5 KYLE LARSON

Age: 31 (July 31, 1992)

Hometown: Elk Grove, California

Resides: Mooresville, North Carolina

Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels

Standings: 1st

No. 5 Valvoline Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

TOP FIVE AT KANSAS: Kyle Larson led the way for Hendrick Motorsports with a fourth-place result in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway. After qualifying on the front row, he quickly jumped to the lead. The 31-year-old driver went on to score his fourth stage win of the season and would pace the field for a race-high 99 laps. Despite finishing outside the top 10 in stage two, Larson rallied in the final stage to earn a fourth-place result in his 100th Cup Series start with Hendrick Motorsports.

ATOP THE STANDINGS: Following the second race of the 2023 Cup Series playoffs, Larson took the lead in the driver points standings. Larson’s first-place finish at Darlington Raceway (which locked him into the Round of 12) and his fourth-place finish at Kansas put him at the top with 2,117 points.

IN 2023: The driver of the No. 5 leads the series in top-five finishes (12) and average starting position (9.64) this season. He ranks as the second-best driver on restarts, based on data from Racing Insights. Larson has the third-most laps led (778), laps run in the top five (2,619), laps run in the top 10 (4,041) and is in a four-way tie for the third-most top-10 finishes (14). In addition, he has the fourth-best average running position (11.79).

BACK AT BRISTOL: This weekend, the Elk Grove, California, native returns to Bristol Motor Speedway for the famous night race. The Tennessee short track is where Larson has led the second-most laps (850) at any track in his Cup Series career, only 49 circuits behind Dover Motor Speedway. In 2021, he won the night race, taking the No. 5 Valvoline Chevrolet to victory lane. Since the start of 2017, which totals eight starts on Bristol’s concrete layout, Larson has the best average starting position (4.75), average finishing position (6.25) and most laps led (760). In that span, he is tied for the most stage wins (three), runner-up finishes (two), top-10s (seven) and pole positions (one).

STRONG ON SHORT TRACKS: This season, Larson has earned three victories on short tracks: Richmond Raceway, Martinsville Speedway and the exhibition All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Of all Cup Series drivers in the Next Gen era (since 2022) on short tracks, he has the best average finish (8.25), is tied for the most points-paying wins (two) and has the second-most points scored (295). In 49 career Cup Series starts on short tracks, Larson has four wins, 12 top-five finishes, 22 top-10s, three pole positions and 1,245 laps led.

FOUR TIRES FAST: The No. 5 pit crew holds the fourth-fastest four-tire average pit stop time at 11.244 seconds. Their four-tire stop of 9.281 seconds on lap 93 in June’s race at Nashville Superspeedway is the fifth-fastest four-tire stop of the season. The team’s five-man pit crew consists of Blaine Anderson (front-tire changer), R.J. Barnette (tire carrier), Brandon Harder (fueler), Brandon Johnson (jackman) and Calvin Teague (rear-tire changer).

VALVOLINE ON BOARD: Valvoline will make its third and final appearance of 2023 as the primary sponsor of Larson’s No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 this weekend at Bristol. Valvoline Inc. (NYSE: VVV) is a leading worldwide marketer and supplier of premium branded lubricants and automotive services, with sales in more than 140 countries. Established in 1866, the company’s heritage spans more than 150 years, during which time it has developed powerful brand recognition across multiple product and service channels. Valvoline ranks as the No. 3 passenger car motor oil brand in the DIY market by volume. Off the track, Valvoline is the preferred lubricant of Hendrick Automotive Group, which operates 95 car dealerships across the United States. To see every angle of the No. 5 Valvoline Chevy, click here.

WIN A CHEVROLET COLORADO Z71: Want to drive Larson’s 2023 Chevrolet Colorado truck? The 2021 Cup Series champion is giving away his ride to one lucky winner. Fans can donate now to enter a drawing for a chance to take home the Z71 Crew Cab 4WD package with custom features and styling. This special sweepstakes raises funding for the Kyle Larson Foundation’s “DRIVE FOR 5” campaign that supports youth, families and communities in need. The campaign is nearing its fundraising goal of $500,000. Click here to check out this sweet custom ride and enter to win today. The drawing closes on Sunday, Dec. 3, and the winner will be chosen on Monday, Dec. 11.

9 CHASE ELLIOTT

Age: 27 (Nov. 28, 1995)

Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia

Resides: Dawsonville, Georgia

Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson

Standings: 18th

No. 9 NAPA Gold Filters Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

KANSAS CHRONICLES: Last weekend at Kansas Speedway, Chase Elliott and the No. 9 team had one of their strongest races of the season. The 27-year-old driver led 47 laps en route to a sixth-place finish. Elliott ran all but one lap inside the top 15, averaged a fifth-place running position and had his second-highest driver rating of the year (113.20), according to NASCAR loop data. The result was his 10th top-10 finish in 16 NASCAR Cup Series starts at the 1.5-mile oval and his 12th top-10 of the year.

OWNING IT: While Elliott did not make the driver playoffs this season, he and the No. 9 team are part of the 16-team playoff field for the owner championship. Heading into this weekend’s Round of 16 elimination race at Bristol Motor Speedway, the No. 9 is eighth in the owner playoff standings and is 12 points above the line to advance to the Round of 12.

BUILDING CONSISTENCY: The No. 9 team is hitting its stride, with Elliott being one of only two drivers to reach four top-10 finishes over the last five races – second at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, fourth at Daytona International Speedway, eighth at Darlington Raceway and sixth at Kansas. Over that span, he’s earned the fifth-most points (169), tied with teammate Kyle Larson, and is also tied for the fourth-best average finish (10.40).

LAST YEAR’S BATTLE: Last fall at Bristol, Elliott started the Saturday night race in the 23rd position and steadily gained ground throughout the first two stages. He then came on strong in the final segment to earn a runner-up result. That finish is his best in a points-paying Cup Series race at the Tennessee short track.

BRISTOL DEETS: This Saturday, Elliott will make his 13th Bristol Cup Series start on the track’s concrete oval. He has four top-five finishes, six top-10s and 439 laps led at “The Last Great Colosseum,” his third-most at active tracks on the Cup Series circuit, behind Martinsville Speedway (957) and Phoenix Raceway (546). Elliott has finished inside the top seven in four of the last five night races at the .533-mile track. In addition, Elliott and the No. 9 team captured the NASCAR All-Star Race victory at this venue in 2020.

SHORT TRACK STATE OF MIND: The Bristol race marks Elliott’s 44th short-track start in the Cup Series. In his previous 43 races, he has garnered one win (Martinsville 2020), 14 top-five finishes, 22 top-10s, two pole positions and 1,491 laps led. This season, across two paved short-track starts, Elliott has one top-10 finish, earning a best effort of 10th at Martinsville (his first start after returning from his leg injury). In the Next Gen era (since 2022) on short tracks, he has the fifth-best average finish (9.14) and has scored the eighth-most points (260).

AG IN TENNESSEE: Crew chief Alan Gustafson is set to call his 34th Bristol Cup Series race on Saturday night. In his previous 33 starts with five different drivers – Kyle Busch, Casey Mears, Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon and Elliott – the Ormond Beach, Florida, native has one win (2007 with Busch), 10 top-five finishes, 17 top-10s and 1,039 laps led. Together, he and Elliott captured the All-Star Race victory in 2020, leading 60 of 140 laps.

GOING GOLD: Elliott’s No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will have a different look under the lights at Bristol. Primary partner NAPA Auto Parts is trading in its iconic blue and yellow for a black and gold livery, highlighting its line of NAPA Gold™ oil filters. Since 1966, NAPA Gold™ oil filters have earned the trust of generations of drivers and car enthusiasts. Each one is built to offer better strength, performance benefits and is specifically designed to remove contaminants to keep engines running at peak performance. Get a look at all the angles of the No. 9 NAPA Gold Filters Chevrolet here.

24 WILLIAM BYRON

Age: 25 (Nov. 29, 1997)

Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

Resides: Charlotte, North Carolina

Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle

Standings: 4th

No. 24 Relay Payments Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

KEEP IT ROLLIN’: Following a 15th-place finish at Kansas Speedway, William Byron is fourth in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series playoff standings, 41 points above the elimination line. With 28 races completed, Byron leads the series in wins (five) and stage wins (eight). The 25-year-old driver’s series-leading 877 laps led are also a single-season career-best. He is tied for second in top-five finishes (10) and tied for third in top-10s (14). In addition, Byron ranks second in average running position (10.51), laps run in the top five (3,072) and laps run in the top 10 (4,071).

