TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
JOCKEY MADE IN AMERICA 250
ROAD AMERICA
ELKHART LAKE, WISCONSIN
JULY 4, 2021

RACE #20 – ROAD AMERICA
Chevrolet drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) return to road course competition this holiday weekend, looking to create fireworks at the 4.048-mile venerable circuit of Road America. Team Chevy, which has won seven of the past eight NCS races and sits atop the Manufacturer Standings, will aim for its 10th victory of the season in the Jockey Made in America 250 Presented by Kwik Trip. The 62-lap race on the 14-turn multi-elevational road course is Sunday, July 4.

It will be the NASCAR Cup Series first visit to Road America since the track’s inaugural season in 1956. In the first and only NCS race held at the Wisconsin road course, four Chevrolet drivers finished in the top-10 of the 63-lap race, led by Paul Goldsmith’s fourth place finish in a 1956 Chevy owned by Smokey Yunick.

AJ Allmendinger, who will drive the No. 16 Hyperice Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for Kaulig Racing in the NCS event, has the distinction of visiting Victory Circle at Road America in two different series. He won the 51-lap Champ Car Series race in 2006 from the fifth starting spot; and in 2013, won the 50-lap NASCAR Xfinity Series race from the pole.

Allmendinger, who will also drive the No. 16 Hyperice Camaro SS in the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Henry 180 on Saturday, July 3, was runner-up in 2020 NXS race at Road America and started from the pole in 2019. Chevrolet has won seven of the 11 NXS races at Road America.

Other Team Chevy drivers who have raced in NXS at Road America include Austin Dillon, Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, William Byron, Kurt Busch, Kyle Larson, Ross Chastain, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Tyler Reddick, Ryan Preece and James Davison.

With a third-place finish, Justin Allgaier led three Team Chevy drivers in the top five in the June 27 NXS race at Pocono Raceway. Allmendinger, who finished fifth at Pocono, remains second in the Driver Standings. Chevrolet continues atop the Manufacturer Standings.

Chevrolet NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) drivers will next race in the 200-lap Corn Belt 150 presented by Premier Chevy Dealers on Friday, July 9, in Knoxville, Iowa. Team Chevy’s Zane Smith is fourth in the Driver Standings.

CHEVROLET REMAINS ATOP STANDINGS
Chevrolet is first in the NCS Manufacturer Standings. Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson moved to just two points of the top of the Driver Standings following his second- and ninth-place finishes at Pocono Raceway.

Larson has placed first or second in seven of the past eight points races in the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 1LE, including three wins in a row. Hendrick Motorsports teammates William Byron remains third and reigning NCS champion Chase Elliott is sixth.

ROAD MASTERS
Chevrolet drivers have won two of the three NCS road course races this season and paced all manufacturers with 151 laps led of the 216 total. Kyle Larson won the Series’ most recent road course race at Sonoma Raceway; and Chase Elliott won in NASCAR’s debut at Circuit of The Americas, capturing Chevrolet’s 800th victory in NASCAR’s premier division. Elliott is seeking his seventh career road course victory. Career Chevrolet driver Jeff Gordon is the NASCAR Cup Series leader with nine, including five at Sonoma Raceway.

TAKING IT IN STAGES
Chevrolet drivers have amassed 17 stages wins, including a field-high 12 by Kyle Larson (Las Vegas, Atlanta x2, Kansas, Dover x2, Charlotte x3, Sonoma x2, Nashville). Others contributing to the total are Chase Elliott (Daytona RC); William Byron (Homestead, Pocono2) and Kurt Busch (Nashville, Pocono1).

BOWTIE BULLETS
· Chevrolet leads manufacturer with 804 NCS victories.
· Chevrolet tied its 2020 win total of nine through only 19 races thus far this season.
· Chevrolet leads manufacturers in laps led (2,182) of the 4,861 total and top-10 finishes with 87.
· Kyle Larson paces all drivers with 1,441 laps led. His previous career best was 1,352 in the 36 races in 2017.
· Austin Dillon is tied for most laps completed 99.92% (4,857).
· Kurt Busch holds the final provisional Playoff spot. Tyler Reddick is one place above in 15th and Austin Dillion is 14th with seven races left in the NCS regular season.
· Kyle Larson’s 12 stage wins are more than twice as many as any other driver.

