Company Continues Partnership with Daytona 500 Champion Michael McDowell

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (February 19, 2021) – The celebration of Michael McDowell’s Daytona 500 win continues today with CarParts.com (NASDAQ: PRTS) announcing their continued partnership with McDowell and Front Row Motorsports (FRM). CarParts.com now becomes an integral part of the team and McDowell’s 2021 season, including full season associate branding and primary partner sponsorship at four races.

CarParts.com will be the primary scheme on the No. 34 Ford Mustang beginning at the Watkins Glen road course on August 8 and followed by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on August 25, the return of McDowell to the Daytona International Speedway on August 28, and the NASCAR Playoff race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on September 26.

CarParts.com offers an easy-to-navigate, mobile-friendly shopping platform, connecting drivers with the parts they need to get from point A to point B with confidence. The company has delivered over 50 million parts across America and now count the 2021 Daytona 500 champion as a loyal customer. Last year, CarParts.com and McDowell partnered to make updates to his Ford F-150 with various parts through a video install series, including a tonneau cover, exhaust system, and brakes.

“The story of Michael McDowell winning the Daytona 500 mirrors CarParts.com’s story,” said Houman Akhavan, Chief Marketing Officer of CarParts.com. “Both of us were building a really strong foundation under the radar. Both of us were building great teams. He was building a great car, and we were building a great company. Then, one day, everyone who had overlooked both of us realized that we were a force to be reckoned with.”

Last season, CarParts.com partnered with FRM and McDowell on various promotions, sweepstakes, contests, and other activities to get more involved in the sport and spark engagement with NASCAR fans. One event in particular—when McDowell and Darrell “Bubba” Wallace, Jr. made contact on the track during the All-Star race—led to a cascade of charitable contributions after CarParts.com bid on the bumper involved, including donations of $20,034 to Motor Racing Outreach in McDowell’s name, another $20,043 to Victory Junction in Wallace’s name, and finally the bumper itself to a NASCAR fan. Both CarParts.com and FRM are excited to find more ways to connect with fans during the 2021 season.

“It’s great to have CarParts.com back with us in such a big way,” said McDowell. “We always knew they were with us, part of the family and supporting us. Now we can do something even bigger and better as we start our season. We have all year to spread the word about CarParts.com to NASCAR fans. I’ve used their site and it’s easy. They have every part you need. It’s just awesome to see this come together and I can’t wait to see what they have planned for us.”

For more information about CarParts.com, visit CarParts.com.

About Front Row Motorsports
Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup and Camping World Truck Series and the 2021 Daytona 500 champions. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields the No. 34 and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 38 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team– from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @team_frm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.

About CarParts.com
With over 25 years of experience, and more than 50 million parts delivered, we’ve streamlined our website and sourcing network to better serve the way drivers get the parts they need. Utilizing the latest technologies and design principles, we’ve created an easy-to-use, mobile-friendly shopping experience that, alongside our own nationwide distribution network, cuts out the brick-and-mortar supply chain costs and provides quality parts at a budget-friendly price.
CarParts.com (NASDAQ: PRTS) is headquartered in Torrance, California.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Daytona Road Course Media Availability | Friday, February 19, 2021

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang — IF YOU WERE A FAN WHY WOULD YOU EXPECT THEM TO TUNE IN THIS WEEKEND?  “Probably the unknown.  It’s usually why everyone wants to watch live sports for.  If you’ve got a racetrack where it’s a road course, we’ve seen them go so many different ways.  You have races with fast cars and just the fast cars up front, but you have strategy and cautions that come out in different places and a lot of different things.  Honestly, after watching the Clash there was a lot of excitement in that race.  You’re probably gonna tune in to watch another one at that track.”

HAVE YOU WATCHED A REPLAY OF THE FINAL LAP FROM SUNDAY?  “Of course I did.”

AFTER HAVING WATCHED IT DO YOU SEE ANYTHING THAT COULD HAVE GONE DIFFERENTLY?  “There’s always gonna be things that you see that you want them to go differently.  You can’t change it now though, that’s the bottom line.  I look at it and see that, in my opinion and everyone is gonna have one, but mine is that I’m up in the mirror and I’m watching this all develop behind me.  When the 34 and the 2 hook up they start coming at me with a run, I throw a mild block, but when Brad moves to the left to pass me that gets the 34 off-center on his bumper.  These cars are very unstable when they’re getting pushed.  It’s not like when we used to tandem, when we had a pair of 400s across the back.  There’s not much mechanical grip in our cars anymore because of the lower ride heights, we’re trying to get the spoiler out of the air, all that stuff to make speed.  So, for those reasons, when a car gets off-center as much as McDowell was on Brad, it’s gonna push him around, just the same way like we saw the first crash happen.  At that point, from watching it in slow motion and trying to dissect it, I see Brad hands turn to the left and the back end of his car is further left than he is, so that means he’s going to the right at that moment spinning out.  That’s why I got tagged so hard in the left-rear and spun me out so quick.  That’s how I see it happened.  It’s quite the bummer that it happened because you’re so close to winning the Great American Race and you think 30 laps before that you’ve got four Fords behind you being your teammate, and everyone is working together.  You think everything is gonna be fine.  You’re pretty stoked about the situation.  It’s kind of the best scenario you can possibly be in for the last 30 laps of that race, and then once I saw Brad lay back and shuffle the 4 out I said, ‘OK, this game is about to change.  This isn’t going the way I would expect it to,’ and I knew that things were gonna be a little different and that’s what kind of developed in the last few laps.  Cars were laying back so much trying to form runs.  I’m backing up trying to keep everyone tight behind me and not get so far out because everyone is checking up behind me trying to form runs that you just know there’s so much energy being built up.  Everyone is gonna be bumper to bumper and you saw that all come to fruition when we went down the back straightaway and everyone opened it up.  You saw some cars on the bottom of that top lane had five cars pushing each other.  There’s gonna be a few runs coming at you that way, so that’s just how it ended.”

