TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
BUSCH LIGHT CLASH AT THE COLISEUM
LOS ANGELES MEMORIAL COLISEUM
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
FEBRUARY 6, 2022

NASCAR CUP SERIES HEADS WEST TO KICK-OFF 2022
The highly anticipated 2022 NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) season gets underway this weekend as the series heads to Los Angeles, California, for the 44th running of the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum on Sunday, February 6. For the first time in NCS history, teams will take on the .25-mile track built within the renowned Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Since the inception of the exhibition-style, non-points paying show in 1979, this year marks the first time that the traditional event has been hosted outside of Daytona Beach, Florida.

With a new venue comes a new format for the 150-lap exhibition race, featuring Heat Races and Last Chance Qualifier Races for the first time in the event’s history. Of the 36 drivers to enter the event, only 23 will secure a starting spot in the Main Event. 22 of those Main Event spots will be earned by drivers racing their way through either their Heat Races or the Last Chance Qualifier Races. The 23rd starting spot will be occupied by the driver finishing highest in the 2021 NCS Driver Standings that did not transfer through their respective qualifying races.

NEXT GEN CAMARO ZL1 SET FOR COMPETITION
The upcoming NASCAR Cup Series season will be one for the history books, where the series’ major automotive brands will make the on-track competition debut of their Next Gen models, including Chevrolet’s Next Gen Camaro ZL1. Chevrolet engineers and designers, alongside the Chevrolet race teams, worked closely together to develop the Next Gen Camaro ZL1, creating a race car that looks and performs more like the production Camaro.

Bringing the track and the street closer together, the Next Gen Camaro ZL1’s new lower greenhouse, shortened deck lid and widened track width contribute to a coupe-like appearance. Like the production Camaro ZL1, the Next Gen Camaro ZL1 features hood air extractors to enhance track performance. With its fully symmetrical body design, the Next Gen Camaro ZL1 race car looks even more like the production Camaro.

Other changes to the 2022 Next Gen race car include:

• Upgraded specs to match modern passenger vehicle technology, including independent rear suspension – like production Camaros – and rack and pinion steering.

• An increase in wheel size from 15 to 18 inches. The larger diameter wheels allow for larger brakes for improved track performance. Wheels will be made from forged aluminum, like the wheels on the production Camaro ZL1.

• A new transaxle that combines the transmission and rear gears into one package.

• The bottom of the car will be sealed with an underwing and rear diffuser for enhanced aerodynamics.

• A redesigned chassis features new front and rear bumpers with an energy-management system.

• Both the front and rear clips bolt on to the center section for easier serviceability and damage repair.

Chevrolet debuted the Camaro ZL1 race car into the NASCAR Cup Series in 2018, later replaced by the Camaro ZL1 1LE in 2020. In its two years of NCS competition, the Camaro ZL1 1LE won both the 2020 and 2021 NCS Driver’s Championships (Chase Elliott, 2020) (Kyle Larson, 2021), as well giving Chevrolet its 40th NCS Manufacturer’s Championship in 2021. Along with its 814 all-time NCS wins, Chevrolet holds the title of winningest brand in NCS history.

15 CAMARO ZL1 DRIVERS ENTERED FOR THE 2022 BUSCH LIGHT CLASH:
Of the 36 entrants in this year’s Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum, 15 Chevrolet drivers will be in competition:

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1
Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1
Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1
Corey LaJoie, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Camaro ZL1
Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1
Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1
AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Camaro ZL1
William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1
Justin Haley, No. 31 Kaulig Racing Camaro ZL1
Ty Dillon, No. 42 Petty GMS Camaro ZL1
Erik Jones, No. 43 Petty GMS Camaro ZL1
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Camaro ZL1
Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1
Landon Cassill, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Camaro ZL1
Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1

TEAM CHEVY IN CLASH COMPETITION (1979-2021):
· Of the seven different manufacturers that have won a Busch Light Clash race, Chevrolet leads the way with 21 victories.

· Career Chevrolet driver and NASCAR Hall of Famer, Jeff Gordon, tops the list of the most consecutive Busch Light Clash appearances, totaling 22 consecutive events from 1994 – 2015.

FIRST 2023 CORVETTE Z06 RAISES $3.6 MILLION FOR OPERATION HOMEFRONT
It was a record sale at last week’s Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction when the first retail 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 70th Anniversary Edition was sold for $3.6 million, with 100 percent of the winning bid going to Operation Homefront. The winning bid made by Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series team owner, Rick Hendrick, now holds the record sale for a charity vehicle donated by a manufacturer at Barrett-Jackson, topping the previous record by $600,000, which was previously held by the first retail 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray.

“It’s truly a privilege to support our military members and their families through Operation Homefront,” said Steve Hill, Chevrolet vice president. “Proceeds from the first retail 2023 Corvette Z06 will benefit many U.S. military families across the country who have done so much to serve our country.”

