KEVIN HARVICK
Chicago Street Race Advance
No. 4 GEARWRENCH® Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

● Event: Grant Park 220 (Round 18 of 36)

● Time/Date: 5:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, July 2

● Location: Chicago Street Course

● Layout: 2.2-mile, 12-turn street course

● Laps/Miles: 100 laps/220 miles

● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 20 laps / Stage 2: 25 laps / Final Stage: 55 laps

● TV/Radio: NBC / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● “Hot Streets:” The inaugural Grant Park 220 on the streets of downtown Chicago will mark the first street-course race in the NASCAR Cup Series’ 75-year history. Drivers will speed past some of the city’s most renowned landmarks, from Michigan Avenue to South Lake Shore Drive, with the start/finish line near Buckingham Fountain.

● “Street Player:” Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 GEARWRENCH® Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), comes into the Grant Park 220 with some street-race experience, albeit 24 years ago when he drove on the NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Tour. In 1998 and again in 1999, Harvick competed on a 1.1-mile street course layout around the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. He completed 116 of the 215 laps available, thwarted by mechanical issues in both races. But his 23rd-place finish in the 1999 race doesn’t tell the whole story. Harvick started fourth in that race and took the lead on lap 19 and paced the field for 34 laps before suffering a mechanical failure.

● “Saturday in the Park:” Qualifying for the Grant Park 220 takes place on Saturday, and it’s where Sunday’s 100-lap race around the 2.2-mile, 12-turn temporary street circuit could very well be won. Track position will be paramount, as those starting up front are far more likely to stay up front. The fewer cars ahead of a driver, the fewer drivers to pass and the fewer chances to get caught up in someone else’s mistake. Consider that in arguably the most recognized street race in all of motorsports – the Monaco Grand Prix on the streets of Monte Carlo – the race winner has come from the pole 31 times in the 72 editions of the race. Only 24 times has the Monaco Grand Prix been won from a driver not starting on the front row. The furthest back a driver has won the Monaco Grand Prix is 14th, when Olivier Panis won in 1996.

● “Take Me Back to Chicago:” For 19 years, the NASCAR Cup Series competed 45 miles southwest of Chicago in Joliet, Illinois. Chicagoland Speedway, a 1.5-mile, D-shaped oval, debuted in 2001 and it was Harvick who won the inaugural race, beating second-place Robert Pressley by .649 of a second. Harvick came back the following year and successfully defended his victory, beating NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon by .812 of a second. Harvick competed in all 19 Cup Series races at Chicagoland, leading a total of 603 laps and finishing among the top-five 10 times.

● “Just You ‘n’ Me:” While there is a lot of newness with NASCAR coming to the streets of Chicago, one thing remains the same – the pairing of Harvick and crew chief Rodney Childers. The duo is the longest active-tenured driver/crew chief relationship in the NASCAR Cup Series garage. They joined forces in 2014 and promptly won the Cup Series championship. In their now decade-long partnership, Harvick and Childers have won 37 points-paying Cup Series races and qualified for the NASCAR Playoffs every year, advancing to the Championship 4 five times.

● “In the Country:” Road courses are the most applicable style of venue to compare to a street circuit. The difference, however, is that road courses are purpose-built facilities designed with plenty of runoff area. These style of tracks comprise acres upon acres of land, which typically places them in more rural settings. Harvick has made a total of 57 NASCAR Cup Series starts on road courses. He has 22 starts at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway, 21 at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, five on the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval, three at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, and two apiece at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the road course at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. He has scored two road-course wins – Watkins Glen in 2006 and Sonoma in 2017 – along with 12 top-fives and 27 top-10s with 199 laps led.

● “State of the Union:” The Grant Park 220 is the third of six races on the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series schedule where drivers will turn left and right. Harvick finished 13th in the first road-course race of the year March 26 at COTA and 11th on June 11 at Sonoma. After Chicago, the series heads to the Indianapolis road course on Aug. 13, Watkins Glen on Aug. 20 and the Charlotte Roval on Oct. 8.

● “Old Days:” When Harvick scored his first road-course victory at Watkins Glen in 2006, he had to beat his current team owner to do it. Tony Stewart – the “Stewart” in Stewart-Haas Racing – had won the previous two NASCAR Cup Series races at The Glen and was poised to capture a third straight win as he was leading Harvick with four laps to go in the 90-lap race. But Harvick, who had already led once for 24 laps, passed Stewart on lap 87 as the two drag-raced down the frontstretch and into turn one. Harvick held onto the lead despite Stewart in his rearview mirror, earning a margin of victory of .892 of a second.

● “Make Me Smile:” Harvick’s second career road-course win also had a connection to Stewart. When Harvick won at Sonoma in 2017, he gave Stewart-Haas Racing its second straight victory at the 1.99-mile, 10-turn road course. The winner in 2016? None other than Stewart. It ended up being his 49th and final NASCAR Cup Series victory as Stewart retired from NASCAR racing at the conclusion of the season.

● “You’re the Inspiration:” Harvick’s last road-course win was his first in a Ford. When Harvick won at Sonoma in 2017, he became the 83rd different driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series race behind the wheel of a Ford. Harvick has now won 25 Cup Series races with Ford, which makes him one of only 13 drivers to win 20 or more races with the manufacturer. He stands 10th on Ford’s all-time win list and is now only one win away from tying Brad Keselowski, Junior Johnson and Fred Lorenzen for ninth. Harvick has won more races driving a Mustang (15) than any other driver since the iconic muscle car became Ford’s flagship model in 2019.

● “Happy Man:” Harvick has four road-course wins outside of the NASCAR Cup Series. Two came in the NASCAR Xfinity Series – Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in 2007 and Watkins Glen in 2007 – and two were in the NASCAR Winston West/K&N Pro Series West – both at Sonoma, in 1998 and 2017. Harvick’s Winston West win at Sonoma in 1998 was three years before his Cup Series debut on Feb. 26, 2001, at North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham.

