Charlotte ROVAL
Sunday, Oct. 10, 2021
2.28-Mile Road Course
2:00 PM ET
Location: Concord, North Carolina
TV: Fox
Event: NASCAR Cup Series (32 of 36)
Radio: SiriusXM, PRN

5 KYLE LARSON

Age: 29 (July 31, 1992)

Hometown: Elk Grove, California

Resides: Mooresville, North Carolina

Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels

Standings: 2nd

No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE

22 TO THE GOOD: Kyle Larson holds a 22-point advantage over the cutoff position entering Sunday’s NASCAR Round of 12 elimination race at the Charlotte ROVAL. In 2021, he has accumulated 60 playoff points through six race wins (five points per win), 15 stage victories (one point per stage win) and winning the NASCAR Cup Series regular season championship (15 points).

ROAD COURSE RINGER: In June at Sonoma Raceway, Larson won both stages and led 57 of 92 laps to capture his first Cup Series road course victory. At Watkins Glen International in August, the driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet ZL1 1LE led the final 26 laps to secure the victory on the serpentine layout. Overall, Larson has 20 starts on road courses in the Cup Series with two wins, five top-five finishes, eight top-10s and four stage victories (tied for second-most all-time). Two of those stage wins occurred at the Charlotte ROVAL which tie him for the most all-time on the 2.28-mile road course.

TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT: In 2018, Larson entered the elimination race at the ROVAL 17 points ahead of the cutline. He won stage one and led a race-high 47 laps that day but was involved in a multi-car accident on a restart while running second with six laps to go. Driving a car with heavy suspension damage, Larson was able to bounce off the wall in the final turn to grab one final position and finish 25th. The result landed him in a three-way tie for the final two playoff positions and the 2014 Cup Series rookie of the year advanced to the next round with a tiebreaker advantage.

SECOND TO NONE: Through 31 of 36 Cup Series races, Larson leads the series in wins (career-best six), stage wins (15), average start (6.6) and laps led (career-best 2,003) – 631 more laps led than his closest competitor. His 16 top-five finishes and 22 top-10s are both career-bests and tie him for the most in 2021.

TWO GRAND: Larson is one of only three Hendrick Motorsports drivers to lead 2,000 or more laps during a season. Jeff Gordon accomplished this feat three times (1995, 1996 and 2001) while Jimmie Johnson paced the field for more than 2,000 laps once (2009).

UPPING THEIR GAME: At 13.65 seconds, the No. 5 pit crew owns the quickest average time for four-tire pit stops in 2021. During the playoffs, their average time has been even quicker with a series-best 13.19 seconds. The over-the-wall crew is comprised of gasman Brandon Harder, jackman Brandon Johnson, tire carrier R.J. Barnette and tire changers Donnie Tasser (front) and Calvin Teague (rear).

YOUR CAR NEEDS: This weekend, Larson will drive the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. From the convenience of home, customers can select the category, make, model and vehicle packages that are important to them from the nearly 30,000 new, high-quality pre-owned and certified cars, trucks and SUVs available at HendrickCars.com. The website also makes it easy for customers to find one of Hendrick Automotive Group’s 93 dealership locations nationwide.

WE’RE HIRING: Hendrick Automotive Group is hiring more than 300 technicians at its dealerships throughout the country. Positions are open for all skill levels and offer tuition and training reimbursement. Interested people can apply at HendrickCars.com.

9 CHASE ELLIOTT

Age: 25 (Nov. 28, 1995)

Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia

Resides: Dawsonville, Georgia

Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson

Standings: 7th

No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE

ROUND OF 12 FINALE: The NASCAR Cup Series will head into the final race of the Round of 12 this weekend at the Charlotte ROVAL. Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, is currently tied for sixth in playoff standings with Kyle Busch and is nine points above the cutline. For the sixth consecutive season, Elliott has advanced into the second round of the playoffs. In his previous 55 playoff races, he has collected six wins, 22 top-five finishes, 31 top-10s and led 1,651 laps.

RETURN TO THE ROVAL: On Sunday, the Cup Series will return to the Charlotte ROVAL for the fourth event on the course. Elliott has won the last two events, leads all drivers with the best average finish (2.67) – his third-best average finish at a track – laps led (62) and points earned (143) at the road course.

ROAD COURSE ROUND UP: Elliott is set to make his 19th Cup Series road course start Sunday at Charlotte’s road course configuration. He has garnered seven road course wins across five different tracks with a combined 11 top-five finishes, 13 top-10s and 340 laps led. Elliott currently holds the longest active top-10 streak (five) on road courses and the best average finish (5.17) on those tracks in 2021.

LEADING THE WAY: Elliott’s seven road course wins are the most of all active drivers and the third-most all-time road course wins behind only Jeff Gordon (nine) and Tony Stewart (eight). The Dawsonville, Georgia, native also leads the way for the most wins on different road courses in the series (five). Elliott holds the second-best all-time average finish (7.67) and has garnered the most stage wins (six) of all time at road courses.

