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.

RICHMOND, Va. (September 9, 2021) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin was made available to media prior to the Richmond race weekend today:

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

How does it feel to win the Southern 500 leading into your home race in Richmond?

“We certainly hope that we continue that momentum. We’ve got some great tracks really for these next few weeks that really suit our history and my history there. We just hope to continue that momentum and hope to build as many Playoff points as we can for the next round and the following round. We were able to get back the difference between first and second in the points in the regular season here in the first week. Just really excited for our team to be able to win the first Playoff race and to add the Darlington Southern 500 on top of that was a great bonus, but I really feel like our team has been strong all year. We just finally had things break our way this weekend.”

From testing the Next Gen car, are you comfortable with the safety of the car versus what you were a couple of months ago?

“I would say I’m a little more educated on it in general. There was a little bit more time where they could sit with you one on one and discuss things. I still have questions, but I think I’ll have to see all the information to really understand the questions that I want to have, but certainly, we are going to end up racing it. We’re all going to have to get comfortable.”

How do you solve the heat problem in the Next Gen car?

“I’m not sure. It’s a concern. It’s a big, big concern. It’s difficult because it’s the way that car was designed. The design of it where the exhaust of it is all boxed in running right under the seat there is just hot. It’s 450 degrees down in that box, so it’s super-hot, and then you got the exhaust – all of the hot radiator – flowing into the car from the hood, so I don’t really know. They are going to have to really make some big changes to it. Something that will allow us to finish races without having major issues. I think they made some gains with some stuff they did with Austin Dillon later in the day.”

What are your thoughts on the rearview camera?

“I didn’t run it. It was our personal choice not to run it. For me personally, I’ve been in vehicles that have a rearview camera while you’re driving, I didn’t like it. To me, it just crosses my eyes and makes me a little dizzy when I look at it. The reason we have those is because the visibility isn’t as good. These cars are a little higher off the ground, so we need to be able to see, so they’ve put in a camera back there. I think they can fix some things with the spoiler, bring the carbon fiber part of the spoiler down, increase the Lexan size. That will certainly help with the vision, but I think the camera is something I really won’t explore.”

What are your thoughts on NFTs? What would be your thoughts if NASCAR got involved with something like NFTs?

“I’m not hugely versed in it. I know a little bit about it. I know that there are some conversations going on with NASCAR and/or the teams about NFTs. I really don’t know a ton about them.”

How much was last weekend’s win a morale booster and how much momentum does this give you going forward?

“It’s great for my team. That’s what that tweet was about – just the team. These guys were so happy, as happy as I’ve seen them in victory lane in quite some time. You honestly fall victim at times when you have a lot of success, and you win a lot of races like we’ve done over the last three years. You get to victory lane, and it’s not as exciting because we just did this three weeks ago or two weeks ago, but when you have a little bit of a winning drought when you go back, it just makes you appreciate that moment a little bit more, so these guys were very, very excited. But every week, they are as optimistic as I am. I walk by the pit lane, and I talk to those guys, and they are like, today is our day. They never lose hope. They know we are up front every single week and they know the dice is bound to roll our number at any moment and this Sunday it did. We were able to celebrate that.”

How much are you going to have to share that car with your teammates?

“That’s the difficult part about it. I’m going to share. I think I’m only going to be able to get in it one more time, which is the Charlotte oval before the Daytona 500. There’s a lot I would like to be involved with it, but honestly, I just won’t have the opportunity because of the restriction. It’s based on you can only bring so many cars per organization and we have to split that up between myself and my teammates.”

Do you see Vegas as the most important race in the next round?

“That is the track where you can control your own destiny the most, so that is the one you have to put the most emphasis on because that is where if you do a good job as a driver and your car is fast, the team does their job, that is where you can get your best result. The other two tracks you are more likely to be caught up in someone else’s issues than your own. I just think you have to put a lot of emphasis on it, and I’m sure that will be by far the most nervous race that probably the entire 12-car field is going to have is hoping that they perform well at that race, because there is just no givens. It might even come from us, if you have a bad Las Vegas, well, we will just go get them in Talladega. Well, we all know deep in our thoughts that the likelihood of that is very, very slim.”