● “Bigger Than Elvis:” GEARWRENCH is a premier mechanic hand-tool brand built for technicians who crave more. GEARWRENCH understands the environment techs work in because GEARWRENCH works side-by-side with them to learn about their frustrations firsthand to develop innovative, new hand tools that solve day-to-day problems. GEARWRENCH forges quality and innovation into everything it makes, so techs don’t have to settle for anything less than the highest professional quality. It started with a ratcheting wrench that changed the industry and it continues with a full lineup of mechanic hand tools, tool storage and automotive lifting equipment. These tools are built to help techs do their job on their terms, no matter what.

Kevin Harvick, Driver of the No. 4 GEARWRENCH Ford Mustang

Racing on the streets of Chicago is a bold move for NASCAR. Even though the racing is an unknown, can you appreciate the scope and scale of the event?

“I look back at the Busch Clash last year at the L.A. Coliseum and, before we left for that race, everybody thought it was going to be a complete joke and we thought we were going to look like complete fools, but it was probably the best event of last year. When you look back at that and you remember how much fun you had in the car, and you see the way it was perceived and the way the racing was and everything that happened, it was a phenomenal way to kick off our season. Chicago’s obviously a huge market for anything with all the people and eyeballs, and I’m all for events, great events – I love great events – and Chicago is going to be an event. It’s in a great setting, and I think everybody’s looking forward to the challenge of the course and trying to do everything we need to do to put on a good show. Whether you have a good race or not, the event is almost made before you get started.”

Typically, a NASCAR Cup Series race is in a rural area, simply because the footprint of a NASCAR track is so big. The Chicago Street Race brings an event to the doorstep of a lot of new fans. How important is that to the growth of NASCAR?

“The race is going to be attended by a lot of new fans and really, for us, that’s what you want to do. This is an event that helps grow the sport and helps introduce new people to our sport and gives them an opportunity to see it in person. Really, once you get people to the racetrack in person, they’re not leaving because it’s a great experience. And when you can see the cars and hear the cars and take in all the smells of the engine and brakes and everything that goes with it, it’s much more intriguing in person. We get to show off our sport to a lot of people that probably wouldn’t necessarily drive all the way to Joliet or come to an event at another location. NASCAR has done a great job in creating an event, and with all the concerts and different things that are going on throughout the weekend, the amount of fans that show up should have a good time.”

When you’re preparing to race on a track you’ve never been to before, you get acclimated by using a simulator. How helpful is the simulator when you don’t have that seat-of-the-pants feel?

“For the most part, the simulator is basically for reference points and things that come with that particular racetrack. You’re able to sit in your own seat and have your own steering wheel and you’re just in a more realistic surrounding. It’s good for me just to get visuals of everything and be able to have everything memorized with the shift points before we get there.”

You’re one of the very few drivers with street-racing experience – granted, that was back in 1998 and 1999 when you made two starts on the Los Angeles Street Circuit as part of the NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Tour. What do you remember about those races, and how did you approach racing on a street circuit?

“I think the biggest thing that I remember about L.A. is one of the corners, you drove through a gutter and jumped out of it, and the crowns in the road and the unique nature of the way the track was laid out stood out. But it was unique and challenging all at the same time to try and do something that was different.”

Even with Chicago being an unknown, what are your expectations for the race?

“The racetrack is very narrow, and it’s going to evolve as the weekend goes just because you’re running on dirty asphalt. It’s really going to be a learning experience as we go through the weekend. The thing I love about races like this is they’re not just races, they’re events, and having an event like this in a great city like Chicago is something that I think will be great for our sport.”

What do you think is going to be the most challenging part of the course?

“All of it. It’s just narrow, and those 90-degree corners, and those long straightaways that lead into those 90-degree corners, those are really the two pieces that stick out to me. It’s a very challenging event for the car, and it will definitely test the braking system and the drivers to make sure they hit their marks. The passing will be difficult just because you’ll need to take some chances to put yourself in a position to make a move. It’s just trying to make sure that you keep yourself out of trouble, and qualifying will obviously be important. But as you go through the race, there’s just going to be things happening, and with the car being so forgiving, you can take chances and beat the car up some and not really have any penalties. Hopefully, that leads to excitement and we can put on a good show and have fun doing it.”

Those 90-degree corners you mentioned – what kind of challenge do they represent?

“The biggest challenge for the drivers is just going to be the reference points and not really knowing what’s on the other side if somebody gets spun out. The course is really narrow with walls on both sides, and most of us aren’t used to racing in that particular environment. There are some short straightaways, but there are a couple of really long straightaways that lead to those sharp corners and passing zones. There’s not a lot of runoff, so if you make a mistake, usually you’re going to hit something. It’ll be a challenge, but I think our guys will do a great job in adapting to the racetrack. Most of the time you talk about all the things that could go wrong and more things go right than go wrong just because we have a bunch of pros in the garage that work on the cars and drive the cars. We’ll figure it out and make it good.”

How important will qualifying be? Do you envision it being like Formula One, where Sunday’s race is often won on Saturday by whoever gets the pole?

“Qualifying is going to be important, but it’s definitely not going to be what it’s like in F1. There will be multiple yellow flags just with the type of course that it is, and with the pit stops and the strategy and everything that’ll go on, there will be opportunities to move up. I think with all the caution flags and the restarts and everything that’s going to happen, it’s going to get mixed up, so qualifying will still be important, but it won’t be F1-important.”

Even though the Chicago Street Race is new, you have a strong history at Chicago, albeit 45 miles southwest of the city at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. You won the inaugural race there in 2001 and then successfully defended that win by taking the checkered flag again in 2002. Does that make Chicago a special place for you no matter where you race?