GUSTAFSON AT ROAD COURSES: Crew chief Alan Gustafson continues to lead the charge with seven wins at road courses – the most of active crew chiefs. This weekend in Charlotte, the 46-year-old crew chief will call his 41st road course race from atop the pit box. In his previous 40 starts, Gustafson has garnered 15 top-five finishes, 21 top-10s and 397 laps led.

POWERING THROUGH PLAYOFFS: The No. 9 team owns the second-best average time for four-tire pit stops at 13.27 seconds during the playoffs. The NAPA pit crew is comprised of jackman T.J. Semke, gasman John Gianninoto, tire carrier Jared Erspamer and tire changers Chad Avrit and Nick O’Dell.

NAPA KNOW HOW: This weekend, the familiar blue, white and yellow NAPA AUTO PARTS paint scheme will return at the Charlotte ROVAL. The Atlanta-based company is serving as majority sponsor for Elliott and the No. 9 team for 25 Cup Series races this season.

24 WILLIAM BYRON

Age: 23 (Nov. 29, 1997)

Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

Resides: Charlotte, North Carolina

Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle

Standings: 11th

No. 24 Valvoline Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE

‘GAME 7’ TIME: After being collected in an on-track incident Monday at Talladega Superspeedway just before rain cut the race short, William Byron is now sitting 11th in the NASCAR Cup Series driver point standings, 44 points below the playoff cut line. With the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL as the last race of the Round of 12, this will be Byron and the No. 24 team’s last shot to move on to the next round of the playoffs if they can capture a win or enough points to overcome the current gap

BEST YEAR YET: With five races left in the 2021 Cup Series season, Byron is continuing to have a career-best season at the highest level of competition in the No. 24 Valvoline Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. So far, Byron has collected one win (Homestead-Miami Speedway), two pole awards (Road America and Indianapolis road course – most by a driver this season), 10 top-five finishes and 17 top-10s all while leading 283 laps and collecting three stage wins. In his Cup career, these are the most top-five finishes, top-10s, laps led and stage wins the 23-year-old driver has posted in a single season.

ROAD COURSE RINGER?: With three previous starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL, Byron is prepared for his fourth start at the 2.28-mile course. In his last three showings there, the 23-year-old driver had strong runs. While a flat tire derailed his race in 2018, Byron rebounded to capture the pole at the Charlotte road course in 2019, later racing to a sixth-place finish. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native doubled down in 2020, racing to another sixth-place result at the Charlotte ROVAL. In fact, Byron has led a total of 50 laps at his hometown road course – the third-most in the Cup Series field behind Hendrick Motorsports teammates Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson. Those 50 laps led by Byron are also the seventh-highest amount he has at a track in his Cup Series career.

FUGLE FIRST: This Sunday’s race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL will mark crew chief Rudy Fugle’s first start at the 2.28-mile road course. Already in 2021, Fugle and Byron have six road course starts together. However, the duo is looking to turn their luck around Sunday after suffering misfortune in the previous road course races this season despite running up front during several of those events. Aside from six road course starts in the Cup Series, Fugle has seven other road course races under his belt all coming in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. In those seven starts, Fugle has one win (Erik Jones, 2015), three top-five finishes and five top-10s. One of those seven truck starts was also with Byron in 2016 when the duo raced to a 10th-place finish at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park.

VALVOLINE IS BACK: Valvoline will make its final appearance as the primary sponsor of Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE this Sunday at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL. This is their second appearance on the No. 24 this season after their debut with Byron at the spring race at Darlington Raceway. Valvoline Inc. (NYSE: VVV) is a leading worldwide marketer and supplier of premium branded lubricants and automotive services, with sales in more than 140 countries. Established in 1866, the company’s heritage spans more than 150 years, during which time it has developed powerful brand recognition across multiple product and service channels. Valvoline ranks as the No. 3 passenger car motor oil brand in the DIY market by volume. To learn more, visit www.valvoline.com.

HOME SWEET HOME: Cutting his teeth in the racing world in Charlotte, North Carolina, Byron is one of only a handful of drivers who was born and raised in the “home of NASCAR.” After visiting the U.S. Legend Cars International headquarters in Harrisburg, North Carolina, with his father in 2012, Byron found himself behind the wheel for the first time the next year competing in the Young Lion Division. Winning 33 of the 69 legend car events he participated in across the United States in 2013, Byron went on to lock up the U.S. Legend Young Lions National championship and the Thursday Thunder Young Lion championship at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Progressing to the Legend Car Pro Division the next season, Byron also signed with JR Motorsports’ developmental program at the same time. From then on, Byron hasn’t slowed down as he climbed the racing ranks before ultimately making it to the top level of NASCAR as a Cup Series rookie in 2018.

HOME TRACK FEEL: In addition to Charlotte Motor Speedway being the home track of Byron, three other members of the No. 24 team also claim the venue as their home track. Mechanic Jacob Bowman is from Pilot Mountain, fueler Landon Walker hails from North Wilkesboro and jackman Spencer Bishop was raised in Pinehurst.