DID EITHER OF YOU DO ANYTHING WRONG?  COULD IT HAVE BEEN PREVENTED?  “I don’t think anyone did anything wrong.  Everyone is gonna have different perspectives and I think that’s probably where we’re gonna be.  To me, the biggest heartbreak of this whole thing is that there are 400 people at Team Penske asking where their Daytona 500 bonus is and it’s up in a ball of flames up in turn three right now.  That, to me, is probably the hardest part to deal with because those families put just as much into it as I do, and I learned this the most when we won the championship in 2018.  At this victory tour we went to a lot of different places and met a lot of people and didn’t understand how much we affected people’s livelihoods and when I realized that it kind of changed my thought process a lot on what I do behind the wheel.  So, that’s probably to me the most frustrating part and they should be frustrated too about it.  I’m angry about it, so that part is probably what stings the most is that we had a really good shot at having a Penske 1-2 and, instead, we finished 12th and 13th.”

YOU HAVEN’T TALKED TO BRAD YET.  IS THAT BECAUSE YOU PROBABLY KNOW WHAT HE’S GOING TO SAY?  “I think it’s probably best to cool you jets a little bit before the conversation happens.  I’m sure you were just listening to me on the radio a minute ago.  I think everyone cooling off is probably gonna be good, but the analogy I used on Sirius a minute ago was it’s a marriage.  When you’re married to somebody, you have to figure it out.  You’re married.  You don’t just leave.  You get married.  It’s supposed to be forever, so when you have conflict or you have a difference of opinion, you have to talk about it.  You can’t just roll it up under the rug.  It’s just not gonna work.  It’s not healthy.  People do that, but it’s just not healthy to do.  So, it’s kind of the situation here, where I will be forced and he will be forced to work with me.  We’re still teammates.  We will have to figure this out.  We may not have to agree on everything, but we at least have to find a way to move forward, and that is gonna be the approach we need to do because going back to the 400 men and women who work at Team Penske, we owe it to them to figure this out, and we will fix it and it’s fine.  Like I say, you can look at this thing three different ways.  There’s gonna be six different opinions on how the last few laps went and depending on what seat you’re in you would pick differently, so it’s just a matter of talking it out and there’s time before Sunday’s race to do that, so that’s kind of where I’m at with it.”

SO YOU’LL DO IT BEFORE THE RACE ON SUNDAY?  “Oh, yeah.”

WHAT IS IT WHEN YOU TALK TO BRAD THAT YOU WANT TO HEAR OR YOU WANT TO GET ACROSS?  “It’s maybe not what needs to be said it’s what’s the goal on moving forward.  The goal is to move on and not say, ‘You raced me hard, so I’m gonna race you hard’ and now we’re beating the doors off of each other every week and it grows and grows and grows.  That’s the goal that you can’t have.  You can’t seek revenge or just, ‘Well, you made my life hard, so I’m gonna make your life hard.’  That’s childish.  We’re adults.  We’re not doing that.  I’m not gonna do that for a multiple of reasons.  For one, like I’ve been saying over and over again, if you do that, it’s the most selfish thing you can do because you’re not just hurting yourself or hurting him, you’re hurting all the people that work on that car and what did they do to you?  They’re the same people that work on my car by the way, so it’s a matter of just saying how do we move forward, not you did this, you did this, you did this.  It’s, ‘OK, that’s that.’  Start at zero.  Clean slate.  Never to bring up anything that’s happened six months ago, a year ago, five years ago.  If you want to talk about it that is the time.  The best time to talk about it, bring it up, be honest, get it off your chest.  If you need to get it of your chest because it makes you feel better, good.  That’s gonna be healthy, but after that it’s never being brought up again.  Never.  It’s got to start at zero.  You can never go back and say, ‘Well, this year in the Daytona 500 you did this, or you did this to me six weeks ago over here.’  Come on.  What are we, two?  We’re not gonna do that and that’s the goal to get to is just to move forward.”

