Darlington Raceway
Sunday, May 9, 2021
1.366-Mile Oval
3:30 PM ET
Location: Darlington, South Carolina
TV: Fox
Event: NASCAR Cup Series (12 of 36)
Radio: SiriusXM, PRN

5 KYLE LARSON

Age: 28 (July 31, 1992)
Hometown: Elk Grove, California
Resides: Mooresville, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels
Standings: 9th

No. 5 HendrickCars.com Throwback Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE

EGG-CELLENT STATS: In six NASCAR Cup Series starts at Darlington Raceway, Kyle Larson has three top-five finishes and five top-10s with his worst finish of 14th occurring in 2017. He has an average finish of 6.7, his best of all active tracks. The 2014 rookie of the year led in five of those six races for 500 laps – 23% of the laps he has competed in at the egg-shaped track.

A PERFECT 10: The 28-year-old driver also has four starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Darlington Raceway, finishing in the top 10 in each. He has a 5.8 average finish in those races with his best result of fourth occurring in 2016.

SECOND NATURE: Through 11 races in 2021, Larson has one win, four stage wins, secured nine playoff points and has led 511 laps – all second-most in NASCAR’s premier series. His four top-five finishes rank third in the Cup Series.

A FAMILY AFFAIR: The HendrickCars.com Throwback paint scheme that will adorn the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Darlington pays homage to the first go-kart Larson ever raced in 1999. According to Kyle’s father, Mike, the go-kart was purchased without the knowledge of Kyle’s mother, Janet. She learned of the purchase when it appeared in their garage.

IT’S MAJ1K: Also appearing on the car this weekend is the MAJ1K decal, a family team logo. Originally, it was MAJIK which stood for ‘Mike, Andrea (Kyle’s sister), Janet, including Kyle.’ Because Kyle raced the number 1K, the family changed the ‘I’ to ‘1’ to incorporate 1K into the logo.

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

9 CHASE ELLIOTT

Age: 25 (Nov. 28, 1995)
Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia
Resides: Dawsonville, Georgia
Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
Standings: 7th

No. 9 Hooters Throwback Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE

2021 RUNDOWN: The NASCAR Cup Series season has crossed the 11-race mark of the 2021 season and Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Hooters Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, has posted four top-five finishes – two of which are runner-up results, five top-10s and has led a total of 76 laps. He has one stage win and has spent 667 laps inside the top five and 1,620 laps running in the top 10.

LAST YEAR AT DARLINGTON: Elliott and the No. 9 team showed speed in all three events last year at Darlington. In those events, he led a total of 142 laps – the third-most of all drivers. During the first race on May 17, the 25-year-old driver overcame a speeding penalty to collect a fourth-place finish – a career best at the South Carolina venue. On May 20, Elliott finished in the top 10 in both stages and led 28 laps before being spun out by a competitor while running second on the final green-flag lap of the rain-shortened event, relegating him to a 38th-place finish. Finally, on Sept. 6, Elliott led 114 laps before finishing 20th after suffering damage from an accident with Martin Truex Jr. while battling for the lead in the closing laps.

‘TOO TOUGH TO TAME’ STATS: Elliott is set to make his ninth NASCAR Cup Series start at Darlington Raceway this weekend. In his previous races at the 1.366-mile track, he has two top-five finishes and three top-10s. Elliott also has three NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the South Carolina venue, where he won in his 2014 track debut. He is one of only four drivers to win at Darlington in their first race there.

GUSTAFSON AT DARLINGTON: No. 9 team crew chief Alan Gustafson has called 19 Cup Series races at Darlington. Leading five different drivers, he’s collected one win, four top-five results and seven top-10s. Gustafson’s Darlington win came in 2009 with veteran Mark Martin, the second-oldest driver (50 years, 4 months) to win at the track.

WELCOME BACK, HOOTERS: On Sunday at Darlington, Hooters will make its 2021 season debut on the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE with the Hooters Throwback paint scheme. A casual dining establishment with a deep history in NASCAR, the Atlanta-based company will be a three-race primary sponsor of the No. 9 team this year. Elliott will also pilot the No. 9 Hooters Chevrolet later this season at the Indianapolis Road Course and in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs at Bristol Motor Speedway.

HONORING A CHAMPION: Earlier this year, Elliott revealed the No. 9 Hooters Throwback paint scheme he will drive this weekend at Darlington. The design honors Alan Kulwicki, who drove the Hooters look in 1992 when he won the NASCAR Cup Series title. Click here to check out the scheme.

NEXT GEN REVEAL: On Wednesday, Elliott participated in the Next Gen car unveil in Charlotte, North Carolina. Click here to learn more about the unveil for next year’s fleet of race cars.

