TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
TOYOTA OWNERS 400
RICHMOND RACEWAY
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA
APRIL 18, 2021
RACE #9 – RICHMOND RACEWAY
For the third consecutive race, NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) drivers will compete on a short track. Richmond Raceway, a .75-mile D-shaped oval, will host the Toyota Owners 400 at 3 p.m. ET Sunday, April 18.
Chevrolet has amassed 38 victories on the racetrack to lead all manufacturers. In the September 2020 race, Austin Dillon finished fourth and Chase Elliott advanced seven positions from his starting spot to place fifth in his Camaro ZL1 1LE. Elliott, the reigning NCS champion, will start third in the 400-lap/300-mile race.
The past two outings – on the .533-mile Bristol Motor Speedway dirt oval and the .526-mile Martinsville Speedway oval – Chevrolet drivers have scored runner-up finishes (Ricky Stenhouse Jr. at Bristol and Elliott at Martinsville). Overall, Chevrolet registered five top-five and 10 top-10 finishes.
After a couple of weeks off, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) returns to action with the 250-lap/187-mile ToyotaCare 250 on Saturday, April 17. Reigning NCWTS champion Sheldon Creed, No. 2 Chevrolet Silverado, is third in the Driver Standings heading into the Series’ sixth race of the 2021 season.
STEADY CLIMB FOR BUSCH
Chevrolet driver Kurt Busch, competing in his 22nd Cup season overall, is 22 starts from 750. The driver of the No. 1 Tubi TV Camaro ZL1 1LE for Chip Ganassi Racing will tie Bobby Labonte (729) for 13th on the all-time list by taking the green flag at Richmond Raceway. Sterling Marlin currently sits 12th on the list with 748 starts. Career statistics of note for Busch:
First start – 9/24/2000 Dover
First pole – 9/2/2001 Darlington
First win – 3/24/2002 Bristol
Wins – 32, most recently in September 2020 at Las Vegas
Busch has won at Richmond in 2015 and 2005.
LARSON REMAINS FOURTH IN STANDINGS
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 1LE, is fourth in the NCS Driver Standings for the second consecutive week. With his fifth-place finish at Martinsville Speedway, Larson has recorded six top-10 finishes in the eight races. He won at Richmond Raceway in September 2017 in a Camaro.
William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 LE, is sixth and Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 1LE, moved from ninth to seventh with the runner-up finish at Martinsville. Byron has scored six top-eight finishes in a row.
ON THE WAY TO THE GREEN
With no practice or qualifying for the 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:
3rd Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 1LE
4th William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 1LE
6th Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 1LE
11th Austin Dillon, No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
13th Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Cat #WhatPowersYou Camaro ZL1 1LE
14th Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger/Nature Valley Camaro ZL1 1LE
17th Kurt Busch, No. 1 Tubi TV Camaro ZL1 1LE
18th Ross Chastain, No. 42 McDonald’s Camaro ZL1 1LE
20th Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE
CHEVY SWEEP AND FIRST WIN
Chevrolet NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers Josh Berry and Noah Gragson finished 1-2 in the 250-lap race April 10 at Martinsville Speedway. It was the inaugural win in just 13 starts in the series for the Late Model star. Driving the No. 8 Camaro SS for JR Motorsports, Berry led a field-high 95 laps on the .526-mile oval and held off teammate Gragson by .590 of a second.
Chevrolet leads the NXS Manufacturer standings. Talladega Superspeedway will host the next race for the Series on April 24.
BOWTIE BULLETS.
· Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 36 top-10 finishes.
· Chevrolet has 797 NASCAR Cup Series wins to lead all manufacturers.
· In addition to its 38 NCS wins at Richmond Raceway, Chevrolet has amassed 236 top-five and 487 top-10 finishes. Chevrolet drivers have led 15,382 laps.
· Kyle Larson leads all drivers with 518 quality passes – five more than Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott in second – and in fastest laps run with 258.
· Austin Dillon and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. have completed all but two of the 2,194 laps.
· Ricky Stenhouse Jr. leads all drivers with 799 green flag passes.
· Chase Elliott (Daytona Road Course), William Byron (Homestead-Miami Speedway) and Kyle Larson (Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway 2) have stage wins.