THE TIRE AND AERO PACKAGE ARE DIFFERENT FOR THE ROAD COURSE THIS YEAR.  HOW MUCH WILL THAT CHANGE THE RACING?  “For one, it’s gonna make it better.  I think we all agree that the Clash was definitely better than the first race with the big spoilers there.  The big spoiler makes it hard behind a car.  The Clash, there’s probably a couple reasons why you saw a couple cars go off the racetrack.  For one, a lot of them are starting on older tires, so it’s really hard to judge what your grip level is on cooler old tires, so trying to figure out what that is is very challenging.  And, two, it’s the Clash.  Everybody is out there saying, ‘Go.’  What have you got to lose is the Clash.  It’s an all-star race.  If you crash, you crash.  Oh well, you go onto the next one.  Did you learn something?  That, to me, is the most important thing, and I think everybody has that mentality or at least most of the cars do, and that’s why you saw such hard racing.  You saw rotors glowing like you wouldn’t believe.  Those things are what makes an all-star race like the Clash really entertaining and fun, not only for the fans but for the drivers because you just know that guy is gonna send it in there because if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work.  Oh well, you learned where your limits are and what to do with it when you get back for this weekend.”

WHAT IS IT ABOUT HOMESTEAD THAT APPEALS TO DRIVERS AND WILL IT BE DIFFERENT THIS TIME OF YEAR VERSUS THE END OF THE SEASON?  “No.  We kind of raced this time of year last year, maybe not this time but more towards the summer, compared to being the last race of the year.  I think every driver loves that racetrack.  I do.  It’s fun because it’s wore out, so the cars are sliding around a lot and it’s wide.  You have options.  You’re not just stuck in one lane.  You can go to the very, very bottom or, like Larson does and Reddick does and those guys that are really good at running the wall, way up there and they’ll zing the top and be going for a while, and you can go in-between — wherever people want.  I think as a driver that’s appealing, it’s fun.  If you overcook your tires, you’re gonna pay the penalty and I think that’s kind of fun because it’s a balance of aggression and patience and managing those things.  I think that makes it a good time and restarts just become nuts because the track is so wide.”

WHO HELPED YOU WITH YOUR ROAD COURSE RACING SKILLS?  “A few people.  Max Papis is the first one that comes to my mind that helped me a lot, probably the most, and not just in road racing but just in general.  I think he’s just helped me as a person a lot, so I think that’s the guy that stands out the most to me.  I know he helps William a lot now, too.  You guys all know Max and know how he is.  Probably the moment that has taught me the most from Max is we had a two-seater Cup car at Road Atlanta, and this was years ago when you were able to test.  I rode in the passenger seat with Max, which is hands-down the scariest thing I’ve ever done in my life, but he brakes three car lengths deeper than me and I thought I was getting all of it.  When he did that, for one, my feet were going through the floorboard on the passenger side, but it was kind of an eye-opening thing where it’s like, ‘Braking is where the speed is.’  I had to get better at doing that.  I don’t think he said it at that moment, but he said it without saying it and I think those are the things, to me, that has helped a lot.  That and his mentality and who he is has helped me a lot.”

FROM YOUR VOLUSIA EXPERIENCE HOW MANY TEAR OFFS ARE YOU GOING TO WANT AT BRISTOL?  “Well, the problem is we’ve got a windshield, so it’ll be a little different.  It’s funny, before the Volusia race I was sitting there talking to David Stremme and his wife and my helmet was sitting on top of my car and he goes, ‘How many tear offs do you got in there?’  I’m like, ‘I don’t know, I think I’ve got like eight on there.’  And it was a 15-lap race maybe, a 10-15 lap race.  It wasn’t long and they were laughing.  They said, ‘You better put more on there.’  I was like, ‘Really?’  So I put another pack of 10 on there and by the end I only had three left or so, so I was like, ‘Wow, you use a lot of these things.’  It will be different at Bristol because we can’t have a real tacky racetrack, a real muddy track because you have windshields and I cannot physically reach out there and pull my own tear off, so it’s gonna have to be dusty and dry.”

YOU’VE WON THE OPENING RACE AT LAS VEGAS THE LAST TWO YEARS.  WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT LAST YEAR AND THE ROLL YOU’RE ON THERE?  “It’s really important for us to run good there.  The Pennzoil 400, so it’s a very important one to win.  The goal is to do donuts through the grass on the Pennzoil logo.  I’ve said that the last two years when I saw everybody before the race and was able to accomplish that, so the goal is no different.  They expect it at this point now, so we’ve got to go out there and have a good run at Vegas.  By the stats I think it’s my best racetrack or at least close to it.  In the past it’s just been something that I think early in my career when I didn’t run good anywhere my first top 10 was at Vegas, or one of my first.  It’s been a racetrack that I took to fairly quickly, so that on top of Penske bringing really good cars there.  You look at what my other two teammates, Brad and Blaney, have been able to do there.  They’ve been pretty fast there and capable of winning plenty, so I think you kind of put a couple good things together and see some good results.”