24 WILLIAM BYRON

Age: 23 (Nov. 29, 1997)
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Resides: Charlotte, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle
Standings: 3rd

No. 24 Valvoline Throwback Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE

ON A ROLL: Dating back to his win at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Feb. 28, William Byron has been on a hot streak of top-10 finishes. The 23-year-old driver has now extended his consecutive top-10 finishes to nine races – the longest active streak in the NASCAR Cup Series. Byron’s nine total top-10s also are the most by any Cup driver this year. It took Byron 26 races in each of the last two seasons to secure nine top-10 finishes but he accomplished the same feat in only 11 events in 2021. In fact, Byron has the longest top-10 streak by a Hendrick Motorsports driver since Jimmie Johnson in 2010. He is also the youngest driver of all time to reach a nine-race top-10 streak in his Cup career.

ENCOURAGING ELEVEN: So far in the 2021 Cup Series season, Byron and the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE team have been a model of consistency. After 11 races, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native has spent 2,330 laps running inside the top 10 – the second-most in the field behind only points leader Denny Hamlin (2,612). Of those top-10 laps, 962 have been inside the top five, which is the seventh-most of all drivers. He also has the third-best average running position of 9.09 so far in 2021.

PRO INVITATIONAL SERIES: ROUND 3: After its inception last year during the coronavirus pandemic, the iRacing NASCAR Pro Invitational Series resumes this Wednesday night for the third race of 10 in 2021 at the virtual Darlington Raceway. Picking up where he left off last season, Byron raced to the win in the first Pro Invitational Series event this year on March 24 at the virtual Bristol dirt track. In his eight total Pro Invitational Series starts, Byron leads the field with four victories and is the only driver to win consecutive races. The driver of the No. 24 has paced the field in seven of his eight starts, leading a total of 445 laps out of 1,058.

DARLINGTON DEETS: With five previous Cup Series starts at Darlington, Byron is looking to capitalize on his previously strong showings at Darlington Raceway this Sunday and find a little luck along the way. Despite running well early on in past races, Byron currently has a track-best finish of fifth, which came last September. Byron also has one NASCAR Xfinity Series start at the southern short track where he qualified sixth and raced to a fifth-place result, as well.

THE FUGLE FILES: Despite an extensive résumé at NASCAR’s national level, this Sunday’s race at Darlington Raceway will bring some unknowns for crew chief Rudy Fugle. Making his first Cup Series start at the 1.366-mile track, Fugle has only three previous starts at Darlington – two in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and one in the Xfinity Series. Fugle’s most recent race at the South Carolina-based venue came last year in the Truck Series where his driver started 17th and finished fifth.

WELCOME, VALVOLINE: Last week, Valvoline expanded it’s partnership with Hendrick Motorsports by adding primary sponsorships to the No. 5 and No. 24 teams for a combined five races. The Valvoline colors will be on board Byron’s Chevy for this Sunday’s race at Darlington Raceway and will return in the playoffs for his hometown race at the Charlotte Roval on Oct. 10. In conjunction with the announcement, Valvoline also unveiled its Darlington throwback scheme that Byron will pilot, which pays tribute to driver Neil Bonnett.

SOUTH CAROLINA STATE OF MIND: While Landon Walker, the fueler on the No. 24 team, hails from North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, he also has significant ties to the southernmost Carolina state, having played football at Clemson University. The former college offensive tackle earned a scholarship to Clemson in 2007 after being named an All-American offensive lineman in his hometown at East Wilkes High School. While playing at Clemson, Walker recorded 3,131 snaps with 49 starts at tackle through four seasons. In 2011, Walker was named team captain, the same season Clemson went on to win the Atlantic Coast Conference championship. The college football standout was then recruited by Hendrick Motorsports in 2012 and earned a position as the starting fueler for the former No. 5 (now No. 24) team in 2015.

48 Alex Bowman

Age: 28 (April 25, 1993)
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Resides: Concord, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Greg Ives
Standings: 14th

No. 48 Ally Throwback Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE

Greg Ives, crew chief of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, will be available to members of the media via video conference on Thursday, May 6. Visit NASCARmedia.com for details.

HONORING IVES: On April 20, Hendrick Motorsports and Ally announced the No. 48 Ally Throwback scheme that would honor crew chief Greg Ives. The seafoam and grapefruit colors honor Ives’ late model driving days with a scheme based on a car from his 1998 season that was purchased from the Coleman Racing family in Michigan. When Ives bought the car, the seller asked him to consider keeping the paint color the same and was later told of Jim Pagel, who ran the color and paint scheme in 1993. Pagel was a local stock car driver who lost his life on May 2, 1997, following a crash during qualifying at Wisconsin International Raceway. Check out the special scheme here.

BOWMAN IS ‘TOO TOUGH’: Alex Bowman has seven previous starts in the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington Raceway. The 28-year-old’s best finish of second came in May last season, when the sport returned after a two-month break due to the coronavirus pandemic. Bowman led for 41 laps after rolling off second, earning the second-most points in the event. During the three races held at the 1.366-mile venue in 2020, Bowman captured the second-most stage points (39) and led the sixth-most laps (42) among active drivers. Bowman has one start at Darlington in the NASCAR Xfinity Series where he finished 17th in 2013 after 147 laps.