TUNE IN
FOX will telecast the NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 at 3 p.m. ET Sunday, April 18. Live coverage can also be found on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. FS1 will telecast the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series ToyotaCare 250 at 1:30 p.m. ET Saturday, April 17.
QUOTABLE QUOTES
KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 4th IN STANDINGS
LARSON ON POSTING GOOD FINISHES AT RICHMOND:
“Richmond is kind of a hit-or-miss track for me. Even though I have a victory and some good finishes, I haven’t had too many great runs there. It seems like there have been several times I have been average at Richmond but then come home with a top-five finish. I’m really looking forward to this weekend because we have had speed it seems like every week this year.”
CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE
DANIELS ON CHALLENGES OF THE FIRST DAYTIME RACE AT RICHMOND IN SEVERAL YEARS:
“Even with cool temperatures expected Sunday that could compare to a night race, the sunlight exposure does change the way the track behaves – the way the rubber lays or doesn’t lay. The rubber typically doesn’t stack anywhere, it just smears across the track and becomes slimy and greasy. Even if the ambient temperature isn’t very high, the sunlight exposure on the track will do that. In 2015 and 2016 in the daylight, we had great runs with (former Hendrick Motorsports driver) Jimmie (Johnson) and finished top three in both of those races. So, we have a little bit of a feel for what the track does in those situations and what we need to look for to be in contention on Sunday.”
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 6th IN STANDINGS
BYRON ON THE CHARACTERISTICS OF RICHMOND RACEWAY:
“I think Richmond is really its own beast. It’s similar to Atlanta with the surface but then you have aspects that are similar to Phoenix as well. It’s really just its own animal. It’s a very low grip track with even lower grip in the race car than it looks. Plus, it’s always a challenge to manage the throttle there. Sometimes you’re running half-throttle down the straightaway just to keep the tires under it later on in a run. It’s just a challenging place.”
BYRON ON THE RACING AT RICHMOND DURING THE DAY:
“I’m interested to see what this weekend’s race will be like. Normally, we run at Richmond at night, so it’s going to be a different challenge this year racing during the day. It’s already so low on grip that you’re going to be moving around no matter what. I feel like the track is going to change a lot as the race goes on as well. It’s going to be a learning curve as the run goes on to keep up with what your car needs.”
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 7th IN STANDINGS
“I don’t feel like Richmond is a very good track for us. It seemed like the last time we were there we were a little more solid than we have been. But like I said, it’s been a really tough track for me. It’s so hard to be great at that track. It’s really difficult to be different there because everyone is running the same line. Everyone knows how to drive the car to get around there properly. I think that’s why it’s produced good races over the years because it’s so hard to be different than the next guy and to be better. I say that and people are like, ‘Eh it’s not boring’ but just from a driver’s perspective, there’s just not a lot to it and you have to be perfect from a setup perspective and behind the wheel to be really good there.”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 12th IN STANDINGS
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON RICHMOND RACEWAY?
“Richmond Raceway is one of the tracks the No. 3 team has circled as a definite place where we can gain maximum points and compete for a win. It’s funny because there was a time in my career when I did not run well at Richmond at all. It was a thorn in my side, but over the years that has changed. Richmond has become a much better place than it used to be for me. We ran really well there last year, and I’m excited to get back there and see what we can do this time around.”
KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 TUBI TV CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 15th IN STANDINGS
“Richmond has a lot of different attitudes, about whether it’s a day race or a night race. The tires seem to be dropping-off more and more each year. The asphalt keeps aging and Goodyear keeps trying new and different combos, trying to find better side-by-side racing action. It has forced us all, it seems, to racing in the bottom groove and trying to get that drive off of the corners. The outside line just hasn’t come into play. So, each time you go there you don’t know what you’re gonna get and you have to learn, now with no practice, all that in Stage One. Lots of things to digest and analyze before we race at Richmond Raceway.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 17th IN STANDINGS
“Obviously, Sunday’s race was great until it wasn’t. Things out of your control can ruin a really great day, but our team is extremely pumped about how well we were running at Martinsville before the incident on track. Going into another short-track this weekend, means we have some good momentum. We have struggled at Richmond before, but had a solid top 10 run last fall at the track. This Ally team has a good notebook going into the race and Greg (Ives) keeps reminding everyone to keep your focus set forward. We can’t get back the Martinsville race, so we are going to focus forward and have a solid day on Sunday in Richmond.”
GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE
“We have carried some of the same philosophies from Martinsville to Richmond as far as tuning the car to Alex’s needs. You can spend so much time overhauling every set up every week and it gets exhausting. You definitely don’t learn what you need to if it doesn’t work out for the next time. I feel like the last time we were at Richmond we had a solid run, not a race winning run by any means. We were able to continuously fine tune on that. Definitely looking forward to getting there and our confidence is high on Alex’s side. I feel like we have a team capable of coming out of there with a solid day. Starting mid-20s doesn’t help and maybe not getting the best pit stop won’t help, we have to focus on the positives of what this team has been able to do. Two steps forward and four steps back, we are continuing to march forward and keep looking ahead.”
TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CAT #WHATPOWERSYOU CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 21st IN STANDINGS
“For me, some of the things I was able to learn from Richmond last year I didn’t really apply to Martinsville later that season, but I did bring some of those learnings back into this past week’s Martinsville race and I think that helped make a difference. As much as the tracks are different, I have a similar approach to both. My crew chief, Randall Burnett, does a really good job of giving me a car at these short tracks that I can be aggressive with at times, which is nice. Generally, though, I try to save a little bit of my tires at these tracks. My team had a really good car at Richmond last year. We had a similar situation of having to start in the back and move our way forward but had a really promising run during the final stage of our race last year. We came out right behind the leaders and were able to drive away from the pack for a while, so if we can bring some of that back and be that good all day, it’s really promising and we’ll have a shot to contend for a top five in our No. 8 Cat #WhatPowersYou Chevrolet.”
DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 CAMPING WORLD CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 23rd IN STANDINGS
DO YOU LIKE RACING AT RICHMOND?
“I’ve always liked racing at Richmond. I feel it’s a good track for me and I have had some pretty good results there the last several years in Cup and Xfinity. It’s a track where you really have to work hard to take care of your car all through the run because you can use it up pretty quickly. That’s important pretty much everywhere we race, but it’s especially important at Richmond.”
ERIK JONES, NO. 43 MEDALLION BANK CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 26th IN STANDINGS
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE AT RICHMOND?
“Richmond (Raceway) has kind of been an up-and-down track for me as a driver. I have had some good runs there and ran towards the front. It is always a fun track. I do really enjoy Richmond. It is a unique place. When you look at it from the outside, you think it is a typical easy short track. And then you go out there and race, and it is challenging. Richmond Raceway is one of the tougher tracks that we go to all season – between the way tires fall-off and the grip level that it has. It is always hard to get your car to drive really well there.
“You have to stay with it all night. I think that is the biggest thing – to try and keep up with the race track and the adjustments that you have to make, and figure out how to get your car to just drive the best that it can.”
COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 SCHLUTER SYSTEMS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 30th IN STANDINGS
“Looking forward to getting the Schluter Systems’ Chevy Camaro on track for the first time this year. They’ve been amazing for my career over the years and I’m proud our partnership has continued over to Spire Motorsports this season. We’re headed to our third short track in a row. Judging by our performance at Martinsville last weekend, I’m confident we can put together a good day.”
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: 2
Poles: 1
Laps Led: 707
Top-five finishes: 15
Top-10 finishes: 36
CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 797 (1949 to date)
Poles won to date: 718
Laps led to date: 237,412
Top-five finishes to date: 4,080
Top-10 finishes to date: 8,438
Stage wins: 5 Chase Elliott (Daytona RC), William Byron (Homestead), Kyle Larson (Las Vegas Motor Speedway), Kyle Larson (Atlanta x2)
Total NASCAR Cup wins by corporation, 1949 to date
General Motors: 1,131
Chevrolet: 797
Pontiac: 154
Oldsmobile: 115
Buick: 65
Ford: 807
Ford: 707
Mercury: 96
Lincoln: 4
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467
Dodge: 217
Plymouth: 191
Chrysler: 59
Toyota: 155
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.
