NASCAR CUP SERIES
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY PRACTICE REPORT
JULY 19, 2024
Bowman Leads Chevrolet in NASCAR Cup Series Practice at Indianapolis
· For the first time since the 2020 season, drivers and teams of the NASCAR Cup Series turned laps on Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s oval configuration this afternoon for a 50-minute practice session in advance of Sunday’s Brickyard 400. The return of the series’ crown jewel event will mark the first for the Next Gen cars.
· Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman led Chevrolet on the speed chart at the conclusion of the NASCAR Cup Series practice session – posting a fastest-lap of 49.743 seconds, at 180.930 mph, in his No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 to land fifth-fastest overall.
· Four Team Chevy drivers posted lap times in the top-10 of the final speed chart, with Bowman leading his Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson in fifth and William Byron in ninth, with Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar rounding out the top-10.
Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway:
o In 27 NCS races on the IMS oval, Chevrolet has earned 17 victories – a record more than double the next leading manufacturer, Ford, with six victories.
o Of those victories includes a streak of 12-straight, recorded between Aug. 2003 to July 2014.
o Career Chevrolet driver, Jeff Gordon, leads the series with five Brickyard 400 victories, including the inaugural event in Aug. 1994.
Team Chevy Top-20 NASCAR Cup Series Practice Results:
- Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1
- Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1
- William Byron, No. 24 Valvoline Camaro ZL1
- Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Zeigler Auto Group Camaro ZL1
Drivers in the top-10 positions of the NASCAR Cup Series points standings, including Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron and Alex Bowman, met with the media following the series’ 50-minute practice session.
Team Chevy Driver Quotes:
William Byron, No. 24 Valvoline Camaro ZL1
9th fastest in practice
Given your win here at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the Xfinity Series and just Chevy’s dominance when it comes to Indianapolis, how do you feel about returning to the oval on Sunday?
“I love it. I enjoy Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It has those good memories for me, so anytime you come back here, it’s special. Obviously this place is as special as it is, but that memory in 2017 and what that did for my career, that was a really big moment for me. I enjoy coming back here.”
You’ll find out where you’ll lineup after tomorrow’s qualifying session, but given the time in the practice session that you had, how do you feel about your car for Sunday?
“I feel pretty good. I feel like we could stand to work on a couple little things here and there. I think we were ninth overall on speed, so not bad. We never really did a perfect lap on sticker tires. I just felt like I was always kind of missing the corner here and there. I think we can be better than that. Qualifying will be really important because track position is always big here, so I just feel like we have to work on a little tightness in our car and just try to get a little bit faster.”
Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1
5th fastest in practice
What are your goals for the remainder of the regular season?
“Just to continue to improve our program and try to get better at the places that we lack. We weren’t amazing today, so there’s work to be done for Sunday. Really just to continue to try to make our team better and try to be ready for the playoffs.”
What did you notice about how the Next Gen car goes around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval versus the Gen-6 car?
“I mean, similar but different. I think a lot of throttle time, for sure. Passing is going to be super difficult. I was talking to Tyler (Reddick) on the way over here. He’s the fastest thing here by a mile and ran me down like I was tied to a post, and I couldn’t do a damn thing. It’s going to be difficult, for sure. It’s going to be a track position race. This place is unique, right? It’s narrow. It’s really sensitive with this car. If you get a little bit too high, you’re on ice. It’s definitely tricky.”
So the hope that passing might be a little bit easier because the wake wouldn’t be as bad, that’s not really panning out?
“I don’t know. It’s hard because we haven’t raced here back-to-back. It’s been four years or whatever, so it’s hard to say if it’s better or worse than the last car. But it’s still extremely difficult, for sure. Anything is though, right? The INDYCAR guys get aero-tight and stuff. The INDYCAR, I feel like, gets such a big run down the straightaway compared to the Cup car. Obviously it doesn’t seem like we’re building those big runs, so it makes it tough.”
Kyle Larson was saying this week that he expects restarts to be as aggressive as they’ve ever been, or more aggressive than the last time you guys were here..
“Yeah, for sure. I mean, it’s different, right? It’s so narrow, so there’s not as many options as – like into (turn) one at Pocono (Raceway), you’re five or six-wide. Hopefully we don’t get there here, right? But guys are going to be aggressive because you’re never going to get those spots back. You’re never really going to get a shot to be side-by-side with somebody I feel like, unless they mess up pretty bad. Yeah, I mean if you hit your marks and hit the line, it’s going to be really difficult for anybody to do anything with the other lines.”
About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. Chevrolet models include electric and 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.