TUNE IN
NBC will telecast both the NASCAR Cup Series Jockey Made in America 250 Presented by Kwik Trip at 2:30 p.m. ET Sunday, July 4, and the NASCAR Xfinity Series Henry 180 live at 2:30 p.m. ET Saturday, July 3. Live coverage of the races can also be found on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

QUOTABLE QUOTES
KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 2nd IN STANDINGS
LARSON ON WHAT HE THINKS OF ROAD AMERICA:
“I’ve raced there before in an Xfinity car in 2013. I remember it was a really fun racetrack – a really long racetrack. I’m definitely excited to get back there this weekend because it’s a really cool place. Whether on the simulator or iRacing, it’s good to get visuals of elevation changes ahead of time.”

CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE
DANIELS ON HIS PREVIOUS ROAD AMERICA EXPERIENCE:
“Kyle has raced there before and I did in Xfinity, as well, but there’s not much you can pull from those past experiences. It’s been such a long time, so we’re trying to take a fresh look at understanding the race. We’ll go back and watch some Xfinity races from the past couple of years to try to get a feel for what is important there, what do we need to attack and what we need to tune.”

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 3rd IN STANDINGS
BYRON ON RETURNING TO ROAD AMERICA:
“I’m excited for this road course. I finished sixth there in the Xfinity Series in 2017. I had a good run and felt like it was one of my best road course races in that series overall. I expect more of the same this weekend in the Cup car. You just want to make sure that the car turns well and that you’re good in the braking zones. For us as a team, I think we will start off getting back to the basics of road course racing. We’ve had some bad luck recently but normally we’re really good at this style of racing. I’m excited that it’s another new track for the series and I think it will race really well for our cars.”

RUDY FUGLE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FUGLE ON RETURNING TO ROAD COURSE RACING:
“Honestly, this weekend we’re looking to set the reset button on our road course racing program for the No. 24 team. After Sonoma and how things ended and some misfortune at the DAYTONA Road Course, we really want to get back to the speed and execution we had at COTA. Even with suffering damage there, we were able to make it back through the field and on a strategy that set us up well for the end before the weather picked up. William feels like road course racing has become one of his strengths over the last couple years and we want to keep him confident in that. So, the plan is to have a nice, basic weekend of executing like we need to and having a solid plan should any misfortune arise. We know what we’re capable of – it’s just a matter of maximizing where we can and there’s potential for that this weekend.”

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 6th IN STANDINGS
“I’ve raced up at Road America a couple times in the Xfinity Series and I always really enjoyed going there. It’s a cool racetrack. There are a lot of race fans up there – a lot of people that enjoyed having us racing there. I’ve always felt very welcome and I don’t anticipate this weekend being any different. I am looking forward to getting back up there.”

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 11th IN STANDINGS
“The morale is obviously super high at Hendrick Motorsports. It’s really cool to see it that way. I think there’s not one thing. It’s each and every individual at Hendrick Motorsports from top to bottom in every department, it’s everybody at Chevrolet. Our engines are strong, bodies are great, chassis are great. The guys putting them together are doing a great job. Having Chad in a new role is really good. Mr. H and Jeff and everybody are giving us all the tools we need to put the parts and pieces together to go win races. Yeah, it’s not one thing. It’s a culmination of everybody’s hard work. It’s cool to be a part of it and be the guy that gets to drive ’em.”

“I am excited to get to Road America this weekend. I raced there in the Xfinity Series back in 2013, so getting back there is going to be a lot of fun. It is a long race track and really long lap times, but it is a fun place and really technical.”

GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE
“It was definitely odd to win and then have to get ready to race again the next day. Very thankful that we were able to have a good car again on Sunday and able to come home seventh. Saturday kind of was going as planned, obviously we knew that the No. 5 car had four tires and we had two tires. You never want to see your teammate have an issue like that, but we were in the position we needed to be in and it just worked out. On the last lap we were talking about what we needed for Sunday’s race to be better. So, when we crossed the line first, it was a roller coaster of emotion and a surprised celebration for me on the box.”

“It is definitely an advantage having track time at a place like Road America. The hardest part is probably only remembering the corners that were most prevalent. Hendrick has great cars right now and the power has been strong from the Hendrick engine shop, so I know that we can get another good finish this weekend.”