48 Alex Bowman

Age: 28 (April 25, 1993)

Hometown: Tucson, Arizona

Resides: Concord, North Carolina

Crew Chief: Greg Ives

Standings: 12th

No. 48 Ally/Charlotte FC Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE

RECAPPING ‘DEGA: In the rain delayed Talladega event on Monday, Alex Bowman and the No. 48 Ally team rolled off 11th. The driver finished the first stage in 10th place under a yellow flag, earning the team a stage point. Bowman was up to second on lap 90 while running in the top lane. Unfortunately, seven laps later while leading the field, Bowman was turned and made contact with the outside wall on the backstretch. The Ally team was scored with a 38th-place result at the conclusion of the event and Bowman now sits 12th in the NASCAR Cup Series point standings, 52 markers out of the eighth spot.

NEW LOOK FOR THE 48: On Sunday, Bowman will pilot an updated look on the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet. Last week, Ally unveiled a new paint scheme for the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL event that features the new Charlotte Major League Soccer team. Ally partnered with Charlotte FC in 2019 and on Sunday it will be featured on the No. 48 machine. Last month, Bowman and Charlotte FC defender Christian Fuchs got together at Hendrick Motorsports to film Ally’s “Unexpected Allies” series. Members of the No. 48 pit crew got to practice some soccer drills with Fuchs as their instructor and Bowman got to try his hand as a goalie. To view the final episode of the series and to get a glimpse of the dual scheme, click here.

TURNING LEFT AND RIGHT: Bowman will make his fourth start on the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL this weekend in the final race in the Round of 12. The Tucson, Arizona, native has the second-best average finish (4.67) among all Cup Series drivers in three starts at the 2.28-mile facility and has captured 107 points at the ROVAL, which is fourth-best among active drivers. Last season, Bowman finished eighth, marking his third top-10 finish at the venue. The team’s eighth-place result locked Bowman into the Round of 8 in 2020.

ROAD COURSE STATS: In the Cup Series, Bowman has 17 starts at road courses with two top-five finishes and six top-10s. Both of the Ally driver’s top-five results came on the ROVAL after finishing fourth in 2018 and second in 2019. Bowman’s best tracks based on average finishes are all road course facilities. The 28-year-old driver has an average finish of 4.67 at the ROVAL, 8.0 at Circuit of The Americas and 11.0 at the DAYTONA Road Course. In 2021, Bowman has the 10th-best average finish (14.33) on road courses.

IVES AT THE ROVAL: No. 48 team crew chief Greg Ives will call the shots for the fourth time at the 2.28-mile road course at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday. The Bark River, Michigan, native has two top-five results and three top-10s at the track since 2018.

PIT PERFORMANCE: Going into the final race in the Round of 12 this weekend, the No. 48 pit crew sits sixth on the charts for the fastest average four-tire stop time of 13.91. The team includes fueler Jacob Conley, tire carrier Allen Stallings, jackman Dustin Lineback and tire changers Scott Brzozowski and Devin DelRicco.

HOME TRACK MAGIC: Since its inception in 2018, Hendrick Motorsports has won two of the three NASCAR Cup Series races held at the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course known as the ROVAL. Overall, the team has 35 Cup-level wins at the CMS facility, including 21 points-paying victories on the 1.5-mile oval and 12 non-points wins – eight in the NASCAR All-Star Race and four in the All-Star Open. Based in Concord, North Carolina, Hendrick Motorsports is located less than 1 mile from the racetrack.

THRIVING UNDER PRESSURE: Hendrick Motorsports has won four consecutive Cup Series playoff elimination races dating back to last season. In 2020, Chase Elliott won the final three cutoff events – held at the ROVAL, Martinsville Speedway and Phoenix Raceway – en route to winning the Cup Series championship. This year, Kyle Larson won at Bristol Motor Speedway, which hosted the first elimination race of the 2021 playoffs.

THE ROAD AHEAD: The three drivers who have led the most laps at the Charlotte ROVAL all drive for Hendrick Motorsports: Elliott (62 laps led), Larson (52) and William Byron (50). While he has led just two ROVAL laps, teammate Alex Bowman has never finished outside the top 10 at the track and boasts a 4.7 average finish there, which trails only two-time winner Elliott (2.7).

TRUTH BOMB: Since 2018, Hendrick Motorsports has won nine of the 14 Cup Series points-paying events held on road courses, including eight of the last 10. This season, the team has won four of six road races, including three sweeps of the top-two finishing positions. Hendrick Motorsports holds the all-time NASCAR Cup Series records for road-course wins (24), different drivers with a road-course victory (seven) and road-course stage wins (11).

NOTHING BUT NET: For Sunday’s ROVAL event, all four Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE race cars of Hendrick Motorsports will feature pink window nets in support of the “Window of Hope” initiative that will raise money to support breast cancer awareness and treatment. Following the race, the nets will be autographed by each driver and auctioned for charity at NASCARfoundation.org/pinknets.