11 DOWN, 25 TO GO: After 11 races this season, Bowman has one win, two top-five finishes, four top-10s and one pole award (DAYTONA 500). The No. 48 Ally team has spent 1,313 laps running inside the top 10. Out of those laps, 649 have been inside the top five, which is 10th-most of current drivers. Bowman led the final 10 laps during the event at Richmond Raceway en route to his first short-track victory in the NASCAR Cup Series.

IVES IN DARLINGTON: For the ninth time in his Cup Series career, Ives will call the shots at Darlington for the No. 48 Ally team. The Bark River, Michigan, native’s best finish at the venue came in the first May event at the track last season when Bowman crossed the line second after leading 41 laps. Ives’ drivers have completed 99.8% of the total laps at Darlington and have one top-five finish and three top-10s at the facility. He was also the crew chief for Chase Elliott in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2014 when the team captured the victory after leading 52 laps. From 2006-2012, Ives was a race engineer for the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team. During that time, he was a part of one Cup Series win (2012) and four top-five finishes at Darlington.

PIT ROAD KNACK: After 11 races in the 2021 season, the No. 48 pit crew continues to be the fastest in the NASCAR Cup Series based on average four-tire stop times. The five-man over-the-wall crew has an average four-tire stop time of 13.66 seconds. The team includes fueler Jacob Conley, tire carrier Allen Stallings, jackman Dustin Lineback and tire changers Scott Brzozowski and Devin DelRicco.

30-FOR-30: At Darlington Raceway this Sunday, Hendrick Motorsports is looking to secure a 30th consecutive top-10 finish in the NASCAR Cup Series. Chase Elliott (fifth) and William Byron (ninth) both finished in the top 10 at Kansas Speedway last weekend, extending a streak of at least one Hendrick Motorsports driver posting a top-10 result to 29 straight races. Team Penske ranks second with eight consecutive top-10s.

DARLINGTON THROWBACK: On May 12, 2012, Jimmie Johnson won at Darlington Raceway to capture Hendrick Motorsports’ 200th NASCAR Cup Series victory. Overall, a record-tying six different drivers have combined for Hendrick Motorsports’ record number of 14 victories at the 1.366-mile track: Jeff Gordon (seven), Johnson (three), Terry Labonte (one), Mark Martin (one), Tim Richmond (one) and Ricky Rudd (one). The organization holds the record for most drivers to win for a team at a track with eight different Hendrick Motorsports drivers victorious at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

MOTHER’S DAY: The last NASCAR Cup Series race held on Mother’s Day was won by four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Gordon. Originally scheduled for Saturday, May 12, the Hendrick Motorsports driver led the final 22 laps in the event delayed one day due to weather.

ONE (MORE) FOR THE RECORD BOOKS: Three different Hendrick Motorsports drivers have gone to victory lane in the first 11 races of 2021, marking only the 10th time in NASCAR Cup Series history a team has done so. Hendrick Motorsports also accomplished it in 2007 and 2009, while Joe Gibbs Racing did so in 2016, 2019 and 2021. Other teams with three different winners in the first 11 events: Team Penske in 2021; Roush Fenway Racing in 2005, Peter DePaolo Racing in 1957 and Carl Kiekhafer Racing in 1956. The earliest in a single season a team has won with four different drivers is race No. 12 by Hendrick Motorsports in 2007 and JGR in 2016.

TWO TO TIE: Hendrick Motorsports entered the 2021 season within striking distance of one of stock car racing’s most enduring achievements: Petty Enterprises’ all-time team record for NASCAR Cup Series victories. The legendary Petty organization captured the wins record from Carl Kiekhafer Racing more than 60 years ago when Lee Petty took the checkered flag at Orange Speedway on May 29, 1960, for the team’s 53rd victory. Its 268th and most recent win was delivered by driver John Andretti on April 18, 1999. Hendrick Motorsports has earned 266 points-paying Cup Series wins since Rick Hendrick founded the team in 1984 and currently needs just three to break the record at NASCAR’s highest level.

QUOTABLE /

Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on Darlington Throwback scheme: “Every year when the throwback race comes around, you try to think of past NASCAR paint schemes, so it was really cool that Hendrick Motorsports and Mr. H (Rick Hendrick) allowed me to throwback to my first go-kart. My dad picked out the paint scheme when I was racing and, as a kid, I always wanted something different. Now as I have gotten older, I appreciate that he kept our cars looking consistent with the orange and the white until we got new sponsors. So, it’s cool to have the orange and white with the faded blues for Darlington.”

Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on rules package for Darlington: “There’s some notes from last year we’re going to try to pull from, but it’s so different with the aero and horsepower package. All three races last year were the high drag, high downforce and low horsepower package. Coming back this weekend with no practice and the low downforce-high horsepower package is a completely different ballgame. There’s a fine balance between the drivability and turn you look for at Darlington that we’re hoping to achieve. We’ve dug into some historical notes and the trends from 2018, which is the last time we raced there with this aero and power package. It’s such a long race that we’ll just have to tune on the car as we progress through it.”

Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on Darlington: “I enjoy Darlington. I am a performance guy so if it goes well, I probably liked it that trip and if it didn’t, then I probably don’t. Last year, I feel like we had a solid run and had a shot at it there at the end. Martin (Truex Jr.) and I ended up wrecking coming to the closing 10 laps for the lead. I was definitely playing defense, he was on me and was making a good run. So there’s room for improvement, obviously. You want to be fast enough where that guy behind you is nowhere close. That’s where I want to be and that’s how you want to position yourself at the end of those races, if you can. We can definitely be better, but I was pleased with our speed last year. We had some really good runs and were certainly solid, so we have something good to build off of.”

Elliott on coming to Darlington for Throwback weekend: “I think it’s such a great event. I’ve enjoyed the vibe around it and the throwback schemes are all pretty cool. We are looking forward to running the Alan Kulwicki Hooters paint scheme this year. I know Hooters has been excited to do this scheme for a while so it’s great to see it come to life.”

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on the difficulties of racing at Darlington: “Darlington is a track that is known for its old, worn-out surface and how hard it is on tires. You’re always elbows up at that place, but you also have to know when to press forward and when to manage your equipment so you’re not over taxing your tires. I’ve tried to manage that as best as I can, but that’s what makes Darlington such a tough track. It’s not an easy task while, at the same time, it’s easy to lose focus for a moment and that’s all it takes to end your day. Hopefully, this weekend we’ll have the setup we need, and then it’s up to me to get the most I can out of the Valvoline Chevy while making sure we’re around in the end of it.”

Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on what to expect at Darlington: “Darlington is a track that you race the race track more than anything. The track has an older surface, so it changes quite a bit throughout a run. It’s a place that you expect to be making changes to your setup almost constantly. Even if you feel like you have your car handling ideally at the time, you have to think and plan two steps ahead to keep up with the trends of the track and the race. That makes it difficult as a crew chief, though, because you don’t want to over adjust and get yourself behind early on. William has ran well in most of the races he’s been in at Darlington; we just need to work on putting him in position to be there at the end. Sunday is going to be a long race and we need to focus on running our race in the situation we’re in more than anything.”

Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on his throwback scheme at Darlington: “Ally being open to doing whatever throwback I wanted to do this year was really cool. Being able to honor (crew chief) Greg (Ives) this weekend in Darlington is going to be really special. It was really fun being able to surprise him a few weeks ago and to have his family from back home involved was the icing on top. The seafoam Chevrolet will look good on track and even better up front on Sunday.”

Bowman on what makes Darlington a difficult track: “Darlington is one of those tracks where you can’t get caught up in racing the other guys. This is a place where you have to race the track and adjust your car to what you need on track. We ran well there last year and I think we have a good notebook to carry on to this weekend’s race. Tire management is key in Darlington and will be something to look after on Sunday.”

Greg Ives, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on racing strategy at Darlington: “Going to 400 miles for this race at Darlington doesn’t really change any strategy. It maybe just changes how many laps are in the stage and how many laps you are going to run on tires. It is definitely grueling on the drivers, as well, with the heat that is expected down there in Darlington. It is definitely a fun racetrack, and I don’t know many drivers who don’t like racing down there. You end up racing the racetrack instead of racing the drivers at that place. Green-flag ;passes are going to be difficult with just how hard the racing is there. We are looking to getting down there with our throwback scheme. I know Alex (Bowman), Ally and everyone on the team is looking forward to Darlington.”

• Ford’s all-new 2022 NASCAR Next Gen Mustang was unveiled today at a media reveal ceremony in Charlotte, North Carolina
• World’s best-selling sports car remains Ford’s entry in America’s most popular form of auto racing
• All-new NASCAR Mustang incorporates much of the same architecture seen in production cars, including rack-and-pinion steering, independent rear suspension, 18-inch tires and a symmetric body
• NASCAR Next Gen Mustang makes its racing debut at the Daytona 500 Feb. 20, 2022

DEARBORN, Mich., May 5, 2021 – A completely new era in stock car racing is ushered in today as Ford unveils its all-new 2022 NASCAR Next Gen Mustang to the public in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Next Gen Mustang will compete in the NASCAR Cup Series starting next season.

The new car, which has been under development for two years, is completely different from its predecessor – redesigned from the ground up. Unlike past versions, with the exterior being the only noticeable change, this model is built for the future, featuring flexibility for technological advances such as a hybrid or electric powertrain.

The new race car more closely mirrors its Mustang production counterpart, which maintains its title as world’s best-selling sports car.