“For sure. That success at Chicago early in my career kind of established a fan base. We’ve always had a great following in Chicago, whether it’d be at the racetrack or with our fan club that we had through the years. Joliet was always a place that I enjoyed going to, and the racetrack evolved into this bumpy, kind of worn-out surface and we always had a lot of fun.”

You have 60 career NASCAR Cup Series wins in your 23-year career, and wins No. 2 and No. 3 came at Joliet. What do you remember about those victories?

“Chicago will be that special place because we won the inaugural race. And when we came back the second year, we had all kinds of drama. I think I spun out, and then we wound up on the right pit cycle, and wound up with the lead, and then we were able to keep the lead and beat Jeff Gordon at the end of the race. So Chicago’s always been a really good racetrack for me when we raced at the oval out in Joliet. I hope that trend continues and we can start off the inaugural street race with the same result. For me, that first particular race really kind of set the tone for the following and the fan base that I’ve been fortunate to have throughout the years in the Chicago area. Those fans have followed us all over. We’ve raced other vehicles throughout the Midwest and you see a lot of those people and they’ll come up and tell you that they were at those first races. We have a very loyal group of fans and I can’t wait to have this unique experience like we did way back in 2001 for the very first time.”

No. 4 GEARWRENCH Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Kevin Harvick

Hometown: Bakersfield, California

Crew Chief: Rodney Childers

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Car Chief: Robert “Cheddar” Smith

Hometown: Whitewater, Wisconsin

Engineer: Stephen Doran

Hometown: Butler, Pennsylvania

Engineer: Dax Gerringer

Hometown: Gibsonville, North Carolina

Spotter: Tim Fedewa

Hometown: Holt, Michigan

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Daniel Coffey

Hometown: Granite Falls, North Carolina

Rear Tire Changer: Daniel Smith

Hometown: Concord, North Carolina

Tire Carrier: Jeremy Howard

Hometown: Delhart, Texas

Jack Man: Brandon Banks

Hometown: High Point, North Carolina

Fuel Man: Evan Marchal

Hometown: Westfield, Indiana

Road Crew Members

Mechanic: Tyler Trosper

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Mechanic: Nick DeFazio

Hometown: Orange, California

Tire Specialist: Jamie Turski

Hometown: Trumbull, Connecticut

Engine Tuner: Robert Brandt

Hometown: Mobile, Alabama

Transporter Co-Driver: Rick Hodges

Hometown: Raleigh, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: Stephen Mitchell

Hometown: Woodville, Ohio

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 DEX Imaging team used a successful mid-race strategy play to overcome a poor starting position and post a 21st-place finish in Sunday’s Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway.

Burton lined up 31st for the start of the 300-lap run on the 1.3-mile concrete oval.

The first 90-lap Stage ran caution free, and Burton moved up to 28th place before making a green-flag pit stop at Lap 42. He finished that segment in 28th but was one lap down to the leaders.

In the second Stage he was maintaining his position when the caution flag flew at Lap 140 during a round of green-flag pit stops.

Crew chief Brian Wilson elected to stay on the track during the ensuing caution period and take the wave-around, which put the DEX Mustang back on the lead lap.

Wilson’s gamble paid off almost immediately as the caution fell on the restart. That allowed the No. 21 crew to put fuel and fresh tires on their Mustang during the caution period.

That sequence of events propelled Burton into the top 20 and he ended Stage Two in 18th place.

Burton kept the DEX Mustang in the top 20 until making his final pit stop, under the green flag, at Lap 242. He came one spot shy of finishing in the top 20 but still wound up with his ninth top-25 finish in 17 races this season.

Burton and the Wood Brothers team now begin preparing for next Sunday’s street race in Chicago, the first event of its kind for the Cup Series.

About DEX Imaging
DEX Imaging is the digital document imaging division of Staples, the world’s largest business solutions provider. DEX sells and services the broadest selection of copiers, printers and data management solutions, such as HP, Konica Minolta, Canon, Kyocera and numerous others.

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES:
Reducing Operating Costs
Reducing Paper Consumption
Increasing Productivity

DEX Imaging has been the recipient of virtually every industry award since the company’s inception, including the JD Power & Associates Award for Best Customer Experience, the prestigious ProTech Service award by Konica Minolta, the Diamond Premier Dealer Award by Kyocera, and the Elite DEALER Award by ‘ENX’ magazine. Other accolades include being named ‘Best Place to Work’ by numerous business journals in the markets DEX serves.

Wood Brothers Racing
Wood Brothers Racing was formed in 1950 in Stuart, Va., by Hall of Famer Glenn Wood. Wood Brothers Racing is the oldest active team and one of the winningest teams in NASCAR history. Since its founding, the team won 99 races (including at least one race in every decade for the last seven decades) and 120 poles in NASCAR’s top-tier series. Fielding only Ford products for its entire history, the Wood Brothers own the longest association of any motorsports team with a single manufacturer. Glenn’s brother, Leonard, is known for inventing the modern pit stop. The team currently runs the Ford Mustang driven by Harrison Burton in the famous No. 21 racer.

Wendy’s teams up with NASCAR driver Noah Gragson to ‘bring home the bacon’ and give fans FREE Baconator hamburgers* all weekend long delivered with DoorDash

Dublin, Ohio (June 26, 2023) – To drive home that the Wendy’s® Baconator® is first place worthy, Wendy’s is once again teaming up with LEGACY MOTOR CLUB and NASCAR driver Noah Gragson to bring home the bacon at the first-ever NASCAR Chicago Street Race Weekend. Gragson’s No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro will be transformed into the boldest and beefiest car on the track – nicknamed the “The Baconator” after the fan-favorite and iconic Wendy’s Baconator. Paying homage to Wendy’s signature half-pound of fresh beef**, American cheese, and crispy Applewood smoked bacon, fans can expect bacon, bacon and more bacon zooming around the first-of-its-kind track and throughout the city from July 1 – 2.