NEXT GEN DUO: Since the introduction of the Next Gen Cup Series car in 2022, Byron and crew chief Rudy Fugle have collected seven wins together. Not only is that the most by a driver but it is also the most by a crew chief in the same time period. In fact, two of those seven wins came during night races (Martinsville Speedway in 2022 and Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2023).

BRISTOL BULLETS: This weekend, Byron will make his ninth Cup Series start on the concrete of Bristol Motor Speedway. In his eight previous starts at the short track, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native has two consecutive third-place efforts – tied for the second-longest active top-10 streak at Bristol. No matter what any other driver does this Saturday night, Byron needs just 22 points to lock into the Round of 12. In four of his last five races at the .533-mile track, he has earned at least that amount of points, if not more.

SHORT-TRACK STATS: Byron has one win (Martinsville in 2022), seven top-five finishes, 11 top-10s and 460 laps led in 30 Cup Series starts on short tracks. In the Next Gen era, he has scored the sixth-most points (269) and posted the eighth-best average finish (11.63) on that track type.

FUGLE FILES: Saturday night’s race will mark Fugle’s third Cup Series start on pavement at “The Last Great Colosseum.” In his two previous starts at the highest level, Fugle and the No. 24 team have collected back-to-back third-place results. Beyond this, Fugle has seven NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts and two in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. His one win at the half-mile track came in the 2013 spring Truck Series race. In total, he notched three top-five finishes and six top-10s in Truck Series events at Bristol.

PIT ROAD PROWESS: Through 28 races in the 2023 season, the No. 24 pit crew remains in the top spot with the fastest average four-tire pit stop time of 11.071 seconds. The No. 24 pit crew consists of Spencer Bishop (jackman), Jeff Cordero (front-tire changer), Orane Ossowski (rear-tire changer), Ryan Patton (tire carrier) and Landon Walker (fueler).

WELCOME RELAY PAYMENTS: Earlier this year, Hendrick Motorsports announced a new partnership with Relay Payments, the fintech company modernizing payments for the transportation, logistics and supply chain industries. At Atlanta, Relay Payments made its debut as an associate partner of Byron and the No. 24 team for 2023. This Saturday’s event will mark the first of two races where Relay Payments is the primary partner. Founded in 2019, Relay’s mission is to help digitally transform the logistics industry. The company offers a digital payment network designed to increase efficiencies, reduce fraud, improve driver satisfaction and eliminate operational headaches. For a closer look at Byron’s No. 24 Relay Payments Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Bristol, click here.

48 Alex Bowman

Age: 30 (April 25, 1993)

Hometown: Tucson, Arizona

Resides: Concord, North Carolina

Crew Chief: Blake Harris

Standings: 20th

No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

KANSAS RECAP: Last Sunday, Alex Bowman garnered his third consecutive top-10 finish at Kansas Speedway. The 30-year-old driver mounted a charge in the final stage to claim 10th place and his ninth top-10 result of the season.

BACK IN THE FIGHT: This Saturday, Bowman will take on “The Last Great Colosseum” as the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Bristol Motor Speedway. The driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will make his 13th start at the .533-mile short track in NASCAR’s premier series, previously tallying two top-five finishes and three top-10s. The last time Bowman was on Bristol’s concrete layout, he started the race in third and finished the first two stages in sixth. Unfortunately, his strong day ended early after being collected in an on-track incident on lap 278. In that race, Bowman was the ninth-fastest car on green flag speed, according to NASCAR loop data. Bowman matched his career-best finish of fifth place at the Tennessee track in 2021.

HE’S GOT HISTORY: Bowman has earned wins in two of the last 12 short-track Cup Series races. His victory in the penultimate race of the 2021 season at Martinsville Speedway was the final triumph of Bowman’s four-win campaign (best in his career to date) at Hendrick Motorsports. Earlier that season, he also won at Richmond Raceway.

SET FOR THE RESTART: The Tucson, Arizona, native ranks seventh-best on restarts in 2023, according to data from Racing Insights. That mark is second-best among the Hendrick Motorsports quartet, as teammate Kyle Larson is second in this statistical category. In last fall’s Bristol’s race, Bowman was the 10th-fastest driver on restarts, according to NASCAR loop data.

BATTLE-TESTED BLAKE: Crew chief Blake Harris will make his first start with Bowman on the traditional version of Bristol. The second-year crew chief is calling the shots on that layout in Thunder Valley for the second time. In last year’s night race, his driver finished just outside of the top 10 in 11th after starting the race in 18th.

SAVE THEM ALL: Bowman and primary partner Ally are teaming up this year to bring back the Best Friends Animal Society donation effort. This week, the duo will make charitable contributions to the Appalachian Highlands Humane Society, which serves the local community in Johnson City, Tennessee. Bowman and Ally will donate $4,800 to Best Friends and Appalachian Highlands Humane Society. Ally will increase its donation to $10,000 if the No. 48 team wins.

IN THE NIGHT: During Saturday’s race under the lights at Bristol, the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will adorn its “night” scheme for the final time in 2023. This scheme hosts a black base with bright plum, grapefruit, and seafoam stripes down the side. The “night” scheme is one of two primary paint schemes for the No. 48, which also has a white-based livery for day races. Check out all the angles of both looks here.

HENDRICK
MOTORSPORTS /

2023	All-Time	Bristol
Races	28	1,337	76
Wins	8*	299*	12
Poles	6	245*	12
Top 5	34*	1,224*	66*
Top 10	52*	2,097*	115*
Laps Led	1,831*	79,148*	6,384
Stage Wins	13	92	4

*Most **Most (tie)

CLOSING IN ON 300: Hendrick Motorsports is just one points-paying victory away from its milestone 300th win in the NASCAR Cup Series. Twenty drivers have combined to reach the organization’s current total of 299, which is the most Cup Series wins by any team. With eight points-paying victories in 2023, the team has posted its 36th multi-win season in the Cup Series while maintaining a streak of at least two per season for the past 30 years. The organization has gone to victory lane at more racetracks (31) than any other active team.

FITS LIKE A GLOVE: For this weekend’s on-track activity at Bristol Motor Speedway, all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers will wear skeleton driving gloves as part of The Dale Jr. Foundation’s Driven to Give Gloves program benefitting The Dale and Amy Earnhardt Fund at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. The drivers will sign the right-hand glove, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will sign the left-hand glove and the pair will be auctioned off on The Dale Jr. Foundation auction page starting on Friday, Sept. 15 and ending on Monday, Sept. 18.

PLAYOFF LOWDOWN: The 2023 season marks the 20th year with playoffs in NASCAR. Including this year, Hendrick Motorsports has had at least two drivers compete in the postseason in 18 straight seasons and in 19 of the 20 postseason years. Both marks are the most of all teams. William Byron (five wins) and Kyle Larson (three wins) are in the 16-driver field. In addition, the Nos. 5, 9 and 24 teams are battling for the owner championship. Larson and the No. 5 team are locked into the Round of 12 with his victory at Darlington Raceway.

CHAMPIONSHIP COUNT: The Rick Hendrick-owned team has a series-best 14 Cup Series championships. NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2024 inductee Jimmie Johnson accounts for half of those with seven (2006-10, 2013 and 2016). NASCAR Hall of Famer and team vice chairman Jeff Gordon racked up four titles (1995, 1997-98 and 2001). NASCAR Hall of Famer Terry Labonte (1996), Chase Elliott (2020) and Larson (2021) each have one championship for the team. Nine of those titles have come in the playoff era (2004-present).

RECORD SETTERS: Hendrick Motorsports has posted a series-best 56 wins in the playoffs. Johnson has the most with 29 victories. Among the current driver lineup, Elliott and Larson top the board with seven wins apiece in the playoffs followed by Alex Bowman with one.

LOOK BACK TO LAST YEAR: In last year’s night race at Bristol, Hendrick Motorsports placed three cars in the top five. Elliott was the runner-up finisher, Byron took third and Larson rounded out the top five. This is one of two times that the team has placed three drivers in the top five at Bristol, with the other coming in September 2021. In total, there have been six instances of a team placing three cars in the top five at the Tennessee short track.

