TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
Charlotte Motor Speedway
May 23-25, 2025
Charlotte Motor Speedway, “America’s Home for Racing”, will once again set the stage for NASCAR’s traditional Memorial Day weekend tripleheader event.
This weekend will mark the only time the sport will contest on the track’s 1.5-mile oval configuration, with all three series returning to the venue during peak playoff competition to take on its 2.32-mile road course layout. Chevrolet returns as the track’s defending winners in both the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and Xfinity Series, with the manufacturer looking to go two-for-two in the crown jewel triumphs this season in the 66th running of the Coca-Cola 600.
Chevrolet at Charlotte Motor Speedway:
Located within the heart of NASCAR country, Charlotte Motor Speedway has been a staple fixture in the sport for 65 years – hosting its first event, the inaugural World 600, in June 1960. Within that time span, Chevrolet has accumulated a combined 83 victories across the NASCAR national ranks at the track, including 47 Cup Series wins, 24 Xfinity Series wins and 12 Truck Series wins.
Charlotte Motor Speedway is the home of one of NASCAR’s four crown jewel events – the Coca-Cola 600. The most physically and mentally demanding race on the circuit, the 600-mile event holds the honors of capping off what’s famously known as the “Greatest Day in Motorsports”. Chevrolet leads the series with 25 all-time victories in the crown jewel event – dating back to Joe Lee Johnson’s win in the inaugural race in 1960. Most recently, it was Kyle Larson that collected the crown in his championship-earning season (2021) – a victory that earned Hendrick Motorsports the record as the winningest organization in Cup Series history. Larson is one of just eight past Coca-Cola 600 winners entered in this weekend’s event, with fellow Chevrolet drivers Austin Dillon and Kyle Busch also earning a spot on that elite list with one win each.
For Dillon, his win in the 2017 Coca-Cola 600 was his first career victory in NASCAR’s top division, making him one of just 10 drivers in series’ history to become a first-time winner at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The Welcome, North Carolina, native is among just a handful of drivers with multiple crown jewel triumphs to their name, with the Richard Childress Racing driver also having a Daytona 500 victory under his belt (2018).
“H1100”: Take Two
The “Greatest Day in Motorsports” hits even closer to home for Chevrolet as the only manufacturer that competes in the two U.S.-based crown jewel events – the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600. Along with its series-leading 25 Coca-Cola 600 victories, Chevrolet has also amassed 13 Indianapolis 500 wins, with the manufacturer looking to go three-in-a-row in the 109th running of the prestigious event.
One of Chevrolet’s own, Kyle Larson, will make his second attempt at becoming just the fifth driver in history to accomplish the famed Memorial Day weekend “Double”. Contesting in both events would put Larson in company of some of motorsports’ greatest drivers including John Andretti, Tony Stewart, Robby Gordon and Kurt Busch. Taking it one step further, the 32-year-old Elk Grove, California, native could become just the second driver, alongside Stewart, to complete all 1,100 miles.
Larson’s Mastery on Mile-and-a-Halves:
While still new to the INDYCAR world, Larson will be able to hit the ground running upon his arrival to Charlotte Motor Speedway. The Chevrolet driver is a three-time crown jewel winner, with his first coming at the 2021 Coca-Cola 600. This season, Larson and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team have been a force on mile-and-a-half tracks. In four events, Larson has tallied results no worse than ninth, including two of his three wins (Homestead-Miami Speedway and Kansas Speedway). Despite missing a trip to victory lane at Las Vegas and Texas, Larson still proved to be a top contender – recording the most laps led in each event.
Larson is also the series’ most recent points-paying winner of the season, which came in dominating fashion at the 1.5-mile oval of Kansas Speedway two weekends ago. The victory was accompanied by a sweep of the weekend, with the driver claiming the pole position, both stage wins and a race-high 221 laps led. It was a performance that shot Larson to the top of the series’ points standings, with the No. 5 Chevrolet team heading into the Charlotte race weekend with a 35-point lead over his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, William Byron.