“At the Daytona 500 I drove ‘The BEEF,’ at Talladega I was behind the wheel of ‘The BIGGIE,’ and I can’t wait to rep ‘The Baconator’ this weekend as my team and I try to bring home the bacon…literally,” said Gragson. “I’ve had so much fun with Wendy’s this year, from starting a little beef at Daytona, to going biggie at Talladega, and I can’t wait to continue to show up for fans in Chicago this weekend.”

To kick off the first-ever NASCAR Chicago Street Race Weekend, Wendy’s is inviting fans to two official meet & greets with Noah Gragson at Chicago-area Wendy’s restaurants! This is NASCAR fans’ chance to meet the man behind “The Baconator” wheel, grab an autograph and enjoy swag and sweet surprises ahead of the big race.

Meet & Greets with Noah Gragson:

First Pit Stop:

WHERE: Wendy’s, 7200 W 25th Street, North Riverside, Illinois, 60546

WHEN: Friday, June 30 from 10:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. CT

Second Pit Stop

WHERE: Wendy’s, 2312 North Ashland, Chicago, Illinois, 60614

WHEN: Friday, June 30 from 12:30 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. CT

“A race as iconic as the first-ever Chicago Street Race deserves an iconic showing, and as a brand that knows a thing or two about Bacon Cheeseburgers, we know bacon makes everything better,” said Carl Loredo, Global Chief Marketing Officer for The Wendy’s Company. “Together with our friends at LEGACY MOTOR CLUB and Noah Gragson, we’ll give NASCAR fans and the city of Chicago a taste of the best with the ‘The Baconator.’ Look out for No. 42 and you’ll see a best-in-class driver, repping best-in-class bacon.”

For fans watching the action from home, Wendy’s is teaming up with DoorDash to bring the Baconator straight to your door! (To be clear – the hamburger, not the car, but wouldn’t that be cool?!) From July 1 through July 3, all DoorDash customers can enjoy a FREE Breakfast Baconator® or Baconator with any purchase worth $20 or more on DoorDash.* Place your order on DoorDash and leave the driving to the pros! Want even more bacon? Say less. At Wendy’s, we’re always Baconating – from the AM until midnight or later***, Wendy’s is here for all of your bacon cravings. Check out the Wendy’s app to rack up rewards and be the first to know about in-app offers.

*Get a free Baconator on orders $20+ from Wendy’s. Now – 07/03. To redeem this promo, add a Baconator, Son of Baconator®, or Breakfast Baconator to your cart. Orders must have a minimum subtotal of $20, excluding taxes and fees. This discount will automatically apply at checkout if your cart meets these conditions. Offer available from 07/01/2023 through 07/03/2023. Valid only at participating Wendy’s locations. Fees (including service fee), taxes, and gratuity still apply. All deliveries subject to availability. Must have or create a valid DoorDash account with a valid form of accepted payment on file. No cash value. Non-transferable. See full terms and conditions at help.doordash.com/consumers/s/article/offer-terms-conditions.

**Fresh beef available in the contiguous U.S., Alaska and Canada.
***Hours may vary by location at participating Wendy’s.

ABOUT WENDY’S: Wendy’s was founded in 1969 by Dave Thomas in Columbus, Ohio. Dave built his business on the premise, “Quality Is Our Recipe®”, which remains the guidepost of the Wendy’s system. Wendy’s is best known for its made-to-order square hamburgers, using fresh, never frozen beef**, freshly-prepared salads, and other signature items like chili, baked potatoes and the Frosty dessert. The Wendy’s Company (Nasdaq: WEN) is committed to doing the right thing and making a positive difference in the lives of others. This is most visible through the Company’s support of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption® and its signature Wendy’s Wonderful Kids® program, which seeks to find a loving, forever home for every child in the North American foster care system. Today, Wendy’s and its franchisees employ hundreds of thousands of people across approximately 7,000 restaurants worldwide with a vision of becoming the world’s most thriving and beloved restaurant brand. For details on franchising, connect with us at www.wendys.com/franchising. Visit www.wendys.com and www.squaredealblog.com for more information and connect with us on Twitter and Instagram using @wendys, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wendys.

ABOUT LEGACY MOTOR CLUB: LEGACY MOTOR CLUB is a professional motor racing team that competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, owned by Maury Gallagher and Jimmie Johnson. LEGACY MOTOR CLUB operates two full-time entries, the No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 of Noah Gragson and the No. 43 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 of Erik Jones. The team also fields a third part-time entry, the No. 84 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, for Johnson’s limited racing schedule in 2023.

Based in Statesville, N.C., LEGACY MOTOR CLUB operates alongside GMS Racing, which fields three full-time entries in the NASCAR Truck Series. Since the formation of GMS Racing in 2012, Gallagher, along with one of the NASCAR garage’s most accomplished figures, Team President, Mike Beam, built a victorious organization, capturing the 2016 and 2020 NASCAR Truck Series championships, the 2015 ARCA Racing Series championship, as well as the 2019 & 2020 ARCA East championships, accumulating over 65 wins across six national racing circuits.

The mission of LEGACY MOTOR CLUB is to create an inclusive environment for auto-racing enthusiasts, celebrate the past and future legacies of our partners and team members, and to compete for race wins and championships at NASCAR’s elite level. To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and exclusive content, follow LEGACY MOTOR CLUB on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and at www.LEGACYMOTORCLUB.com

NASCAR CUP SERIES
NASHVILLE SUPERSPEEDWAY
ALLY 400
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT
JUNE 25, 2023

Chastain Caps Off Chevrolet’s Weekend Sweep with Nashville Victory

· The victory is Chastain’s first NASCAR Cup Series victory of the 2023 season, and his third career victory in 168 starts in NASCAR’s premier series.