COLOSSEUM CLOSERS: The organization has 12 wins at “The Last Great Colosseum.” Gordon (five wins) and Johnson (two wins) are the only drivers in team history to win multiple times at the venue. Larson, Labonte, Kyle Busch, Kasey Kahne and Darrell Waltrip each have one triumph for the team.

NO SHORTAGE: Hendrick Motorsports leads all active Cup Series teams with 57 points-paying victories on short tracks. Gordon’s 17 short-track wins lead all drivers in team history. The active driver lineup has combined for seven short-track successes: Larson (three), Bowman (two), Byron (one) and Elliott (one).

NEXT GEN NUMBERS: With three wins on short tracks since 2022, Hendrick Motorsports has the most victories on that track type in the Next Gen car. Those victories came at Martinsville Speedway by Byron in 2022 and Larson in 2023 as well as at Richmond Raceway by Larson in 2023.

STUDYING THE TRENDS: In each of the last six 2023 Cup Series races, Hendrick Motorsports has had a driver finish in the top five. Those top fives came at Michigan International Speedway (Larson), the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course (Elliott and Bowman), Watkins Glen International (Byron), Daytona International Speedway (Elliott), Darlington (Larson and Byron) and Kansas Speedway (Larson). No other team has a streak of more than two races.

QUOTABLE /

Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on returning to the concrete track of Bristol Motor Speedway: “The night race at Bristol (Motor Speedway) is one of my favorites. It’s such a prestigious track and race. The fans always show up there and it’s a great atmosphere. I’ve had some good runs on the concrete track, including a win in the Valvoline Chevy in 2021. Valvoline is back this weekend and it would be great to get another win before the Round of 12!”

Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the team’s strong playoff results thus far: “Our team has great momentum right now. It’s been nice to have two good runs the past two weeks, but there is certainly a lot of racing left ahead in the playoffs. We’ve got to stay focused and stay grounded. We take every week as it comes and this week is at Bristol (Motor Speedway), which is just an amazing track. I love Bristol. Kyle (Larson) loves Bristol. He’s always super good at Bristol in anything that he drives. The team’s been executing well and hopefully we have a fast Chevy to be there at the end. I’m sure it’s going to be an exciting race.”

Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the unique environment of Bristol: “My favorite (track), I would say, and probably my favorite race of the year. I just think that the environment up there is so unique and it’s so different. I love going (there). It’s close to home and up in the mountains of Tennessee. It’s just a cool deal from top to bottom. And they’ve always done a good job up there making that environment fun and energetic for the drivers and the fans. I think when that’s the case, everybody has more fun.”

Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the Next Gen car at Bristol and what to expect on Saturday night: “It’s hard to say. We’ve had one race there with this car and it seemed ok. The tire’s changing slightly for this race, so that’s always a bit of an unknown. We’ll see what that has in store for us and how it affects the racing. Hopefully, there’s multiple lanes. To me, when we have multiple lanes and the top comes in, the racing’s better and you have more opportunity to pass.”

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his mindset for Saturday’s race: “It would be nice if we could lock into the next round of the playoffs, or be close to locking in, before the end of the race this weekend. It just gives you more options on what you can do strategy-wise. We’ve raced at Bristol (Motor Speedway) in every point situation just about before, so we’ll be prepared for whatever happens. We just need to go in, race our own race and maximize points. Hopefully, we’ll be in a situation to go for a win and add some extra playoff points for the next round if it works out.”

Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on how to prepare for Bristol: “Bristol (Motor Speedway) is a great atmosphere but a challenge to setup for. You need to be able to attack the entry without getting too loose, have your car turning when it lands into the banking, and you need to keep wrapping the bottom on exit but not so much that it snaps the back end of the car. It all happens super quick. We’ll qualify in the 14-second bracket. Even on a long run, we’ll probably be in the mid-15-second range. Getting a good starting spot is key and getting some stage points would be great. There will be a bunch of strategies playing out given all the different scenarios. It will be about running our own race.”

Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on heading to Bristol: “I think this weekend is one that our team really looks forward to. We have faced some unfortunate circumstances this season, so getting a top-10 finish last weekend in Kansas was a bit of a stabilizer for the No. 48 team. We have a chance to create some momentum to finish the season with and we all know that. Blake (Harris) and I have always focused on the details, looked to maximize where we can and this weekend is no different. We haven’t been to Bristol (Motor Speedway) together yet, but that gives us a clean slate to go work with, which I am looking forward to.”

Blake Harris, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his mindset for this weekend’s race at Bristol: “Saturday night at Bristol (Motor Speedway) is a great opportunity for us to bounce back. I feel like we had decent car speed and momentum going at Darlington (Raceway) and then rallied at the end of the Kansas race to bring home a top-10. It’s important to go into these playoff races and challenge ourselves as a team against those who are still in it to see where we stack up. Alex (Bowman) had a great race here last fall before a mechanical issue and Hendrick Motorsports as an organization had some positive results as well. We plan to go execute a clean weekend from start to finish and put ourselves in the best position to put the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in victory lane.”

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Bass Pro Shops Night Race Advance | Thursday, September 14, 2023

Ryan Blaney, driver of the No. 12 Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang, goes into this weekend’s final Round of 16 race in sixth place, 25 points above the cut line. Blaney spoke with members of the media on Wednesday about his current situation and hopes for advancing to the Round of 12.

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang – YOU DID THE TIRE TEST AT BRISTOL, SO DO YOU FEEL MORE CONFIDENT AFTER WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU LAST YEAR? “I hope so. I didn’t blow a tire at the tire test, so that’s good. We went through a lot of different sets, compounds, builds, all that different stuff and I feel like it’s kind of tough there to run because there were only three of us, so we never get off the bottom. That’s kind of tough to get a good feel for where the race is gonna go, but I feel better about it. I feel like what we learned there last year with our issues, kind of team issues, I blew a right-front. The 21 did. I think the 2 blew a right-front too, so hopefully we learned from those and going back and not having any mistakes.”

DID YOU HAVE ANY STEERING ISSUES AT BRISTOL? “I know there were some power-steering issues that happened last year. I, fortunately, didn’t have any problems at the test. I don’t think any of the three cars did and hopefully we got a little better idea of the power-steering stuff this year. I feel like you haven’t seen as many problems with it. Teams have kind of refined it a little bit, but you don’t want that issue there. I had the power-steering go out there about five years ago and that’s no fun. Hopefully, you don’t see any problems. I think everyone’s gotten a little better at it.”

DENNY HAMLIN SAID EVERYONE FROM BLANEY DOWN IS IN THE DANGER ZONE AT BRISTOL. DO YOU FEEL THAT WAY? “We’re 25 points to the good. Twenty-five points can go away just like that if you have an issue early in the race. I feel like you can never really be too safe. I wouldn’t consider myself in the danger zone. I would say you can have problems and you’re gonna be in a little bit of a situation. I think what he meant by that was you don’t have any cushion if you make a mistake early in the race and have a mechanical issue or a wreck or something like that early. You don’t have as many points in the bank to ensure yourself into the next round, kind of like we did last year. We had tons of points to the cut line going into this race last year and we had a problem and we were able to be fine with it because we had a lot of points in the bank. This year we don’t have as many. I definitely would prefer to be 25 points to the good than only a handful of points to the good because you never know what could happen. You’ve just got to go try to run a good race and run the whole race and see where you end up.”

HAVE THE RESTARTS GOTTEN OUT OF CONTROL WITH GUYS LAYING BACK AND WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE LAST RESTART AT KANSAS? “Yeah. I mean, I know I personally got probably the worst restart of my career the last restart of the Kansas race and it was even worse looking when I went back and watched the last restart of how far back I was, but it was super odd. I don’t know what happened. Everything got stacked and then separated really quick and I’m trying to catch up to the 24 and it stacked and it got spread out super quick right before the restart zone and then the 99 went really early and just didn’t give anyone time to catch up, so I don’t know exactly who started it or what. All I know is that we were just super behind. No one was packed up when the pace car pulled off or even before that, and I couldn’t really tell how far the 24 was away from the guy in front of him because I’m up the 24’s bumper and then he speeds up and by the time I catch up I’m already 10 car lengths behind the restart, so I feel like in other series their cars, short tracks, they’ll throw a yellow if they think the leader went early, if the restart was jumbled, if someone is laying back. If you’re not gonna give penalties, do you just reset and do another restart? Do you give that guy a warning or you just penalize him right away, so there are certain series that do it different ways. I feel like they just have to really stay on the restarts and start penalizing people if they’re doing that stuff. NASCAR reminds us all the time, but we saw it be pretty ridiculous at Kansas and nothing has been done about it, so until you start slapping wrists everybody is gonna keep doing it.”