QUOTABLE /

Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on battling Chase Elliott on road courses this year: “We’ve run first and second a lot this year on road courses. That team and Chase set the bar – you pay attention to how he’s doing and where he’s running. It’s been fun to compete with him on the road courses and we both have a couple wins. Hopefully, we’re battling with all our teammates for stage wins and the victory this weekend.”

Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on access to teammates notes: “We’ve got the (No.) 9 team’s notes and they’ve won the last two years on the ROVAL. We’re going to study our notes from all the road courses this year and anything we can apply from the high banks of Daytona (road course) and put the best race package together that we can.”

Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on returning to the ROVAL as two-time winner: “I feel like we have just have had a good road course package. Like I’ve said for years now, I don’t feel like what I do is anything special. I just think we have a good package and Alan (Gustafson) has done a really good job of honing in on the things that matter at a road course and we’ve just kind of hit on things that work. When you are a young guy and you come in to new situations and the foundation is built there for you, it makes it a lot easier for a guy to learn. I think I came in to a great foundation and I was able to really work on myself because we have a solid package and as we improve, the cars and I improve, I think we just landed in a solid place. Does that mean we will be good there forever? No, but I certainly feel that we can improve upon where we’ve been and I can do a better job. We will see where we shake out.”

Elliott on winning three cutoff races last year (ROVAL, Martinsville, Phoenix): “We just really tried to enjoy those moments. I just remember last year just going through the rounds and recognizing you really have to start treating some of those weekends like they are cutoff weekends because Phoenix really is a cutoff weekend, if you think about it like that. It’s not necessarily a Round of 3. It’s either you win the race or you go home. There is no in between. I just felt like you have to enjoy those moments and embrace that, and I kept saying if you ever make it to Phoenix, that’s the situation you’re going to be faced with, so you better like it and have fun with it.”

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on his thoughts about racing at the ROVAL: “The ROVAL has always been tough ever since we started racing there. I feel like every year it becomes a little bit more normal for us and we’re able understand the race track a bit more and what to expect. The good thing is that I have the same amount of experience there as most of the field since it is a fairly new track. It’s difficult, though, because I feel like this is a race where there is always a lot more contact throughout the field and you can’t prepare for that other than to be ready for anything at any moment. We always have fast cars there, though, so we just need to go there and focus on getting the win. It’s going to be really difficult to worry about points, so a win is really all we’re worried about.”

Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on his outlook for advancing on to the Round of 8: “I know I’ve said it before, but this weekend’s race at the ROVAL is no different for us than how we have prepared for earlier races. We’re just going to go there and execute the best race we can. While it’s technically doable to get into the next round on points, it’s going to be a bit harder than it was in Bristol. We’re really focused on converting the speed we have shown all year into a win and, hopefully, additional playoff points that we can use in the next round. Obviously though, things change once the race gets going, so if the situation changes we will adapt our strategy to match. On paper, our results at road courses aren’t where we want them, but I don’t think it accurately represents the speed we have had in those races, either. William has really become a great road course racer and we have a great road course package not only with the No. 24 team but with Hendrick Motorsports as a whole. Sunday’s race is a high-stress situation, but this team has overcome a lot this season, so I know we’re capable of advancing on if we execute.”

Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on expectations at the ROVAL this weekend: “We are going into this weekend’s race at the ROVAL knowing that we most likely need to find victory lane in order to advance. We have finished well here before, so we really need to focus on what we can control. The Ally team has been working hard on this road course Chevrolet and I know we will have a shot at it on Sunday.”

Bowman on running the Ally/Charlotte FC scheme at the ROVAL: “Getting Ally into the playoffs was one of our goals this season, and I really want to get them as far as we can in the playoffs. Having the Charlotte FC program on the car this weekend will be really special for everyone involved and I am pumped to show Christian (Fuchs) what race day looks like for this 48 team. This Chevrolet has a lot of meaning to the city of Charlotte, so ending up in victory lane Sunday would be huge.”

Greg Ives, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on how their success at the ROVAL gives them confidence: “When you look at the finishing position, it doesn’t really tell you the tale of the race, either. I think one time we did some alternate strategies to try and get there. Another time we had to go to a backup car and Alex wrecked on the first lap and we were able to come back strong and finish well. There’s a lot of adversity in those finishes that I feel like will bide us well for what we have to do on Sunday. Going out there and winning is key, that’s the number one goal no matter what situation you are in, and here it is definitely dire to make that happen to transfer on to the next round. I feel like we are up to the challenge and I feel like Alex has a tendency to find that little bit more or that extra percentage that we need to get it done. I am excited for the team; I am excited for us to get that opportunity and see what we have to show for it.”

Ives on having Charlotte FC on the car: “That’s really cool. To have another premier sport in Charlotte is not only great for the city but also for the competitive spirit that everybody has around here. Maybe that is the help and the support that we need to pull this one off and to come in a little bit of an underdog. Since Charlotte FC is a new team to MLS, somebody probably thinks they are an underdog now, too. Hopefully, we can go out there and combine to have a great race and come out of there with a win as well as have a good season for them.”