FOR THE FANS
Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the NASCAR Fan Fest area of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Fans can check out Chevrolet vehicles on display at NASCAR Fan Fest, including a Tahoe High Country and a Corvette Stingray.

Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation:
Saturday, February 5: 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, February 6: 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

TUNE-IN
FOX will telecast the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 6. Live coverage can also be found on MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

QUOTABLE QUOTES:
ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 HOWLER HEAD CAMARO ZL1
2022 KICKS OFF AT THE CLASH. WHAT IS THAT RACE GOING TO BE LIKE?
“It’s going to be a party and I think a race is going to break out. I mean, that’s the whole point, right? That’s why we moved from the Daytona oval to the Daytona road course, and now to Los Angeles to change it up. We want to show people what we are all about. I’ve never been to the Coliseum but people know about that facility. It’s something totally new which I think is great.”

AS THE TRACK HAS BEEN BUILT AND YOU SEE PICTURES, WHAT DO YOU THINK IT IS GOING TO BE LIKE?
“I have no idea. I grew up racing on a 3/8th mile, pretty flat asphalt track called 417 Speedway (Punta Gorda, Fla.) and that’s probably the closest thing I can relate it to, maybe Auburndale Speedway (Fla). We’ll all learn when we get there, that’s for sure. It’s more than a race. We are there to put on a show and with the acts that are performing we are there for racing and entertainment.”

SO YOU LIKE THE IDEA OF THE CLASH?
“Yes, it’s different and I’m excited for a new track. It’s great to be part of the Next Gen too. The learning curve at the Clash will be incredible.”

WHAT HAS IT BEEN LIKE WORKING WITH DANIEL (SUAREZ)?
“I’ve watched him race and he’s been through different teams, and I heard him say early on when he signed with Justin Marks and Trackhouse that this might be his best opportunity of his career. A lot of people chuckled, but I didn’t. I knew Justin and I had talked to him about what he was trying to build. Now, nobody saw the acquisition coming with CGR and how all of that would come together, but Daniel bought in on Justin and I’ve bought in on Justin for a long time, I just didn’t have the opportunity to drive for him. Me and Daniel are pretty similar. Although, in the cockpit of the car, we couldn’t be more opposite. Just how we like to sit, what angle, the steering. He actually wants it looser than me. He’s the first teammate I’ve ever had that actually asked for it to be looser than me. That’s been refreshing because now I know there is more out there to get.”

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 TRUE VELOCITY CAMARO ZL1
WHAT ARE YOUR THROUGHTS ON BRINGING NASCAR TO THE LOS ANGELES COLISEUM FOR THE CLASH?
“It’s going to be wild and interesting, that’s for sure. NASCAR really went outside of the box with this one, and from an entertainment standpoint, I think it should be great for fans. It’s a tight track to fit the cars on, so racing-wise, you’ll see quite a bit of beating and banging. NASCAR and Fox are both doing a good job creating excitement and adding to the racing with concerts and DJ’s enhanced television coverage. It’s a bold experiment for our sport and I’m looking forward to being a part of it.”

WHAT STANDS OUT TO YOU ABOUT THE NEXT GEN RACE CAR?
“It’s very futuristic compared to what we’ve been driving. I think it’s going to be a breath of fresh air. We have a lot of kinks and things to work out right now. There are a lot of unknowns, but I think that change is good for the sport. I think a lot of the fans are going to love to see the different things we do with the car. We’ll figure a lot out as we go. We had so much time and effort put into the old cars. We’re still figuring out things to make the old cars faster, which is crazy to think about when you look at how long we’ve had them. With the NextGen, I think the engineers in our sport are going to be learning at a very fast pace, and we’re going to have to try to keep up with them as drivers.”

ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT THE INVENTORY OF CARS?
“I think it goes back to short track racing. When you are coming up through the ranks short track racing you do not have the inventory of cars that we’ve always had in the NASCAR Cup Series. If you wrecked your car, you could be out the next weekend. I don’t know that the inventory situation with the NextGen car is that serious, but a wreck early in the season definitely could put you behind and put your team in a bind early in the season. Until we get more inventory of these cars, you want to take care of your equipment but you also want to win and put it all out on the line.”

THERE’S A LOT OF CHANGES WITHIN THE SPORT AND WITHIN THE CAR. HOWEVER, YOU ARE COMING INTO A SITUATION WITH THE SAME CREW CHIEF IN JUSTIN ALEXANDER AND THE SAME TEAMMATE IN TYLER REDDICK HEADING INTO THE SEASON. HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO HAVE SOME DEGREE OF FAMILIARITY SURROUNDING YOU HEADING INTO THE SEASON?
“I think it’s really important. Any time you can build with the same team over a year’s time you start to feel each other out more and know where everybody stands. We were very close to getting both of our cars into the NASCAR Playoffs last year. It came down to a points race between the two. Obviously this year, the biggest thing is trying to get locked in with a win. That’s what hurt us. I think we were super consistent throughout the season. We had our most consistent season ever and had some good runs. Unfortunately, there were some guys that won that put us in a really bad spot. We don’t want to be in that spot again. We want to go to Victory Lane before the NASCAR Playoffs start.”

KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1
LARSON ON TESTING THE NEW NEXT GEN CAMARO:
“I participated in several tests with the new Camaro, but last week’s test at Phoenix Raceway was my first with the car with all the changes and updates for the 2022 season. The test went well, and I’m looking forward to actually racing it.”

LARSON ON THE BOWMAN GRAY STADIUM COMPARISON TO THE LOS ANGELES MEMORIAL COLISEUM:
“Bowman Gray was so long ago and with such a different car that I don’t think it gives me, or anyone who competed in those races, an advantage. There is a lot of hype around the event, so I’m really looking forward to the weekend.”

CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1
DANIELS ON THE RECENT NEXT GEN TEST AT PHOENIX RACEWAY:
“We learned a lot during the test last week. We went through a progression, and it allowed us to gather more data points for this car. No matter the track configuration or layout, we are going to be continuously learning with this car, so any on-track time is valuable.”

COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 NATIONS GUARD CAMARO ZL1
“The Clash is set to be one of the biggest events in NASCAR’s history. There are so many unknowns going into this race being the first race of the Next Gen car, which gives me a lot of confidence. I’m a short track guy at heart, with a win in the K&N series at Bowman Gray Stadium, so I can’t wait to get my elbows up at one of the country’s most iconic venues. Having NationsGuard come back for the 2022 season is also something I’m excited about. I look forward to giving them a great run to start the season.”

RYAN SPARKS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 7 NATIONS GUARD CAMARO ZL1
“I got my start at Bowman Gray Stadium, racing modifieds. Having the first Next Gen race at a track very similar to my roots is an awesome opportunity to capitalize on the 2022 season, right out of the gate. Short tracks are definitely Corey’s specialty, so I’m looking forward to turning some heads in our 3rd season together.”

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1
ELLIOTT ON KICKING OFF THE 2022 SEASON WITH THE CLASH AT THE COLISEUM:
“I’m excited to get the season going. The Coliseum is a great venue, and I think it’s going to be a fun event. That’s what it was intended to be, a fun and exciting event to kick off our season, and I think it’s going to do exactly that. If you’re going to try something, the Clash is a good race to go and try it because there’s no points involved. This event has a lot of potential to be a home run for our sport. Hopefully it’s entertaining and people have fun watching at home on TV or from the stands.”

ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1
“The L.A. Coliseum is certainly an iconic place, and I’m really looking forward to going there. I can remember a lot of different events, from the Olympics to Supercross racing there, and I’ve got a lot of memories of that, so it’s going to be cool for us to race there. As far as the race goes, nobody really knows what to expect from the track and how the cars are going to drive. We certainly expect it to be chaotic with a lot going on in a short period of time. We’re going to make our best guess with the car and go try to learn as much as we can. Being adaptable is going to be important. It’s going to be exciting for sure.”

AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 CHEVYLINERS.COM CAMARO ZL1
“This will be a unique and challenging event with the new car and new track. I’m happy to be able to participate in the very first clash in Los Angeles and to be a part of this opportunity with Kaulig Racing. This is a fun way to kick off the start of the season, so hopefully we can race our way into the big show on Sunday.”

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1
BYRON ON PREPARING FOR RACING AT THE LOS ANGELES COLISEUM:
“I’m excited to get to L.A. and see what the track is like in person. When the idea came out to potentially race there, I was one of the drivers who was able to experience it on iRacing early on and give some feedback on how it raced. Other than that, there’s not much other preparation we can do before we get in our race cars and on track for practice Saturday. I’m interested to see how different the track races from that first time on iRacing. I think we can expect it to be tight racing with maintaining track position as the key. It should be interesting for sure as there’s no room for error.”

RUDY FUGLE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 24 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1
FUGLE ON RACING AT THE LOS ANGELES COLISEUM FOR THE FIRST TIME:
“I’m not sure many of us know what to expect this weekend in Los Angeles. The nice thing is that everyone is in that same situation. We’ve had a lot of time testing the new car in the off-season, which is nice, but also none of those tests were on tracks similar to L.A. Thankfully we have some practice time prior to qualifying and the race, but with three short-timed sessions, it’s not a ton of time. Most of that time will be used to get drivers adjusted to the track, learning braking points, things like that. It should be exciting though as a lot of us on the team grew up racing at short tracks like this and it brings us back to where we started.”

