NASCAR CUP SERIES
WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL
GO BOWLING AT THE GLEN

CHASE ELLIOTT CLINCHES NASCAR CUP SERIES REGULAR SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP

Elliott Looking For Second Career NCS Championship

· With one race remaining in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season, Chase Elliott and the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 team has officially clinched the 2022 NCS Regular Season Championship.

· This marks Elliott’s first NCS Regular Season Championship title in his seventh full-time season in NASCAR’s premier series.

· The 2022 season will mark Elliott’s seventh consecutive appearance in the NCS playoffs.

· Chevrolet – the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history – has a manufacturer-leading 33 NCS Driver Championships and 40 NCS Manufacturer Championships.

DETROIT, Mich. (August 21, 2022) – While one race still remains to complete the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) playoff field, Chase Elliott is one step closer to battling for his second championship title in NASCAR’s premier series. At the track that delivered Elliott his first career NCS win in 2018, the 26-year-old Hendrick Motorsports driver is leaving Watkins Glen International as the 2022 NCS Regular Season Champion. A familiar face on top of the points standings through most of the season, Elliott entered the race weekend with a strong 116-point lead over second-place Ryan Blaney. Only needing a 61-point advantage at the end of upstate New York race weekend, Elliott was able to clinch the coveted NCS Regular Season Championship title one week early.

“Congratulations to Chase Elliott and the entire No. 9 Camaro ZL1 team on winning the NASCAR Cup Series regular-season championship,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. Vice President, Performance and Motorsports. “He has delivered consistent results all season. Chase, crew chief Alan Gustafson and the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports crew are working together as one team, as they build momentum heading into the playoffs.”

Elliott and the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 team has proven to be a championship contender throughout arguably one of the most unpredictable seasons in NASCAR history. In 25 races thus far, Elliott leads the series in wins with four, top-10 finishes (17), laps led (688) and accumulated playoff points (25). While his first win of 2022 at Dover Motor Speedway solidified his berth into the NCS playoff field, it was the summer stretch that the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 team became a championship threat. Elliott drove to a career-best and series-best streak of five consecutive top-two finishes, which began with his victory at Nashville Superspeedway (June 26, 2022). Within that time span, the 2020 NCS Champion collected three victories and two runner-up finishes, setting the Chevrolet driver up to cruise towards his first NCS Regular Season Championship in his seventh full-time season in the series.

Heading into the NCS regular season finale at Daytona International Speedway, a manufacturer-leading seven Chevrolet drivers have claimed spots in the 16-driver NCS playoff field by virtue of a win, including: all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers, Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, William Byron and Alex Bowman; and first-time NCS winners Ross Chastain, Daniel Suarez and Tyler Reddick. With 25 races now complete, the bowtie brand has taken the NCS season by storm; leading its manufacturer competitors in wins (14), top-fives (59), top-10s (109), laps led (2,946) and stage wins (21).

Chevrolet – the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history – is heading into the playoffs looking to make it a three-peat in NCS Driver Championship titles. Starting with Elliott’s first career NCS Championship in 2020; Kyle Larson and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 team took the bowtie brand to back-to-back NCS Driver Championship titles in 2021. Also sitting as reigning NCS Manufacturer Champions, Chevrolet also currently sits atop the NCS manufacturer standings in pursuit of a series-leading 41st title.

The 2022 regular season for NASCAR’s premier series will come to a close next weekend with the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway. Under the lights on Saturday, August 27, the famed 2.5-mile Florida superspeedway will officially set the 16-driver NCS playoff field. Live coverage of the 400-mile race can be found on NBC, the NBC Sports Gold App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 79 countries with more than 3.2 million cars and trucks sold in 2020. 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.

BELL BRINGS HIS TOYOTA HOME EIGHTH AT THE GLEN

WATKINS GLEN, NY (August 21, 2022) – Christopher Bell (eighth) was the highest finishing Toyota in Sunday afternoon’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International.

Toyota Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Watkins Glen International
Race 25 of 36 – 220.5 miles, 90 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS

1st, Kyle Larson*

2nd, AJ Allmendinger*

3rd, Joey Logano*

4th, Chase Elliott*

5th, Tyler Reddick*

8th, CHRISTOPHER BELL

20th, DENNY HAMLIN

23rd, MARTIN TRUEX JR.

26th, TY GIBBS

32nd, KYLE BUSCH

35th, BUBBA WALLACE

36th, DANIIL KVYAT

*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 DeWalt Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 8th

How was your race today?