Love’s Travel Stops and Delo Return to the No. 34 Ford Mustang

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (October 6, 2021) – Michael McDowell has three previous starts at the Charlotte ROVAL and is ready to get his first Top-10 finish on the circuit this weekend as his current best-finish is 12th. McDowell will be looking to crack into the top-10 with the return of Love’s Travel Stops and Delo aboard his No. 34 Ford Mustang.

“We haven’t had the success that we’ve wanted at the ROVAL, but we can change that this weekend,” said McDowell who has two Top-10 finishes on road courses this season. “We’ve had great finishes at the Daytona Road Course and again at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin (Texas). We know our road course program is pretty strong this year, maybe the best its ever been, honestly. And that gives us the confidence going into the weekend.

“We’ve had a bit of a quiet streak lately, so for our team, it’s time for another Top-10. We’ve been bringing some fast cars to the race track, but haven’t had the finishes to show for it. We know that the ROVAL is a track where we can race up front and have a great day and I’m ready to give our friends at Love’s Travel Stops and Delo a strong run on Sunday.”

This Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race will be televised live on NBC at 2 p.m. ET.

ABOUT LOVE’S TRAVEL STOPS
Love’s Travel Stops is the nation’s leading travel stop network with more than 560 locations in 41 states. Founded in 1964 and headquartered in Oklahoma City, the company remains family-owned and operated and employs more than 33,000 people. Love’s provides professional truck drivers and motorists with 24-hour access to clean and safe places to purchase gasoline, diesel fuel, fresh coffee, restaurant offerings and more. Love’s has over 415 truck service centers, which include Speedco and Love’s Truck Care. Love’s and Speedco combined is the largest oil change, preventive maintenance and total truck care nationwide network with over 1,500 maintenance bays and 1,200 emergency roadside vehicles. Love’s is committed to providing customers with “Clean Places, Friendly Faces” at every stop. To learn more, visit loves.com or follow the company on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter.

ABOUT DELO
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ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS
Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup and Camping World Truck Series and the 2021 Daytona 500 champions. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields the No. 34 and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 38 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team– from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @team_frm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
BANK OF AMERICA ROVAL 400
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY ROAD COURSE
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
OCTOBER 6, 2021

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1 1LE, Teleconference Transcript:

THIS IS YOUR HOMETOWN TRACK THIS WEEKEND. DO YOU HAVE ANY SPECIAL GUESTS OR FRIENDS THAT WILL BE JOINING YOU AT CHARLOTTE ON SUNDAY?
“Yeah, my family always goes to this race. It’s always a good race to bring everyone out to. So yeah, they’ll be watching and I’m sure it’ll be a lot of fun to have them there. I’m looking forward to it. I always look forward to the Charlotte races and they are really important to me; not only because it’s my home track, but I grew up watching races there and racing myself at the summer shootout and stuff. It’s always fun.”

WALK US THROUGH THE ROVAL AND TALK ABOUT THE PLACES WHERE YOU PUT THE POWER DOWN AND IT’S EASY TO SPIN THE TIRES AND THINGS. WHEN YOU THINK OF THE ROVAL, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE NUANCES OF IT THAT YOU KNOW YOU HAVE TO BASICALLY HIT PERFECTLY?
“Really the whole track. I think the front chicane is tough because you’ve got some bumps on your braking there, or one bump that kind of off-sets the car. So, you’ve got to be careful there. And then, just throughout the infield, it’s a challenge. You’ve got to get through the infield good to make passes and then get up onto the oval with speed. The whole track is really important. I don’t think there’s one place that I really focus on more than others. It’s a unique road course because there’s not really a lot of straight sections. It’s not like you’ve got a bunch of straight, heavy braking zones, you’ve got a lot of turning and braking and things like that. It makes it tough.”

WHEN NASCAR ANNOUNCED THIS ROVAL ON THE SCHEDULE A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION THEN? CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS IS THE FOURTH YEAR OF THIS?
“Yeah, I didn’t know what to expect. Honestly, the first year I kind of felt like it was a little bit of a crazy idea and felt like we were kind of out there just for entertainment. But as I’ve gotten accustomed to it, I think we’ve worked on the track a little bit and gotten a little bit more realistic, I think it’s gotten better and better. We’re all used to it by now. I think it’s a great concept. I don’t know if it would work at other tracks. I think it’s good at Charlotte because of the layout there and the way the banking is and things like that. They do a really good job of designing and setting up the track so it’s a good race track for us.”

