TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
FEDERATED AUTO PARTS 400 SALUTE TO FIRST RESPONDERS
RICHMOND RACEWAY
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA
SEPTEMBER 11, 2021
RACE #28 – RICHMOND RACEWAY
The second stop for NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Playoffs Round of 16 sees the drivers of the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE tackling the demanding .75-mile Richmond Raceway D-shaped oval Saturday, September 11. The 400-lap/300-mile Federated Auto Parts 400 Salute to First Responders will be contested under the lights for the series second appearance at the Virginia venue this season. Chevrolet has recorded 39 victories at the racetrack, including championship contender Alex Bowman’s win in April.
Kyle Larson led a field-high 156 laps and drove the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 1LE to a runner-up finish at Darlington Raceway in the Playoff opener of the three-race set. Four drivers will be eliminated following the September 18 night race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
A look at Team Chevy in the NASCAR Cup Series title hunt:
Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 1LE – 2nd in Standings (2106 points)
Victories: 5 (field-high)
Leads the series in: Top-Fives: 15; Top-10’s: 19; Laps Led: 1,722
Average Finish: 9.4
Stage Wins: 13
At Richmond (13 career NCS starts): Wins: 1; Top-Fives: 2; Top-10’s: 5; Average Finish: 12.231
Of Note: The NCS Regular Season Champion finished second for the third consecutive time at Darlington last weekend. He will lead the field to the green from the pole position at Richmond.
Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE – 4th in Standings (2052 Points)
Victories: 1
Top-Fives: 4; Top-10’s: 10; Laps Led: 188; Average Finish: 15.6
Stage Wins: 3
At Richmond (40 career NCS starts): Wins: 2; Top-Fives: 7; Top-10’s: 15
Of Note: This is Busch’s 15th NCS post-season appearance, tying career Chevrolet driver Jimmie Johnson and two others for most.
Chase Elliott, No. 9 Kelley Blue Book Camaro ZL1 1LE – 5th in Standings (2030 Points)
Victories: 2
Top-Fives: 11; Top-10’s: 16; Laps Led: 337; Average Finish: 11.8
Stage Wins: 3
At Richmond (11 career NCS starts): Top-Fives: 3; Top-10’s: 4; Average Finish: 12.091
Of Note: The 2021 NCS season marks Elliott’s sixth consecutive year of being part of the Playoff field. Six of his 13 career NCS wins have come in the Playoffs.
Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1 1LE – 12th in Standings (2026 Points)
Top-Fives: 2; Top-10’s: 13; Pole Wins: 1; Laps Led: 26; Average Finish: 14.7
Stage Wins: 3
At Richmond (2 career NCS starts): Average Finish: 15.5
Of Note: The 2021 NCS season marks Reddick’s first Playoff appearance.
Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE –13th in Standings (2026 points)
Victories: 3
Top-Fives: 6; Top-10’s 13; Pole Wins: 1; Laps Led: 151; Average Finish: 14.6
At Richmond (10 career NCS starts): Wins: 1; Top-Fives: 1; Top-10’s: 2
Of Note: The 2021 NCS season marks Bowman’s fourth-career Playoffs appearance. Bowman has raced his way into the Round of 12 for the last three years. Bowman led the final 10 laps of the 400-mile race in April at Richmond to earn his first of three victories this season.
William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 1LE – 15th in Standings (2017 points)
Victories: 1
Top-Fives: 9; Top-10’s: 16; Pole Wins: 2; Laps Led: 276; Average Finish: 13.9
Stage Wins: 3
At Richmond (6 career NCS starts): Top-10’s: 1; Average Finish: 16.333
Of Note: The 2021 NCS season marks Byron’s third-career Playoffs appearance.
Noah Gragson, driving the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro SS, secured his spot in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) Playoffs with a victory at Darlington. Two races remain before the NXS Playoffs begin, including the 250-lap/187.5-mile Go Bowling 250 on Saturday, September 11, at Richmond Raceway. AJ Allmendinger heads to the Virginia short track sitting first in the Driver Standings. Chevrolet, with now 10 NXS wins this season, remains atop the Manufacturer Standings.