Do you have memories of 9-11?

“I do. I was at Townsend Racing Products putting an exhaust on my new late model that my parents emptied their savings accounts to help pay for. I will never forget, someone coming in the shop, I was underneath the car fitting it. They were like ‘Hey, a plane hit a building.’ We all went in there and that is where we set for the next eight hours or so is out there in the lounge where they had a TV and just remember being glued to it all day.”

About Toyota

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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.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
FEDERATED AUTO PARTS 400
RICHMOND RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
SEPTEMBER 9, 2021

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE, Teleconference Transcript Highlights:

HEADING TO RICHMOND THIS WEEKEND, WHAT ARE YOUR PRIMARY THOUGHTS AFTER THE CHAOS WE SAW AT DARLINGTON?
“I think it’s going to be just a normal Richmond race. Richmond is a place where you can get pretty strung out. Car performance and driver performance is really critical. For us, I think it’s just to focus on getting the best finish we can and hopefully having a lot of speed. Based on our Spring race at Richmond, we should have a lot of speed. I feel good about it. Richmond has not been a good place in the past for us, but this year it has. I feel like we can take that momentum and performance and apply it to this weekend and hopefully get ourselves above that Playoff bubble.”

DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE NEXT GEN CAR A LOT OR DO YOU COMPARTMENTALIZE THAT UNTIL A LITTLE FARTHER DOWN THE ROAD, EVEN WITH THE TEST?
“Yeah, I’ve definitely thought about it over the last two days because I was down there testing and experiencing the car. I feel like I learned a lot of things. I still keep a pretty open mind just because we are six months out from racing and a lot changes as soon as the teams get a little more time with the car and have a chance to really work on it and understand the things that make it tick. But all I can do it just give them the best feedback possible and I felt like I did that over two days and that we made some good progress in terms of philosophy and ideas on the car. We did some drafting runs with the pack, which was good, and those went really well. So for me, it’s just all about continuing to learn. But I kind of put that in some box now and focus on this year because that’s ultimately what really matters right now. So, for me, right now, I’m just focused on the Playoffs. After the last two days, I just kind of put that into next year’s.”

JUST HOW DIFFERENT WAS THE CAR THAT YOU DROVE THIS WEEK COMPARED WITH THE CAR YOU TESTED A YEAR AGO?
“That’s a good question. I feel like it’s very different in terms of the details. The rear-view camera, that’s a big difference that I think we all underestimated the ability of that. The interior design of the car was a lot more similar to the current car than I thought it would be. We spent a lot of time at the shop trying to get that right and make sure my seat position was good. I sit slightly lower than I do in my current car, which I don’t like. So, we’re going to work on that. The steering is still a work in progress. I don’t know if it’s really the steering of if it’s the tire and the stiffness of the sidewall, and also the stiffness of the suspension parts and things. So, that’s an interesting work in progress because I feel like that’s going to throw some guys off because you’re not moving the wheel as much and the car is very responsive to everything. So, that’s interesting. Very normal in the shifter. I feel really good about that. The drafting aspect of the car was okay. I think the speeds were a little bit lower than the current car, but some of the similar characteristics in pushing and things like that were still there. So, that’s kind of my general summary.”

CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE ‘RESPONSIVE STEERING’ A BIT MORE?
“I think it’s good in the fact that yeah, it takes less effort. The car is quicker to respond. It’s definitely going to be a good thing on short tracks. I think about Martinsville and how much easier it’s going to be on the drivers and then yeah, it’s just going to be easier. The car is going to turn better at a short track, I think. But when it comes to Daytona, it was very easy to go around a corner almost with no effort. I don’t know if that’s exactly what you want. Typically, at Daytona you want to have some forgiveness if you get out of shape or something like that to be able to save it. I think everyone is very interested just to see how it is when you do get out of shape and whether or not you can correct it and keep going, or what. That’s probably the question we all have and it’s probably going to just take until somebody crashes in a big pack to kind of see. That’s probably my biggest question. I think it’s a good thing and something to still work on, too.”

WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM LAST YEAR ABOUT THE RANGE OF EMOTIONS THE PLAYOFFS CAN HAVE FROM ONE WEEK TO THE NEXT?
“When I look at the Playoffs for myself, in general, it’s all about eliminating the big numbers. I think that unfortunately we had a big number this past weekend and not really of our making. Really, not of our making at all. Even the tire issue was just a one in a thousand chance that a lug nut or something hits the inside of valve stem on the inside of the tire and cuts down the inner liner. So, just a very freak kind of incident that we can’t really control. The guys did a good job bringing a fast car, number one. Fixing the car to make it still fast after the damage with the No. 48 (Alex Bowman). So, I feel like for us, just going into Richmond, I mean we just have to have a smooth race. We have the speed, and we have the ability. We were top three or four in points all season long. A lot of the reason for that was because of our consistency and speed. Those two things are things that are going to get you through each round. We’ve just got to focus on the next two races. We’re only nine points out of the cutline and I feel like if we just do our jobs, we’re going to be plenty good. So, it is a lot different than last year. I felt like last year, not that I lucked into that Darlington finish, but I didn’t really run top 5 all day and got a good finish at the end, and we knew, going into Richmond, we weren’t going to be very fast. At Bristol, we thought we were going to be okay and unfortunately, we got caught up with a lapped car. It’s just a lot different situation than last year, overall. Our team is a lot different. I feel like our speed is very good. So, we are very capable of advancing through the round.”

QUESTION REGARDING THE COMMITMENT LINE AT RICHMOND:
“To get on pit road I think there are a lot of different techniques. It looks like some guys just kind of ultimately just turn down early and get to pit road extremely early. You kind of run the risk if you stay up there on the track of not getting the car slowed down. I knew I wasn’t going to make it, pretty early on, because the car started wheel-hopping and I couldn’t get the gears to match up and decel. So yeah, it’s a risk you take. On our end, I think there’s going to be more of a conservative approach this race just to make sure we don’t have any issues. You’ve still got to get all you can get. But do so, and make sure you can get there. I don’t see it being a huge issue. We all kind of know what we’re up against. It is hard to see that box at night. I think that’s going to lead to some issues for some guys maybe.”

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON USING REAR-VIEW CAMERA AT THE NEXT GEN TEXT?
“I liked it. The way my seat position was and everything, I could really see very well out of the real mirror on the top. I think that’s just something that we can definitely get ironed out and fixed. So, I kind of used the rear-view camera instead, the whole time, and felt like it was really good and accurate. You could see the spoiler and it seemed like the refresh rate on the camera was pretty accurate. I think that’s going to be a tool. I’m not sure how many guys will use it right away, but I’m sure over time, if you’ve got access to electronics like that, it’s better than the alternative of not. I think over time, guys will adapt to it and use it.”

HOW DID YOU FEEL IN THE DRAFT DURING THE NEXT GEN TEST AT DAYTONA?
“A lot of us compared it, like the runs were not as big as the current car. Maybe a little bit more like the Xfinity package, where there’s a little bit more gap there. But once you were close to somebody, you could still push and affect that car and go forward. We could still run two-wide. So I don’t know if the energy was enough with eight cars to really know what the draft is going to be like for sure. But it sounds like we’re going to do another test in January at Daytona. We’ll definitely be pushing and shoving there, if there’s 20-plus cars, and have a better idea of what it’s going to feel like.”

