TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE: MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY
Ridgeway, Virginia
April 5-7, 2024
CLOCKING-IN AT MARTINSVILLE
All three NASCAR national series will convene this weekend at one of the most historic short-tracks in NASCAR history: Martinsville Speedway. Famously known as the “Paperclip”, the .526-mile Virginia venue is the only track on the series’ schedule to have hosted NASCAR’s premier series since its inception in 1949.
This weekend will mark the first of two tripleheader race weekends at Martinsville Speedway this season, with the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS), NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) returning to the Virginia short-track in November for the final playoff elimination race to set the 2024 Championship Four across all three series.
CHEVROLET IN THE CUP SERIES AT MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY
Chevrolet is the winningest manufacturer in NCS’ history at Martinsville Speedway. The Bowtie brand will head into the weekend with 60 wins in the series’ 151-race history at the “Paperclip”. Buck Baker took Chevrolet to victory lane in the 1957 Virginia 500 to deliver the manufacturer its first NCS victory at Martinsville Speedway. Nearly 67 years later, the Bowtie brand has reeled off a series-leading 60 victories – most recently one year ago by Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson.
Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1
Martinsville Speedway – April 16, 2023
The 2021 NCS Champion is one of five active Team Chevy drivers that have claimed a coveted grandfather clock in their racing careers, with Larson’s Hendrick Motorsports’ teammates William Byron (April 2022), Alex Bowman (Oct. 2021) and Chase Elliott (Nov. 2020) each earning a victory, as well as Kyle Busch with two triumphs (April 2016, Oct. 2017).
Justin Allgaier, No. 7 JR Motorsports Camaro SS Martinsville Speedway – Oct. 28, 2023
CHEVROLET IN THE XFINITY SERIES
AT MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY
In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, five drivers from three different Chevrolet teams claimed top-10 results at Richmond Raceway last weekend, with series’ rookie Jesse Love and the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Camaro SS team leading the charge with a fifth-place finish. Chevrolet’s drivers and teams will shift towards yet another short-track this weekend – contesting under the lights at Martinsville Speedway in Saturday’s Dude Wipes 250.
The Bowtie brand leads the series’ active manufacturers with seven NXS wins at the .526-mile Virginia venue. JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier is the series’ most recent winner at the track after claiming his first grandfather clock and a spot in the NXS Championship Four in the Oct. 2023 event. JR Motorsports is credited with Chevrolet’s last three NXS wins at Martinsville Speedway, with Josh Berry and Noah Gragson driving the organization to a season sweep at the track in 2021.
Kvapil Set for NXS Debut
A notable entry for Saturday’s 250-lap event includes Carson Kvapil, who will be making his first career NXS start behind the wheel of the No. 88 JR Motorsports Camaro SS. Carrying the Chevy Truck Season livery for his series’ debut, the 20-year-old Mooresville, North Carolina, native has already made his mark in the short-track world. Kvapil is a two-time champion in the zMAX CARS Tour Late Model Stock Car Division – both titles earned with JR Motorsports’ late model program. The young Team Chevy driver has previously competed twice at Martinsville Speedway in the Late Model division – earning back-to-back podium finishes (2022 – second; 2023 – third).
CHEVROLET IN THE TRUCK SERIES AT MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will return to competition to kick-off the tripleheader weekend with Friday’s Long John Silver’s 200. This weekend’s event will mark the first of two appearances by the NCTS at Martinsville Speedway this season, with the .526-mile Virginia venue returning as the site of the series’ final playoff elimination race for the first time since 2021. The NCTS has just one short-track race in the books thus far this season – an event that saw Team Chevy’s Christian Eckes pick up the win and lead the Bowtie brand to a podium sweep at Bristol Motor Speedway.
William Byron, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Silverado RST
Martinsville Speedway – April 7, 2022
In the series’ 46-race history at Martinsville Speedway, Chevrolet has recorded 17 victories. Mike Skinner piloted the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Silverado to the Bowtie brand’s first NCTS victory at the “Paperclip” in Sept. 1996, with the manufacturer going on to make it three-straight with wins by Rich Bickle (1997) and Jay Sauter (1998). Most recently, it was Team Chevy’s William Byron that took the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Silverado to the victory in the series’ April 2022 event, with the driver going on to return to victory lane in the NASCAR Cup Series two days later with Hendrick Motorsports. A victory in Friday’s 200-lap event would tie the series’ current win record by a manufacturer – currently held by Toyota with 18 victories.