WHAT DOES IT DO FOR A TEAM TO WIN EARLY IN THE SEASON?  “It’s nice.  It’s a confidence-builder.  It’s nice to get that out of the way.  It’s nice to know you’re in the playoffs.  It’s not like it used to be where the rest of the races doesn’t matter a whole bunch because you’re in the playoffs and you just move on.  Now, every race means something.  Every race you have to run hard.  You have to get some points because one point could be the difference of making it to the next round or the difference in winning a championship or not, so you have to race every race so hard.  So, it doesn’t really change your mindset after you win, it’s just kind of a comforting thing and winning feels  nice.  That’s the best part about this whole thing, so it’s just nice any time of the year.  You want to win every one of them that’s there.”

WHO IS MAD AT WHO HERE?  ARE YOU MAD AT BRAD?  IS BRAD MAD AT YOU?  ARE YOU BOTH MAD AT MICHAEL?  HAVE YOU TALKED TO MICHAEL?  “We’ll have to find out, I guess.  I don’t know.  I’m not mad at Michael.  Michael had a run and got pushed to Brad and hooked onto the back bumper of him.  That happened because Brad backed up to him, so I can’t be mad at that.  Honestly, I’m happy for McDowell.  The guy is a grinder.  He’s been grinding his whole career and he finally won one and it’s the biggest race ever.  I’m ecstatic for him and he should be over the moon.  Yes, we’ve talked to each other quite a bit the last few days, texting back and forth.  He brought it up.  He was concerned, ‘Did I do something wrong?  Is everything OK?’  I was like, ‘Yeah, going for the win.  I get it.’  He had three other cars bumper to bumper behind him because of the situation that was happening, so you can’t blame him for pushing.  He was gonna get pushed if he didn’t push, so it’s just part of the race.”

HOW TOUGH IS IT TO JUDGE THOSE RUNS BECAUSE WITH THIS NEW PACKAGE THEY’RE COMING AT YOU SO QUICKLY?  “It’s not that hard to judge a run.  You see it all happening.  If you’re got a good spotter and you’re a good drafter and see it in the mirror happening, you see it happen before it happens.  You know it’s coming.  It’s not like you’re looking and, ‘Oh my gosh, here it comes.  Where did that come from?’  At least for me, there’s never a moment that surprises me in the draft, unless it’s someone tags somebody the wrong way and starts a crash or something like that, but the runs themselves aren’t surprising and I think that’s just years of experience at this point, it’s having a good spotter on the roof that’s feeding you the information that you see it coming before it happens.  That doesn’t mean you can defend everything and stop everything, but if you know it’s coming, at least you’re prepared for it.”

DID T.J. CHANGE THINGS FOR YOU WHEN YOU TWO GOT HOOKED UP?  “Yeah, you know what, we had a couple different outlooks on things and I think you put two experienced drafting people — driver and spotter together — you’re gonna have good results.  I like that he brought a couple different perspectives to me that I didn’t really think of, and I think I was able to do the same for him and I think that’s made us stronger.  We have a couple different opinions on how things would work in the draft.  Now we’re on the same page obviously, but it was fun the first two times watching races with him saying, ‘Why did you do this?’  And I’m like, ‘Well, because of this and this and this.’  And he goes, ‘Well, watch a few laps.’  And you kind of see it develop and you’re like, ‘Oh, I should have done that.  You’re right.’  It’s kind of fun to see that happen.  We were able to teach each other a couple different things.”

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
O’REILLY AUTO PARTS 253 AT DAYTONA
DAYTONA ROAD COURSE
DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA
FEBRUARY 21, 2021

RACE #2 – DAYTONA ROAD COURSE
The 2021 NASCAR season is in full-swing and race #2 of the 36-race NASCAR Cup Series schedule sees the return of NASCAR’s premier series to the “World Center of Racing”, this time taking on the iconic 14-turn, 3.61-mile Daytona International Speedway Road Course. The unique high-banked tri-oval/infield road course made its debut on the NASCAR circuit in 2020, while also serving as the host for the exhibition-style Busch Clash last week to kick off the season’s action. The Florida venue will serve as the first of seven points-road course events on the newly renovated NASCAR Cup Series schedule for 2021.

The Daytona Road Course welcomes all three of NASCAR’s national series for a tripleheader race weekend, kicking off with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series under the lights, Friday, February 19th, at 7:30 p.m. ET with the BrakeBest Brake Pads 159 at Daytona Presented by O’Reilly. Day two of the race weekend will find an appearance by the NASCAR Xfinity Series with the Super Start Batteries 188 at Daytona Presented by O’Reilly on Saturday, February 20th, at 5:00 p.m. ET. The weekend is capped off with the NASCAR Cup Series’ O’Reilly Auto Parts 253 at Daytona on Sunday, February 21st, at 3:00 p.m. ET.

NEXT UP: TURNING LEFT AND RIGHT
After seven Chevrolet drivers landed in the top-10 of the 63rd Running of the Daytona 500, NASCAR Cup Series teams turn their attention to the 3.61-mile Daytona International Speedway road course for the 70-lap O’Reilly Auto Parts 253 at Daytona.

Chase Elliott, runner-up in the Daytona 500 on the 2.5-mile oval, won the inaugural race on the speedway’s tricky 14-turn road course that incorporates a section of the high-banked oval in August 2020, on the way to winning his first Driver Championship and 32nd for Chevrolet. Starting seventh, Elliott led a field-high 34 laps in claiming his second of five victories on the season.