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW SALUTES VETERANS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 12th IN STANDINGS
THE SPECIAL PAINT SCHEMES – THAT’S SOMETHING THAT RCR STARTED YEARS AGO WITH (DALE) EARNHARDT IN THE ALL-STAR RACE.
“I think RCR does a great job of changing it up and bringing in different paint schemes. This No. 3 Dow Salutes Veterans Camaro ZL1 1LE and putting all the veterans on it, it’s really grown over the years that we’ve had it. I think six or seven years now that we’ve been doing this car. It started with 350 names and now it’s 1,900 names. It’s just a spiderweb effect of everyone that really enjoys seeing their name on the car. But more than anything, it’s for our veterans and the people that allow us to go race on the weekends that have made this country what it is today.”

THE SEASON TO THIS POINT, YOU GUYS ARE ABOVE THE CUTLINE IN THE PLAYOFFS. ARE YOU PLEASED WITH WHERE YOU ARE? GIVE US A RECAP OF HOW YOU FEEL YOUR SEASON IS.
“I’m pleased with the consistency. We show up each and every weekend and have strong, consistent cars that withstand the races. I think the next part of that evolution is just getting a little bit more speed. We would like to be where some of our other Chevy teammates are. Getting a win would be nice; that would lock us into the Playoffs. With seven races to go though, points-wise, it’s a pretty good position. You just can’t have another person win, so you’re always on edge. You want to be that person that locks yourself in.”

ANOTHER ROAD COURSE RACE THIS WEEKEND. ANOTHER WILDCARD RACE?
“Yeah, for sure. The road courses have turned into wildcard races. Taking care of your stuff, trying to make it to the end of these things becomes a demo-derby out there. This is going to be one of those ones that if you stay on track, you’re going to have a pretty good run.”

“Road America is just a big place. A lot can go on in one lap. You can have one good corner and be proud of it and then the next one could be really terrible. By the end of the lap, you haven’t put together anything. You really just have to be consistent, put yourself in a good position to capitalize on other peoples’ mistakes.”

TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 KALAHARI RESORTS AND CONVENTIONS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 13th IN STANDINGS
“It’s nice going into the weekend with some experience that Cup veterans may not have since I’ve raced at Road America in the Xfinity Series. It makes me wish we weren’t having practice or qualifying so the Cup veterans could feel a little bit of what I felt heading into the Sonoma race weekend without turning a lap there! Regardless, this weekend is going to be a great opportunity for our team. I feel like the approach you have for Road America is similar to that of COTA, and I felt really good about where we were with our car on the dry at that track. We learned some things about our road course program at Sonoma Raceway a few weeks back too, but that course isn’t as similar to Road America as COTA is. Road America is all about attacking the entry and nailing the apex. You don’t have to worry about drive-off as much as you do at Sonoma. I’m excited about the opportunity for our team this weekend and know we are bringing a great No. 8 Kalahari Resorts and Conventions Chevrolet to the track.”

DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 GOOD SAM PATRIOTIC CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 18th IN STANDINGS
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON ROAD AMERICA?
“I am thrilled with going to Road America. I have raced there a few times and looking forward to having some fun. It’s a very tricky race track. We won’t have to worry about rain delays this weekend since we will have rain tires.”

SEASON SO FAR?
“We are moving in the right direction. Seventh-place at Nashville was nice and we had two decent finishes in Pocono but we know we can do even better. We just have to keep working, keep communicating and eliminate the mistakes.”

ERIK JONES, NO. 43 SCAG POWER EQUIPMENT CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 26th IN STANDINGS
AT 4.048-MILES, ROAD AMERICA IS NOW THE LONGEST CUP SERIES COURSE ON THE SCHEDULE. HOW DOES THAT TRACK COMPARE TO OTHER ROAD COURSE CIRCUITS ON THE SCHEDULE?
“Road America is tough. I have only been there twice with the NASCAR Xfinity Series and it is a tough place. It is such a big track. There are a lot of places to gain and lose time. You can really get behind on your laps pretty quickly. You have to be focused and really make sure you are executing every part of the race track; making the most lap time as you can that entire lap and there are always places that you can do better. It is challenging as a driver, but it is fun.

“Plus, it is an awesome location. I love going up there because the fans are always excited. I am excited to see what the turnout is going to be for the NASCAR Cup Series race.”

COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 DIAMOND CREEK WATER CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 29th IN STANDINGS
“4th of July weekend at Road America will be a race you don’t want to miss. It will be my first time seeing this track, which is the longest one on the cup schedule, so it will be a steep learning curve. I’ve spent a bunch of time watching film and turning iRacing laps so hopefully it applies. The name of the game will be to stay on course, maintain some track position at the end of the race and bring home another solid finish in the Diamond Creek Water Chevy Camaro.”

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: 9
Poles: 3
Laps Led: 2,182
Top-five finishes: 40
Top-10 finishes: 87

CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 804 (1949 to date)
Poles won to date: 720
Laps led to date: 238,887
Top-five finishes to date: 4,105
Top-10 finishes to date: 8,489
Stage wins: 17 – Chase Elliott (Daytona RC), William Byron (Homestead, Pocono 2), Kyle Larson (Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Atlanta x2, Kansas, Dover x2, Charlotte x3, Sonoma x2, Nashville), Kurt Busch (Nashville, Pocono 1)

Total NASCAR Cup wins by corporation, 1949 to date

       General Motors: 1,138
       Chevrolet: 804
       Pontiac: 154
       Oldsmobile: 115
       Buick: 65

       Ford: 808                                                         
       Ford: 708
       Mercury: 96
       Lincoln: 4

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

       Toyota: 158

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.

Toyota Racing – Christopher Bell
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (July 1, 2021) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell was made available to media prior to the Road America race weekend earlier today:

CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 SiriusXM Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

How exciting is it for the NASCAR Cup Series to get to experience Road America?

“Yeah, I’m excited about it, and I just love going to new racetracks so being able to add a track to the Cup schedule, I think is really cool. Road America is a great venue. It’s always put on really good Xfinity races, so I’m expecting the Cup race to be great as well.”

How much have your Cup teammates asked you for advice and has there been a common ask between them?
“I think a lot of people are noticing how narrow the track, that’s for sure. It’s very unique in that aspect for stock cars, but you still have enough room to move around and race too. I think a lot of them have simulator laps and Kyle (Busch), I think came up here and tested as well. They are world class racecar drivers. They will figure it out. Honestly, they haven’t really reached out to me, but I’m sure they are going to be tough to beat whenever they get here.”

How similar are these TransAm cars to Cup? Do you think running the TransAm race can give you certain insights that your Xfinity experience at the track cannot?

“I think it’s just key to have the track time. I haven’t been to this track in a number of years now, so just being able to get on track more than just the one practice we have in Cup is beneficial. The cars are completely different than the Cup cars, but it’s still track time. You are still shifting gears, and the shift points relatively match up. It’s not like testing a Cup car, but it is helpful.”

What is the primary objective as we head to the Playoffs?

“We are just trying to get more consistent. Week-in and week-out, we are very, very inconsistent at the moment and we need to get to where we are competitive week-in and week-out. Over the last, it seems like, 10 to 12 races, it’s been really trying. At the beginning of the year, we started off really strong and had great cars week-in and week-out, so just trying to get more consistent and thankfully, I think the Playoff schedule is going to look pretty good for us. The tracks in the Playoffs, we’ve run well this year, so I’m looking forward to that, but it’s been really disappointing how inconsistent we’ve been and that’s our focus right now.”

What is your situation with Sprint Cars with Coach (Joe Gibbs)?

“I haven’t been able to race anything all year, so it looks like it’s starting to open up a little bit and I got to go do those two sprint car races in PA (Pennsylvania), but we will have to see what it looks like going forward. I don’t really know how to answer you, but yeah, I hope I get to do more in the future.”

Is there some more learning that you are still doing?

“You are always learning. I don’t think I’m where I need to be as a driver yet, but yeah, I think it’s a combination of me getting connected with Adam (Stevens, crew chief) and Adam understanding my feedback. We’ve had a couple good races over the last couple weeks. I know Texas and Nashville, where we didn’t start off very good and we actually improved the car and made the car better for the end of the race. That’s probably the two only times that we’ve done that this year, and Pocono too. From Pocono 1 to Pocono 2, we made our car tremendously better and got more competitive. That’s a good sign. Just hopefully, we can start hitting it a little bit better off the truck and being more competitive. At Nashville, we didn’t hit the setup off of the truck and fortunately, we had practice to learn that, but a number of these racetracks across the year – if you are bad off of the truck, then there is nothing to do. You can’t work on it or anything. It’s been tough, but hopefully, we can start being more consistent with that and being closer when you get off the truck because if you are close, you can dial it in. If you are in left field, then it’s a lost cause.”