HOW TOUGH DOES IT GET AS YOU GET INTO THESE PLAYOFF RACES AND WHAT DO DRIVERS DO TO GAIN AN EDGE? “The whole 10 weeks is super tough. Obviously, as you get further and further in the rounds it gets even harder. You can’t really make any mistakes. They are more costly just because you are racing less teams. Usually the people who have advanced, the bonus points get pretty jumbled up at that point, seeing where everyone is at and what they start the playoffs with and usually if you get down to the Round of 8 and you don’t have a lot of playoff points, you probably have to win one of those three to get in. It is tough, but everyone approaches it differently. I really wish I would have approached it differently last year. I thought we had a good shot to make Phoenix and I made a couple mistakes there in the Round of 8 and cost us, but it definitely gets intense as you whittle teams out and that’s what makes it exciting. That’s what makes it an exciting 10 weeks and seeing who can be perfect and not make mistakes and who also has the speed to run up front and contend for wins and run up towards the front of the pack the whole race for stage points and stuff. It is wild. Hopefully, we can put it all together here and get to Phoenix. It’s gonna be a tall task for us, but I believe we can get it done. We just have to keep doing our thing and find a little bit here and there and have the driver do his job.”

THE ROVAL RULES ARE CHANGING WITH THE RESTART ZONE LOCATION AND STAGE BREAKS. YOUR THOUGHTS? “The restart zone change, we’re actually running the chicane, like the normal track. I think that’s probably good. It’s kind of a weird spot, for sure. I think it’s even kind of a little bit more odd than Indy was – the restart spot – just because that’s such a tight, slow corner, but hopefully that keeps guys from overdriving one like we’ve seen a lot on restarts. You’re going so much faster at the old restart zone that it’s hard to judge your braking spot, so hopefully that kind of cleans that up a little bit. As far as the stage cautions go, I didn’t really have an opinion on it either way. It just kind of was what it was before when they did away with it and now it’s back to what we’ve been doing for a while, so I didn’t really mind. It obviously jumbles up the field a little bit more. You have guys that maybe aren’t as fast they run in the back and choose to go for stage points and that kind of gives them a chance, and the guys who think they can win the race they pit, so it does jumble it up. You can’t ever please everybody. I feel like there are a lot of people wanting to do away with stage cautions, so we did. And then a lot of people that wanted them done away with saw a lot of green flag racing at Watkins Glen and Indy and then wanted them back and didn’t like that it went so long. I give NASCAR props for trying it and whatever decision they made I didn’t have any huge comments about it or any feelings either way.”

WON’T IT BE STRANGE RESTARTING WHERE IT’S GOING TO BE AT THE ROVAL? “Yeah, it’s hard to tell. I do think it’s gonna be a little bit trickier at the Roval, kind of where that restart zone is at, especially the guys – I mean it seems like if you’re in row three or four on back you’re gonna be entering that chicane by the time the leader goes, so it’s gonna be a little weird. It’s the same for everybody. I thought it was different than Indy. At Indy I feel like it was the sixth or seventh row on back was still in 13 when the leader went, so that’s a super tight left-hander, so you get a big gap on those rows. Here, I think it will be a little similar, but it will be more of a gap in each row. I think the second row might be able to stay with the leaders, but then the third row there’s gonna be a gap and then kind of the same gap to the fourth row and fifth row on back because everyone is gonna be trying to get through the chicane. I don’t really know, but it is gonna be weird though, going in there for the start of the race and the restarts being that way. It’s gonna take everyone a little bit to get used to and then what do you prefer? Do you prefer to give up a row maybe because it’s better to restart maybe a little bit further back or forward? That’s just something we’re gonna play with and watch in the Xfinity race to see how those guys handle it.”

WHAT IS THE COMPETITION DYNAMIC LIKE AT A PLACE LIKE TEAM PENSKE WHEN YOU’RE COMPETING AGAINST YOUR TEAMMATES? “That’s what’s so interesting about our sport compared to other team sports. I get asked that question a lot by fans at meet-and-greets and stuff like that of how that dynamic works and I usually explain it as we all race for the same owner under one hat. We all race for Roger and we want Team Penske to be successful as a whole. All of the men and women working there, he wants to do well for them and what’s good for the whole organization and at the same time you want to do the best you can for your individual team. You want to win. You want to be the guy who is providing the wins and the championships for your guys and you bringing that to all the men and women back at the race shop and everybody involved at Team Penske. So, it is kind of odd. Sometimes you have to think about the greater good of the entire team, and I feel like we do that at our organization very well of working with each other on the track and off the track. The team dynamic is solid. Us working together at speedways – me, Joey and Austin – we’re really good at that and I think it’s shown in some races before of what is best for the whole organization. That’s our goal, but, like I said, it’s weird. I mean, sometimes your ego you want to be the guy. You want to be the winning guy and sometimes you have to think of the greater good, so it is odd. I mean, we’re still competitors. Me and Joey and Austin are fierce competitors, but you also help out each other and give information and try to make the whole team run well. At the same time, you’re worried about yourself, so it’s helping your team and your teammates, but not just rolling over for them. You also want to do well for the team. It’s really strange and it’s hard to explain, but I think we make it work fairly decently. I know that was a jumbled up answer for you, but hopefully I got some points there.”

HOW DOES IT CHANGE IN THE PLAYOFFS? “I feel like in the playoffs it’s different because every little point matters. Every position matters. Every stage point. Every finishing point. All of that stuff matters, so I feel like some breaks that you might give to a teammate during a race, you possibly don’t give them as many breaks. If you’re coming down to the end of the stage, 15 laps to go, and you and your teammate are racing for a stage point, you’re probably gonna race them pretty hard because you both are going for that point. I think that’s understood and expected because you’re trying to do well for yourself, so it does change a little bit in the playoffs. I don’t think the information is any different between the teams and drivers. I feel like we all still do that, but we probably race each other a little bit harder for every point because I think that’s what matters and that’s understood.”

WHAT’S IT LIKE WHEN YOU HEAR A DRIVER SAY HE WANTS TO BE RELEVANT? HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN THAT POSITION? “I think every driver that’s what they want to be is you want to be relevant in your sport. I feel like that’s anybody. No matter what you do, you want to be relevant. You want to make a difference and you want to do well. That’s every single person. That just goes back to wanting to do well for your owners and your team. I think that’s what the being relevant part is, you want to do well in your sport. It’s not just a racing thing. That’s a life thing. No matter what sport or job you do, you want to be relevant and you want to succeed.”

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol, Tennessee
September 14-16, 2023

CUE THE LIGHTS

With all three NASCAR national series now officially in playoff competition, the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS), NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) will head to one of the most iconic short-tracks in motorsports – Bristol Motor Speedway. The first time this season competing on the track’s concrete surface, the 0.533-mile Tennessee oval holds an integral position on each series’ playoff schedule – opening the Round of Eight for the NCTS, the first race of the NXS playoffs and the first elimination race of the NCS playoffs.

Chevrolet at Bristol Motor Speedway:

Chevrolet is the winningest manufacturer across all three NASCAR national series at Bristol Motor Speedway – earning 46 NCS wins, 36 NXS wins and 10 NCTS wins. The manufacturer has been victorious in the past two NXS visits to the Tennessee short-track with Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger in 2021 and, most recently, one year ago with JR Motorsports and Noah Gragson.

 
FIRST ELIMINATION RACE FOR THE NCS PLAYOFFS

Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race will mark the first elimination race for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs – determining the 12 drivers that will continue in the championship title run. Only two drivers have solidified their spots into the Round of 12, including Team Chevy’s Kyle Larson, who claimed an early ticket to the next round with his win in the playoff opener at Darlington Raceway. The 31-year-old California native followed up the win with another strong run at Kansas Speedway – recording a stage win and leading a race-high 99 laps en route to his series-leading 12th top-five finish of the season. Larson was able to maintain the top position in the points standings, now holding a six-point lead over second.