CONSIDERING WHERE YOU ARE IN POINTS, IS IT A LITTLE LESS NERVE-RACKING PER SE, GOING INTO THIS RACE THAN BRISTOL, BECAUSE YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO WIN TO GET IN AND THERE IS NOT MUCH TALK ABOUT POINTS AND VARIOUS SITUATIONS?
“Yeah, I think you said it best. I feel like there is really nothing to lose for us. We’re 44 points out. We’re not going to make it on points. We’ve got to go win. We know what we have to do to do that. Yeah, the last round I think, would have been really disappointing if we didn’t make it through to the next round. There was a lot kind of on the line for that. And we’d still be really disappointed if we didn’t make it through this round. But it hasn’t been a good round for us as far as luck goes, I guess. We’ve had a flat tire and gotten wrecked and so, it’s not been good. But I think we can make up for all of that on Sunday and we’re very capable of that. So yeah, we just go into it with nothing to lose. We either win or get out of the Playoffs.”

DO YOU TAKE A RISK WITH SET-UP AND STRATEGY JUST BECAUSE OF THAT FACT?
“Not setup. I don’t think there’s anything set-up wise that we could do differently besides maybe a couple of small decisions. But yeah, I think for us, strategy is definitely pretty simple for us. Just try to keep our track position and try to have an opportunity to win at the end. Whatever that strategy is, to get there at the end, is really all we’re worried about. We don’t have to think about points like we do every single week. And we can just really go out there and….how do we put ourselves in the top 4 to 5 with 30 laps to go in the race is all we’re really worried about.”

HOW MUCH OF THIS IS MENTAL WHEN YOU SAY HEY, WE’RE GOING TO THE ROVAL AND I CAN DO THIS?
“Yeah, it’s really just kind of proof in what you’ve learned and how you’ve gotten to this point. And I do feel like, there’s some tracks where if we were going into an elimination race, if it was Richmond, I’d say we have no opportunity to win. But with this track, we’ve continued to work on it. We’ve continued to get better and better. I’ve had a pole there in the past. I’ve led a bunch of laps there over the last two years. So, it’s not a track that I feel like we can’t win. We just have to continue to make those gains that we’ve been making on the road courses. So, I think we’re really capable this weekend of doing it. It’s a lot better than the alternative. It could be a track that we don’t feel like we could win.”

WHAT PARTS OF THE ROVAL ARE YOU VERY CONFIDENT IN, AND WHAT PARTS ARE YOU STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT?
“I think it’s just a really narrow track. So, getting through traffic is tough. I feel like Chase (Elliott) obviously does a great job through traffic and just does a really great job of getting through guys and not burning up his tires. That’s my biggest goal. Hopefully we don’t have to go through a lot of traffic in this race and maybe the start of the race might be the furthest back, hopefully, that we are. I think that we just have to see how it goes and see who is fast. But I feel like we’ll have the speed. We’ve just got to execute a good race.”

WHAT SPOTS OR TURNS ON THE TRACK GIVE YOU THE MOST DIFFICULTY OR ANXIETY?
“Like I said, I think all of them are tough. It’s a track that’s not really like other road courses. You’re always turning and braking, and that’s tough because you’re always setting yourself up for another braking zone and stuff like that. It’s difficult. I don’t know. I think that the corner maybe that’s giving me the most trouble is probably the back chicane and just trying to get through that to set-up a pass. So, that’s probably where I’m focused on for this time, and trying to get better. I mean, they’re all really important.”

HOW DOES THE ROVAL COMPARE TO OTHER ROAD COURSES THIS SEASON IN TERMS OF WHERE IT SITS IN THE PLAYOFFS VERSUS ACTUAL DIFFICULTY?
“I think it’s similar to the Indy Road Course and the fact that anything can happen. It’s unpredictable but I think it’s the least similar to Road America or Watkins Glen; some of those places that are really made for road course racing. Yeah, it’s kind of its own beast.”
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About Chevrolet
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Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Menards/Duracell team enter this weekend’s Bank of America ROVAL at Charlotte Motor Speedway on a road-course roll.

Sunday’s 253-mile race on the 2.28-mile, 17-turn track is the seventh and final road-course race of the 2021 Cup Series season. In the previous six, DiBenedetto and the No. 21 team got off to a slow start but have come on strong in the last three.

That surge began with a 10th-place finish at Road America, which was followed by an 11th at Watkins Glen then a fifth on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

DiBenedetto said the turn-around over the course of the season have him optimistic heading into Charlotte, where races on the unique ROVAL, which is part road course and part oval track, have been unpredictable affairs.

“We have made big improvements at the road courses, but the ROVAL is its own animal that provides good excitement,” he said. “There’s no room for error there, and you’ve got to keep the car clean.”

He said he’s also encouraged by the team’s overall improvement since that 10th-place finish at Road America back in July. That run was the first of five top-10 and eight top-12 finishes in the past 12 races.

“Our Menards/Duracell team has been really good everywhere the last few months, so if we keep it up we can have a shot to win before the season is over,” he said.

There will be no practice or qualifying prior to the start of Sunday’s race, which will consist of 109 laps, with Stage breaks at Laps 25 and 50.

DiBenedetto will start 30th, the line-up having been set based on results from Talladega.

The green flag is set to fly just after 2 p.m. Eastern Time with TV coverage on NBC.