ELLIOTT: KING OF THE ROAD
For the first time in NASCAR Cup Series competition, seven road course races are on the 2021 schedule – six scheduled for the regular season, including three of the final seven races, and one in the Playoffs. The previous high was four in 1964 and 1957. Buck Baker, driving a ‘57 Chevrolet, won the first road course race on August 4, 1957, on the 2.3-mile Watkins Glen International circuit.

Elliott, driver of the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for Hendrick Motorsports, has won the past four races on road courses (Charlotte in October 2020, Daytona in August 2020, Charlotte in September 2019, Watkins Glen in August 2019). Coming off of his victory at the Charlotte ROVAL during the 2020 Playoffs, the 25-year-old Georgia native is just the second driver in NASCAR history to win four road course races in a row. Career Chevrolet driver, Jeff Gordon, holds the record for most consecutive road course wins with six (1997-2000).

In his 12-career road course starts in NASCAR’s premier series, Elliott has collected five wins and five stage wins, the most of all active drivers. Other statistics of note include six top-five finishes, eight top-10’s and a total of 240 laps led. With an average finish of 8.92 on road course circuits, Elliott tops all active drivers and holds the sixth-best all-time average.

Elliott’s five career road course victories ties Dan Gurney, Darrell Waltrip and Tim Richmond for seventh on the all-time list. Jeff Gordon holds the record with nine road course wins (five at Sonoma Raceway and four at Watkins Glen).

DILLON TAKES POINTS LEAD TO ROUND 2
Austin Dillon leads the NASCAR Cup Series driver standings for the first time in his eight-year, full-season career. His previous high points position was third after winning the 2018 Daytona 500.

Dillion, driving the No. 3 Camaro ZL1 1LE for Richard Childress Racing, accumulated points by placing third in the first stage and fifth in the second stage, in addition to his third-place finish in the 2021 Daytona 500.

LEADING TO THE GREEN
With no practice or qualifying for this weekend’s events, the starting lineup is determined by NASCAR’s metrics system that was introduced to the series last August, which incorporates results from both individual races and season-long results. The combination includes: Driver’s finishing position from the previous race (25%); Car owner’s finishing position from the previous race (25%); Team owner points ranking (35%); and the fastest lap from the previous race (15%).

Defending race winner, Chase Elliott, will lead the 40-car field to the green in his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 1LE.

Here are Team Chevy’s top-20 starters:
1st Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 1LE
3rd Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1 1LE
6th Ryan Preece, No. 37 Kroger/Coca-Cola Camaro ZL1 1LE
7th Corey LaJoie, No. 7 Netflix Camaro ZL1 1LE
8th Kyle Larson, No. 5 Nations Guard Camaro ZL1 1LE
9th Ross Chastain, No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Camaro ZL1 1LE
16th Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Cottonelle Camaro ZL1 1LE
17th Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE
20th Justin Haley, No. 77 AirMedCare Network Camaro ZL1 1LE

BOWTIE BULLETS:
· Three Chevrolet driver/crew chief combinations are among four pairings in the Cup Series with more than 100 races together: 181 for Chase Elliott and Alan Gustafson; 145 for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Brian Pattie; 119 for Alex Bowman and Greg Ives.

· Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for Chip Ganassi Racing, leads active NASCAR Cup Series drivers with three earned poles on road courses (Sonoma, Watkins Glen, Charlotte).

· Both Corey LaJoie and Jamie McMurray recorded top-10 finishes in their Camaro ZL1 1LEs in the Daytona 500 for Spire Motorsports. Previously, the team had only one top-10 in a Cup Series race.

· Ross Chastain registered his second-career Cup Series top-10 and second in the Daytona 500, finishing seventh in the No. 42 Camaro ZL1 1LE for Chip Ganassi Racing.

· Chase Elliott has 97 top-10 finishes in 186 Cup races.

· Alex Bowman is 10 starts from 200 career-Cup starts.

TUNE IN
FOX will telecast the 70-lap/252.7-mile race live at 3:00 p.m. EST Sunday, February 21st. Live coverage can also be found on MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

QUOTABLE QUOTES:
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 1st IN STANDINGS
“I can’t wait to get back down to Daytona Beach to compete at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course this weekend. We had a fun night in the Busch Clash last week. Unfortunately, we didn’t come out where we wanted to. We got thrown through the grass, so I’m going to try to keep all four tires on the track this coming weekend. The goal is to try and gain on our points. We’ve done a good job through Daytona, and let’s keep that streak going.”

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 4th IN STANDINGS
“Road courses have been good to us the past few trips, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to go good every time. There has not been one part of me that watched the schedule change, saw seven road courses and thought, ‘Yeah, we’ve got it now.’ That’s just not how I am. At the end of the day, you have to be good everywhere and I want to be good everywhere. We as a team want to get to the point where we can win on any given week: road course, circle track, intermediate, dirt…whatever it is, we want to be able to win at any time. The great teams and the great drivers are capable of doing that, and I think we are capable doing that. So that’s where my head’s at – trying to be good everywhere.”