Do you think the Cup car will react differently at Road America than the Xfinity Series car?

“I think it’s going to be very similar, especially the rules package that we have right now is really close to the Xfinity cars, so I think brake markers and stuff is going to be slightly different. I think we might have a little more horsepower in the Cup car versus the Xfinity car, so that’s going to change things a little bit, but I think the on-track product will be really similar and you know, we have a lot of really talented road course racers in the Cup Series, so there is going to be a lot of competitive cars and I think the on-track product will be similar to what we are used to seeing out of the Xfinity Series cars.”

What’s it going to be like to have only two more races after this one with practice for the rest of the season?

“Fortunately, we are starting to hit the second half of the season where we’ve been to places before. So, like Atlanta, we went there earlier in the year, so that will help, and it won’t be as big of a deal, hopefully, going back to the races for a second time because we’ve already been there once and especially for me, this is my first year working with Adam Stevens (crew chief) and being at Gibbs (Joe Gibbs Racing). Just him figuring out what I need in the racecar to be competitive and what my balance needs to be like and stuff like that. There have been a couple races where we have been really off, and we’ve been able to learn from that too and hopefully apply that going forward.”

We are about 11 months from the transition from Leavine Family Racing to Joe Gibbs Racing. What was the transition like and what was it liking working with guys for a team that would be shutting down?

“Yeah, that was very, very different, especially, with the team shutting down and all of the mechanics not knowing really what was going on and my crew chief announcement hadn’t been done yet, so I didn’t know if I was going to be driving with Jason (Ratcliff) again or someone else, so it was tough. The end of the line is right there. They know that after Phoenix that it’s over. I was really worried about the motivation of the mechanics and the team to see how they would continue on throughout the course of the season knowing that they are essentially getting fired or let go no matter what happens and what the outcome is, but I was really, really proud of everyone on that 95 car last year and if you look back at it, Texas, which I think was either the second or third race to the end, was probably our best race all year and then Martinsville at the end of the year, we had a good showing. We had really good racecars at the end of the year too. I was really proud of the group for keeping digging and not letting the end, so to speak, be part of their motivation.”

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.

KEVIN HARVICK
Road America Advance
No. 4 Busch Light Apple Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview
● Event: Jockey Made in America 250 (Round 20 of 36)
● Time/Date: 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 4
● Location: Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
● Layout: 4.048-mile, 14-turn road course
● Laps/Miles: 62 laps/250 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 14 laps / Stage 2: 15 laps / Final Stage: 33 laps
● TV/Radio: NBC / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● The Jockey Made in America 250 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, is the fourth of a ground-breaking seven NASCAR Cup Series races to be held on road courses in 2021. From 1988 to 2017, there were only two road courses on the schedule – Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway and Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. The Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval was added in 2018, giving the series just three road-course venues. The initial 2021 schedule doubled that tally with Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, Road America, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course all being added. And when COVID-19 restrictions forced the cancellation of the series’ planned stop earlier this year at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, the road course at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway was put in its place, serving as the series’ second race of 2021.

● It has been 65 years since the last time the NASCAR Cup Series raced at Road America, and Sunday’s Jockey Made in America 250 will be just the second Cup Series race at the road course located 65 miles north of Milwaukee. The genesis of racing at Road America began in the early 1950s when sports cars raced on the streets in and around Elkhart Lake – until the Wisconsin state legislature banned racing on public roads. So, Clif Tufte, a civil engineer and racing enthusiast who was president of the Elkhart Sand and Gravel Company, went to work. He organized a group of local citizens and leaders of the Chicago region of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and they collectively developed plans and sold stock to build a permanent road course. It helped that Tufte’s company just happened to own 525 acres of virgin land outside the Village of Elkhart Lake. Ground was broken for Road America in April of 1955 and the track’s first SCCA national race weekend was held on Sept. 10, 1955. At 4.048-miles in length and with 14 turns, the track is virtually the same today as it was when it was first laid out. The natural topography of the glacial Kettle Moraine area was utilized for the track, sweeping around rolling hills and plunging through ravines, making it one of the most challenging circuits in the world. The first and, until this weekend, only Cup Series race at Road America was on Aug. 12, 1956. An estimated crowd of 10,000 braved terrible weather to watch the event, which was won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Tim Flock driving a Mercury for car owner Bill Stroppe. Flock led 17 of the race’s 63 laps, making just two pit stops en route to his victory. Flock won with an average speed of 73.858 mph and did it in 3 hours, 29 minutes, and 50 seconds. It was his fourth victory of the 1956 season and he claimed it with a 17-second margin over second-place Billy Myers

● Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Busch Light Apple Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing, has made a total of 45 NASCAR Cup Series starts on road courses. He has 20 starts at Sonoma, 19 at Watkins Glen, three at the Charlotte Roval, two on the Daytona road course and one at COTA. He has scored two wins – Watkins Glen in 2006 and Sonoma in 2017 – along with 10 top-fives and 23 top-10s with 195 laps led.

● When Harvick scored his first road-course victory at Watkins Glen in 2006, he had to beat his current team owner to do it. Tony Stewart – the “Stewart” in Stewart-Haas Racing – had won the past two NASCAR Cup Series races at the seven-turn, 2.45-mile road course and was poised to capture a third straight win as he was leading Harvick with four laps to go in the 90-lap race. But Harvick, who had already led once for 24 laps, passed Stewart on lap 87 as the two drag-raced down the frontstretch and into turn one. Harvick held onto the lead despite Stewart in his rearview mirror, earning a margin of victory of .892 of a second.

● Harvick’s second career road-course win also had a connection to Stewart. When Harvick won at Sonoma in 2017, he gave Stewart-Haas Racing its second straight victory at the 10-turn, 1.99-mile road course. The winner in 2016? None other than Stewart. It ended up being his 49th and final NASCAR Cup Series victory as Stewart retired from NASCAR racing at the conclusion of the season.

● Harvick’s last road-course win was his first in a Ford. When Harvick won at Sonoma in 2017, he became the 83rd different driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series race behind the wheel of a Ford. Harvick has now won 23 Cup Series races with Ford, which makes him one of only 13 drivers to win 20 or more races with the manufacturer. He is currently tied with Rusty Wallace and Carl Edwards for 11th on the all-time Ford win list.

● Harvick has four road-course wins outside of the NASCAR Cup Series. Two came in the NASCAR Xfinity Series – Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal in 2007 and Watkins Glen in 2007 – and two were in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West – Sonoma in 1998 and Sonoma in 2017. Harvick’s K&N Series win at Sonoma in 1998 was three years before his Cup Series debut on Feb. 26, 2001 at North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham.

Kevin Harvick, Driver of the No. 4 Busch Light Apple Ford Mustang

When you’re preparing to race on a track you’ve never been to before, you get acclimated by using a simulator. How helpful is the simulator when you don’t have that seat-of-the-pants feel?

“My big thing is just memorizing what’s next on the racetrack. You’re never going to get a good feel for the elevation, but I think the Ford simulator gives the best sense. You’re able to sit in your own seat and have your own steering wheel and you’re just in a more realistic surrounding. In iRacing, I spent a lot of time in the V8 Supercar just making laps and trying to make sure I knew the direction of the corners before I got to the simulator so I understood what I was getting into.”

Are you at a disadvantage at Road America because so many of the younger drivers who have come up through the NASCAR Xfinity Series have raced at Road America and have a good bit of experience there?

“I would say so. I would say that their experience and those visuals are definitely on their side. I think as you hear people talk about racing there and the things that happen at that particular racetrack, everybody enjoys driving the racetrack and racing on that track. It was another track we decided to run the Xfinity car, be a part of the event the day before, and try to use that real-life experience to get us up to speed for Sunday.”

Road-course racing has become more prevalent in NASCAR. Do you like it?

“I enjoy the road courses. I enjoy the environment. I enjoy going to new places more than anything now, and I think that’s what the enthusiasm and excitement has brought with this year’s schedule, just because of the fact that we’re going to new markets. We’re going to exciting places and that’s good for our sport.”

When it comes to road-course racing, do you feel that more of the race is in your hands?

“You do have more in your hands, for sure, especially when it comes to shifting and all the different things that could happen. But strategy and track position are a big part of that element too. It’s just like anything else, you’ve got to have the whole piece of the puzzle to put it all together.”