Menards

A family-owned and run company started in 1958, Menards is recognized as the retail home center leader of the Midwest with 236 stores in 15 states. Menards is truly a one-stop shop for all of your home improvement needs featuring a full-service lumberyard and everything you need to plan a renovation or build a home, garage, cabin, shed, deck, fence or post frame building. Menards is known for friendly Customer Service and as the place to “Save Big Money” with low prices every day, and sales too! For more information, please visit Menards.com to learn about our store locations, offerings and services.

Wood Brothers Racing

Wood Brothers Racing was formed in 1950 in Stuart, Va., by Hall of Famer Glen 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. Glen’s brother, Leonard, is known for inventing the modern pit stop. The team currently runs the Ford Mustang driven by Matt DiBenedetto in the famous No. 21 racer.

CHASE BRISCOE
Charlotte Roval Advance
No. 14 Ford Performance Racing School/HighPoint.com Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

● Event: Bank of America Roval 400 (Round 32 of 36)
● Time/Date: 2 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Oct. 10
● Location: Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval
● Layout: 2.28-mile, 17-turn road course
● Laps/Miles: 109 laps/252.88 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 25 laps / Stage 2: 25 laps / Final Stage: 59 laps
● TV/Radio: NBC / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Ford Performance Racing School and HighPoint.com are doubling down on Chase Briscoe’s No. 14 Ford Mustang for Sunday’s Bank of America Roval 400 on the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval. The 2.28-mile, 17-turn road course is the site of the final road course event of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season and serves as the home track for the Ford Performance Racing School.

● Fans of Stewart-Haas Racing’s (SHR) rookie driver can enter for a chance to race on the same circuit used by NASCAR in one of Ford Performance Racing School’s Mustangs. During Sunday’s race, SHR and Ford Performance Racing School are asking NASCAR fans on Twitter to share why they want to #RaceWithChase for a chance to join Briscoe on the Roval for a one-day course and receive a tour of the SHR shop. The one-day, instructor-led class takes participants through a series of guided sessions on braking, shifting and car control before they are let loose on the Roval.

● The Roval is the perfect setting for a race experience with Briscoe, who took home the trophy in the inaugural NASCAR Xfinity Series race on the road-course layout in 2018. He started ninth, took the lead for the first time on lap 18, and led until lap 26. He regained the top spot on lap 32 and stayed out front for the final 24 circuits en route to his first of 11 career Xfinity Series wins. The victory led to a fulltime ride in SHR’s No. 98 for 2019 and he returned to the Roval that year to secure a ninth-place finish after leading a race-high 21 laps.

● In six road-course events this year, Briscoe has racked up three top-10 finishes with a best result of sixth, earned twice – at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, and at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. He was also a contender for the win in the most recent road-course event on Aug. 15 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway before a penalty on the final lap resulted in a 26th-place finish.

● Briscoe looks to build on his streak of three straight top-15 finishes, the most recent of which came Monday at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. After welcoming his first child with wife Marissa last Saturday, Briscoe headed straight for the final superspeedway race of the year. Sunday’s race was postponed to Monday after persistent rain. The No. 14 team started 17th and broke into the top-10 within the first five laps. A multicar accident left Briscoe’s Ford Mustang with heavy damage before the end of the first stage, but following a short rain delay, the Cup Series rookie was able to power his way through the field to the 14th position just before the race was called 71 laps short of the scheduled distance due to weather.

● The No. 14 Ford Performance Racing School/HighPoint.com Mustang will be sporting a pink window net in Sunday’s race as part of the “Window of Hope” campaign initiated by Cup Series driver Kurt Busch in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Briscoe will autograph his window net after the race and it will be part of an eBay auction hosted by The NASCAR Foundation, proceeds from which will benefit breast cancer research and treatment.

● With five races remaining, Briscoe leads the Cup Series Rookie of the Year standings by 263 points and has been the highest-finishing rookie driver in 26 of 31 events. With Rookie of the Year honors in the Truck Series (2017) and Xfinity Series (2019), Briscoe is looking to join Erik Jones and William Byron as only the third driver in history to claim the title in all three of NASCAR’s national touring series.

Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 14 Ford Performance Racing School/HighPoint.com Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

This will be your first Cup Series start at the Roval, but it’s one of your more successful tracks. Are you excited to try it out in this series?

“I’m super excited. The Roval is where I got my first Xfinity win and led a ton of laps there in the Xfinity car in the last two races where it felt like we were the car to beat but threw it away, so I’m excited to get there in the Cup car. The competition is going to be a lot tougher. The other Chase (Elliott) seems to be really good at the Roval, so we’ll see what we can do. I feel like we’ll have a pretty good shot. We’ll have to drive through a lot of cars but, not being in the playoffs, we can do some things strategy-wise to steal some track position. Then I think we’ll be fast enough to stay up there. The road courses have been our strongest all year long, so we’ll continue to build on that and hope to do really well this weekend.”

Fans can tweet during the race to take a Ford Performance Racing School class with you. Have you taken the class and is there anything you’ve learned from it?