RYAN PREECE, NO. 37 KROGER/COCA-COLA CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 6th IN STANDINGS
“Coming off of last weekend in the Daytona 500 and earning a top-10 finish, that’s a huge momentum swing that we just didn’t have at the start of last year. Not only is it a great confidence boost for myself and everyone at JTG Daugherty Racing, but it gives us a fantastic starting spot at a road course where track position is so key. It sets you up for success in Stage 1 and to earn stage points, which is a new goal for us this year. We just want to keep gaining as many points as we can and set us up for a good summer. I have a little bit of road course experience but there’s always room to improve. A big thing we also have going is consistency with our No. 37 Kroger/Coca-Cola team. Trent (Owens, crew chief) and I continue improving every weekend that we work together and having that consistency in my second year with the No. 37 team is really helpful. Road racing is very similar to short-track racing in terms of how you brake in the corners and out-braking other drivers, and I think my experience in short-track racing can only help on a road course. I’m really confident in the setup of our No. 37 Kroger/Coca-Cola Chevrolet and the brake package that we have and think we’ll be able to keep our forward momentum going this weekend.”

COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 NETFLIX CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 12th IN STANDINGS
“We’re going to have a great starting position while carrying a really cool paint scheme this weekend at the Daytona Road Course. Netflix’s “The Crew” will be on our Chevy Camaro as we try to point the fans to watch a really cool show with our sport at center of some lighthearted humor. I’ve watched all the episodes and it’s great to have Kevin James and The Crew riding along this weekend.”

RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 COTTONELLE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 17th IN STANDINGS
“I have not always been the greatest road course racer, but having practice on the Daytona road course last year and getting to race in the Clash this year has been key to improving. I thought our car was decent in the Clash, I just got into the turtles a little too hard and caused some damage that we needed to fix early in that race. We were able to salvage a top-10 finish in the Clash, and just having that extra seat time gives us and our No. 47 Cottonelle team a little bit of extra confidence to run a strong race on Sunday. I got in a really good groove last year in the road course race and in the Clash, and I think we have a decent enough starting spot that we can gain track position early and hold it throughout the race.”

KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 20th IN STANDINGS
“This weekend we are hopeful for better runs than what we had in the Busch Clash. We tried quite a few things in the Clash, set-up wise, and now we’ll head back to more of what we ran at the Roval in Charlotte last Fall. That was a nice top-five finish in the Playoffs. We’ll look to gain some points back and get going in the right direction with things on our road course program here early in the year because road courses will be very important in 2021.”

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 26th IN STANDINGS
BYRON ON GAINING ROAD COURSE RACING KNOWLEDGE:
“I don’t have a ton of experience on road courses, but I have gotten much more comfortable with them the last couple years and I think our most recent races show that. We haven’t had a ton of track time at the Daytona Road Course but running the Clash last week helped us dial things in a bit better. Starting position is a big factor as well and, unfortunately, we won’t have the best starting spot based off the scoring metric. There are ways to make up positions on road courses, depending on the strategy you use. We’ll take the notes we have and do what we need to do to get a good finish.”

TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CAT RENTAL STORE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 27th IN STANDINGS
YOUR TEAM HAD SPEED IN THE CLASH AT THE DAYTONA ROAD COURSE DURING SPEEDWEEK. HOW DOES THAT HELP YOU PREPARE FOR YOUR RETURN TO THE ROAD COURSE THIS WEEKEND?
“We put a lot of work over the off-season at RCR to get better at road courses, so to have a solid run during the Clash does make us feel more confident about this weekend. I truly feel based on our Clash performance that we have a shot at winning this weekend. I made a couple mistakes in the Clash that I was able to learn from, but my team was also able to do a couple things with strategy while staying out on old tires and still make it to where I could drive away from guys on new tires. We had a good car at the Clash, but what is more exciting is the fact that we didn’t even take our best road course car down there. We have another car at the shop that we like even more than our Clash car. When you already have a really fast car at a track but know the No. 8 Cat Rental Store Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE we’re going to bring back this time is even better, that is a great feeling to go into the weekend with.”

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 36th IN STANDINGS
BOWMAN ON RETURNING TO THE DAYTONA ROAD COURSE:
“Coming back to the Daytona Road Course this week will, hopefully, be good for our team since we just ran this course last week in the Clash. During the Clash, we were in contention for win a couple times. We had some speeding penalties but thankfully worked those out later in the week. There is a lot that we learned last week that we can definitely apply to Sunday’s race. Getting taken out of the 500 early last week, I think this Ally team needs some redemption on Sunday.”

GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE
IVES ON USING THE CLASH AS A ROAD COURSE BLUEPRINT:
“We are fortunate to have the experience of running the Clash. We know we have a good road-course car and can fine tune some details to get it better for Alex. The Clash really gave us a better understanding of what we are needing to do to improve the car. I am dreading seeing what calculation decides where we will start, since our DAYTONA 500 finish was not where we needed to finish. All in all, we have a good car and we have to be smart.”