The third race of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) Playoffs Round of 10 will be contested Thursday, September 16, at Bristol Motor Speedway. The UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics will serve as the elimination race for the Round of 10, reducing the Playoff field to eight drivers. Reigning champion Sheldon Creed has won both races in the first round of the NCWTS Playoffs in his Chevrolet Silverado – most recently at Darlington to sweep at the track this season.
TEAM CHEVY FEATURES TALENTED YOUNG LINEUP
The three youngest drivers in the 16-car NCS Playoff field drive a Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. William Byron is 23 years old, while Chase Elliott and Tyler Reddick are 25. Also, Alex Bowman is sixth on the list and Kyle Larson is seventh.
THIRTY-NINE WINS AND COUNTING
The Federated Auto Parts 400 Salute to First Responders will be the 130th NCS race at Richmond Raceway, which opened in 1953. Chevrolet’s first entries at Richmond were in the September 14,1955, race. Speedy Thompson drove a ’57 Bel Air to Chevrolet’s first of 39 victories at the racetrack in the 1958 Richmond 200 to lead six Chevys in the top-10.
CHEVROLET LEADS NCS MANUFACTURERS
Chevrolet remains the leader in the NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Standings in pursuit of its 40th title. Team Chevy has recorded field highs of 13 victories, 121 top-10 finishes, 2,922 laps led and 25 stage wins through 27 races. The Bowtie Brand has already surpassed its totals for wins (9), top-10 finishes (120), laps led (2,399) and stage wins (21) from the 36-race 2020 season.
ON THE WAY TO THE GREEN
With no practice or qualifying for the 400-lap race, the starting lineup is determined by NASCAR’s metrics system that was introduced to the series last year and incorporates results from both individual races and season-long results.
Team Chevy’s Top-20 starters:
1st Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 1LE
4th Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE
11th Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1 1LE
12th Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE
13th Chase Elliott, No. 9 Kelley Blue Book Camaro ZL1 1LE
14th William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 1LE
17th Ross Chastain, No. 42 Moose Fraternity Camaro ZL1 1LE
19th Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1 1LE
20th Ryan Preece, No. 37 Kroger/Crest Camaro ZL1 1LE
BOWTIE BULLETS
· Career Chevrolet driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. will drive the No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro SS in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Richmond Raceway. He won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond in 2000, 2004 and 2006. Earnhardt Jr. has also won four NXS races at Richmond, most recently in 2016.
· Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 121 top-10 finishes and 2,922 laps led of 6,393 total this season.
· In addition to its 39 wins, Chevrolet has amassed 237 top-five and 490 top-10 finishes at Richmond Raceway.
· Chevrolet won six consecutive races at Richmond Raceway between May 2006 (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) and September 2008 (Jimmie Johnson). Johnson was a three-time winner in the stretch, including sweeping the 2007 races.
· Hendrick Motorsports continues to lead the Owner Standings.
· Kyle Larson paces all drivers with 1,722 laps led.
· Tyler Reddick is second among drivers with 99.45% of laps completed (6,358 of 6,393).
· Five Team Chevy drivers have combined for 25 stage wins – three more than in 36 races in 2020: Chase Elliott (Daytona RC, Michigan, Daytona2); William Byron (Homestead, Pocono2, Road America); Tyler Reddick (Road America, Indianapolis Road Course x2); Kurt Busch (Nashville Superspeedway, Pocono1, Atlanta2); Kyle Larson (Las Vegas, Atlanta x2, Kansas, Dover x2, Charlotte x3, Sonoma x2, Nashville, Darlington2).
TUNE IN
NBCSN will telecast the 400-lap NASCAR Cup Series Federated Auto Parts 400 Salute to First Responders at 7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, Sept. 11. Live coverage is also on MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. NBCSN will also telecast the 250-lap NASCAR Xfinity Series Go Bowling 250 at 2:30 p.m. ET Saturday, Sept. 11.
QUOTABLE QUOTES
KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 2nd in STANDINGS
LARSON ON THE SPRING RICHMOND RACE:
“Richmond was really the only bad race from start-to-finish we’ve had this year. I know we’ll be better this time around because we learned a lot. Alex (Bowman) won there and we have their notes, but we learned a lot even from how we ran in the spring.”
CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE
DANIELS ON CONFIDENCE LEVEL HEADING INTO RICHMOND FOLLOWING THE RACE EARLIER THIS SEASON:
“We were absolutely terrible in the spring. Once we were able to compare notes (with other Hendrick Motorsports teams) it made sense – we know where we were weak and need to get better. We’re very fortunate to have the success of the 48 (team) and their baseline.”
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 KELLEY BLUE BOOK CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 10th IN STANDINGS
ELLIOTT ON 9/11:
“Sept. 11 is always a day that I think sticks out to any American. I don’t think you could ever just ignore that or act like it’s just any other day. That’s a major tragic event in our history and one that we’re all going to live with for the rest of our time. Our sport is patriotic, but just being an American, you could never forget about that.”
ELLIOTT ON THE CHALLENGES OF THE PLAYOFF FORMAT:
“It’s a cutthroat 10 weeks. Unfortunately, the more the rounds go on you just can’t have poor races. A lot of times having a poor race doesn’t mean you did a bad job or you weren’t fast, it just means something didn’t go your way. Unfortunately, that could be the end of your season. Do I necessarily agree with that all the time? No, but at the same time we had 26 weeks to win races and to accumulate playoff points. The more of those you accumulate, you’re hedging your bet to make it further in the round. That’s the best thing you can do, try and build that buffer and get those points and get yourself in a better position to where if you do have a bad day you can still recover.”
ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 9 KELLEY BLUE BOOK CAMARO ZL1 1LE
GUSTAFSON ON IF A SPECIFIC PLAYOFF ROUND MATCHES UP BEST FOR THE NO. 9 TEAM:
“There’s not one round that stands out to me. You could go to any of the races and have a problem or issue and have a terrible points day and then start significantly worse than you expected for the next race, like Darlington for us. All of those things can happen at any point in time, so you are always apprehensive and a bit nervous. But, at the same time, I have a lot of confidence in what we can do. We should be on the attack mode not conserve mode. I feel good about it, but I certainly respect all of the tracks and all the potential hurdles that they all have. I think we can compete well at any one of them and win at any one of them and that’s what we are going to try to do. At the same time, we certainly understand that you’ve got to be at your best form and really super prepared because at a moment’s notice anything can happen that puts you in a bad spot.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 13th IN STANDINGS
“Going back to Richmond (Raceway) is something to look forward to this week. Richmond is a track where our No. 48 team feels really strong at and we are bringing the same car from earlier this year when we ended up in victory lane. After last week, we need to rebound and capitalize on a good night on Saturday. There’s not a lot of comfort going forward the next two weeks, but we are going to two places we know we can be strong at and have good runs.”
GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE
IVES ON THE NO. 48 CHASSIS FOR RICHMOND:
“It is going to be the same car and same chassis but obviously different things that you’re able to do, either to make it better or in NASCAR’s world, you’re able to regulate or put a little more sight and difficulties on you. Whatever that scenario is, whether it’s true or false or to allow other guys to get their cars get better, you have to keep up with it. That’s ultimately the goal – to bring a better race car and try not to reinvent the wheel. For the most part, the general setup is going to be very close. Just trying to fine tune and then make things a little bit better.”
IVES ON HOW QUICKLY THE PLAYOFF RANKINGS CAN CHANGE:
“You got to look at history, right? The biggest factor I see (are) the unknowns. Putting yourself in a bad situation and then hurting yourself. You kind of look at the history of last year’s playoffs and we scored the second-most points in the playoffs. We didn’t go to the final four but, in the end, it calls for a really good run and the 4 team there with Kevin Harvick, they had how many wins last year? Eight wins and a lot of points and they got themselves in a bad spot and wasn’t able to transfer to the final four. It definitely is a tough grind and tough season, but then you add on the quickness of a reset and going to probably one of the toughest racetracks (Darlington) to either get the handling right (or) the toughness on the teams from a pit standpoint (or) the ease of getting damage to the car and putting yourself in a bad situation with the wreck. It’s a tough place to start out, for sure, and you have to be pretty flawless. If not, you got to learn how to overcome dramatically. Unfortunately, that’s what we have to do – overcome a really bad situation.”