There is a lot of newness in this year’s schedule. We first saw it back in March with a dirt race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and here we are again with a first-time venue in Road America. What are your thoughts on the schedule?

“I think NASCAR has done a great job with the schedule. And really, it doesn’t matter if we’re going to a road course or an oval, just getting into the Nashville market, the Austin market, Road America having such great fans in that particular area that love racing and have showed up year after year for the Xfinity cars – it’s just great to mix things up. People like new, fresh, exciting ideas. You look at the Bristol dirt race, and we’ve raced at Bristol forever, and you show up at the dirt race and everybody wants to talk about the Bristol dirt race. ‘What did you think of the dirt race? I loved watching the dirt race.’ I think as you hear that, I hope people understand the importance of mixing the schedule up, going to new racetracks, going to new areas, going to new markets.”

TY DILLON
Road America Advance
No. 96 Lure Lock/Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry

Event Overview
● Event: Jockey Made in America 250 (Round 20 of 36)
● Time/Date: 2:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, July 4
● Location: Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
● Layout: 4.048-mile, 14-turn road course
● Race 1 Laps/Miles: (62 laps/250 miles)
● Race 1 Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 14 laps / Stage 2: 15 laps / Final Stage: 33 laps
● TV/Radio: NBC / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Ty Dillon, Bass Pro Shops and Gaunt Brothers Racing (GBR) welcome an old friend and new racing partner to the No. 96 Toyota Camry when the NASCAR Cup Series makes its debut at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, during Sunday’s Jockey Made in America 250. Lure Lock, an innovator and new leader in the fishing tackle storage category, is a fitting addition to the GBR family of partners as the team prepares to spend the Fourth of July holiday weekend racing at the 4.048-mile, 14-turn circuit widely known as America’s National Park of Speed. It will also be a home-state race for Lure Lock, which can be found online at LureLock.com and is available at such top retailers as Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s, as the company is based in Ettrick, Wisconsin, approximately 200 miles west of Road America.

● The 29-year-old Dillon will be making his fourth Cup Series start of the season and the 166th of his career in Sunday’s 62-lap, 250-mile race. Most recently, Dillon drove to a 21st-place finish at the Circuit of the Americas road course in Austin, Texas, on May 23. Earlier this season, he drove the No. 96 GBR Toyota to a 19th-place finish on the road course at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, and to a 26th-place finish in the first-ever Food City Dirt Race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. In this year’s Duel qualifying races for the Daytona 500, Dillon finished a solid sixth in the No. 96 Toyota but was nipped at the finish line by .04 of a second in his bid to qualify for The Great American Race with the non-chartered team. It marked the highest Duel finish ever by a team that did not qualify for the Daytona 500.

● The No. 96 Lure Lock/Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry will be making GBR’s 78th start since joining the Cup Series as a part-time team in 2017. Team owner Marty Gaunt’s almost two-decades-long relationship with Toyota dates back to his ownership of the Toyota-powered Clean Line Racing team in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, which became Red Horse Racing, as well as his executive role in the formation of Red Bull’s nascent Toyota-powered Cup Series team. Gaunt’s Toyota ties strengthened after the 2008 season when he purchased Triad Racing Development, which leased Toyota engines across NASCAR’s Cup, Xfinity and Truck series and continues to be NASCAR’s exclusive distributor of Toyota parts as Triad Racing. Gaunt founded GBR in 2010, with his eponymous team starting out in the Canada-based NASCAR Pinty’s Series and the U.S.-based NASCAR K&N Pro Series. Its first driver, Jason Bowles, scored GBR’s maiden victory in the 2011 Toyota All-Star Showdown at Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway, with the precursor to that win being the pole position in track-record time at the 2011 Streets of Toronto 100. After seven years competing in NASCAR’s development divisions, Gaunt stepped up to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2017. His team contested the full Cup Series schedule with Daniel Suárez in 2020, but scaled back its focus in 2021 to the superspeedway and road-course races with an eye toward the introduction of NASCAR’s Next Gen Cup Series car in 2022.

● Sunday’s race marks GBR’s 11th Cup Series road-course outing. Dillon’s road-course experience enabled him to avoid huge mayhem during the closing laps of February’s race on the 14-turn, 3.61-mile Daytona circuit en route to his 19th-place finish, the team’s best road-course run thus far.