“A lot of work has been done behind the scenes to make sure this Next Gen Mustang remains relevant to our customers,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “As the automotive industry continues to change, we’ll have the ability to keep up in the racing world without having to go through a complete overhaul or redesign of the car. This is something we’ve been waiting for and we’re glad the time has finally arrived.”

Changes include rack-and-pinion steering, independent rear suspension and 18-inch tires with aluminum forged wheels. The all-new body features a wider stance, while a symmetric exterior shell, tail and smaller greenhouse area closely resemble the production Mustang.

“This car is true to the Mustang brand and we have to thank the Ford design team for working hand-in-hand with our aerodynamic engineers to ensure it is competitive on the track, while maintaining unique Mustang styling,” said Rushbrook. “That requires a lot of give-and-take on both sides, but with the new smaller greenhouse area and shorter rear deck, we were able to do a lot of things to make sure there’s no mistaking this is a Mustang.”

Development of the new car took place both in Ford’s Dearborn design center and at the Ford Performance Technical Center in Concord, North Carolina, where Ford’s NASCAR scale model and aero teams are located. Extensive development continues on full-motion simulators at the technical center, where both racing and production car work takes place.

“Mustang is an iconic brand for Ford and when I saw the Next Gen Mustang in person for the first time I was pumped,” said Team Penske driver Joey Logano, the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series champion. “The aggressive look of the nose and the changes to the greenhouse and tail make the car more authentic to the street Mustang than ever before. I know the fans are going to love the Next Gen Mustang and I can’t wait to get it on the track.”

Mustang came to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2019 and has won at least 10 races each of its first two years, including a season-high 18 victories in 2020 that helped Ford win the manufacturers’ championship.

The NASCAR Next Gen Mustang makes its competition debut on Feb. 20, 2022, at Daytona International Speedway for the 64th annual Daytona 500.

To learn more about Mustang, please visit Ford.com/Mustang.

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford trucks, utility vehicles, and cars – increasingly including electrified versions – and Lincoln luxury vehicles; provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company; and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification; mobility solutions, including self-driving services; and connected vehicle services. Ford employs approximately 186,000 people worldwide. For more information regarding Ford, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company, please visit corporate.ford.com.

OEMs and NASCAR collaborate to bring production elements to race cars

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Chevrolet and other major automotive brands competing in the NASCAR Cup Series revealed their Next Gen models today. Chevrolet’s new look on the racetrack will more closely connect to its cars in the showroom when Chevy campaigns its Next Gen Camaro ZL1 race car starting next season in the NASCAR Cup Series. The new look and features are a result of a collaborative effort by Chevrolet, the series and other original equipment manufacturers for race cars competing at the Cup level to look and perform more like their production counterparts.

The Next Gen Camaro ZL1 race car’s new lower greenhouse, shortened deck lid and widened track width contribute to a coupe-like appearance. A fully symmetrical body design makes the race car look even more like the production Camaro.

“Chevrolet engineers and designers worked alongside our race teams to develop this race car while staying true to the styling essence of the Camaro ZL1,” said Jim Campbell, GM U.S. vice president of Performance and Motorsports. “This cooperation will benefit Chevrolet both on the track and the street.”

Both the Next Gen Camaro ZL1 race car and production Camaro ZL1 offer hood air extractors that enhance track performance.

“The Next Gen Camaro has a much stronger link to the production Camaro ZL1 in terms of styling integration, improved proportions and relevant technologies,” said Eric Warren, Chevrolet director of NASCAR Programs. “From an engineering standpoint, this is a seismic shift. It’s a completely new car that brings with it a lot of opportunity from a technical standpoint.”

Other changes to the 2022 Next Gen race car include:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chevrolet initially introduced the Camaro ZL1 race car to NASCAR Cup competition in 2018. It was replaced by the Camaro ZL1 1LE race car in 2020, which Chase Elliot drove to a Driver’s Championship in the car’s first season.

Chevrolet has campaigned 14 different nameplates in the Cup Series, dating back to 1955, and with 798 victories is the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history. Chevy’s first win was by Fonty Flock at Columbia Speedway in South Carolina in 1955, the same year Chevrolet introduced its famed small-block V-8. Since then, Chevrolet has won 39 Manufacturer Championships, including 13 in a row from 2003-2015, and 32 Driver Championships to lead all manufacturers.

The Next Gen Camaro ZL1 race car will make its points-paying debut at next season’s Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida on Feb. 20, 2022.

Get a behind-the-scenes look at the Next Gen Camaro ZL1 race car Saturday, May 8, at 8 p.m. ET by joining “Chevy MyWay: Meet the All-New NASCAR Next Gen Camaro,” a free broadcast open to all. The link to this event page will be live at 3:30 p.m. today.

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 100 countries and selling more than 4.0 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with 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.

As NASCAR Introduces Next Gen, Toyota Adds TRD Camry to Nameplate

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (May 5, 2021) – More than two years in the making, Toyota and TRD (Toyota Racing Development) today unveiled the manufacturer’s Next Gen car that will take to the track in 2022 – the Toyota TRD Camry – in the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS).