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 15th IN STANDINGS
BYRON ON RACING AT RICHMOND:
“Richmond has always been a challenging track for me. The track already has very low grip and making sure the tires last during a long run is key. The surface resembles Atlanta (Motor Speedway) but has characteristics of Phoenix (Raceway). I feel like every time I’ve run there that I’ve learned a bit more and improved each time. With Darlington not going the way we hoped, we will need to really execute this weekend and maximize whatever situation we are in to set us up for Bristol and advancing on through the playoffs.”
RUDY FUGLE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FUGLE ON REBOUNDING FOR RACE TWO OF THE ROUND OF 16:
“Obviously, this isn’t the position we want to be in this weekend on the outside looking in, but we’re also are by no means out of the hunt, either. The No. 24 team has the speed capable of winning and I think we’ve done a good job of showing that, especially lately. Unfortunately, we’ve just been wrong place wrong time the last couple weeks. We’ve already put that behind us, though, and moved on to the next task at hand – Richmond. We had a top-10 car there earlier this season and the guys are putting in extra hours this week to make sure we bring a rocket to the track for Saturday night. This isn’t a must-win situation, but we’re going to execute what we need to maximize on our results.”
DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 GOOD SAM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 24th IN STANDINGS
WHAT ARE YOUR MEMORIES OF 9/11?
“I was nine years old and I think in the fourth grade. Back then, I am not sure I even realized there was a world beyond Mexico, but I do remember my grandfather telling me about what happened in America.
“I understand what it is all about now and I’m glad NASCAR is recognizing the anniversary Saturday night.”
RYAN PREECE, NO. 37 KROGER/CREST/ORAL-B CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 26th IN STANDINGS
“Like Darlington, I feel like Richmond and Las Vegas really kind of play into my driving style. I’m excited about them. We’ve had good runs at them in the past and should be able to in the future. For Richmond, it’s all about saving your tires and knowing when to go. Is your car a long run car or a short run car? You have to pay attention to what you’ve got.”
ERIK JONES, NO. 43 PETTY’S GARAGE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 27th IN STANDINGS
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON RICHMOND RACEWAY? CAN YOU TAKE ANYTHING FROM THE RACE EARLIER THIS SEASON TO CARRYOVER INTO THE WEEKEND?
“It is always nice going back to a place a second time, especially with no practice and a new team this year. Just being able to go back on notes and try to improve and make your car better. Richmond (Raceway) is a tough place. It is really slick and really low grip. It is shaped a lot differently than a lot of places. I think there are things we can definitely take from the race earlier this season – looking at where we struggled with the first race and try to improve and make it better. I think every time you go there, you are struggling with something a little bit different. It always seems like the surface is just different every time you go back. Hopefully, we can take some stuff and learn from it, but it’s a tough place for sure.”
COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 SHAVELOGIC CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 29th IN STANDINGS
“I’ve been looking forward to this weekend since the 2021 schedule was released. Knowing that Richmond was scheduled for the 20th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, I’ve definitely had this race on my mind. We’re also welcoming Shavelogic to the sport on both of our Spire Motorsports Chevrolets. Our whole team is eager to get to the track and put on an awesome Saturday night, short-track race. Richmond is one of the most technical tracks on the schedule, and the performance package NASCAR has given us will make the Camaros a lot of fun to drive.”
Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics
Manufacturers Championships:
Total (1949-2020): 39
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
Drivers Championships:
Total (1949-2020): 32
First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)
Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)
Most Recent: Chase Elliott (2020)
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
Event Victories:
Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)
2021 STATISTICS:
Wins: 13
Poles: 5
Laps Led: 2,922
Top-five finishes: 56
Top-10 finishes: 121
Stage wins: 25 – Chase Elliott (Daytona RC, Michigan, Daytona), William Byron (Homestead, Pocono 2, Road America), Kyle Larson (Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Atlanta x2, Kansas, Dover x2, Charlotte x3, Sonoma x2, Nashville, Darlington), Kurt Busch (Nashville, Pocono 1, Atlanta 2), Tyler Reddick (Road America, Indy RC x2)
CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 808 (1949 to date)
Poles won to date: 722
Laps led to date: 239,627
Top-five finishes to date: 4,121
Top-10 finishes to date: 8,523
Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:
General Motors: 1,142
Chevrolet: 808
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: 159
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.