The current points standings sees four Team Chevy playoff contenders at a double-digit advantage over the playoff cutline. Despite suffering from a spin early in last Sunday’s race at Kansas Speedway, William Byron was able to rally back to a 15th-place finish – still holding the fourth position in the standings with a 41-point cushion above the cutline. Kyle Busch was also able to overcome early weekend struggles in the Midwest – starting from the rear of the field and driving to a seventh-place finish, leaving Kansas Speedway seventh in the standings and 24-points above the cutline. Rounding out the top-eight of the standings is Ross Chastain, entering this weekend’s elimination race 18-points above the playoff bubble.

 
A look at Team Chevy’s playoff contenders heading into the Round of 16 elimination race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 – 1st in Playoff Standings

• Advanced to Round of 12 by virtue of a win at Darlington Raceway

Victories: 3

Top-Fives: 12 (series-leading)

Top-10s: 14

Laps Led: 778

Average Finish: 15.1

Stage Wins: 4

At Bristol Motor Speedway:

Wins: 1

Top-Fives: 4

Top-10s: 9

Average Finish: 12.786 (second-best)

Of Note:

· The 2023 season marks Larson’s seventh appearance in the NCS playoffs.

· Larson has one NCS Regular Season Championship and one NCS Driver Championship title to his name – both coming in 2021.

· The 31-year-old California native has made it to the Championship Four once – the season that delivered the Team Chevy driver his first championship title in NASCAR’s top series (2021). In his other playoff appearances, Larson reached the Round of Eight (2019), Round of 12 (2017, 2018 and 2022) and Round of 16 (2016).

· During the playoff era (2004-present), the 2021 season saw Larson earn a series-leading five post-season victories – tying the record set by NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart in 2011.

William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 – 4th in Playoff Standings; 41 points above the cutline

Victories: 5 (series-leading)

Top-Fives: 10

Top-10s: 14

Laps Led: 877 (series-leading)

Average Finish: 12.6

Stage Wins: 8 (series-leading)

At Bristol Motor Speedway:

Top-Fives: 2

Top-10s: 3

Average Finish: 16.250

Of Note:

· The 2023 season marks Byron’s fifth consecutive appearance in the NCS playoffs.

· Bryon’s career-best finish in the NCS playoffs came in 2022, finishing the season sixth in the final points standings.

· Among Byron’s nine career wins in NASCAR’s premier series, five have come at tracks in the playoffs, including each of the final four races.

· While he was eliminated in the Round of Eight last season, it’s projected to be his strongest trio of tracks in the post-season – having found victory lane at all three venues (Las Vegas Motor Speedway – March 2023; Homestead-Miami Speedway – Feb. 2021; Martinsville Speedway – April 2022).

Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1 – 7th in Playoff Standings; 24 points above the cutline

Victories: 3

Top-Fives: 8

Top-10s: 15

Laps Led: 233

Average Finish: 13.8

Stage Wins: 2

At Bristol Motor Speedway:

Wins: 8 (series-leading)

Top-Fives: 14

Top-10s: 19

Poles: 2

Average Finish: 13.667

Of Note:

· In his debut season with Richard Childress Racing and his return to the Bowtie brigade, 2023 marks Busch’s 16th appearance in the NCS playoffs.

· Busch is one of only two active drivers with multiple championships to his name – taking the title in 2015 and 2019.

· In Busch’s 63 career wins in NASCAR’s top series, eight of those triumphs have come in the post-season.

· The 38-year-old Nevada native has made it to the Championship Four on five different occasions – most recently in 2019 en route to his second title.

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1 – 8th in Playoff Standings; 18 points above the cutline

Victories: 1

Top-Fives: 7

Top-10s: 10

Laps Led: 482

Average Finish: 14.9

Stage Wins: 5

At Bristol Motor Speedway:

Top-10s: 1

Average Finish: 23.333

Of Note:

· The 2023 season marks Chastain’s second appearance in the NCS playoffs.

· Chastain’s first time competing in the NCS playoffs came in 2022 – going on to advance to the Championship Four and ultimately leading Team Chevy with a runner-up finish in the final points standings.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Camaro ZL1 – 15th in Playoff Standings; 22 points below the cutline

Wins: 1

Top-Fives: 2

Top-10s: 7

Laps Led: 25

Average Finish: 16.9

At Bristol Motor Speedway:

Top-Fives: 4

Top-10s: 6

Average Finish: 18.278

Of Note:

· The 2023 season marks Stenhouse Jr.’s second appearance in the NCS playoffs. His first time competing in the playoffs came in 2017, ultimately ending the season 13th in the final points standings.

· The 35-year-old Mississippi native was the first driver to claim a playoff berth this season following his win in the 2023 Daytona 500.

· One of Stenhouse Jr.’s three career NCS victories was recorded at Talladega Superspeedway (May 2017) – one of the three tracks in the Round of 12.

· Stenhouse Jr. has already put together a career season in 2023, heading into the post-season with a career-best average finish of 16.9.

BUSCH AT BRISTOL

Undoubtedly a favorite to contend for the win at Bristol Motor Speedway is Team Chevy’s Kyle Busch. In his two-time championship career, the 38-year-old Nevada native has recorded a series-leading nine NASCAR Cup Series wins at “The Last Great Colosseum” – eight coming on the traditional concrete surface and one on the dirt. Of those wins included a milestone victory for Chevrolet in March 2007 with Busch taking a Hendrick Motorsports-prepared Chevrolet to the win in the debut of the “Car of Tomorrow” and delivering the manufacturer its 600th all-time NCS win.

The former champion has found success across all three NASCAR national ranks at Bristol Motor Speedway, also adding nine NASCAR Xfinity Series wins and five NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series wins to his resume. Within that time span, Busch successfully accomplished a “Bristol Triple” on two separate occasions – sweeping the NCTS, NXS and NCS events in a single weekend in the 2010 and 2017 seasons. The feat made Busch the first and only driver in NASCAR history to win all three national series races in a single weekend.

 
A WINNING PERCENTAGE

For much of the 2023 season, Chevrolet has led the series in wins across all three NASCAR national series. Taking it one step further, the manufacturer currently holds a win count that is double its manufacturer competitors combined. Chevrolet sits at 14 wins in 28 NASCAR Cup Series points-paying races (Toyota – eight; Ford – six) and 13 wins in 26 NASCAR Xfinity Series races (Toyota – 10; Ford – three) – a winning percentage of 50 percent in each series. In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Christian Eckes’ win at Kansas Speedway last weekend delivered the manufacturer to its 12th win in 19 races (Ford – five; Toyota – two), bringing its winning percentage to 63.2 percent in the series. The season’s success has kept Chevrolet consistently atop each manufacturer’s points standings, with the Bowtie brand inching closer to its fifth-ever manufacturer championship sweep across all three NASCAR national series.

HILL CLAIMS FIRST NXS REGULAR SEASON TITLE

In only his second full-time season in the series, Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill earned his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series Regular Season Championship. Heading into the series’ regular season finale at Kansas Speedway last weekend, the 29-year-old Georgia native held a 23-point lead over second and was able to secure the title following his series-leading 15th top-five finish of the season. With the playoff standings reset, the Team Chevy driver will enter the opening round in the second position and just 10 points out of the lead.

The NXS’ seven-race post-season schedule sees each style of race track in which the series competes, but the diverse lineup of venues doesn’t phase Hill’s confidence in his title chances. In fact, among his eight wins in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and six in the NXS, he’s found victory lane at each race track configuration including superspeedways, 1.5-mile intermediate ovals, a short-track on dirt and a road course.

 
CHEVROLET DOMINATES NXS PLAYOFF FIELD

Following the NASCAR Xfinity Series regular season finale at Kansas Speedway, Team Chevy’s Daniel Hemric and Parker Kligerman nabbed the two remaining positions in the series’ 12-driver playoff field. Hemric, a former champion in the series, held a 55-point advantage over the cutline leading into Kansas and merely needed to start the event to clinch his playoff spot. It was a greater task at hand for Kligerman, who sat on the outside looking in ahead of the regular season finale. With no new winner, Kligerman was able to point his way into his first career NXS playoff appearance after driving his No. 48 Big Machine Camaro SS to a fourth-place finish.