Regular Season Resumes for Xfinity Series
After back-to-back off weekends, the NASCAR Xfinity Series will be back in action this weekend, with Saturday’s BetMGM 300 marking the series’ 13th race of the 2025 season.
It’s been a dominating start to the Xfinity Series season for the Bowtie brigade. Over a stretch of 12 races straight, six drivers from three different Chevrolet organizations have earned a combined 10 victories, including an active streak of four-in-a-row. The wins are accompanied by series-leading numbers in a variety of statistical categories including eight pole wins, 19 stage wins, 40 top-fives, 76 top-10s and 1,763 laps led. There’s no better way to add to those accolades than a track where you’ve found a fair amount of recent success. Chevrolet heads into the weekend with a streak of three-straight wins in the series at Charlotte Motor Speedway – earned by a pair of JR Motorsports entries (Josh Berry – 2022; Justin Allgaier – 2023) and Hendrick Motorsports with Cup Series regular Chase Elliott (2024).
Doing the Double:
Kyle Larson isn’t the only Chevrolet driver doing double-duty this weekend. Three drivers are set to make starts in NASCAR’s top two divisions at Charlotte Motor Speedway, including Austin Dillon, William Byron and Connor Zilisch.
For the first time in nearly two years, Dillon will make his return to the Xfinity Series to pilot the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Camaro SS in Saturday’s 300-mile event. The Welcome, North Carolina, native has found great success in the series over his NASCAR career – highlighted by a championship title in 2013. The Chevrolet driver is a nine-time winner in the series, two of which came at Charlotte Motor Speedway when he swept the series’ two appearances at the track in 2015.
Another hometown favorite, William Byron, will make his return to the Xfinity Series this weekend – taking over the driving duties for the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro SS. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native has one Xfinity Series start under his belt this season at Circuit of The America, which ended with a strong runner-up result. Byron is a four-time winner in the series, all of which came in his rookie season that ended with a championship title (2017).
After being sidelined due to a back injury, Connor Zilisch will return to the driver’s seat at his home track this weekend. Not only will the rising star resume his rookie season in the Xfinity Series, the 18-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina, native will make his second career start in NASCAR’s top division in Sunday’s 600-mile race. Despite an early exit during his series debut race at Circuit of The Americas, Zilisch proved to settle right into Next Gen Camaro ZL1. Taking the green flag following a strong 14th-place qualifying effort, Zilisch overcame damage sustained on the opening lap to rally to a best running position of 10th before getting collected in an accident just past the halfway marker.
Ankrum Setting up for a Career Season
With the second-half of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ regular season in full swing, the true championship contenders are starting to surface. Among those includes McAnally-Hilgemann Racing’s Tyler Ankrum, who enters the Charlotte race weekend steady in the fourth position of the series’ points standings. Ankrum led Chevrolet to the checkered flag at North Wilkesboro Speedway last weekend – tallying a third-place finish in his No. 18 Silverado RST. The result marked Ankrum’s sixth top-four finish in the series’ past seven races, including his first win of the season that came at Rockingham Speedway one month ago. The 24-year-old San Bernardino, California, native has been arguably one of the most consistent drivers thus far this season – owning a series-best seven top-fives and eight top-10 finishes with 10 races complete.
Chevrolet’s season statistics with 12 NASCAR Cup Series races complete:
Wins: 4
Poles: 7
Laps Led: 1,647
Top-Fives: 24
Top-10s: 55
Stage Wins: 11
Chevrolet’s season statistics with 12 NASCAR Xfinity Series races complete:
Wins: 10
Poles: 8
Laps Led: 1,763
Top-Fives: 40
Top-10s: 76
Stage Wins: 19
Chevrolet’s season statistics with 10 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races complete:
Wins: 5
Poles: 2
Laps Led: 653
Top-Fives: 25
Top-10s: 48
Stage Wins: 7
BOWTIE BULLETS:
· Victories by active Chevrolet drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway:
Kyle Larson – one win (2021)
Chase Elliott – one win (2020)
Kyle Busch – one win (2018)
Austin Dillon – one win (2017)
· Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 25 all-time Coca-Cola 600 victories, most recently by Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson (May 2021).