JUSTIN HALEY, NO. 31 LEAFFILTER GUTTER PROTECTION CAMARO ZL1
“The start to my first full-time Cup season will look a little bit different this year, as we are headed to LA for the Clash! I think this is going to be a challenging but super fun week for us with this new car. It will be the first time we actually race in the new car, so hopefully we can get through it unscathed and learn a lot in the process.”

RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 FOOD 4 LESS/SLIM JIM CAMARO ZL1
“It’s a new venue, a temporary track, a brand-new car, and we will have a lot of new fans there. I don’t know what to think about the race or track, but it’s the same for everybody since it’s all new to us. We will all figure it out quickly when we get there. We are ready to get going.”

“Then we’ll take L..A and look at it to figure out what we can change on our race cars for when we go to a track like Phoenix or other short tracks. We’ll hit different styles of race tracks in those five or six races at the start of the NASCAR Cup Series season. For us, it’s making sure we are consistent and fast at all of them. Everybody has the same chassis and a lot of the same parts and pieces. So, there is no reason why we can’t go and compete for wins against everybody else. Once we’re done with the West Coast swing, we’ll definitely know where we need to go to work and know what our priorities are for different race tracks going forward.”

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1
BOWMAN ON RACING AT THE CLASH AT THE COLISEUM:
“I’m pumped to go to the L.A. Memorial Coliseum. It’s such a cool venue, and I’m excited to see all the fans in the stands, to get the new car on the track and get the season started.”

GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1
IVES ON RACING AT THE CLASH AT THE COLISEUM:
“I am pretty excited to get out to the L.A. Coliseum. For one, being from the Midwest, I know the Coliseum is a big thing for college football. The history of the venue not related to racing and not having ever raced there before makes it pretty neat to go to. From the racing standpoint, there are a lot of unknowns. Just looking at similar tracks like Bowman Gray seem to have a lot of excitement. Obviously, any time you go to race, you always want to run well, but it is also a chance for us to go there and get a look at the competition and work out any bugs before we head to Daytona.”

Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics

Manufacturers Championships:
Total (1949-2021): 40
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

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)

CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 814 (1949 to date)
Poles won to date: 723
Laps led to date: 241,336
Top-five finishes to date: 4,138
Top-10 finishes to date: 8,555

Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:

       General Motors: 1,148
       Chevrolet: 814
       Pontiac: 154
       Oldsmobile: 115
       Buick: 65

       Ford: 811                                                         
       Ford: 711
       Mercury: 96
       Lincoln: 4

       Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467
       Dodge: 217
       Plymouth: 191
       Chrysler: 59

       Toyota: 162

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.

Will Serve as Primary Partner of the No. 42 Chevrolet at Clash at The Coliseum and Daytona 500

SAN ANTONIO & STATESVILLE, North Carolina (Feb. 3, 2022) – Black Rifle Coffee Company (BRCC), a rapidly growing and mission-driven premium coffee company founded to support Veterans, active-duty military, and first responders, and Petty GMS today announced a multi-race partnership with Ty Dillon and the No. 42 Chevrolet for the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season.

The BRCC colors will debut this Sunday, February 6, during the Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Dillon will also carry the brand during the prestigious Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, February 20. Additional race primaries will be released at a later date.

“My favorite thing about Black Rifle Coffee Company is their support of the Veteran community,” said Dillon. “They not only have a love and passion for coffee, which I enjoy, but they have a passion for giving back to those who have fought for our freedom. Those who have and are currently serving our country allow us the opportunity to race cars and entertain those back home here in the United States of America. Representing Black Rifle is representing men and women who fought for our country, and that’s an extreme honor for me personally.”

Black Rifle Coffee Company’s mission is to serve premium coffee and content to active military, Veterans, first responders, and those who love America. The company continues its relationship with Dillon, as BRCC was represented in the driver’s limited Cup Series starts last season.

“As long-time NASCAR fans and a group that never says no to a race, we are super excited to be partnering with Ty and Petty GMS,” said Black Rifle CEO Evan Hafer. “Ty is tough, determined, smart, and resourceful—qualities he has in common with Veterans. He’s a great competitor, a great sportsman, and we know he’ll be a great partner in our mission to support those who serve our country.”

Watch Dillon and the No. 42 BRCC Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 take to the track this Sunday, February 6 for the Clash at The Coliseum. FOX will carry live television coverage, while Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will carry the live radio broadcast.

About Black Rifle Coffee Company:

Black Rifle Coffee Company (BRCC) is a Veteran-founded coffee company serving premium coffee to people who love America. Founded in 2014 by Green Beret Evan Hafer, Black Rifle develops their explosive roast profiles with the same mission focus they learned while serving in the military. BRCC is committed to supporting Veterans, active-duty military, first responders and the American way of life. With every purchase made, they give back.