“I’ve done the class probably 10 or 15 times and it’s so fun. You go to some racing schools and they dial you back and don’t let you run too hard, but the Ford Performance Racing School is wide open. You run as hard as you want to go. I’ve definitely learned some stuff. It’s not a stock car or anything close to what we race, so there isn’t much to learn from that standpoint, but there’s plenty I’ve been able to take away just from how hard I can brake getting into a corner or working on how to find a passing zone. When we’re getting ready for the road-course races, I work with the instructors to just get back in the swing of turning left and right, and shifting back to the mindset of knowing when to push and when to take care of the car. I’ve even gone over there to run in the rain to prepare for that. So it’s a fun time, and you’re getting a pretty good idea of what we get to do.”

No. 14 Ford Performance Racing School/HighPoint.com Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Chase Briscoe
Hometown: Mitchell, Indiana

Crew Chief: John Klausmeier
Hometown: Perry Hall, Maryland

Car Chief: Chad Haney
Hometown: Fairmont, West Virginia

Engineer: Mike Cook
Hometown: Annapolis, Maryland

Engineer: Marc Hendricksen

Hometown: Clinton, New Jersey

Spotter: Joe White
Hometown: Windsor, Virginia

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Daniel Coffey
Hometown: Granite Falls, North Carolina

Rear Tire Changer: Chris Jackson
Hometown: Rock Hill, South Carolina

Tire Carrier: Jon Bernal
Hometown: Shelby, North Carolina

Jack Man: Brandon Banks

Hometown: High Point, North Carolina

Fuel Man: Justin Wilson
Hometown: Wise, Virginia

Road Crew Members

Underneath Mechanic: Stephen Gonzalez
Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Front End Mechanic: J.D. Frey
Hometown: Ferndale, California

Interior Mechanic: Trevor Adams
Hometown: Naples, Florida

Tire Specialist: Keith Eads
Hometown: Arlington, Virginia

Engine Tuner: Jon Phillips
Hometown: Jefferson City, Missouri

Transporter Co-Driver: Todd Cable
Hometown: Shelby, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: Glenn Funderburk
Hometown: Mint Hill, North Carolina

This Week in Motorsports: October 4-10, 2021

· NCS/NXS: Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course – October 9-10
· ARCA WEST: All-American Speedway – October 9

PLANO, Texas (October 6, 2021) – One week after the final superspeedway of the year, the NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series head to their final road course event – the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course. The ARCA Menards Series West has their next-to-last event at All-American Speedway.

NASCAR National Series – NCS| NXS

Wallace a victor… Bubba Wallace is an official Cup Series winner after scoring the victory at Talladega Superspeedway on Monday afternoon. The six-time Truck Series winner led the final five laps before the rain came and the race was called. Wallace is the second African American winner in NASCAR history (Wendell Scott, 1963). His victory is also the first for the 23XI Racing team, which is in its debut season.

Cup Playoff Cutoff… Denny Hamlin is the only Cup Series driver who can breathe easy coming into the Round of 12 cutoff race at Charlotte thanks to his victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Both Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch are currently above the Playoff cutoff. Truex is fifth in the standings, 20 points above eighth. Busch is in the eighth and final advancing position, nine points to the good. After his fifth-place finish in Talladega, Christopher Bell moved up to 10th in the standings – 28 points below the eighth.

500 Xfinity events for Toyota… This weekend is the 500th event for Toyota in the Xfinity Series. In the previous 499 events, Toyota has 179 victories, 164 poles, two driver championships (Busch – 2009, Daniel Suárez – 2016) and four manufacturers’ championships (2008, 2009, 2010, 2016). The late Jason Leffler scored Toyota’s first victory at Indianapolis Raceway Park in July 2007; Ty Gibbs scored Toyota’s most recent victory in August at Watkins Glen.

Seven Supras in Charlotte… For the second time this season, there will be seven Toyota Supras in the field on Saturday. The three full-time drivers – Harrison Burton, Daniel Hemric and Brandon Jones – will be joined by Gibbs, who is back aboard the No. 54 Supra, Will Rodgers and Kris Wright, who will in the two Sam Hunt Racing Supras, while Truck Series regular Austin Hill will make his fourth Xfinity start of the season.

Xfinity Series drivers in position to advance… With Charlotte the last race of the first round of the Xfinity Series Playoffs, all three Toyota Playoff drivers are position to advance. Hemric is in the best position – with a 41-point advantage over the Playoff cutoff. After a second-place finish in Talladega, Jones sits 21 points above the cutoff and Burton is in the final position to advance. He is eight points to the good.

NASCAR Regional Series – ARCA WEST

Love looks to continue run of success… After scoring his first national ARCA victory at Salem Speedway on Saturday, Toyota development driver Jesse Love heads back to the ARCA West tour looking to extend his points lead at All-American Speedway. The 16-year-old finished fourth in his track debut one year ago.

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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 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota has created a tremendous value chain and directly employs more than 47,000 in North America. The company has contributed world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama that begins production in 2021.

Through its 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.