· There have been 10 drivers in history that recorded their first career NASCAR Cup Series win at Charlotte Motor Speedway – most recently by Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon in the 2017 Coca-Cola 600.
· Chevrolet has earned at least half of the top-10 finishing results in seven of the 12 points-paying races thus far this season, including a season-high seven top-10 finishes at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.
· In 120 points-paying races in the Next Gen era, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 56 victories – a winning percentage of 46.7%.
· With its 43 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championships, and 870 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title as the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.
FOR THE FANS:
· Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
· Fans can check out an assortment of Chevrolet vehicles including: Silverado 1500 LD, Silverado 2500 HD, Traverse, Tahoe, Corvette, Equinox EV and Blazer EV.
Team Chevy Driver Appearances at the Display:
Sunday, May 25
Austin Dillon: 1:20 p.m. – 1:35 p.m.
Carson Hocevar: 2:10 p.m. – 2:25 p.m.
Alex Bowman: 2:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
Ross Chastain & Connor Zilisch: 2:50 p.m. – 3:05 p.m.
Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation:
Friday, May 23: 3 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Saturday, May 24: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Sunday, May 25: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
TUNE-IN:
NASCAR Cup Series
Coca-Cola 600
Sunday, May 25, at 6 p.m. ET
(Amazon Prime, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)
NASCAR Xfinity Series
BetMGM 300
Saturday, May 24, at 4:30 p.m. ET
(CW, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
North Carolina Education Lottery 200
Friday, May 23, 8:30 p.m. ET
(FS1, NASCAR Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)
QUOTABLE QUOTES:
Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
How would you describe a lap around Charlotte Motor Speedway?
“Charlotte is rough, my goodness. The vertical loads when we go into the corners in Turns 1 and 2, I get squished into the bottom of the car in the seat, almost harder than anywhere else we go. I would compare it to Dover, but Charlotte is a mile-and-a-half and really fast when you run the bottom. When you run the top of the track up by the wall, it’s almost like a washboard – if you’ve driven on a dirt road that’s rough and it’s really bouncing really aggressively – that’s what Turn 1 up by the wall feels like. In Turns 3 and 4, it gets way more sun throughout the year than Turns 1 and 2, so it has a lot less grip. When you turn down into Turn 3 there isn’t a lot of grip. Wrapping the line for me is my left-front right down by the apron to have a low exit off of Turn 4, or running right up by the wall.”
What does racing on Memorial Day weekend mean to you?
“It’s an honor to race on Memorial Day weekend. So many people have sacrificed so we can have the ability to go out here and do something we love. In my case it’s racing cars. It’s obviously a special weekend because we are remembering service members on our cars. I have US Army paratrooper Kevin M. McCrea on my car thanks to Jockey and Folds of Honor and we’ll get to meet some of his family members. That’s always a very special moment. And while there is nothing we can do to bring their family member back, I hope the race gives them a chance to think about something different for a little bit.”
Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
With the Coca-Cola 600 being the longest race of the season, how do you and your team prepare mentally and physically for such a demanding night?
“The Coca-Cola 600 at home in Charlotte is always a favorite. Two years ago, I did the Xfinity race and the Cup race on the same day, which was quite eventful and something I’ll never be able to top. But knowing I’ve come close to completing 900 miles on the same track in one day makes the 600-mile Cup race seem a little less demanding. We’ve had so much speed in our 1.5-mile program and I’m excited to get a handle on it Saturday evening. This is the longest race of the year and where we can score the most points. The biggest thing we need to work on is getting in a better position to execute on restarts and we’ll have a couple of shots at that with four stages in Sunday’s race. This race is always an important one for teams and for the families of the military members that we are honoring.”
Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
What do you think it is about the Coca-Cola 600 that make strong drivers end up in victory lane?