· Chastain is the fifth driver from the fourth different Chevrolet team to record a NASCAR Cup Series win this season.

· The victory continued Chevrolet’s NASCAR Cup Series win streak at Nashville Superspeedway – marking the manufacturer’s third win in the series’ third appearance at the 1.33-mile Tennessee oval.

· Chastain brought Chevrolet to a double-digit win count in the NASCAR Cup Series this season with the manufacturer leading the series with 10 victories this season.

· The winningest manufacturer in NASCAR Cup Series history, Chevrolet now sits at 843 all-time wins in NASCAR’s premier series.

· Chevrolet swept the NASCAR tripleheader race weekend at Nashville Superspeedway with AJ Allmendinger (No. 10 Kaulig Racing Camaro SS) in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and Carson Hocevar (No. 42 Niece Motorsports Silverado RST) in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

· This marks Chevrolet’s fourth tripleheader weekend sweep of the 2023 NASCAR season.

LEBANON, Tenn. (June 25, 2023) – Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain continued Chevrolet’s streak of dominance in the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) at Nashville Superspeedway – driving his No. 1 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1 to the victory in the Ally 400. His first victory of the season, the 30-year-old Florida native became the fifth driver from the fourth different Chevrolet team to find victory lane in NASCAR’s premier series this season.

Chastain led the field to the green from the pole position for the first time in his young NCS career. Taking the top position on lap one, the Team Chevy driver went on to collect a top-five finish in both stages and lead a race-high 99 laps en route to Chevrolet’s third consecutive NCS victory at the 1.33-mile Tennessee oval and the manufacturer’s 10th win overall on the season.

The victory was celebrated by another season-best feat for the Bowtie brand with the Camaro ZL1 taking seven of the top-10 finishing positions in the 300-lap event. The strength across the Chevrolet camp was showcased on the final leader board with five different Chevrolet teams contributing to those finishes including Trackhouse Racing’s Chastain (race winner); Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott (fourth), Kyle Larson (fifth) and William Byron (sixth); LEGACY MOTOR CLUB’s Erik Jones (eighth); Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch (ninth); and Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger (10th).

The victory capped off yet another weekend sweep for Chevrolet across NASCAR’s three national series – a feat only the Bowtie brand has been able to accomplish this season. With Chastain’s victory in the NCS, AJ Allmendinger’s (No. 10 Kaulig Racing Camaro SS) NASCAR Xfinity Series win and Carson Hocevar’s (No. 42 Niece Motorsports Silverado RST) NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win – this marks Chevrolet’s fourth tripleheader weekend sweep of the 2023 season.

The 2023 NCS season continues at the Chicago Street Course with the Grant Park 220 on Sunday, July 2, at 5:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

 
ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 WORLDWIDE EXPRESS CAMARO ZL1 – Race Win Press Conference Transcript

THE MODERATOR: We’ve now been joined by our race winner, Ross Chastain.

Ross, congratulations. You spent some time with us on Saturday. You said your team was strong. You said your car had speed. Tonight you backed it up.

ROSS CHASTAIN: Yes, ma’am. I felt the speed. I felt the grip. This or that happens and we don’t win. But I felt it again on Friday. Obviously felt it on Saturday.

For me to tie together two laps – one lap, okay, I can probably do that sometimes, but the second-round lap, to not overdrive it, back up, go a few thousandths faster is a testament to the changes they made, our evolution and our processes paying off of this new car.

It’s so different than anything I’ve ever driven. Learning it since the first time I drove it in 2021 at a test to now, to finally get an oval win on a circle track is absolutely incredible.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. In light of everything in recent weeks since Darlington, does this feel like a statement win?

ROSS CHASTAIN: Did you see the two cars I passed? Felt pretty good.

Look, I first met Martin Truex Jr. at a Bass Pro Shops in Fort Myers, Florida when our local one opened. He signed a Chevy Trucks hat for me. Still have it on my childhood bedroom wall hanging up. The Sharpie has about faded off, barely still there. He was a hero, idol of mine.

To go to battle against him, have criticism from him, go back and forth, then to have him air block me at Dover like he did, when I thought we were just as fast, was humbling. To go up against my heroes like that, to beat him tonight, drive by him and the 11, was definitely a statement. It felt good. I’m proud that we were able to do that.

Q. What has been the message to your team, not them to you but you to them, in the last four, five weeks?

ROSS CHASTAIN: Yeah, I’m not a big vocal rah-rah guy. I’m not telling them anything that they don’t already know.

I think they see me going to work, just going through the processes that Trackhouse has in place for me, that GM and Wise Performance has for me. They see me, hear me go through business with MMI, what I’m trying to do outside of the race car.

They know that I’m all in. I don’t have to tell them that. I don’t have to tell them, We’re going to be okay, guys. We look at each other, nod our heads, go about our business.

My car chief David is big on positive affirmations, surrounding our minds with good thoughts about how we can be better. I am, too. I read books that show me and teach me little ways to bring it all back down, getting to neutral, something I’ve talked about before. They see me doing that. They know that I’m all in.

I’m going to make mistakes. They’re okay with that. They tell me that. I know that I have the best team on pit road and I have the best team building my race cars. We just kind of go about our business.

Q. You called your shot walking out of here on Saturday afternoon. What made you realize you could get it done?

ROSS CHASTAIN: Nobody was actually really supposed to know that. That was kind of an off-the-shoulder in passing of the guitars. I didn’t really put too much thought into it. The words went out. I read the tweet whenever, I guess this morning. Oh, that is a little too confident I thought, a little too cocky for my taste.

I told myself to not do that again, to just keep those thoughts internal, use them for fuel and fire. I don’t need to say that kind of stuff.