With the addition of Hemric and Kligerman, nine Team Chevy drivers will compete for the 2023 NXS driver championship – giving the manufacturer 75 percent of the playoff field. Five different Chevrolet teams are represented in this season’s post-season competition, including Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill and Sheldon Creed; JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier, Josh Berry and Sam Mayer; Kaulig Racing’s Chandler Smith and Hemric; Jordan Anderson Racing’s Jeb Burton; and Big Machine Racing’s Kligerman.

The first opportunity for Team Chevy’s playoff contenders to claim an early berth into the Round of Eight comes in Friday’s Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway. A very diverse opening round sees the series take on the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile”, followed by the 1.5-mile intermediate oval of Texas Motor Speedway and concluding with the 2.28-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course.

AND THEN THERE WERE EIGHT..

In a three-wide battle during the final restart of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Round of 10 elimination race at Kansas Speedway, it was Team Chevy’s Christian Eckes that came out on top – piloting his No. 19 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Silverado RST to the front and leading the final two circuits en route to his third win of the season. Eckes is now the third driver to hit the three-win mark in the series this season, joining the likes of fellow Team Chevy drivers Grant Enfinger and Carson Hocevar.

The series’ Round of Eight gets underway Thursday with the UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics at Bristol Motor Speedway. With the playoff standings reset, Chevrolet continues to occupy 50 percent of the playoff field with Eckes, Enfinger and Hocevar sitting in the second and fourth positions, respectively. NCTS rookie Nick Sanchez also pointed his way into the round, entering Bristol in the eighth position in the standings and only 16-points below the cutline.

 
BOWTIE BULLETS:

· Chevrolet will pace the field in the tripleheader race weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. The Silverado RST lead the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in Thursday’s UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics; the Camaro SS 1LE will lead the NASCAR Xfinity Series in Friday’s Food City 300; and the Camaro ZL1 will lead the NASCAR Cup Series in Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race.

· Victories by active Chevrolet drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series at Bristol Motor Speedway include:

Kyle Busch – eight wins (2019, ’18, ’17, ’11, ’10, ’09 sweep, ’07)

Kyle Larson – one win (2021)

· Chevrolet has recorded a manufacturer-leading 46 NASCAR Cup Series wins at Bristol Motor Speedway. Chevrolet’s first win at the track came in July 1971 with Charlie Glotzbach, with the bowtie brand going on to win seven in a row.

· Since the debut of the 16-driver playoff field and elimination rounds to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2014, at least five Chevrolet drivers were represented in the playoffs each season.

· In 28 points-paying NASCAR Cup Series race this season, Chevrolet continues to lead the series in wins (14), top-fives (61), top-10s (119), stage wins (20) and laps led (2,730). Chevrolet’s 2023 NCS win count is double its manufacturer competitors combined.

· Chevrolet leads the series in wins across all three NASCAR national series this season with 14 victories in 28 NASCAR Cup Series races, 13 victories in 26 NASCAR Xfinity Series races and 12 wins in 19 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races – all with a win percentage of at least 50%.

· With Kyle Larson’s win in the NASCAR Cup Series playoff opener at Darlington Raceway, Hendrick Motorsports now sits at 299 all-time victories in NASCAR’s premier series – all recorded with Chevrolet.

· Chevrolet’s series-leading 14 NASCAR Cup Series wins this season have been recorded by drivers from four different Chevrolet teams: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (JTG Daugherty Racing), Kyle Busch (Richard Childress Racing), William Byron and Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports) and Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen (Trackhouse Racing).

· Chevrolet drivers have recorded 20 of the 56 NASCAR Cup Series stage wins this season: William Byron (eight; series-leading), Ross Chastain (five), Kyle Larson (four), Kyle Busch (two) and Chase Elliott (one).

· Chevrolet continues to sit atop the manufacturer points standings in all three NASCAR national series, leading by 67 points in the NASCAR Cup Series, 72 points in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and 62 points in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

· Chevrolet has swept the Manufacturer Championships across all three NASCAR national series in a single season four different times (2012, 2005, 1998, 1996).

· With its 41 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer’s Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver’s Championships, and 847 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title of winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.

 
FOR THE FANS:

· Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway at Bristol Motor Speedway.

· Fans can check out an assortment of Chevrolet vehicles at the Team Chevy Racing Display including: Silverado 1500 ZR2, Silverado 2500HD High Country Diesel, Tahoe RST, Equinox Premier, Colorado Z71 2.7L, Corvette Coupe 3LT Z51, Camaro ZL1.

· Fans can also view Chase Elliott’s No. 9 Camaro ZL1 show car.

Team Chevy Driver Appearances at the Display:

Thursday, September 14

• Nick Sanchez: 1 p.m.
• Grant Enfinger, Rajah Caruth, Daniel Dye: 1:30 p.m.
• Matt DiBenedetto: 2 p.m.
• Christian Eckes & Jake Garcia: 2:15 p.m.
• Carson Hocevar & Bayley Currey: 2:30 p.m.

Friday, September 15

• Austin Hill: 1 p.m.
• Parker Kligerman: 4:45 p.m.
• Chandler Smith: 5 p.m.
• Sheldon Creed: 5:15 p.m.
• Brandon Jones: 5:30 p.m.

Saturday, September 16

• Ross Chastain: 3:15 p.m.
• Austin Dillon: 3:30 p.m.
• Alex Bowman: 3:45 p.m.
• Chase Elliott: 4 p.m.
• Kyle Busch: 4:45 p.m.

Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation:

• Thursday, September 14: 12 p.m. – 7 p.m.
• Friday, September 15: 12 p.m. – 8 p.m.
• Saturday, September 16: 12 p.m. – 8 p.m.  
  TUNE IN:

NASCAR Cup Series: Bass Pro Shops Night Race

Saturday, September 16, at 7:30 p.m. ET

(USA Network, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

NASCAR Xfinity Series: Food City 300

Friday, September 15, at 7:30 p.m. ET

(USA Network, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics

Thursday, September 14, at 9 p.m. ET

(FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

 
QUOTABLE QUOTES:
ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 WORLDWIDE EXPRESS CAMARO ZL1

What are some of the challenges with Bristol?

“You can’t control much at Bristol other than your own car, most of the time. It’s happening so fast and you can’t see around the corner to the next straightaway. Something silly can happen. The cars are under immense stress and we as drivers are under stress. Its so loud for the crew chiefs and engineers, spotters and everything is so tightly packed in there. We aren’t as in control at Bristol as we are at some of the other tracks.”

Why do people like coming to Bristol so much?

“It’s an awesome place. If I wasn’t driving in a Cup car, I would still be there because I went the Bristol night race before I ever raced. And then when I was running in the truck series, I would stay over for the Cup race because the race is so awesome. If I wasn’t racing in it, I would definitely be in the stands with friends.”

KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1

Larson on racing at Bristol Motor Speedway:

“The night race at Bristol (Motor Speedway) is one of my favorites. It’s such a prestigious track and race. The fans always show out there and it’s a great atmosphere. I’ve had some good runs on the concrete track, including a win in the Valvoline Chevy in 2021. Valvoline is back this weekend and it would be great to get another win before the round of 12!”

CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1

Daniels on racing at Bristol Motor Speedway:

“Our team has great momentum right now. It’s been nice to have two good runs the past two weeks, but there is certainly a lot of racing left ahead in the playoffs. We’ve got to stay focused and stay grounded. We take every week as it comes and this week is at Bristol (Motor Speedway) which is just an amazing track. I love Bristol, Kyle loves Bristol. He’s always just super good at Bristol in anything that he drives. The team’s been executing well and hopefully we have a fast Chevy to be in contingency there at the end. I’m sure it’s going to be an exciting race.”

KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 CHEDDAR’S SCRATCH KITCHEN / ALSCO UNIFORMS CAMARO ZL1

Why is the Bristol pavement race your favorite?