“The Coke 600 is the Coke 600. It’s the longest race of the year. It’s a demanding race. You work as hard as you can on yourself with your training and whatnot to be able to withstand the elements for that race.”
As the sport becomes more competitive each week and you see how close times are in qualifying, does that make a difference in a 600-mile race?
“No, it doesn’t. It’s a longer race so you have more time from sunlight to nighttime, and typically you don’t really worry about how your car is until you get to the nighttime because that’s when the money’s paid, so you want to be fast at that time of the day.”
There’s been a lot of speed in your racecars here of late. What do you credit that to?
“It’s a lot of little things. That’s what you’re dealing with in this day and age. There are so many little details that you can find. If you find 100 small, tiny details, then that’s all going to add up. The guys at the shop have been doing a good job working on all of that, whether it’s car build or little things in the setups.”
You look at Texas Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway, you’ve had a lot of speed. Do you feel like a win is coming around the corner?
“Texas Motor Speedway was good. I didn’t feel that good about Kansas Speedway. I got up to 11th at Kansas and then kind of stalled out. I feel like if you could have taken me and placed me in fifth, then I probably could have ran in fifth. But, I couldn’t get myself there on my own. Texas, though, I felt like I drove my way up to the front the whole time.”
AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
“Charlotte is one of the staples that we have in NASCAR, one of the crown jewels, and it’s fun to be a part of it. This weekend is a long, grueling race, but our mile and a half program has been really solid this year. We have the opportunity to have speed and be competitive. Charlotte’s always been one of my favorite mile-and-a-half racetracks; it’s definitely very heat sensitive, technical, and rough in three and four.
We’re looking forward to going there after the All-Star race where we had a break from points racing. We were able to reset knowing that this can be a really good stretch of races for us ahead. We’re looking to kick it off right with a good 600-mile run.”
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet
“The Coca-Cola 600 is one of the biggest tests we face all season – it’s long, it’s demanding, and it really shows you what your team is made of. I’m proud to have FunPops riding with us again this weekend. Their energy and enthusiasm match what we’re bringing to the track. We’re locked in and ready to battle for every position under the lights at Charlotte.”
Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Is it a little extra preparation for you physically for a race of this length with the heat, and talk about how important the weekend is outside of your physical preparation?
“Yeah, I think it is. I just up my calories as far as my intake goes for the day, but other than that, it’s pretty much business as usual. I think the harder part of that is just the time of when you start the race and the track’s transition from day to night paired with the speed differences. Charlotte is just one of those really temperature-sensitive tracks. Even throughout the years—whether it was a repave or going through this Next Gen car—it’s just super, super sensitive to the temperature change and more track temperature. The sun going down and not beating on the racetrack changes the dynamic of the last half of that race. Making good adjustments and all those things—I feel like that’s the hardest part. You can be decent in the beginning and then really bad at the end, and vice versa. You can be bad at the beginning and get to where you need to be, especially with this car, with the heights being so important.
It’s a fun race, but a hard race. It builds, and you can kind of feel that it builds toward the end. Most weekends, you feel like you don’t have enough time—here at Charlotte, you feel like you have a little bit of time. More than anything, it’s just one of the coolest weekends in racing altogether. I love it. I grew up loving motorsports and watching the Indianapolis 500, watching the Monaco Grand Prix, and the Coca-Cola 600. It’s just a fun weekend as a fan and as a competitor. It’s special, being on Memorial Day and always carrying a fallen soldier on the car. I have Specialist James Waters on the car of the United States Army, and it’s always a privilege and honor to do that. It’s a great reminder of what freedom is and what it’s not. So, it’s a special weekend.”
Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
We’ve seen the No. 77 team come to life on the mile-and-a-half tracks as of late. How can the team capitalize on the extra-long event to find success?