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS’ ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
CONTINUES AT MARTINSVILLE
At the heart of Hendrick Motorsports’ 40th anniversary celebration lies Martinsville Speedway. On April 29, 1984, Hendrick Motorsports became a first-time winner in NASCAR’s top division when Geoff Bodine drove the organization’s No. 5 Chevrolet to victory lane at Martinsville Speedway. Now, 40 years later, Hendrick Motorsports will return to the site of its first win as the winningest organization in NASCAR Cup Series’ history.
From Hendrick Motorsports’ first NCS win at Martinsville Speedway in 1984, to its most recent NCS win at Circuit of The Americas two weeks ago – all of the organization’s victories in the NASCAR national ranks have been in partnership with Chevrolet. Hendrick Motorsports has been the flag-bearer team in Chevrolet’s racing efforts in NASCAR. The organization owns 304 of Chevrolet’s 855 all-time NCS wins (36%) and 14 of Chevrolet’s 33 NCS Driver Championships (42%) – making it the winningest manufacturer and team partnership in series’ history.
Chevrolet and Hendrick Motorsports also hold titles as the winningest manufacturer and organization in series’ history at Martinsville Speedway. Leading its manufacturer competitors with 60 all-time NCS victories at Martinsville Speedway, 28 of those triumphs have come in partnership with Hendrick Motorsports – a series’ record of the most wins earned by one team at a single track. Nine different drivers have contributed to Hendrick Motorsports’ winning record at Martinsville Speedway, including all four drivers in the organization’s current lineup: Chase Elliott (one win – 2020), Alex Bowman (one win – 2021), William Byron (one win – 2022) and Kyle Larson (one win – 2023).
BOWTIE BULLETS:
· Chevrolet will pace the field in the tripleheader race weekend at Martinsville Speedway. The Silverado RST will lead the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in Friday’s Long John Silver’s 200; the Camaro SS will lead the NASCAR Xfinity Series in Saturday’s Dude Wipes 250; and the Camaro ZL1 will lead the NASCAR Cup Series in Sunday’s Cook Out 400.
· With 18 races complete across NASCAR’s three national series this season, Chevrolet has a winning percentage of 61% with 11 victories (NASCAR Cup Series – four wins; NASCAR Xfinity Series – two wins; NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – four wins).
· Active Chevrolet drivers with a NASCAR Cup Series win at Martinsville Speedway:
Kyle Busch – two wins (2016 & 2017)
Kyle Larson – one win (2023)
William Byron – one win (2022)
Chase Elliott – one win (2020)
· In 150 NASCAR Cup Series races at Martinsville Speedway, Chevrolet has recorded 60 victories and 56 pole wins – both of which are series-leading records.
· In the past eight points-paying races on tracks measuring less than one-mile, Larson has tallied finishes no worse than sixth in five of those events – most recently one week ago at Richmond Raceway with a third-place finish.
· Within the first three points-paying races of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series races season, each Chevrolet organization had already recorded at least one top-10 finish.
· With its 42 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championships, and 855 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title as the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.
Manufacturer Points Standings
Chevrolet: 258
Toyota: 256 (-2)
Ford: 230 (-28)
Manufacturer Points Standings
Toyota: 224
Chevrolet: 220 (-4)
Ford: 180 (-44)
Manufacturer Points Standings
Chevrolet: 193
Toyota: 174 (-19)
Ford: 162 (-31)
TUNE-IN:
NASCAR Cup Series
Cook Out 400
Sunday, April 7, at 3 p.m. ET
(FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)
DUDE Wipes 250
Saturday, April 6, at 7:30 pm. ET
(FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Long John Silver’s 200
Friday, April 5, at 7:30 p.m. ET
(FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)
QUOTABLE QUOTES:
ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 WORLDWIDE EXPRESS CAMARO ZL1
Do you think your name will always be associated with Martinsville because of the hail melon move?
“Absolutely. The goal now is to add a clock to our trophy case to offset it so it’s not just about the hail melon, but I am very proud of it.”
How big is qualifying at Martinsville?
“It’s big. I can attest that I went from the leader trying to lap me and pushing my back bumper to get by me, to lapping him later on when I had track position and he didn’t. It’s pretty cool how track position plays such a role there.”
Where does the grandfather clock rank on your wish list?