I’m really glad it worked out, let’s just put it that way, because it was just — I look at a lot of y’all in here, when I’m on the microphone, I know the world is watching. When I’m walking out, whether I’m turning the lights off in the bathroom on one of y’all, it’s just friendly. For that to go out, it’s a reminder of they’re doing their job. What I do on the track is seen by the world. What I say to anybody in here, it’s their job to tell the world.

I’m glad that it got out, glad that it worked out. I don’t like saying that kind of stuff. I’m sure glad that it worked out. I am glad that I said it.

Q. Anyone who watched the whole race could argue you had the best car. Martin did start to gain on you with 25 to go. Is there a balance between hitting your marks, especially in dirty air yourself, looking out behind you, doing all the things you have to do to keep the car behind you? What is that balancing act like?

ROSS CHASTAIN: It is. We got the lead early obviously with the pole, then we got passed pretty quickly. Martin and William were really fast. They were ahead of us, Tyler was ahead of us. Tyler had his issue. There were three of us. I knew there was one more that would come up and race, it was the 11.

As we went into the night, as the sun went down, I was fast enough to catch the 11 and 19 for the end of stage two, but I couldn’t get by them. Martin air blocked me all over the track. All right, well, try to get him in stage three. Was clearly faster. Stage three fired off, we all singled out. I had a shot at Martin for a few laps. He got by me. He actually waved and gave me the peace sign when he cleared me early in stage three. Okay, he’s not mad at me, okay. The sun went down and our Worldwide Express Chevy came to life. Like a light switch, I flipped the switch and got more grip, filled the grip bottle up. From there I was able to drive by the 19 and the 11 before the pit stops, which I think was key.

They put up a fight, but they let me race them. They didn’t just air block like they did at the end of the stage two, like Martin did, like he did at Dover. I think I’ve helped move the needle and teach some of these guys on track.

He let it just naturally play out. The 11 did as well. When he got to me at the end, I air blocked him back. We got the gap. I was loose for sure. I think he was. I don’t know what he was. I got loose. The final set of tires, started off looser than the previous set. Just kind of hanging on there at the end.

Q. Are you and Josevar going to start a band with the guitars?

ROSS CHASTAIN: That would be a bad, bad band if we did. Nobody would want to hear that.

Look, we drive the cars. We won the race. We can hire some talent to come play and guitars for us. I guess you plug this one in. I don’t know nothing about music. Riverhouse does, Grant, the boys and girls over there, can play us a tune tonight.

Q. It was a good weekend for MMI. You’ve done work with Phil. What are you seeing out of Carson here the last couple of weeks and months towards the goals he set for him on and off track?

ROSS CHASTAIN: We’re in a small capacity with Carson. But it is about managing the at-track stuff, just trying to manage his kind of larger-than-life, pun intended for his height, personality that carries him outside of the race truck and race car.

I see a lot of myself in him. I see incredible speed and talent. I know the trucks he’s driving with Phil Surgen and that group, Al Niece, to have the Worldwide Express win the truck race, get the pole for the Cup race and win the Cup race, it’s absolutely incredible to be sitting here watching that confetti flying around the door knowing that was shot off for us.

I was just so proud of the effort of Niece Motorsports on Friday night. Yeah, to see Carson keep growing, I’m growing as well. When we talk, we’re not that different, just different levels, ages, chapters of our life. We’re kind of fighting the same things. Make mistakes when we’re really fast. Should probably just let it play out. I’ve been open with him the things he needs to improve on. I’m looking at him at 30 years old, he’s so much younger, mentally we’re trying to get through this with a lot of criticism on him.

I criticized him when I thought he needed it. I thought I explained my view of it. Yeah, we’ve seen obviously a 2.0 version of him. I’m working, maybe I’m at 1.8, but we’re going to get to 2.0 as I’m evolving.

Q. This race two years ago, Phil brought you to pit road, I believe you said you kind of questioned that call. Turns out Phil was right. You finished second. How pivotal do you think that race was to developing the level of trust you’ve built with him?

ROSS CHASTAIN: Yeah, some people might think that our radio is too quiet. It’s days like that and moments like that that are the cause. I described the car, and that’s all I did. I describe the track, car, what I’m feeling, what I need. Sometimes that’s not enough communication. They’re learning to poke me more because I’m just driving the car.

There were times tonight where we were leading there at the end after the final pit stop, I thought Martin was catching me, I thought I needed another 10th, half a 10th of speed. I drove in 30 feet deeper and I didn’t make the corner. The whole time I could have been explaining the car, been in a better head space. I’m just driving. Trying to find every bit of hundredth of a second to manage my gap and go fast.

I’ve learned that my boys and girls at Trackhouse and on the 1 car, they’re the smartest I could possibly ask for. I let them do their jobs, they let me do mine. Like I talked about earlier, I’m not a rah-rah guy. I don’t psych ’em up, they don’t psych me up. We joke. Our hauler is one of the most laid back I’ve ever been part of, pit road.

I learned a lot that day and matured. That was half a season into my first Cup season. In Xfinity, in the 4 car, I would kind of learn from Landon Cassill, quarterback the car from there, we need to pit, stay out, wave around, take scuff tires now, we need to save our stickers for later. Not the case when you get to the Cup series. You let the smart boys and girls pick those calls.

Q. Phil goes under the radar, big names among crew chiefs. Do you feel Phil still doesn’t get enough recognition?

ROSS CHASTAIN: I think in the garage they know how fast his cars are. He’s been a journeyman of sorts, way longer than me. He’s been through teams and worked his way up from not being a crew chief to being a crew chief in the Cup Series and winning races now.

It didn’t just happen overnight. The people in the garage know Phil Surgen. I’ll be honest, whenever they said he was going to crew chief the 42 Cup car, when Kenseth was driving it, I didn’t know who Phil Surgen was. I was tuned in on the 1 and 42, I was not driving in the building, but I was at CGR. I had to ask who is Phil Surgen. I felt silly saying that at the time. I’d been around him, I just didn’t know the name. I didn’t know the face with the name. I knew the face but I didn’t know the name.