To learn more about BRCC, visit www.blackriflecoffee.com, follow BRCC on social media, or subscribe to Coffee or Die Magazine’s daily newsletter at https://coffeeordie.com/presscheck-signup.

ABOUT PETTY GMS:

Petty GMS competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, operating the No. 42 Chevrolet for Ty Dillon and the No. 43 Chevrolet for Erik Jones. Founded in December 2021, Maury Gallagher, championship-winning team owner of GMS Racing, purchased a majority interest of Richard Petty Motorsports. Inaugural NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty, known as “The King,” remains a key stakeholder of the organization. For more information, visit www.pettygms.com.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and exclusive content, follow Petty GMS on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Award-winning digital financial platform joins 23XI Racing, extending long-term relationship in NASCAR

Mooresville, NC (February 3, 2022) – Today, 23XI Racing announced the addition of MoneyLion (NYSE: ML), the award-winning digital financial platform, as the Official Digital Banking and Cryptocurrency Partner of 23XI. This multi-year partnership continues MoneyLion’s involvement in NASCAR as part of the company’s larger commitment to connect with, engage, and motivate hard-working Americans to build their financial power.

MoneyLion is on a mission to rewire the American financial system and positively change the path of every hard-working American. Both 23XI and MoneyLion share a common belief that we all get ahead when nobody gets left behind. As such, 23XI and MoneyLion will be encouraging NASCAR fans to #BeALion in their drive toward excellence.

This message comes to life in 23XI’s Bubba Wallace and Kurt Busch. MoneyLion will be a primary partner of the No. 23 Toyota Camry TRD and the No. 45 Toyota Camry TRD for select races in 2022, as well as an associate partner with 23XI throughout the season, beginning with the Busch Light Clash at the LA Memorial Coliseum on Sunday, February 6.

“We believe in NASCAR and this young team,” said Bill Davaris, Chief Marketing Officer of MoneyLion. “Bubba and Kurt are lions, both on and off the track, and epitomize the mission and mantra we live by at MoneyLion. Through their sport and influence, and with our all-in-one financial platform, we can make a tangible impact on people’s lives.”

“As we continue to move into our second year, we’re excited to add innovative partners like MoneyLion to the 23XI Racing family,” said 23XI Racing President Steve Lauletta. “In MoneyLion we find a company that shares similar goals, like building a winning team unlike any other in our respective industries and making a difference for those around us. We look forward to a partnership that is as successful on the track as it is off the track.”

“It’s great to welcome MoneyLion to the 23XI Racing team,” said Busch. “We have a vision for thinking about racing differently and it’s great to have a partner on our team that shares a similar outlook within their industry. We look forward to having fun together this year and enjoying some exciting moments on the track as we compete for wins.”

“It’s a great fit for me and our team to partner with a company that strives to make a lasting difference in other people’s lives,” said Wallace. “Coming up I had people help to make that difference for me as I worked towards my dream of racing in NASCAR, and I hope through the partnership with MoneyLion and the powerful financial content and products they offer, we can help more people feel equipped and empowered to chase their dreams.”

The MoneyLion paint scheme will debut at Phoenix Raceway in March with Kurt Busch and the No. 45 team. MoneyLion’s first race as the primary partner with Bubba Wallace and the No. 23 Toyota Camry TRD will be at the legendary Darlington Raceway in May.

Follow @moneylionracing and #BeALion on Twitter to learn more about the 23XI Racing and MoneyLion partnership and stay up to date on Young Lion activations, giveaways, and prizes throughout the season.

About MoneyLion

MoneyLion (NYSE: ML) is a mobile banking and financial membership platform that empowers people to take control of their finances. Since its launch in 2013, MoneyLion has engaged with 9.4 million hard-working Americans and has earned its members’ trust by building a full-service digital platform to deliver mobile banking, lending, and investment solutions. From a single app, members can get a 360-degree snapshot of their financial lives and have access to personalized tips and tools to build and improve their credit and achieve everyday savings. MoneyLion is headquartered in New York City, with offices in Sioux Falls and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. MoneyLion has achieved various awards of recognition including the 2020 Forbes FinTech 50, Aite Group Best Digital Wealth Management Multiproduct offering, Finovate Award for Best Digital Bank 2019, Benzinga FinTech Awards winner for Innovation in Personal Finance 2019 and the Webby Awards 2019 People’s Voice Award.

For more information about the company, visit http://www.moneylion.com. For investor information and updates, visit http://www.moneylion.com/investors and follow @MoneyLionIR on Twitter.