Toyota has been working alongside NASCAR, as well as the other OEMs, on the development of the Next Gen vehicles for competition. The components of the Next Gen race cars are an unprecedented move for the sport, but one that looks to continue to evolve safety enhancements of the race cars and promote on-track competition.

Toyota, TRD (Toyota Racing Development, U.S.A.) and Calty Design have worked together to ensure as many body styling characteristics as possible are incorporated into the Toyota TRD Camry Next Gen so it resembles its production counterpart as closely as possible. From the grill to the spoiler and everywhere in between, the Next Gen TRD Camry race car has the most body styling attributes to its production counterpart than ever before in a NCS Camry. This is a practice that Toyota and TRD have employed since the development of the 2013 Camry in NCS competition.

“There has been a substantial amount of work put into the Toyota TRD Camry Next Gen car by all of our partners, but specifically everyone at TRD and Calty Design,” said Paul Doleshal, group manager of motorsports and assets, TMNA (Toyota Motor North America). “We’re thrilled to have the chance to showcase the TRD Camry to represent Toyota in the NASCAR Cup Series through this Next Gen project. This is our topline, track-inspired performance Camry and it seemed only fitting for it to take it’s spot on the race track.”

Toyota continues to be the only manufacturer in NASCAR to showcase three nameplates across NASCAR’s three national series – the TRD Camry in the NCS, the Supra in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) and the Tundra in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS). Since joining the NCS and NXS in 2007, Camrys have earned 156 NCS wins and three NCS championships along with 171 NXS wins and two NXS championships. And since Tundra’s entry into the NCWTS in 2004, Toyota has claimed 205 victories and eight Truck Series championships.

“For Toyota and TRD, we’re committed to the principle of continuous improvement and we believe that’s reflected in this Next Gen TRD Camry,” said David Wilson, president of TRD. “While we know the margins available with this new race car are smaller when it comes to adjustability, we know our race team partners and our team at TRD look forward to the challenge of learning about this car and discovering the performance opportunities that will help put the TRD Camry into victory lane.”

The Toyota TRD Camry Next Gen will make its debut as the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season kicks off at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, February 20, 2022.

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks in North America, where we have 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama (10 in the U.S.), and directly employ more than 47,000 people (over 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold nearly 2.8 million cars and trucks (nearly 2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2019.

Through the 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.

Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Menards/Dutch Boy team head into Darlington Raceway and Sunday’s Goodyear 400 hoping to continue their recent string of success, which includes a top-10 finish at Richmond followed by back-to-back top-fives, at Talladega and Kansas.

DiBenedetto, who is set to start eighth, said he’s anxious to try to tame the Lady in Black, which has confounded many a driver over the years. He said he was up to the challenge presented by the handling package NASCAR has chosen for Darlington races in recent years, one that can lead to lots of slipping and sliding on the 71-year-old track.

“I’m super excited that we are running the low-downforce package at Darlington this week,” he said, adding that he’s hoping to maintain the momentum of the past few weeks.

In the past seven races, he’s been among the top 15 every race and moved from 30th in points to 16th.

“It has been a lot of fun for our group to have gained so much ground in such a short time,” he said. “It really shows our strength as a team.”

Eddie Wood said he too is looking forward to being among the team members at Darlington to support the Menards/Dutch Boy Mustang. He said NASCAR’s original superspeedway is one of his all-time favorite tracks.

“Darlington is special to me,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of success there.”

Much of that success came after Wood had become a full-time crew member.

“I was there the first time David Pearson got in our car,” he said. “No one knew how it would work out.”

Pearson was 37 when he joined the Woods eight races into the 1972 season. At that point, he hadn’t enjoyed much success since leaving the powerful Holman-Moody team midway through the 1971 season. And the Woods were running a very limited schedule at that time.

“I remember it very distinctly,” Wood said. “David started on the pole, led a lot of laps (202) and won the race.”

That was the first of six wins in 14 starts in the No. 21 that season, along with five more finishes of fourth or better.

Before they were done, Pearson and the Woods won 43 races together, including multiple victories in the sport’s premier events.

“That first Darlington win started it all,” Wood said.

Sunday’s 400-miler will mark the Woods’ 97th appearance at Darlington, and they will be seeking their ninth win there.

The green flag is set to fly just after 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday, with TV coverage on FOX Sports 1. Stage breaks will come at Laps 90 and 185.