I love it. I love that he just goes about his business. He’s not flashy. I’ve learned to embrace the fandom and the front facing of Trackhouse and NASCAR that I’ve been fortunate to be given. I’m proud to be one of the faces on the broadcast when they put five racers up there on the football coverage or baseball or talking about the next race. I’m proud to be that guy, one of those five.

I’m more like Phil than I am a rah-rah guy. I don’t really put myself out there. I got people that can do that for me.

Q. From your win at Talladega to you taking the checkered flag at Nashville, you led 983 laps in the Cup Series. You said you made a statement win. How important is this win knowing how close you have been in the last 42 races?

ROSS CHASTAIN: It’s bigger than anything. It’s an oval, a circle track. It’s lift, slide, hit the gas and brake, turn the wheel. My boys and girls on the 1 team have not let me forget that. They have been pushing me on that. Take you serious when you win on an oval track.

This 1 team, before Trackhouse and I were a part of it, was very different iterations, but they were winning races in the Cup Series. They’ve been here and done it. They wanted to see me do it on a true oval.

Yeah, I don’t know anything else other than that. I think about them and our conversations, how much work we’ve put into it, they’ve put into me to make me better on these types of tracks.

Q. From our view, do you feel like you drove the perfect race?

ROSS CHASTAIN: Never perfect. There’s lots of mistakes. When the sun went down, I had slipped off turn two several times earlier in the race, lifted, spin, about spun out. When the sun went down, it happened again. It was the first time that my spotter said, Easy, take care of your stuff. When I lifted, the fire shot out the left side exhaust from the fuel burn dumping out. In the daylight you can’t see it from that far away. As soon as he said that, I thought, The fire is telling on me. I’m sliding over here, now he knows it.

There’s lots of mistakes.

I thought I could have gotten by the 42 earlier in the race. I could have passed Martin on the final restart better, gotten that done. I didn’t.

Other than that, though, there was a point in the race when I was running fifth, after Tyler had his issue, spun with the tire, we were fifth. I thought, Well, the 19 is better, the 24 is better. I kind of had a moment where I thought that. Then I thought, That doesn’t matter, I don’t care if they are better. What do I need to do next?

The next thing is warm my tires, get a good restart. I’m fourth in the line for the choose. I chose second row inside. Get clear of the outside guy. Hopefully roll up to the next guy. I did that. What’s next? Didn’t get clear of the 19.

So the moments that I questioned it, it was a self talk. I have a lot of conversations in my head. Try not to push the radio when I’m talking back to those voices. I need to speak about it in my head and have real dialogue.

I talked myself to go getting a good restart, go from there. Sun went down. After that it was pretty darn good. There wasn’t many things that I would do different now.

Q. Three-wide, three laps. Talk about that. Truex and Hamlin cut you some slack. Racing hard, but we didn’t wreck, I didn’t overstep. Do you feel those moment also help you long-term?

ROSS CHASTAIN: For sure. I thought me and William lined up on the front row. I thought he chased me up a little too much in the moment. I haven’t watched the replay. To me he was worried about me, the 19 in turn one drove up underneath both of us. 19 cleared both of us. I thought, Dang, Will, you let the guy in third drive by both of us.

19 and 11 specifically, yes. There were times that they passed me. The 11 got by us on the strategy of the caution. When I got back to him, he raced me great. 19 did as well. That’s all I ask for.

At the end of stage two when the points were on the line, the 19 ran me all over the track. I wasn’t going to pass that 19 no matter how fast I was. Luckily we were fast right after that. Drove by him after maybe 30 laps. The 11 a little bit later.

I feel like if we would have pitted again the final pit stop and ran till the end and tried to pass him late, I don’t think I would have got the same courtesy. A little bit fortunate on the times. Also definitely they did it how they’ve said they would. I’ve been racing them with more room, and they gave it to me tonight.

Q. Justin said this is his sweetest victory. How sweet is it to win in the boss’ backyard? Tell us the history of the watermelon smash.

ROSS CHASTAIN: Hard to beat the first, the first win last year at COTA. Nashville is where the word Trackhouse was formed. Justin moved here with his family. Steve and everybody at Tootsies went to a meeting with them, take a chance on me, I will make it pay off for you. Tootsies was one of the early sponsors of the 99 in 2021. Justin told me that story. He still lives here. Ty lives here, Dean lives here with Trackhouse 360.

It’s incredible the thought that we won here. It’s mind-boggling. It’s hard to line that up, have a fast car here.

For us the 1 team, all three years we’ve been here with our group, has been capable of running in the top

five. Tonight we put it all together. So incredible.

Q. (No microphone.)

ROSS CHASTAIN: We just carried watermelon. Publicity. The ag industry is what I sponsored me early on. My first races in 2011 was an investment by my family. The ag industry pitched in and sponsored me. Different companies all along the way. All with the goal of selling more watermelon. Definitely when we got the 42 Xfinity ride, we thought, Let’s have it there, raise it in Victory Lane. We won the darn second race we ever ran in that 42 car. I held it up. I didn’t really know what to do. I sat it down on the roof. We were in the media center. It was bending the glass at Las Vegas in the media center. Somebody in the room asked what I was going to do with it. Somebody asked me to move it. I think that glass is still bent. Smash it open and eat it, I guess.

They asked if they could film it. We went out on the front stretch. It was born. It’s a natural feeling, not something that is sponsored in a sense that I have to do it. I don’t need chuck points and all that stuff.

It’s a (indiscernible) watermelon. The watermelon varieties we grow at our farm. We’re done with our crop this year. The Georgia crop is being harvested now. So for those farmers, it’s a great year. It was a great growing season for us in Florida. They’re knocking it out of the park, breaking records in Georgia right now. Yosemite Fresh is harvesting out west in California.