About 23XI Racing

23XI Racing – pronounced twenty-three eleven – was founded by NBA legend Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 Winner Denny Hamlin in 2020. With rising NASCAR star Bubba Wallace selected to drive the No. 23 Toyota Camry TRD, the team made its NASCAR Cup Series debut in the 2021 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Wallace made history on October 4, 2021, when he captured his first career Cup Series win, becoming just the second African American to win in the Cup Series, and earning 23XI Racing its first-ever victory. 23XI Racing expands to a two-car organization in 2022 with Cup Series Champion Kurt Busch driving the No. 45 Toyota Camry TRD.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
LOS ANGELES MEMORIAL COLISEUM
BUSCH LIGHT CLASH AT THE COLISEUM
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
FEBRUARY 2, 2022

COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 NATIONS GUARD CAMARO ZL1, Press Conference Transcript:

I HAVE HEARD A LOT OF TALK, A LOT OF PEOPLE SPECULATING HOW THIS COLISEUM RACE IS GOING TO BE, WHAT IS YOUR TAKE? WHAT IS IT GOING TO LOOK LIKE?

“I think the one thing that everybody’s overlooking slightly is that we all are in a way, sometimes we don’t show it, are all professional racecar drivers. I think what you see on a quarter bullring on a Saturday night isn’t quite the product you are going to see here on Sunday or even Saturday nights. With the consideration of everybody’s pretty lean on equipment and cars right now, I don’t think you are going to see really bonehead moves or aggressive moves besides maybe some rutting and gauging for a transfer spot, but you’re not going to see people wiping each other out often I don’t think. I could be wrong, but I have seen races at Bowman Gray go green to checkered with no cautions, I think people are overlooking the potential that we could see very minimal amount of cautions. I think it will be a good durability test for these Next Gen cars for sure.”

SO, AT THE SPEED THE CARS WILL BE AT THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE SAYING WELL THERE CAN’T BE THAT MUCH CHAOS OR DESTRUCTION BECAUSE THEY AREN’T GOING TO BE GOING THAT FAST IN SUCH A SMALL AREA. SO NO MATTER WHAT WE TALK ABOUT, WHAT PICTURE DOES THAT PAINT?

“I mean I can assure you that if somebody left rears you and backs you into the fence at 80 miles per hour, you are not going to drive away and not have any damage. The most vulnerable thing on these cars are the rear toe lengths. That is what keeps the rear tires square with the independent rear suspension versus the Ford nine-inch. You can beat and bang with those rear-end housings all you wanted to and they are not really going to bend a whole lot, if at all. Now we are going to be beating those 18-inch wheels, which are obviously three inches bigger than what we had, so it is going to have more torque on the suspension when you do beat and bang and those toe lengths are only about the size of my pinky and about this long. I think those are going to be the first things to go and bend. I can assure you if a rear tire is not pointed in the right direction with this car you are going to have a bad day. I think that what you are going to gain in durability with the composite bodies beating and banging, leaning on guys and not really worrying about a fender rubbing a tire, you are going to give up the durability of the suspension pieces. Particularly the ones that keep them pointed straight. You are going to be going fast enough to wreck. Ask Daniel Suarez how it went at Bowman Gray when he was up on the tires at pit road entry. He was going fast enough to almost have it pointed vertical. You’ll definitely see some wadded-up stuff at the end of the night. Hopefully it’s not the seven Nations Guard Camaro.”

HOW FAST DO YOU THINK THE CARS WILL GO? WHAT DO YOU THINK THE TOP SPEED WILL BE?

“I’m guessing 85 maybe top end, you may see that in qualifying with the little big longer straightaways. I think you saw somewhere close to 80 at Bowman Gray and it looks like the straightaways are a bit longer there and tighter corners. In the simulation runs somewhere around 14 flat, I don’t know what that works out to be average speed wise, but you’ll be going fast enough to do some damage if you back the thing into the fence for sure.”

I know you are a short track guy at heart, so how important is it do you feel like to add to the first time since 1971 a true quarter mile bullring to the Cup Series dynamic in addition to like the dirt track last year too?

“Yeah, unfortunately it’s not a points paying race right? It is kind of like a pro bowl and I love the fact that NASCAR opened it up for the teams that wouldn’t capable or qualified for the CLASH in its old format. It opens it up to everyone available to qualify for the race, especially for the first one that is such a monumental event that’s going to be this weekend, but my expectations are as high as they have ever been in the Cup Series. Which the bar is set particularly low, because any given week I know that single car speed I haven’t been driving anything faster than a 25th place car and you know with a couple of Next Gen tests under our belt we have had pretty good speed and I think that this is the most even going into an event in the history of NASCAR you could argue. With the limited amount of notes, the quarter mile racetrack, temporary racetrack that nobody has any notes on it, you know, and everybody is guessing at their simulation. It kind of goes back to old school racing where you try to set the car up based on what you know and align left and get the elbow up and get after it. So, I’m excited to see how much speed we have off the truck and hopefully we can punch our ticket and race on Sunday night.”