Menards

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

Wood Brothers Racing

Wood Brothers Racing was formed in 1950 in Stuart, Va., by Hall of Famer Glen Wood. Wood Brothers Racing is the oldest active team and one of the winningest teams in NASCAR history. Since its founding, the team won 99 races (including at least one race in every decade for the last seven decades) and 120 poles in NASCAR’s top-tier series. Fielding only Ford products for its entire history, the Wood Brothers own the longest association of any motorsports team with a single manufacturer. Glen’s brother, Leonard, is known for inventing the modern pit stop. The team currently runs the Ford Mustang driven by Matt DiBenedetto in the famous No. 21 racer.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
DARLINGTON RACEWAY
GOODYEAR 400
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MAY 5, 2021

RICKY STENHOUSE, JR., NO. 47 KROGER/TIDE CAMARO ZL1 1LE, Teleconference Transcript:

WITH THE NEXT GEN UNVEIL TODAY, DO YOU HAVE ANY SENSE OF HOW THIS CAR WILL DRIVE DIFFERENTLY THAN THE CURRENT CAR?
“I’ve actually got no clue. I haven’t driven it. I haven’t even gotten to see it. So, I know they keep making changes to it. I feel like every time they drive it, and I’ve heard a little bit of feedback from some of the other guys on some steering issues and things they were running through, especially at the road course. I’ve heard a few things. For us, and everyone at JTG, we’re really focused on this car that we have right now and finishing out the season. But also, we’ve got to be looking ahead of what’s to come with the new car. I’m excited as anyone else to see it because I haven’t seen it. So as far as all the character lines and what each manufacturer and what they’re going to look like so it’s a big day for our sport, for sure.”

PART OF THE IDEA OF THIS CAR IS THAT EVERYBODY IS BUYING THEIR CHASSIS FROM THE SAME PEOPLE AND BODIES FROM THE SAME PEOPLE. DO HAVE ANY SENSE OF WHETHER THIS WILL INCREASE PARITY OR DO YOU FEEL LIKE THE TEAMS WITH THE MOST MONEY WILL STILL PREVAIL?
“Yeah, I think it can close it up at times, but I think in the end and the long run, the teams that still spend the most and use the most resources are going to find ways to make their car perform better than everybody else’s. So, I think you’ll still get to that point; but down the road, I don’t know, I feel like what we’re seeing right now with no changes from year to year, I think you’re seeing a lot of parity in our sport. This year versus last year, not a ton of changes going on. So, who knows, with this new car if they keep everything pretty consistent year after year, then maybe everybody gets really, really close.”

HOW HAS DARLINGTON BEEN FOR YOU, ESPECIALLY NOW GOING INTO THAT EVENT AND TRYING TO GET YOUR SEASON TURNED AROUND AFTER TWO ROUGH RESULTS?
“Darlington is kind of a frustrating race track. It’s really fun. I think every driver enjoys it. On the Xfinity side, I felt like we were pretty good for a couple of races and then on the Cup side, we’ve been decent in a couple of races, but overall, it hasn’t been a great track for us. Obviously last year, the first race was a disaster. The second race was kind of a disaster with some mechanical issues going on that we really couldn’t overcome. And switching to the low downforce package for this race, looking back at some of the race notes we have, I think in 2018 we had this package and finished 12th and had a good run. So, looking back on those notes and making sure we’re looking at the right things going into this weekend; but it’s definitely been a tough two weeks for us. We got off to a strong start. I’m looking forward to having an opportunity back going in the right direction for us this weekend.”

HOW MUCH DOES THE 750 HP AND LOW DOWNFORCE THIS WEEKEND INCREASE THE RACING SKILLS FOR THE DRIVERS?
“Yeah, the car is going to slide around a lot. You’re going to have a lot of power. I think you’re going to see cars slide a lot, especially off of Turn 2. Turn 2 is always tricky. But with more horsepower and less downforce, it’s definitely going to be on edge. But I think that’s what the drivers want. That’s what we like to see. And I think it’s going to create good racing. I think you’re going to have cars that will be really good on the short run and then some that will be really good on the long run. And it will be fun to see how that plays out along with different lines, especially in Turns 3 and 4. Some can run the bottom the whole time and others have got to get up on the fence. It’ll be interesting to see. And then obviously, it being a day race is another factor that I think really creates a good show. I’m excited to get there. Last year I didn’t get to race the day show. I had the opportunity, but just didn’t execute to go run a lot of laps. For me, it’s something that I’m looking forward to.”

IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE HOT AT DARLINGTON THIS WEEKEND WITH A LOT OF SLIPPING AND SLIDING. DO YOU SEE THAT OLD SCHOOL DARLINGTON COMING THIS SUNDAY?
“Yeah, for sure. I never ran the old Darlington, I guess you could say, when it was really, really rough. It’s getting that character back, especially off of Turn 2 with the bumps. And I didn’t get to run it the whole race during the day last year. So, I definitely think that old school Darlington feel; high horsepower, low downforce, will definitely be in play. It will definitely be exciting.”