As I’ve grown in my racing, I’ve gotten to meet more farmers. Cool for me. All I wanted to be as a kid was a farmer. I wanted to be like my dad, uncle, grandfather, every Chastain eight generations before me that he were watermelon farmers. The first Chastain came over a long time ago, and not long after that they started farming. It’s all I ever wanted to be as a kid, wanted to walk in my dad’s footprints.

For my brother to be able to run the farm at home, race a little bit, we get to promote watermelon, it’s our family’s business. Really the coolest part was after we won that first race, I wasn’t sure how the ag industry would think about it because I was wasting a watermelon. My granddad called me the next morning. He said, Ross, we will never know how many people in the world saw that watermelon smash. I saw it on my Facebook. I thought, All right, that’s all the affirmation. That’s the checkmark I needed to keep going. We have not looked back.

Q. (No microphone.)

ROSS CHASTAIN: Well, we didn’t slip. I was worried, too.

Q. What song comes to mind for you to express your weekend and the importance of this victory?

ROSS CHASTAIN: If you take the words I said walking out of that door it’s, I believe we will win. A little Pitbull action.

Yeah, that’s not very Nashville. He’s definitely not here. He’s in Miami.

Yeah, I don’t know. I’m ’90s country music, older country music fan. Only sing when I’m feeling good. I’m feeling good tonight.

Yeah, I think the stuff on the frontstretch, I believe that. I’ve thought about that. It’s not just to say it when I have the spotlight. It’s a belief that you’ll be criticized. I think everybody in this room at some point has been criticized. If you want to keep doing it, if you want to be in this room, in this sport, you’ll keep going. No matter if it’s business or sports or your life, you just wake up and go to work. They’re not all going to be good days. We’re going to remember the old days better than they probably were. Just get up and go to work every day, see what happens.

Q. You have top fives in all three races here. Why do you feel this track suits your driving style?

ROSS CHASTAIN: I’ve heard other people in the sport say it: you cannot drive a slow car fast. I have had fast ones here. But I have had fast ones a lot of places and have not put together top fives and wins.

I don’t know. I don’t. I don’t have a reason because I feel like we could have done this Dover, other tracks. It’s not just here, this is our bright spot of the year.

Yeah, it’s showing. I’m not sad about it. I’ll take it.

Q. Now that you’ve won, locked into the Playoff, how does this change your season?

ROSS CHASTAIN: I felt confident we were going to make it. Everybody looks on the points every week. Based on our gap to the cut line, felt safe. Felt safe with the winners moving up the cut line. Wasn’t going to stay where it was at. Just keep acquiring points, bringing fast cars, we’ll go fight for it.

Ultimately for us it’s a journey to get there, but it’s ultimately all about getting into the Playoffs. That’s definitely it.

Personally it doesn’t change for me. I’m not going to start as early in the morning as I would have if I lost, okay? I’m not going to be at the tech center at GM at 8 a.m. with Dan. I’m going to get there at some point tomorrow and ask him to come in late with me and work through maybe tomorrow afternoon with me.

We’re going to go right back to work. Celebrate this throughout the week, but there will still be the blocks of time that I will cut out for the competition and get ready for next week. It’s too important to miss out on an opportunity next week because you had good success this week. We want fast cars like this. If I don’t put in the work, I will not be ready when I pull on track next week.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

ROSS CHASTAIN: Thank you.

About Chevrolet
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Noah Gragson, No. 42 Black Rifle Coffee Company Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

START: 30th

FINISH: 26th

POINTS: 32nd

Noah Gragson Post-Race Quote: ““It was a smooth day. Proud of the No. 42 Black Rifle Coffee Company Chevy team’s effort. We brought the car home in one piece. A day like this is what we needed to build momentum on.”

Erik Jones, No. 43 Allegiant Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

START: 23rd

FINISH: 8th

POINTS: 30th

Erik Jones Post-Race Quote: “It was a good day. We had a good No. 43 Allegiant Chevy. We were able to run up towards the top-10 all day, so just need to build on that. If you can be up there and running competitively, it gives you something to work on. Today was the first day in a while that I felt like we were in the ballpark and where we need to be, so that’s a good step. I’m proud of the effort, for sure. We’re getting the cars better and where we want them to be, and hopefully just get them a little bit more moving forward.”

ABOUT LEGACY MOTOR CLUB:

LEGACY MOTOR CLUB is a professional auto racing club owned by businessman and entrepreneur Maurice J. Gallagher and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion (NCS) Jimmie Johnson. The club competes full-time in the NCS fielding the Nos. 42 and 43 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for drivers Noah Gragson and Erik Jones, respectively, along with the No. 84 part-time entry for Johnson in 2023. Richard Petty “The King” serves as team ambassador.

In 2021, Gallagher acquired Richard Petty Motorsports and renamed the team to Petty GMS. With the addition of Johnson to the ownership structure in 2023, the organization rebranded to LEGACY MOTOR CLUB (LEGACY M.C.). With a unique title signifying a nod to car clubs of past eras, LEGACY M.C. is an inclusive club for all motorsport enthusiasts to celebrate the past and future legacies of its members, while competing for wins and championships at NASCAR’s elite level.

Based in Statesville, N.C., LEGACY M.C. operates alongside GMS Racing (GMS), which currently fields three full-time entries in the NASCAR Truck Series. Since the formation of GMS in 2012, Gallagher and Mike Beam, team president, have shared incredible success. GMS Racing captured the 2015 ARCA Racing Series championship, the 2016 and 2020 NASCAR Truck Series championships and the 2019 and 2020 ARCA East championships, accumulating over 65 wins across six national racing circuits.

To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and exclusive content, follow LEGACY MOTOR CLUB on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and at www.LEGACYMOTORCLUB.com.