ERIK JONES, NO. 43 PETTY’S GARAGE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 37th IN STANDINGS
HOW BENEFICIAL WAS IT TO BE ABLE TO GET SOME LAPS ON THE DAYTONA ROAD COURSE DURING THE CLASH TO PREPARE FOR THIS WEEKEND?
“I think it (the DAYTONA Road Course) was really important for our team. It is a new team for me, and we had not really worked together at all to that point. Just getting out there and at least getting some track time, other than being at the Daytona International Speedway, was really important – being able to get the car better moving forward, and working on stuff. Every driver wants something a little bit different and for me, it was important to get comfortable in the No. 43 Petty’s Garage Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE and be able to make some changes before we go back; I think is going to be pretty valuable. Hopefully, we can make the right changes and be successful when we go back.”

JUSTIN HALEY, NO. 77 AIRMEDCARE NETWORK CAMARO ZL1 1LE
“I’m so thankful for the opportunity to drive in the NASCAR Cup Series again for Spire Motorsports this weekend at Daytona. To partner with AirMedCare Network for this weekend’s race at the Daytona Road Course is so exciting. As a driver who loves road racing, I hope to continue Spire’s early- season success with a great run on Sunday. “

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)

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

Event Victories:
Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)

2021 STATISTICS:
Wins: 0
Poles: 1
Laps Led: 22
Top-five finishes: 2
Top-10 finishes: 7

CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 795 (1949 to date)
Poles won to date: 718
Laps led to date: 236,727
Top-five finishes to date: 4,067
Top-10 finishes to date: 8,409

Total NASCAR Cup wins by corporation, 1949 to date

       General Motors: 1,129
       Chevrolet: 795
       Pontiac: 154
       Oldsmobile: 115
       Buick: 65

       Ford: 805                                                         
       Ford: 705
       Mercury: 96
       Lincoln: 4

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

       Toyota: 152

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.

Richard Childress Racing at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course… With the inaugural event at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course taking place last August, Richard Childress Racing has four NASCAR Cup Series and one NASCAR Xfinity Series start at the 14-turn, 3.61-mile circuit. Kaz Grala, who substituted for Austin Dillon after a positive COVID-19 diagnosis in 2020, earned a top-10 finish in the No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. Dillon and Tyler Reddick both competed on the road course last week during the Busch Clash, where the No. 8 team posted a fourth-place result.

Richard Childress at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course… Richard Childress competed at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course as a driver in 1969 when he drove his 1968 Camaro to a 13th-place finish in the Citrus 250. Childress went on to compete on the Florida road course a total of five times, racing in the NASCAR Grand Touring Division and NASCAR Grand American Series. He finished in the top-10 in three out of the five races, with a best result of eighth in 1970.

Catch the Action… The NASCAR Xfinity Series Super Start Batteries 188 at Daytona Presented by O’Reilly will be televised live Saturday, February 20, beginning at 5 p.m. ET on FS1 and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

The NASCAR Cup Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 253 at Daytona will be televised live Sunday, February 21, beginning at 3 p.m. ET on FOX and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Dow MobilityScience™ Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course… Dillon missed the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course last year due to a positive COVID-19 diagnosis, but has already been in two races on the course in 2021. In the Busch Clash, Dillon started 11th and battled in the top-five before being punted and shuffled to the back of the field on a late-race restart, ultimately finishing 19th. He also competed in the 24 Hours of Daytona in January, finishing 10th overall and fourth in the LMP2 class.

Points Leader… Dillon enters this weekend’s race the Daytona International Speedway Road Course race as the NASCAR Cup Series points leader. Last week at Daytona, Dillon earned 10 points by winning his Duel, followed by 14 Stage Points and 34 points for finishing third in the DAYTONA 500.

Dow brings a science and engineering crew who is driven by limitless curiosity to the RCR Team… Dillon and the RCR team are again supported by Dow’s materials science expertise and technologies this season. Backed by the power of data analysis and virtual modeling, Dow develops and manufactures high-performance components and materials custom-made for the No. 3 car. Dow and RCR’s partnership has expedited innovation and shortened testing time in the automotive industry by recreating in the lab one of the most extreme environments – the racetrack. After eight years of collaboration, Dow scientists and RCR engineers are continuing to work together to make the No. 3 car faster, safer and more precise. Stay up to date with Dow’s exciting developments at www.dow.com/sports and follow us on Twitter @DowSports & @DowNewsroom.

Welcome, Dow MobilityScience™… Dow’s MobilityScience™ platform is designed to enhance the customer experience by tailoring technologies, products, and services from across Dow businesses to the transportation industry. The platform is pursuing accelerated growth by addressing Mobility mega-trends – where lighter weight, longer range, greater comfort, enhanced safety, and lower carbon footprint are the ultimate objectives. That is where Dow science, innovation, and people step in – working closely with customers to create the materials that bring the possibilities to life.