HOW DOES THE USE OF THE PJ1 AT TEXAS FOR THE INDYCAR RACE AND SLIPPERY CONDITIONS COMPARE TO YOUR EXPERIENCES WITH IT? HOW DOES IT DIFFER?
“It’s interesting. I don’t know exactly. Obviously, we run different tires than they do. We creep up into it. We don’t go right into it. But it takes a minute for us to run that lane in throughout the race and throughout the weekend. For us, at the beginning of the race you don’t really want to get in it, but by the end of the race if you’re not in it, you’re not going to be fast enough. So, it’s kind of a weird circumstance on how we end up in it. We creep into it, right-sides only, a little bit here and there, and then by the end of the race, you’re four tires in it. I don’t know if their tires and everything that they have just doesn’t correlate with it, but it is slick to start, for sure. With them running wide-open around the bottom, it would be kind of treacherous and tricky to get up in it running that fast.”

WE ARE RACING ON MOTHER’S DAY WEEKEND. WHAT INFLUENCES DID YOU MOTHER HAVE ON YOUR CAREER?
“My mom has always been that steady base and foundation for our family. She kept us fed. Me and Dad would work in the shop for hours and hours and Mom would bring us food. And when we’d head out to the race track, she would pack us food and make sure we were taken care of. My Mom is a nurse, so with everything that I did, riding dirt bikes and playing all kinds of sports, she always took care of me. And she still does. It’s always really nice to still have my family come out to the races. This year we’ve been doing a lot more dirt racing, which, my family is allowed to come to, which is nice. So, she’s been coming to those races with us. But she is the one that always held us together. We’d race Saturday nights, and she would be the one to make sure we got up for church the next morning on Sundays. Hopefully we can have a good run on Mother’s Day weekend and make her proud.”

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE QUALIFYING FORMAT AND WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IT CHANGED IN ANY WAY?
“I like qualifying. But I think you have to come up with something that makes sense for everybody. Having two rough weeks in a row, you start further back than what you feel like you normally would qualify or would have those situations come up. But it’s the same for everybody. When you run consistent and run good and you’re decent in points, then you have a better starting position. So, we’ve got to get back on that this weekend, have a good weekend, get a good starting spot at Dover and just build that back up. I think NASCAR has done a great job in coming up with a format that utilizes everything throughout the race to come up with the line-up.”

THERE WILL BE MORE SPECTATORS AT DARLINGTON THIS WEEKEND. IS THAT A GOOD SIGN THAT NASCAR HAS TAKEN ANOTHER STEP BACK FROM THE PANDEMIC?
“Yeah, for sure. If it was up to me, I would open it all up. It’s not up to me. And NASCAR is doing what they feel like they should do and taking small steps instead of big ones. We shut down when everybody else did, but we still got our full season in and then we’ve been on schedule all this year. I think that’s a testament to the work that NASCAR has put in. Each week, I feel like they’re doing something different and getting a step further ahead. I’m hopeful, with some of the other race tracks announcing that they will be 100 percent when we get there, that’s encouraging. I think a lot of our fans are pumped up about that. You never want to say something like last year was a good thing, but I think it could have a good turnout for us when we do finally get fully back open. I think a lot of fans took for granted being able to go to the race track. And I’m sure all of us took a lot of things for granted in what we got to do each and every day in our lives. When you get that taken away from you, I feel like now, people are going to appreciate things more and take full advantage of being able to go to sporting events and concerts and hopefully they enjoy coming to our sport and can pack the grandstands.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE SPORT GOING TO DARLINGTON TWICE A YEAR NOW?
“Well, it’s an iconic race track. It’s one that us drivers, it’s like going to Atlanta twice. We love Atlanta. We feel like it’s a great race track. And then, obviously, the history that Darlington has, and everybody wants to win the Southern 500 but we would take this one as well. It’s a drivers’ race track. It’s fun. It’s tough. It’s challenging. And it puts on good racing. I think you’ll see, with going with the 750 package I think was a great move. It’s going to make the racing really good. We’re going to slide around. We’re going to have our hands full and it should be good.”

HOW WILL THE 750 PACKAGE WILL RACE DIFFERENTLY AT DARLINGTON THAN THE 550 PACKAGE?
“I believe that having more horsepower and being able to come up out of the corner even utilized the bottom of Turns 3 and 4 even more than what it was already utilized. I feel like there are maybe some more options there. But at the same time, we’re going to be wearing our tires out more because of the lower downforce and more horsepower. So, you’re going to have to use brakes. You’re going to have to slow down through the corner, like Turn 1; you could almost go through there wide open with our downforce package that we had last year. There were people that were probably able to do that. And then now, you won’t be able to. So now, you’ll be lifting. You’ll be slowing the car down. And when you do that, it creates more passing opportunities throughout the race. I don’t see it being bad anywhere.”

HAVE YOU STUDIED LAST YEAR’S RACE OR 2018 BECAUSE OF THE CHANGE?
“Yeah, I’m looking at the downforce packages of 2017, ’18, maybe ’19; and looking at those races. Last year I definitely don’t want to take anything that I did last year from Darlington. But all in all, I’m looking more at the races that we ran good like in 2018.”
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 75 countries with nearly 4 million cars and trucks sold in 2019. 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 www.chevrolet.com.