“It’s high. I have a tendency to be on time, so if I remember – I don’t even know if you have to wind those things or if they’re battery powered – maybe that will help me be a minute early to some things (laughs). It might help with my time management skills.”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS CAMARO ZL1
“Martinsville Speedway has been a good track for our No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet team over the years. It’s a fun little paperclip and I love having a “home” race because a lot of family and friends are able to come out and support us. It’s going to be important to be aggressive for 500 laps when the time calls for it. Hoping we can get a good starting position and have a clean day on pit road.”
COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 GAINBRIDGE CAMARO ZL1
“Looking forward to rebounding at the paperclip. It’s always good going somewhere you’ve been to Victory Lane in the past. There is much more potential in this 7 team than what the past several weeks’ results have shown, so we’ll go execute like we know we’re capable of and get some points back.”
KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 LUCAS OIL CAMARO ZL1
The last three races at Martinsville have been tough for you. Why has it been so challenging?
“I would say Martinsville Speedway has become increasingly challenging with traffic and having a good car that doesn’t burn the tires off. You need to be able to push and go forward and drive past your competitors, but you also can’t blow the tires off.”
Since on track testing is so limited now, what are some tools that you can use to improve your performance without physically being on the track?
“The only tools to use are your notes, film study, and past history of what you know for certain makes you good at a particular track. Going on the simulator is a tool, but as we have found for short tracks, it doesn’t seem to correlate all the way and can lead you in the wrong direction.”
DANIEL HEMRIC, NO. 31 CIRKUL CAMARO ZL1
“The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of Martinsville, is being ‘busy’ inside the race car. You’re making multiple up-shifts and down-shifts per lap, at least with last year’s package. I’m curious to see how that evolves. I love this racetrack, and I love what it has to offer. If we get a little bit of warm weather, the racetrack really turns into a rubbered-up style of track, which allows you to move around, so if it gets to that point, the racing can be pretty good.”
ZANE SMITH, NO. 71 FOCUSED HEALTH CAMARO ZL1
After Richmond, what can you look forward to at Martinsville this weekend?
“We had a lot of positives at Richmond Sunday night. We are making progress. I think that will continue in Martinsville this weekend. My team never gives up and it works hard to give me a fast Focused Health Chevy Camaro each week. Our job is to focus on getting better and continue learning every day.”
CARSON HOCEVAR, NO. 77 DELAWARE LIFE CAMARO ZL1
You’ve raced at Martinsville five times in the past, four in the NCTS and last fall in the Cup Series. What have you learned from these previous starts and how do you, as a team, work toward better finishes?
“We had some back luck in my past races at Martinsville, so I feel hopeful about this weekend to put that behind me. I feel confident in myself, and the team feels confident in our program that we can just keep building our notebook.”
Martinsville can get heated on the track. How do you channel your competitive drive without getting caught up in incidents?
“I think we just try to stay patient and survive all 500 laps to have a competitive day. Staying on the lead lap always helps and putting our ourselves in a good spot higher up in the field helps even more to take us out of the equation if anything ends up happening.”
DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 FREEWAY INSURANCE CAMARO ZL1
What are your thoughts on Martinsville?
“We need a good finish Sunday. We have struggled the last three weeks getting those finishes. I feel like we have had good cars, but something has happened in those races that kept us from getting a better finish. We have qualified really well at Martinsville the last few races and it’s going to be important we do that again Saturday. On Sunday you have to run your own race, stay out of trouble and hope you have a shot at the end.”
Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics
Manufacturers Championships:
Total (1949-2023): 42
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, 2021, 2022, 2023
Drivers Championships:
Total (1949-2021): 33
First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)
Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)
Most Recent: Kyle Larson (2021)
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, 2020, 2021
Event Victories:
Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)
2024 STATISTICS:
Wins: 4
Poles: 2
Laps Led: 591
Top-five finishes: 13
Top-10 finishes: 23
Stage wins: 4
· Chase Elliott: 1
· Kyle Larson: 3
CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 855 (1949 to date)
Poles won to date: 745
Laps led to date: 249,766
Top-five finishes to date: 4,311
Top-10 finishes to date: 8,884
Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:
General Motors: 1,189
Chevrolet: 855
Pontiac: 154
Oldsmobile: 115
Buick: 65
Ford: 828
Ford: 728
Mercury: 96
Lincoln: 4
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467
Dodge: 217
Plymouth: 191
Chrysler: 59
Toyota: 183
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.