“Bristol concrete is my favorite track just because I’ve always enjoyed that racetrack. I’ve always enjoyed watching it as a kid on TV and seeing all the races there. And then it being a short track and high banked is cool and fun and reminds me of some tracks that raced at as a kid coming up through the ranks. I look forward to going there. Bristol is a challenging track. You’ve got to be on top of your game all the time. You can really push the car and try to get the most out of it on the bottom or on the top. I’ve always loved being on the bottom there and have found most of my wins from the bottom but still you’ve got to be agile and move around.”

Pitting at Bristol is unique with the frontstretch and backstretch pit roads. How difficult is that and how big of a challenge is that since this is the only time all year you do it?

“Pitting at Bristol is unique because you have two pit roads, the frontstretch and the backstretch. Typically, you don’t really pit there under green a whole lot but if you did you have only one pit road, so you’ve got to remember if you’re on the backstretch or frontstretch where you would come off of the racetrack and get down to get to pit road. It’s not that big of a deal but I’ve always had my pit selection be on the backstretch just so there’s never any confusion so we’ll see if we can get that pit selection that I prefer.”

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA GOLD FILTERS CAMARO ZL1

Elliott on the unique environment of Bristol:

“My favorite (track), I would say, and probably my favorite race of the year. I just think that the environment up there is so unique and it’s so different. I love going (there). It’s close to home and up in the mountains of Tennessee. It’s just a cool deal from top to bottom. And they’ve always done a good job up there making that environment fun and energetic for the drivers and the fans. I think when that’s the case, everybody has more fun.”

ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 9 NAPA GOLD FILTERS CAMARO ZL1

Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the Next Gen car at Bristol and what to expect on Saturday night:

“It’s hard to say. We’ve had one race there with this car and it seemed ok. The tire’s changing slightly for this race, so that’s always a bit of an unknown. We’ll see what that has in store for us and how it affects the racing. Hopefully, there’s multiple lanes. To me, when we have multiple lanes and the top comes in, the racing’s better and you have more opportunity to pass.”

AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 BARGER PRECAST CAMARO ZL1

“Bristol was a really good race for us last year. We had a really strong run, a top-10 finish, and I was very happy with the car. Over the last couple months, we’ve found more speed in our race cars, and I’m look forward to getting back to Bristol with the same aero package and everything as last year. I’m excited to get on track and hopefully have a strong run.”

CARSON HOCEVAR, NO. 42 SUNSEEKER RESORTS CAMARO ZL1

You’ve had two top-20 finishes in two weeks with the Club, so what has been the biggest factor in acclimating yourself with the NextGen car? Do you think the Truck Series race will help you prepare for 500 laps on Saturday?

“The last two weeks has been a lot of fun, being able to now race a Cup car and truck on the same weekend have just helped myself become better and more in the rhythm lately. Super excited to run a lot of laps at Bristol, the truck isn’t too far away from the Cup car in terms of throttle points and the track stays the same, so looking for a good showing on Friday to get me as up to speed as I can for 500 laps on Saturday night with my No. 42 LEGACY M.C. group.”

ERIK JONES, NO. 43 U.S. AIR FORCE CAMARO ZL1

“Bristol has always been fun for me. I’ve come so close there a couple of times to winning that night race and really would love to close that one out. It is always one of my favorite races. The Bristol night race is one that I tell people all the time, ‘If you haven’t been to a NASCAR race, try and make it out to that one.’ It is one of my favorites of the year and one that I have been really close to winning before, so hoping we can close it out.”

RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 SCOTT BRAND CAMARO ZL1

“Going into Bristol, just survive. I feel like watching the Playoffs there last year, just surviving 500 laps really hits the nail on the head. There were so many parts failures and crashes in that race last year.

For me, Bristol is by far my favorite racetrack, and I’m going to not overthink or overdrive my favorite track. I’ll make sure I put myself in a good position all night. I’ve never run Bristol in the Playoffs. So, it will be the first time for me to race it in the Playoffs at the Colosseum.

It’s an intense racetrack. 15 second laps. You’re on edge all the time. You’re constantly pushing your car to its limits whether you run the bottom or top of the racetrack. You also have to look super far ahead. I’ve had a crash well in front of me take me out because you just can’t get slowed down in time. Every battle there is super intense and we’re ready for battle with our No. 47 SCOTT Brand Camaro.”

CHASE PURDY, NO. 4 BAMA BUGGIES SILVERADO RST

Even though you didn’t get the result you wanted, does showing speed last week at Kansas build confidence?

“I think some of the struggles I’ve had this year have been from some of my execution. We showed up for practice and we were fast in practice and the fastest one in qualifying and sat on the pole. Those are the kind of things that we’ve had to improve on, and we did a good job of that at Kansas. We’re hoping to bring that same pace and execution to Bristol.”

Do you enjoy racing at Bristol?

“Yeah, it’s a really neat place to go race. We had a lot of speed this past weekend at Kansas and the weekend before at Milwaukee. We’re hoping to bring that same speed into Bristol, a high-banked short track, more of my wheelhouse. Like I’ve mentioned before, Kansas and Bristol are two of my favorites. I’m really excited to get there and get a little redemption after our weekend in Kansas and have a race where we execute as a team to our capability and reach our full potential. It seems like we are a little bit snake bitten with our luck and the weeks that our Bama Buggies Silverado is really fast we have something go wrong like it did last week with the loose wheel. I’m just excited to get to Bristol.”

What does it take to be fast at Bristol?

“Well, if it’s anything like last year, I feel like the driver who qualifies up front and can wrap the bottom the best is going to be the one to beat there. It’s so hard to pass there, so qualifying is very crucial. Track position will be everything this weekend.”

CHRISTIAN ECKES, NO. 19 GATES HYDRAULICS SILVERADO RST

Eckes on beginning the second round at Bristol with momentum:

“We performed really well as a team in the first round, but we need to do it all over again now. Bristol is one of the most demanding tracks that we go to, but I have all the confidence in our Gates Hydraulics Chevrolet, Charles (Denike), and our entire team that we can keep this momentum going. Last week was a big moment for our team to win a playoff race at Kansas after running so well for the last couple months. We’re all focused on continuing to do the things that got us here and hopefully we can be one of the trucks to beat at the end of the night at Bristol.”

GRANT ENFINGER, NO. 23 CHAMPION POWER EQUIPMENT SILVERADO RST

How much pressure, if any, are you putting on yourself in the Round of 8? Which race is going to be the most important to shine in?

“Obviously this Round of 8 is tough, and we have three very different tracks in this round. Our GMS team puts a lot into every race, but we’ve put everything we have into Bristol. It’ll be important to have speed, but it’s just as important to have a truck that you can drive hard every lap. Everything happens so fast at Bristol so you have to be on your game all race long. GMS Racing has had a lot of success at Bristol in the past, and we are hoping to add to that on Thursday.”

RAJAH CARUTH, NO. 24 WENDELL SCOTT FOUNDATION SILVERADO RST

Has anyone given you any advice for preparing for a double duty weekend at a physically-demanding track like Bristol?

“Double duty shouldn’t be too much of a challenge this weekend. I prepare just as diligently as I would for any other race weekend, and having had a few doubleheaders under my belt certainly helps. This weekend at Bristol, I feel a really good opportunity is in place for us at a track that both myself and Chad have a great track record at.”

JAKE GARCIA, NO. 35 QUANTA SERVICES SILVERADO RST

Garcia on his second start on Bristol’s concrete:

“I love short track racing, so it’s always exciting when these races come up on the schedule. Bristol is such a different short track than most and everything happens so quickly. You really need to stay on your toes and be able to find a rhythm quickly once the green flag drops. Our Quanta Services Chevrolet has been really fast the last few weeks, but we need to execute through the whole race on Thursday. 200 laps goes by really fast at Bristol, but we’re looking forward to the challenge and hopefully we can be up front at the end of the night.”

DANIEL DYE, NO. 43 CHAMPION CONTAINER SILVERADO RST

You’ve had the chance to race at Bristol a few times in the past, so do you like this track? What do you think is going to be the most important goal for you on Thursday night?

“I like Bristol for the most part, for sure. Having two ARCA races under my belt is going to be helpful, I also ran fourth there in a Super Late Model as well a couple years ago, so I’ve got quite a few laps around that joint. Just looking forward to getting there with Champion Container on board. It’s their last race with us for this year, and it’s been a pleasure having them at the racetrack. I think one of the most important things will be track position. You hear that about a lot of places on our schedule, but Bristol is so tiny and fast, so we have to make sure that we can turn well enough to get under guys and pass them, but we also have to qualify good and maintain our track position.”