“The DeWalt Camry TRD struggled some today, but I feel like an eighth-place finish was good for us today for the car that we had and we’ll try to build on it.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs more than 48,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 43 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With the more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, more than a quarter of the company’s 2021 North American sales were electrified.

Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

Inclement Weather Creates Chaos at Start of 90-Lap Race

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (Aug. 21, 2022) — In a race that began in the rain with slick conditions at Watkins Glen, Brad Keselowski drove his Violet Defense Ford Mustang to a 19th-place finish.

Keselowski put together a qualifying effort of 15th on Saturday, his third-straight top-15 qualifying effort on a road course. After lightning and rain delayed the initial start, the field eventually got rolling in light rain as the skies cleared.

The Michigan native initially stayed on track longer than most with the rain tires, ultimately hitting pit road at lap 14 to switch to slicks. He went on to finish the 20-lap stage in 20th.

After rolling off 29th for stage two, Keselowski worked his way through the field in all green conditions to finish 20th at the end of the segment, setting up the final, 45-lap run to the finish. He rolled off 16th, and shuffled between there and 20th in the closing laps to ultimately bring home a 19th-place result.

The No. 6 team heads to Daytona International Speedway next weekend as the final opportunity to advance into the NASCAR Playoffs. Race coverage next Saturday night is set for 7 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Eighth Top-10 for Buescher in 2022 Season

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (Aug. 21, 2022) – Chris Buescher again put himself in solid position on a road course, earning stage points Sunday at Watkins Glen before going on to finish ninth in the Fastenal Ford Mustang.

The Texan earned his seventh top-10 starting spot of the season in Saturday’s qualifying session, lining up seventh for the start of the 90-lap race. Inclement weather played a huge factor as lightning and heavy rain delayed the initial start, ultimately causing the race to start in the rain.

Despite starting on rain tires, Buescher was the first to switch to slicks as he hit pit road just five laps in. The No. 17 team elected a two-stop strategy in the first stage as Buescher hit pit road from the third position with three laps left in the segment. He went on to finish 17th in the 20-lap stage.

Stage two brought dry conditions and sunny skies as Buescher rolled off ninth. The segment ran all green as Buescher finished seventh to earn stage points.

After staying out in the final stage break, Buescher fired off fourth at lap 43 as one of a handful of cars to employ similar strategy. He held onto the top five position for the next 12 laps until green-flag stops again were the storyline at lap 55. Two final restarts occurred in the last nine laps with Buescher coming from 10th to finish ninth. It marks his eighth top-10 of the season and fourth-straight on a road course.

The No. 17 team heads to Daytona International Speedway next weekend as the final opportunity to advance into the NASCAR Playoffs. Race coverage next Saturday night is set for 7 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Burton and his Cup Series peers took the green flag on a wet track riding on rain tires after showers delayed the start of the race for nearly two hours.

Burton, who qualified 30th for Sunday’s 90-lap run on the 2.45-mile Watkins Glen International track, spun in the opening laps, pitted for tires and fuel on Lap 11.

After the track dried and teams switched to standard tires, he ended the second Stage in 25th place.

As teams employed various pit strategies, Burton moved up to 18th place in the opening laps of the race’s third segment before making a scheduled green-flag stop at Lap 53.

Returning to the track outside the top 30, he worked his way up to 28th place.

Burton and the No. 21 team now head to Daytona International Speedway for Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400, the 26th and final race of the Cup Series regular season.

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.

August 21, 2022
By Holly Cain
NASCAR Wire Service

For the second-consecutive day Kyle Larson took his first lead of the race with five laps remaining and held off road course ace and fellow Californian A.J. Allmendinger for a trophy. Larson completed the rare weekend sweep at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International Sunday afternoon with a clutch win in the NASCAR Cup Series’ Go Bowling at the Glen.

Larson made a dramatic pass on his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott on a restart with five laps to go on the historic road course. As the race leader, Elliott got to choose where to lineup alongside Larson for the green flag and chose to start on Larson’s outside, setting up the dramatic contention for position.

Larson maneuvered past Elliott in the wide-sweeping turn with both Allmendinger and Joey Logano able to get around Elliott as well. Allmendinger gave chase to Larson, but for the second day in a row, Larson, the driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet again proved too much.

