A series-topping seven different drivers have won a playoff race for Hendrick Motorsports.
MORE STATS: Since its inception in 1984, Hendrick Motorsports has earned 260 race victories and holds the all-time records for championships (12), pole positions (226), top-five finishes (1,095), top-10s (1,888) and laps led (70,279) in points-paying NASCAR Cup Series competition. Including 2020, the organization has won at least one race in 35 consecutive seasons, the longest-ever streak. Hendrick Motorsports is eight wins away from tying Petty Enterprises’ all-time Cup record of 268.
QUOTABLE /
Driver Chase Elliott on his success at road courses:
“I don’t know why the road courses have been good to us thus far. I came from short-track racing. I did a little bit of road-course racing in go karts, but I don’t know how much that translates. Most of my years coming along were short tracks around the country, asphalt racing — very different from road-course racing. I do think a lot of the credit should go to Jeff (Gordon). Jeff was a fantastic road racer, as we all know. I really think he and Alan (Gustafson) had a very good understanding of what was important at road races and what they really wanted in the cars and what mattered. As a young driver coming into a situation like that, having a good foundation has really helped me learn and learn faster because that foundation was already close. I think when you step into a situation that is good like that, as a guy that is learning, it does nothing but help you and make you better.”
Crew Chief Alan Gustafson on his road-racing background:
“I’ve always had a love for road racing. My best friends growing up still road race. They have a shop here and have raced at the highest level, in the 24 Hours (of Daytona), and been very successful and won, and, yeah, a lot of my roots are there. It’s just always been something that I’ve really enjoyed and loved. Any time you enjoy something, it’s a huge benefit. The cars we raced back then don’t have anything to do with what we race now, but I think just embracing it, enjoying it and seeing the positive side of it, all that helps, and I’ve always enjoyed road racing and enjoyed the challenge. I think that certainly helps when it comes to having to go do it and execute it.”
Driver William Byron on the No. 24 team at road courses:
“With road-course racing, we’ve been a solid top-10 team every time we’ve gone to those races. We really just have to figure out that gap between us and guys like Chase Elliott, Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch. How they run at the road courses is phenomenal. I think really trying to close that gap to the top three is key, as we’re about a fourth- to seventh-place team on road courses right now. We just have to figure out those little things to take it to the next level.”
Byron on what he studies to prepare for a road-course race:
“I think I pay attention mainly to the way the other guys use the brakes and small details like how they approach each corner. I like to know what they’re looking for to make speed out of those corners. I think, for me, road courses have been good overall. I’m honestly probably better in qualifying than in race trim right now. It’s just about me figuring out those details to make me better and have a shot of winning.”
Driver Jimmie Johnson on his road-course outlook:
“I really look forward to these road-course events and applaud NASCAR for incorporating more into the schedule. We have run strong at them, so my outlook is high for this weekend. Charlotte Motor Speedway has been a great place to me over the years and racing there for the final time will be bittersweet. We have nothing to lose so I’m going for it.”
Johnson on Alex Bowman being tapped for the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet in 2021:
“I’ve had a mind-blowing experience in that No. 48 over the last 19 years. She is in good hands, and I know Alex and Greg (Ives) will have continued success for years to come. I’m excited for them and can’t wait to see what they can do.”
Driver Alex Bowman on the playoff pressure he’s facing heading to Charlotte:
“One of my main goals for the 2020 season with Greg and the team was to make the Round of 8. We are so close and need to put together a solid race on Sunday and capitalize on stage points and a good finish. It is hard to believe that we have the best average finish at the roval, but we definitely need to put a solid race together this weekend.”
Bowman on driving the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet next season:
“I am excited to move over to the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet next year with Greg (Ives). The support that we have been given by Mr. Hendrick and everyone at Ally is humbling, to say the least. I am proud to be the driver Hendrick Motorsports chose to represent the Ally brand and 48 nation. It has been an exciting week, but our focus from now until the end of the year is making the final four and bringing home a championship to Hendrick Motorsports.”
Crew chief Greg Ives on becoming the crew chief of the No. 48 team:
“It’s pretty special to be able to represent a number that gave me a lot of success early on in my career and actually built my career. (It) allowed me great opportunities to become (a) crew chief and, for a number that has affected my life so much, a team, a way of living, performing – I think it’s going to be hard to exactly put into words what I felt, other than to say it was a lot of emotion.”
Ives on the legacy of the No. 48 team:
“I feel like when it comes to the 48 team, it represents a young kid working hard, going through the ranks of racing, ultimately getting a shot, and that’s the 48 team. Hard work, dedication, being true to yourself, having good character, good on and off the racetrack. That’s somebody who you can look at Jimmie and say, ‘Alex is very similar to that’ and his performance on the racetrack will prove itself. The few wins that we have are quickly going to turn into more.”