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:
What are your thoughts heading into the Daytona International Speedway Road Course race this weekend?
“I can’t wait to get back down to Daytona Beach to compete at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course this weekend. We had a fun night in the Busch Clash last week. Unfortunately, we didn’t come out where we wanted to. We got thrown through the grass, so I’m going to try to keep all four tires on the track this coming weekend. The goal is to try and gain on our points. We’ve done a good job through the DAYTONA 500. Let’s keep that streak going.”

You were able to get some experience on the Daytona International Speedway Road Course by competing in the Rolex 24 this year. Did anything jump out at you about the track?
“It’s not so much of a technical track like some of the tracks that we go to that are road courses. It’s pretty self-explanatory. I like the fact that the tires seem to wear quite a bit at the track. I enjoyed it and I think the experience I got in the 24 was great. We’ll see how it all plays out in the end.”

Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 Cat Rental Store Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course… Reddick has two NASCAR Cup Series starts on the Daytona International Speedway Road Course, with his best finish of fourth coming during last week’s Clash event.

About Caterpillar… Since 1925, Caterpillar Inc. has been helping our customers build a better world – making sustainable progress possible and driving positive change on every continent. With 2020 sales and revenues of $41.7 billion, Caterpillar Inc. is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives. Services offered throughout the product life cycle, cutting-edge technology and decades of product expertise set Caterpillar apart, providing exceptional value to help our customers succeed. The company principally operates through three primary segments – Construction Industries, Resource Industries and Energy & Transportation – and provides financing and related services through its Financial Products segment.

About Cat Rental Store… A combined global network of more than 1,300 dealer-owned locations makes The Cat® Rental Store a convenient source for the largest construction equipment rental fleet in the world. From our well-known Cat earthmoving machines, excavators, skid steer loaders, backhoes, pavers and compactors, work tools and power generators to equipment from more than 70 other top-tier brands including aerial work platforms, compressors, concrete equipment, HVAC and dumpers, we have the equipment customers need to get the job done. Since 1997 the team knows how hard customers work, and they are always ready to prove they will work just as hard. At every store, customers have access to an extensive offer of short-term rentals, leasing options, technology, training and a complete team of equipment experts committed to their success. For more information visit: CatRentalStore.com.

TYLER REDDICK QUOTE:
Your team had speed in the Clash at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course during Speedweek. How does that help you prepare for your return to the road course this weekend?
“We put in a lot of work over the off-season at RCR to get better at road courses, so to have a solid run during the Clash does make us feel more confident about this weekend. I truly feel based on our Clash performance that we have a shot at winning this weekend. I made a couple mistakes in the Clash that I was able to learn from, but my team was also able to do a couple things with strategy while staying out on old tires and still make it to where I could drive away from guys on new tires. We had a good car at the Clash, but what is more exciting is the fact that we didn’t even take our best road course car down there. We have another car at the shop that we like even more than our Clash car. When you already have a really fast car at a track but know the No. 8 Cat Rental Store Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE we’re going to bring back is even better, that is a great feeling to go into the weekend with.”

Myatt Snider and the No. 2 TaxSlayer Chevrolet Camaro at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course… Snider has one career NASCAR Xfinity Series start at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course. In his first start at the Florida road course last season, Snider gained 17 positions to post a top-10 finish.

About TaxSlayer… TaxSlayer makes online tax filing accessible for millions of Americans, with an easy-to-use platform and unlimited support at a fraction of the cost of the competition. Trusted for over 50 years, the Augusta-based tech company successfully completed more than 10 million federal and state e-filed tax returns in 2020 and processed $15 billion in refunds. TaxSlayer achieved a 4.5/5 TrustScore on consumer review site Trustpilot, with 87% of its customers rating the tax filing platform Great or Excellent. For more information, visit www.TaxSlayer.com.

MYATT SNIDER QUOTES:
What is your expectation for the first road course race of 2021?
“I think our TaxSlayer Chevrolet Camaro is going to be really fast this weekend on the Daytona International Speedway Road Course. Andy Street (crew chief) and our No. 2 team have been working really hard over the offseason to improve our road course cars and I’ve been working really hard to improve my driving abilities on a road course. I feel like I did well overall on all of the road course events last season, especially the Daytona Road Course, so we should do really well this Saturday. Also, starting up towards the front after our solid start to the season last week, will definitely help our chances at a good showing.”

What have you done to prepare for this Saturday’s race at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course?
“Earlier this week, Andy and I sat down to watch some film from the last Daytona race. Being able to watch the race again is a good way to prepare, so you can see what worked last season and what didn’t. Since we didn’t work together during this race last year, I was able to tell him some things from my perspective, he was able to tell me his perspective, and then we were able to compare and brainstorm some ideas together. I also have spent some time on the simulator to prepare and make sure we are running our best.”

What do you like and dislike about the Daytona International Speedway Road Course?
“I like the fact that it’s a really high wear race track on the inside. I don’t think the infield has been repaved since the 70s, so to me that is really cool. It makes tire wear a huge factor, so you have to be mindful about where you are pushing, where you are not pushing as a driver, and how you will make sure your car is there for the end of the race. To me, it’s one of the most fun, technical road courses that we go to.”