It was the second-consecutive NASCAR Cup Series victory for Larson, 30, at Watkins Glen – finishing .882-seconds ahead of Kaulig Racing’s Allmendinger. It’s Larson’s 18th career win and second of the 2022 season for the defending NASCAR Cup Series champion.

Team Penske’s Logano finished third just ahead of Elliott, who could take some considerable consolation in officially securing the 2022 Regular Season Championship – his first – at the end of Stage 1 on Sunday.

Larson immediately addressed the winning move.

That was really my only opportunity (to go for the lead), I’m not proud of it,’’ Larson said, “But being in the inside lane, the right lane, being the leader, choosing the left lane, it definitely wins out. But when it gets late in the race, it’s definitely risky.

“I knew that was my only opportunity to get by him. I feel like our cars were pretty equal today. Had a lot of fun after rate green flag cycle trying to chase hi down. Kind of burned my stuff up a little bit.

“But the restarts kept me in it and kept our team in it. I’m proud of my guys. Good to get another win here at Watkins Glen and get some more bonus points going into the Playoffs, we haven’t had a lot here this year.’’

Larson said he anticipated having a conversation with Elliott and reiterated that he was only making a move, he felt necessary, to go for the victory. Something he thought Elliott would have done as well.

“We have a competition meeting tomorrow.,’’ Larson said. “I think if I was in his shoes, I would understand the risk that I’m taking, taking the left lane also. I’m not proud of it but I did what I felt like I had to do to get the win.’’

For his part after the race, Elliott said only, “Congratulations to Kyle and everybody on the 5 team and at Hendrick Motorsports for getting the win.’’

Elliott – who led a race high 30 of the 80 laps – again took the company line when asked what he would say to Larson, “Congratulations. … always good to see HMS win. The boss [Rick Hendrick] deserves all the great wins that come for this company.’’

Trackhouse Racing driver Daniel Suárez finished fifth, followed by Front Row Motorsports’ Michael McDowell, who led 14 laps.

Richard Childress Racing’s Tyler Reddick, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell, RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher and Petty GMS Racing’s Erik Jones rounded out the top 10.

German driver Mike Rockenfeller – a sportscar ace and former Rolex 24 at Daytona winner – posted the best finish (30th) among a series-high seven international entries at Watkins Glen.

Formula One world champion Kimi Räikkönen had a solid effort in his NASCAR Cup Series debut – running as high as eighth place in Stage 2 before pitting. His day in the No. 91 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet came to an early end, however, when he was nudged off-track and into a tire barrier while racing among a large group of cars on the ensuing restart.

Räikkönen 41, of Finland, climbed out of his car and appeared fine physically. Although disappointed with the finish to what looked like a promising day, he said he was still overall happy with his debut in NASCAR’s big leagues.

“It was good fun, you know, and I felt more confident all the time and had some good battles and the car felt like it had a lot of speed in there, but that’s how it goes sometimes,’’ said Räikkönen, who officially finished 37th in the 39-car field.

With one race remaining in the regular season and one spot still to be settled for the 16-driver Playoff field, Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney holds a 25-point advantage over Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. for the final transfer position should no new winner emerge next week. They finished 23rd (Truex) and 24th (Blaney) on Sunday and both drivers are still looking for their first victory of the year.

Blaney heads into the regular season finale next week at Daytona International Speedway as the defending race winner. The Coke Zero Sugar 400 in Daytona Beach is set for Saturday night (7 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) with the 16 drivers qualifying for the 10-race Playoffs that begin Sept. 4 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.

–30–

NASCAR Cup Series Race – 36th Annual Go Bowling at The Glen
Watkins Glen International
Watkins Glen, New York
Sunday, August 21, 2022

               1. (2)  Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 90.

               2. (6)  AJ Allmendinger(i), Chevrolet, 90.

               3. (20)  Joey Logano, Ford, 90.

               4. (1)  Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 90.

               5. (9)  Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 90.

               6. (3)  Michael McDowell, Ford, 90.

               7. (5)  Tyler Reddick, Chevrolet, 90.

               8. (38)  Christopher Bell, Toyota, 90.

               9. (7)  Chris Buescher, Ford, 90.

               10. (31)  Erik Jones, Chevrolet, 90.

               11. (29)  Cole Custer, Ford, 90.

               12. (24)  Kevin Harvick, Ford, 90.

               13. (8)  Austin Cindric #, Ford, 90.

               14. (11)  Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 90.

               15. (21)  Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 90.

               16. (28)  Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 90.

               17. (12)  Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 90.

               18. (13)  Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 90.