WITH THE GRIPPIER TIRE AND THE LARGER BRAKE PACKAGE, DO YOU THINK SHORT TRACK RACING IS GOING TO CHANGE AT ALL OR IS IT STILL BASICALLY SAME OLE MARTINSVILLE AND BULLRING RACING WE HAVE HAD BEFORE?

“I think you will see a lot more lock up, like guys come to pit for lock ups. The brakes we had on the Gen 6 car weren’t capable of really, you could lock the tire up a little bit, but the weight of the car far overcame the max potential of the smaller rotors were. Now we are going to have I think more brake than what tire grip we are going to have available when the tires get hot. You are going to see a lot more lock ups into guys when they are racing hard because you are going to be able to go deeper into the corner whether that is Martinsville or Turn 3 at Phoenix or here at LA, you are going to be able to get into the corner deeper but that margin for error for sliding the tires is considerable smaller. So, what you gain in potential and abilities you are going to give up in tire grip once those 18-inch tires get hot they definitely degrade pretty quick. I think it is going to be pretty interesting to watch.”

WHAT WOULD IT MEAN FOR YOU OR ANY COMPETITOR TO WIN THIS FIRST EVENT THIS WEEKEND? FOR YOU PERSONALLY, AT WHAT LEVEL WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO GO?

“I mean at the end of the day there are no points on the line, not an exuberant amount of money you know like you are not racing for Daytona 500 money, you are racing, I can promise you first probably pays better than second last time I checked. There’s lots of things you have to consider, which you are not going to consider once you put the helmet on. We are all racecar drivers and that goes out the window with any common sense when you put the visor down. When, let’s just say two potential playoff contenders get into it and they want to fight and beat and bang, that is a thing that can last all season long for something that might not truly be worth it. I do think that anything is going to be worth it to be the first guy to win in the Next Gen car as well as the first guy to win, potentially the only guy to win, in the LA Coliseum. I think there’s going to be a lot of guys going to some great lengths, myself included, to get myself into the show as well as hopefully put ourselves in position to win the show.”

I’M GUESSING THAT YOU GO IN EACH WEEKEND TO GET THE BEST PERFORMANCE AND ANY COMPETITOR WANTS TO WIN, DO YOU LOOK AT THIS EVENT AS THE BEST OPPORTUNITY OR THE MOST REALISTIC OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO WIN IN A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME OR JUST SINCE THE LAST SUPERSPEEDWAY RACE? HOW DO YOU VIEW THIS OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU PERSONALLY?

“Yeah, bar none. I’m not going in with just the hopes of making it. I think if we don’t finish in the top seven, I feel like I would be pretty disappointed in myself and our abilities to you know not finish inside the top seven we didn’t do our job as a race team. There is no excuse why we can’t pull the belts tight, make our car have some positive changes and get some good speed out of the thing and contend for a top-10 for sure. It’s different than a speedway. A lot of luck goes into a speedway, and a little bit of luck is going to go into this event just like any race, but you know generally speaking I am riding around waiting for everybody to wreck and then two laps to go jam it in there if we finish sixth then great. Not very fun as a racecar driver riding around hoping everybody wrecks and if they don’t you run 28th like we did spring Talladega. This is the only the first event where me running to our maximum ambition gives us a chance that we know we might see some fruit on the backend because we are going to have a lot better relative speed than we probably had last year or years previous.”

I REALLY LIKE WHAT I AM HEARING IN YOUR VOICE. YOU KNOW THE CONFIDENCE YOU HAVE. IS IT MORE OF THE UNKOWNS WITH THE CAR OR IS IT THE SHORT TRACK? DO YOU THINK THE SHORT TRACK ITSELF SUITS YOUR TALENT?

“I definitely obviously favor short tracks. It is what I grew up cutting my teeth on, you know had some success there with second and first at Bowman Gray the two times we have been there. That is the closest track that is similar to. I have been to Columbus, Ohio and run well there. It is a quarter mile, more round than the LA Coliseum, so I feel like on paper I’ve got as much stock car experience running quarter mile small tracks that is of anybody in the field as well as our team building solid racecars to have good speed at the last couple Next Gen tests. I think to it’s a little bit of myself like eventually, you know I tweeted this the beginning of the year, I have been paying dues for five years in this thing. It’s like when you play NASCAR 08 career mode and you get in with the crappiest team and then you go to the next team and you keep progressing one team at a time to ultimately where you want to go. Then eight years later you are winning races and championship, that is literally how my career has been and it has been eating a lot of crow and learning a lot of lessons the hard way on LIVE television each and every Sunday that a lot of guys would learn on a Saturday afternoon with a lot less expectations. I think now I have just been telling myself like you belong here. You know I think that now the competition side has to match what I feel like off the racetrack with the podcast and fans understanding my story and the work I have been putting in on the backend. Hopefully with this Next Gen car and the people we have in place at Spire Motorsports we can continue to match the competition graph up to the off-track momentum that I have behind myself. A lot of this is about confidence and if you don’t believe in yourself to get the job done, nobody else will believe in you. So, I know I can get the job done. This the best chance I have had in my Cup Series career and Xfinity Series career probably in the last decade to be competitive and race for not just a win but a top-10 or just be competitive and rub fenders with guys I usually don’t. I know that is a long-winded answer, but I’m confident now until we get really get beat back into submission a couple of weeks into the year. We still have realistic expectations, but you know the longer I get into this and the more I am racing around guys that I respect, I keep telling myself right, wrong or indifferent I’ve paid the dues and I belong in the Cup Series. Hopefully we can start pairing some good runs and good finishes together to enhance that.”