HOW HAS WORKING WITH RUDY FUGLE (CREW CHIEF) AND ENTERING THE PLAYOFFS BEEN WITH HIM FOR YOU AND YOUR TEAM?
“It’s been great. Rudy has done a phenomenal job all year. In anything, there are growing pains of a new team and crew chief and driver, even though we worked together in the past, there are definitely new things in the Cup series you have to learn. But we’ve continued to believe in each other all year in the very good times and the very bad. For us, we continue to work together well and just are very open with each other. I think that’s all really good. The biggest thing that he’s done all year is bring really fast cars that are balanced well and set-up well, and that’s his job to do and our job to get right. He’s done a phenomenal job with all that stuff.”
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KYLE BUSCH
Law of Averages

HUNTERSVILLE, North Carolina (Sept. 9, 2021) – While the opener of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway did not go the way Kyle Busch envisioned, there are a couple of strong tracks on the horizon as he looks ahead to the next two races in the Round of 16.

The good news for Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’S Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), is that the two remaining races in this opening round of the playoffs are two of his favorites – Richmond (Va.) Raceway and Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. Busch has a combined 14 wins at those two tracks so, when he says both tracks are favorites, his success at both backs it up.

A quick look at Busch’s Cup Series statistics at Richmond shows six career victories – most among active drivers – including two in the last three races there. In addition to those six career wins, Busch’s Richmond stat sheet shows 18 top-five finishes and 24 top-10s in 31 career starts, making him the most consistent active driver at the track.

The Las Vegas native also leads all active drivers with his Richmond average finishing position of 6.8. Next best is Kevin Harvick at 8.4. Busch has completed all but one of the 12,429 laps available to him in his 31 Richmond starts. Of those, Busch has run in the top-15 for 11,079 laps, or 89.1 percent, which ranks second among active drivers.

Four of Busch’s six career Richmond wins came in consecutive spring races from 2009 to 2012, besting Richard Petty’s previous record of three Richmond spring-race wins in a row from 1971 to 1973. Busch’s other two Richmond wins came in a sweep of both races there in 2018. With his impressive statistics and records to back him up, it’s little wonder that a visit to Richmond is one of Busch’s favorite stops on the NASCAR tour.

Saturday night’s Federated Auto Parts 400 will be run on the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, a day which will never be forgotten all across the United States. With support from partner M&M’S, Busch will be donning his Red, White, and Blue firesuit and helmet while he and millions of Americans remember those who were lost that tragic day 20 years ago.

So, as the series heads to the “Capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia” for the second playoff race of 2021, Busch and the M&M’S team look to bring home their seventh win there. Whether or not they make it back to victory lane, history has shown Richmond could be a key race to help him climb into the top-12 when the Round of 16 is completed.

KYLE BUSCH, Driver of the No. 18 M&M’S Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing:

Is Richmond one of your favorite tracks, and what are your expectations there this weekend?

“Richmond is a great place for us and our M&M’S team. You’ve really got to be mindful of the bottom of the racetrack and also mindful of your brakes and how you use them, just because the track is so hard on brakes, especially getting into turn one, that you can really overheat your brakes, which overheats your tires and makes you slide around more. Having good cars there has certainly been something we’ve been fortunate with at Joe Gibbs Racing over the years. I’ve won there six times and I’ve been in the top-five about every time we go there, so I would like to think that we can keep that string going and, more importantly, get a win. It would certainly be a good time for it, so we look forward to Richmond being one of those places where we can do that.”

What does it take to get around Richmond?

“Richmond is getting a little trickier, it seems like, just with the asphalt kind of getting older and the way the cars are. The consensus at Richmond is, of course, just trying to get your car to turn, but also having really good forward bite. You have to be able to get off the corners at Richmond. All of it correlates. Everything you want as a racecar driver, you’ve got to have most all of it and, if you don’t, then you better hope you have more forward bite than the rest of them. That’s sort of the equation of Richmond. It’s a fun place to race. It’s really cool. As a driver, you wish it could widen out and give you more options of being able to run around in different grooves, but it hasn’t shown us that the last couple of years. We’re hoping to get our M&M’S Camry another win there and put last week behind us.”