● Sunday’s race marks Dillon’s 13th career road-course start in the Cup Series. His most impressive road-course outing, even though the final result didn’t reflect it, came in the rain last October on the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval. He climbed in wet conditions from his 17th starting position in his Germain Racing entry to lead the final five laps of the opening stage. He went on to finish 22nd in the race, but the Stage 1 win earned him the spot in this year’s Busch Clash at Daytona.

● Dillon enjoyed modest success on road courses while competing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series from 2014 to 2016. In 10 road-course outings, he had an average start of 7.3 and an average finish of 9.8, with top-fives at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington in 2015 (third) and 2016 (fourth), and another top-five at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International in 2015 (fifth), all with Richard Childress Racing.

● Sunday’s race is the fourth of a ground-breaking seven NASCAR Cup Series races to be held on road courses in 2021. From 1988 to 2017, there were only two road courses on the schedule – Sonoma (Calif.) Racewayand Watkins Glen. The Charlotte Roval was added in 2018, giving the series three road-course venues. The initial 2021 schedule doubled that tally, with Circuit of the Americas, Road America and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course all being added. And when COVID-19 restrictions forced the cancellation of the series’ stop this year at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, the Daytona road course was put in its place.

● At Road America, the No. 96 Lure Lock/Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry will turn its wheels for the first time Saturday during a 50-minute practice session from 12:35 p.m. to 1:25 p.m. EDT. It returns to the track Sunday for qualifying and the race. Qualifying takes place at 11:05 a.m. and the Jockey Made in America 250 presented by Kwik Trip gets underway at 2:30 p.m. with live coverage on NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

● Lure Lock revolutionizes the way people fish. Its durable fishing tackle boxes protect prized lures, keeps hooks sharp and makes tackle organization fun and easy. They are tooled, crafted, manufactured and assembled in Ettrick, Wisconsin, and fishing enthusiasts and professionals alike can rest-assured the Lure Lock tackle system is made from quality materials that are built to last and are environmentally safe. Its green dividers Snap-Apart with a simple twist, eliminating the need for additional cutting and trimming. Each tackle box comes standard with a full set of dividers, allowing the fisherman to customize his tackle box to fit a variety of baits and lures, regardless the size. Lure Lock’s Tak Logic Technology is environmentally safe and is formulated from a soy-based recipe produced in-house at the Wisconsin factory. It’s made from renewable resources. Tak Logic Technology holds and cradles fishing lures, hooks and terminal fishing tackle into a soft, safe environment, locking it into place while keeping the vibration and movement from dulling the hooks, barbs, paint, and even the overall effectiveness of the lure itself.

● Bass Pro Shops is a longtime supporter of Dillon, an avid outdoorsman. North America’s premier outdoor and conservation company was with Dillon for his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series win in July 2014 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and his three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victories – August 2012 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, June 2013 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, and November 2013 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.

Ty Dillon, Driver of the No. 96 Lure Lock/Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry for Gaunt Brothers Racing

Unlike your last outing at Circuit of the Americas, you’ve raced in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Road America. How does that affect your outlook for this weekend?

“I’m not sure how much will transfer from my three years of racing at Road America in the Xfinity Series. One race was in the rain, one race I only had third gear, so I really only have one full race there in the Xfinity Series. But knowing the track and having laps there definitely puts me farther ahead than going into Circuit of the Americas, where I had never seen the track in-person before arriving for the race weekend. I’m excited to go back to a place where I probably have more experience than the other drivers in recent history. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to be back on track at a place where I have some experience at.”

You’re heading to America’s National Park of Speed to spend your Fourth of July weekend with Lure Lock and Bass Pro Shops along for the ride. Do you have a favorite fishing memory?

“One of my favorite fishing memories was actually at the racetrack a few years back with (wife) Haley at Homestead-Miami Speedway. We were fishing on the backstretch pond and, for the three nights we were there, she was the only one to catch fish out of everyone who was out fishing. She was on a hot streak and it was one of my favorite times pulling the fish off the hook for her.”

Do you have a favorite fishing locale?

“Out of all the places I have fished at, I enjoy fishing in the ocean the best. But I do enjoy just casting a reel in a pond and catching a bass.”

Do you have a favorite lure?

“My favorite lure to use is a simple Rapala lure, the kind you use for bass fishing in a pond.”