JACK WOOD, NO. 51 ROWDY MANUFACTURING SILVERADO RST

Where does Bristol rank on your list of favorite tracks?

“I’ve run there a couple times. It’s a pretty cool venue, it’s tough to race around, it’s tough to pass there. I think our trucks are going to be good. For me, I am just mentally preparing on how I’m going to run up front and what I want to do on restarts. Running both the truck race and ARCA race will be a long day for me running 400 laps. I’m just trying to get prepared to go out and have ourselves a good weekend.”

How beneficial will it be to you to run the ARCA race before the Truck Series race?

“Hopefully it will be very beneficial. I think every time I’ve done it this year it has helped me knock the rust off, especially at a track that I haven’t been to since last year. Hopefully the ARCA car will be good, and we can go out and make laps and run up front the whole race. It’s really just to compliment what we’re doing in the truck and if it can help us just five percent than it’s more than worth it.”

What are your goals for the rest of the season?

“I just want to put together four solid races to end the year on a high note. I think we just need to turn the tide. We’ve shown speed most weeks and there’s just things that have happened that have kept us from reaching our full potential with our finishes — some of it being my own doing and some of them random things that happen like a pit gun breaking in the middle of a stop last week.”

 
Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics

Manufacturers Championships:

Total (1949-2022): 41

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

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)

2023 STATISTICS:

Wins: 14

Poles: 8

Laps Led: 2,730

Top-five finishes: 61

Top-10 finishes: 119

Stage wins: 20

· Ross Chastain – 5 (Daytona), (Auto Club x2), (Dover), (Darlington)

· William Byron – 8 (Las Vegas x2), (Phoenix), (COTA), (Richmond), (Dover), (Charlotte), (Watkins Glen)

· Kyle Larson – 4 (Phoenix), (Bristol Dirt), (Pocono), (Kansas)

· Chase Elliott – 1 (Talladega)

· Kyle Busch – 2 (WWTR), (Sonoma)

CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:

Total Chevrolet race wins: 847 (1949 to date)

Poles won to date: 742

Laps led to date: 248, 274

Top-five finishes to date: 4,282

Top-10 finishes to date: 8,831

Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:

       General Motors: 1,181

       Chevrolet: 847

       Pontiac: 154

       Oldsmobile: 115

       Buick: 65



       Ford: 826                                                           

       Ford: 726

       Mercury: 96

       Lincoln: 4



       Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467

       Dodge: 217

       Plymouth: 191

       Chrysler: 59



       Toyota: 178

 

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.

Bass Pro Shops Night Race
Bristol Motor Speedway
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Saturday, September 15 at 7:30 p.m. EDT on USA

• Kaulig Racing has made two NCS starts at Bristol Motor Speedway, earning a top 10 and top-15 finish with AJ Allmendinger and Justin Haley in the 2022 Bass Pro Shops NHRA Night Race.
• So far in the 2023 NCS season, Kaulig Racing has earned three top fives, 10 top-10 finishes and led 40 laps.

AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Barger Precast Camaro ZL1

• AJ Allmendinger has made 22 NCS starts at Bristol Motor Speedway and has led 54 laps and earned two top-10 finishes, including a seventh place finish in 2022 with Kaulig Racing.
• So far in the 2023 NCS season, Allmendinger has led 17 laps and earned two top five and five top-10 finishes.

“Bristol was a really good race for us last year. We had a really strong run, a top-10 finish, and I was very happy with the car. Over the last couple months, we’ve found more speed in our race cars, and I’m look forward to getting back to Bristol with the same aero package and everything as last year. I’m excited to get on track and hopefully have a strong run.” – AJ Allmendinger on Bristol Motor Speedway

Justin Haley, No. 31 Mountain Dew Camaro ZL1

• Justin Haley has made two NCS starts at Bristol Motor Speedway, earning a best finish of 12th in the 2022 Bass Pro Shops NHRA Night Race.
• So far in the 2023 NCS season, Haley has earned one top five and five top-10 finishes with a best qualifying effort of third.
• Haley’s best finish of the season came from his runner-up finish in the first-ever race at the Chicago Street Course where he led 23 laps, the most he has led in a single race.
• After completing the 2023 Coca-Cola 600 and Alsco Uniforms 300, Haley now holds the record for the most NASCAR National Series miles completed in a single day by any driver in NASCAR history.

“The Bristol night race is one of my favorite events of the year. We had two really fast Kaulig racing cars there last year and I’m looking forward to getting on track in our beautiful Mountain Dew/ Food City Chevy. ” – Justin Haley on Bristol Motor Speedway

Food City 300
Bristol Motor Speedway
NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS)
Friday, September 15th at 7:30 p.m. EDT on USA

• Kaulig Racing has made 19 NXS starts at Bristol Motor Speedway. The team earned its lone win at Bristol when AJ Allmendinger won the 2021 Food City 300, earning the NXS regular-season championship.
• The team has also earned two top fives, nine top-10 finishes and led 126 laps at Bristol Motor Speedway.
• So far in the 2023 NXS season, Kaulig Racing has earned four wins, six pole awards, 17 top five and 41 top-10 finishes.

Daniel Hemric, No. 10 Cirkul Chevrolet Camaro

• Daniel Hemric has made seven NXS starts at Bristol Motor Speedway and has earned two top five and five top-10 finishes. Hemric has also led 147 laps at Bristol.
• Hemric enters the NXS Playoffs in 11th, five points below the cutline. He has earned five top five and 13 top-10 finishes so far in the 2023 season.

“I’m excited to get to Bristol; the track has such interesting character as far as what it takes to get around there. The track evolves throughout the race weekend from where the rubber builds up, to what kind of versatility your car has to change lanes. I look forward to that challenge this weekend, and I know this No. 10 group is up for it. I’m thankful to be a part of another playoff run. No days off; time to go to work!” – Daniel Hemric on Bristol Motor Speedway

Derek Kraus, No. 11 Hardscape Construction/Crav’n Chevrolet Camaro

• The Food City 300 will mark Derek Kraus’ first start at Bristol Motor Speedway in the NXS.
• Kraus has previously made three NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) starts at Bristol Motor Speedway, earning a pole award and a best finish of sixth.
• In his five previous starts with Kaulig Racing in 2023, Kraus three top-10 finishes.

“I’m excited to go back to a short track with Kaulig Racing. the Bristol night race is such an iconic race, and I’m looking forward to getting our No. 11 Hardcsapes / Crav’n Chevy under the lights and continue building on our great finish from last week.” – Derek Kraus on Bristol Motor Speedway

Chandler Smith, No. 16 Barger Precast Chevrolet Camaro

• Chandler Smith will make his first start at Bristol Motor Speedway in the NXS in the Food City 300.
• Smith won the 2021 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) race at Bristol and earned three top fives in four starts there.
• Smith enters the NXS Playoffs in sixth, three points above the cutline. He has one win, five top five and nine top-10 finishes this season.

“I’ve had a lot of success at Bristol, and I hope we can keep that going on Friday. With the playoffs starting and the points resetting, we need to take advantage of races like these where we expect to run well and compete.” – Chandler Smith on Bristol Motor Speedway  

 
About Kaulig Racing™

Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time multi-car NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, owned by award winning entrepreneur, Matt Kaulig. Established in 2016, Kaulig Racing™ has made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started and has won back-to-back regular-season championships. Before becoming a full-time NCS team, Kaulig Racing made multiple starts in the 2021 NCS season and won in its seventh-ever start with AJ Allmendinger’s victory at “The Brickyard” for the Verizon 200 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The team expanded to a two-car, full-time NCS team in 2022 with Justin Haley piloting the No. 31 Camaro ZL1, and an all-star lineup featured in the No. 16 Camaro ZL1. Haley will continue to drive the No. 31 full-time in 2023, alongside AJ Allmendinger, who will drive the No. 16 Camaro ZL1. The team will continue to field three, full-time NXS entries; the No. 10 Chevrolet driven by Daniel Hemric, the No. 11 Chevrolet driven by an all-star lineup, and the No. 16 Chevrolet driven by Chandler Smith. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.