               19. (15)  Brad Keselowski, Ford, 90.

               20. (22)  Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 90.

               21. (18)  Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 90.

               22. (4)  William Byron, Chevrolet, 90.

               23. (25)  Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 90.

               24. (26)  Ryan Blaney, Ford, 90.

               25. (14)  Chase Briscoe, Ford, 90.

               26. (16)  Ty Gibbs(i), Toyota, 90.

               27. (32)  Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet, 90.

               28. (30)  Harrison Burton #, Ford, 90.

               29. (35)  Aric Almirola, Ford, 90.

               30. (33)  Mike Rockenfeller, Chevrolet, 90.

               31. (17)  Joey Hand, Ford, 90.

               32. (10)  Kyle Busch, Toyota, 89.

               33. (34)  Loris Hezemans(i), Ford, 89.

               34. (39)  Cody Ware, Ford, 88.

               35. (23)  Bubba Wallace, Toyota, Suspension, 83.

               36. (36)  Daniil Kvyat, Toyota, 58.

               37. (27)  Kimi Raikkonen, Chevrolet, Accident, 44.

               38. (19)  Todd Gilliland #, Ford, Rear End, 28.

               39. (37)  Kyle Tilley, Ford, Steering, 15.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 95.962 mph.

Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 17 Mins, 52 Secs. Margin of Victory: .882 Seconds.

Caution Flags: 5 for 11 laps.

Lead Changes: 12 among 9 drivers.

Lap Leaders: C. Elliott 1-3;M. McDowell 4-11;T. Reddick 12-13;C. Elliott 14-15;C. Briscoe 16-22;T. Gilliland # 23-27;J. Logano 28-42;M. McDowell 43-48;C. Elliott 49-58;C. Custer 59-65;A. Dillon 66-71;C. Elliott 72-85;K. Larson 86-90.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Chase Elliott 4 times for 29 laps; Joey Logano 1 time for 15 laps; Michael McDowell 2 times for 14 laps; Chase Briscoe 1 time for 7 laps; Cole Custer 1 time for 7 laps; Austin Dillon 1 time for 6 laps; Todd Gilliland # 1 time for 5 laps; Kyle Larson 1 time for 5 laps; Tyler Reddick 1 time for 2 laps.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 14,8,99,38,1,22,42,34,18,16

Stage #2 Top Ten: 22,18,34,9,42,15,17,5,41,20

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Watkins Glen NCS Post Race | Sunday, August 21, 2022

FORD FINISHING RESULTS

3rd – Joey Logano

6th – Michael McDowell

9th – Chris Buescher

11th – Cole Custer

12th – Kevin Harvick

13th – Austin Cindric

19th – Brad Keselowski

24th – Ryan Blaney

25th – Chase Briscoe

28th – Harrison Burton

29th – Aric Almirola

31st – Joey Hand

33rd – Loris Hezemans

34th – Cody Ware

38th – Todd Gilliland

39th – Kyle Tilley

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang | Finished 3rd

“It was crazy and I am ecstatic about what we did. We got the stage win, and usually, if you get a stage win here you bury yourself, which we did. We were 27th at the start of the third stage. We passed a bunch of cars and got to 17th and then we got stuck around 15th or so. I have to give it to Paul (Wolfe), he put two tires on it and gave us some track position and then we had a couple of more good restarts and it ended up as a top-three. Pretty good.”

MICHAEL MCDOWELL, No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops Ford Mustang | Finished 6th

“It is disappointing. I don’t think we quite had enough for the 9 or the 5. I tried to hold them off as long as I could, they just had a bit of pace on me. They were pushing me hard enough that I was getting wide and making mistakes. I tried to make a move on that second-to-last restart there and got a pretty good run on the 5 and went to the inside and it just didn’t work out. We got jammed up on the bottom and everyone was smashing into each other and we lost a couple of spots. That was pretty much it at that point. It is just disappointing. We’ve gotta win to get into these playoffs. But I am proud of everybody at Front Row. We had a fast car and we were in the hunt. It just wasn’t quite enough.”

CHRIS BUESCHER, No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang | Finished 9th

“We had a really good Fastenal Ford. I am so proud of everybody. Just didn’t need that caution at the end. We needed a green flag run. We were running down the next several ahead of us and we had tires. That was working for speed. I don’t know if I could have gotten to the lead with green flag runs but it definitely would have been better than we finished. It didn’t play out the way we needed it to, but still a really solid day.”