IF THIS IS A SUCCESS, WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE THIS DONE NEXT? LIKE IS THERE A STADIUM OR ANY SORT OF PLACE THAT YOU ARE LIKE MAN THAT WOULD BE COOL TO RACE THERE?

“I just keep thinking about the AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys. It all depends on the footprint right. I don’t know about footprint of the field and how big it is. That is a state-of-the-art facility down there in Dallas, but if it works here which it will, there’s a couple things that could happen early to derail it but I think everything in NASCAR control has been over and above what has been expected. I think they have done a bang-up job with how the track looks and the pavement of it and everything. The marketing of it has been a homerun as well. I was watching FS1 this morning and there was a little ticker across the bottom talking about it. Talking about Floyd Miller team, so I think that there’s as much momentum behind the sport as ever and I think this event is really going to capture it. Without getting into the details too much about what side of the track would be better or if it could work, AT&T stadium would be pretty slick. If this model works, it could open a lot of doors for the sport for the future.”

YOU TALKED ABOUT IT EARLIER, YOU MENTIONED THE CLASH AND YOU KIND OF WISH IT WAS A POINTS RACE, DOES THAT GIVE US A HINT THAT MAYBE YOU THINK THIS CAR, THE NEW CAR IS A GREAT EQUALIZER THIS YEAR AND YOU ARE REALLY GOING TO HAVE A LOT BETTER SHOT AT BETTER FINISHES AND BEING ON MORE EVEN PAR WITH THOSE UPPER TEAMS?

“It is not the great equalizer. It at least makes a Spire Motorsports race apples to apples with a Hendrick Motorsports. Before it was an apples to bananas or oranges or whatever tastes terrible. Asparagus. We weren’t even in the same ballpark. We might have had a car that was a couple of phases old, but we are not getting trinkets that actually makes feet. So, just off raw speed of Charlotte if we had taken our Gen 6 car out to a test like that, we would be wide open and we would be 1.2 to 1.3 seconds off the fastest guy. Nothing I could do behind the wheel to make that thing go any faster. Now when we go back with this Next Gen car, we are trying taller spoiler, shorter spoiler, more horsepower and they land on the package and now we were a fourth to sixth place car out of the 22 or 23 that were there. You are on the edge of sliding around, you are on the edge of busting your ass and you know finding the grip and putting a little bit of that courage back behind the wheel, you can see the gain on the speed chart. Just the bigger teams with the collective minds will probably get to a better baseline quicker than a smaller team with two or three engineers with not a lot of teammates to bounce information off of to compare and then go down a particular path that might work. With that being said, the bigger teams that have four teammates that can try a, b, c package and land on one and continue in that progression will get to a place of their cars are a little bit quicker earlier than a place like ours I believe. We’re still in a place where a Spire Motorsports can hit on a set up and race with any of the guys any given Sunday. Now we don’t expect to do that every Sunday, but our potential races from where we hit on Martinsville or Bristol or Darlington, if a great day previously was 15th or 18th, I feel like we can run top-10 on a good day for us. So, I think that gives me a lot of confidence and optimism going into the year.”

DO YOU THINK THAT THIS WILL HELP BRING SOME OF THAT FUN BACK MAYBE THAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT NOT HAVING SO MUCH FUN? DO YOU THINK THAT WILL GET A LITTLE MORE FUN?

“Well, fun’s relative. I can assure you Kyle Larson had a lot of fun last year. (inaudible) Granted he got on the wheel and got after it and rightfully so got the job done. Got the big trophy, but I’m having a lot more fun even when I am running 30th than I would be welding seats back here at Lajoie seats. So fun is a perspective and what kind of perspective you are looking at. Now Kyle Busch running 30th no matter what day it is and no matter what the particular circumstances are is not having fun running 30th. Fun I think is a loaded question. At the end of the day, I’m doing what I love and what I dreamed of when I was a little kid that I have been working hard my entire life to get to and I am doing it with a team I love going to battle with each and every weekend.”

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