How important is it to unload perfectly in this first playoff round?

“It’s really important to start the race off strong. You’re starting the race with all of the rest of your championship contenders you’re racing against, so to be able to get those points right out of the gate, it’s hard to do because you’re all starting right around each other. There’s really not a lot of opportunity at some of these places for pit stops or chances to work on your car in the first stage to get those points. Even if we did have an opportunity to start up front, we would fall out of the top-10 and not have an opportunity to get (bonus) points, not even stage wins, but to get points that matter. You get two stage wins and a win at Richmond and Bristol both, and boom, you’re right back in the mix. Being able to have success racing against the rest of your title contenders is certainly a big challenge.”

Can you compare Bristol and Richmond, both places where you’ve been successful?

“There’s really no comparison between racetracks, honestly, because Charlotte, Texas, Atlanta – they all look the same from overhead, but they all drive not even close to the same. Richmond and Bristol are more than oil and water, more than day and night. Bristol is an attack-type racetrack yet, when you attack, you can get yourself in trouble. Richmond is a very methodical racetrack and you have to be – you’re very much on edge there all the time, especially corner entry, getting into the corners. You’re always loose there and you have to be able to be loose there in order to carry the speed through the middle and have good drive off.”

Event Overview:

● Event: Federated Auto Parts 400
● Time/Date: 7:30 p.m. EDT on Saturday, Sept. 11
● Location: Richmond (Va.) Raceway
● Layout: 0.75-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 400 laps, 300 miles
● Format: Stage 1: 80 laps / Stage 2: 155 laps / Final Stage: 165 laps
● TV/Radio: NBCSN/ MRN/ SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Meet the No. 18 M&M’S / Joe Gibbs Racing Team

Primary Team Members:

Driver: Kyle Busch
Hometown: Las Vegas

Crew Chief: Ben Beshore
Hometown: York, Pennsylvania

Car Chief: Nate Bellows
Hometown: Fairfax, Vermont

Spotter: Tony Hirschman
Hometown: Northampton, Pennsylvania

Over-The-Wall Crew Members:

Gas Man: Matt Tyrrell
Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Front Tire Changer: Blake Houston
Hometown: Enochville, North Carolina

Jackman: T.J. Ford
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

Tire Carrier: Joe Crossen
Hometown: Salisbury, North Carolina

Rear Tire Changer: Jeff Cordero
Hometown: Salem, Connecticut

Road Crew Members:

Race Engineer: Seth Chavka
Hometown: Soldotna, Alaska

Truck Driver: Chris Miko
Hometown: Bronx, New York

Truck Driver: Tom McCrimmon
Hometown: Spicer, Minnesota

Mechanic/Tire Specialist: Justin Peiffer
Hometown: Lebanon, Pennsylvania

Mechanic: Scott Eldridge
Hometown: Warsaw, Indiana

Notes of Interest:

● Playoff Points: Busch has racked up 22 important playoff points he can take with him through each round. He sits 14th on the playoff grid with 11 top-five finishes and 16 top-10s as he is just two points below the top-12 cutline with two races remaining in the first round.
● All in the Stats: Busch has six wins, 18 top-five finishes and 24 top-10s and has led a total of 1,489 laps in 31 career Cup Series starts at Richmond. Busch’s average Richmond finish is 6.8.
● Alone in Ninth: With Busch’s win at Pocono in June, the two-time Cup Series champion scored his 59th career win in NASCAR’s top series as he moved past Kevin Harvick into sole possession of ninth on the all-time win list. Next up on the win list is Dale Earnhardt, the seven-time Cup Series champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer who won 76 races during his storied career.
● 222 and Counting: Busch will be aiming to add to his record 222 overall wins among NASCAR’s top three series this weekend at the Richmond. In addition to his 59 Cup Series wins and 102 in the Xfinity Series, Busch has 61 wins in the Camping World Truck Series.