“Our intermediate track program has come a long way since even the start of the year. As a whole, the organization has won the pole twice on mile-and-a-halves and we’ve been up front at nearly every race so far. For us, it comes down to having the time to recover from things that happen late in the race. It happened at Texas with a caution that seemed bad but worked out in our favor before we got caught in an incident. Then at Kansas we just ran out of laps with a flat tire coming so late in the game. Hopefully we don’t need to take advantage of having four stages to recover from anything. We have the speed, it’s just about putting all the little pieces together to reach the end goal.”
Last weekend was a big weekend for Spire Motorsports, winning the Pit Crew Challenge with the No. 71 team and advancing to the All-Star Race with the No. 77 team. How does a weekend like that change the environment in the shop?
“It’s more positive for sure. Every week we’ve had something to celebrate, and we kept it going. People outside of this building are noticing the payoff of the effort that everyone is putting in and it’s a lot easier to take the disappointment of an 11th-place finish when there is a win to celebrate. It shows a lot of progress that we can even be disheartened by missing out on a top 10, so I think it changes it a lot in a good way, but just makes everyone that much hungrier for the next win.”
Connor Zilisch, No. 87 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
What does it mean to you to be racing this weekend in Charlotte?
“I’m super-excited to be making my second Cup start at Charlotte. The 600 is one of the biggest races in NASCAR and the longest. It’s going to be all about patience and thankfully I’ve got some endurance racing in my back pocket from the last two years that will help prepare me for this race mentally. I’ve done 24-hour races and 12-hour races but racing for five hours in a stock car is another challenge. Nine hundred miles in one weekend can be a lot, but I’ve got a great group of people around me to help keep me settled and prepare me for a weekend like this. The race starts during the day and ends at night, and the track changes a lot, so staying on top of that is going to be really important. That’s also really tough for me just because I’ve never done it before. I’m going to ask as many people as I can for advice and make sure I’m the best prepared I can be for the race.”
Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
It seems you are running better on oval tracks and last weekend you started on the pole for the first time on an oval. Would you say this is showing your improvement?
“Yes, one hundred percent. There is definitely light at the end of the tunnel. I feel like we are making steps, understanding each other, myself and Stephen (Doran), trying to get better. Majority of the races are ovals and we can’t be running at the back every week, so we are working on everything, getting our average finish better and keep working on getting good results. We’ve taken a lot of steps forward recently and last weekend at North Wilkesboro showed that.”
Does NASCAR still feel somewhat new for you, or do you feel it’s just racing at the end of the day?
“Well, it (NASCAR) feels like a completely different sport to anything else I’ve ever done. On the ovals, the techniques, the way you drive, the way the races are, it’s like nothing else around the world I’ve ever done. It’s so foreign to me, but the road course stuff feels normal. It’s a bit chaotic on the restarts and the way the race is, but the ovals are a world away from anything I’ve ever done.”
Are you looking forward to racing 600 miles this weekend?
“Yes, we didn’t get to finish it last year because it got rained out. So, looking forward to completing all 600 miles. Should be a fun race going back there for the second time. Hopefully we can keep building on momentum. My WeatherTech Chevy looks epic!”
Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
How important is Sunday’s race to you?
“The Coca-Cola 600 is a very special race for many different reasons. We get to remember all the people who have made the ultimate sacrifice and given us the freedoms we have in the most amazing country in the world. I came from a different country and am now a citizen. To come here and enjoy these freedoms, to enjoy what I am able to do, it’s not by magic. It’s also nice to see all of the work Coca-Cola does to make this event the success it has been over the years.”
Thoughts on 300th start on Sunday?
“Wow, time flies. It’s such an honor to reach this mark. So many people to thank and so many people who have supported me. I never dreamed I would be celebrating this, but I feel very fortunate.”
You recently visited Fort Bragg as part of Coca-Cola’s Mission 600 program.
“I have always appreciated the military, and what all the men and women do for this amazing country. But, when you experience exactly what they must do 24/7, it’s a completely different level. Huge respect for them. The level of discipline is pretty high. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to spend time with the military.”
How do you prepare for Sunday?
“As a human being you try and perform at 100 percent the entire time, but when you’re running a marathon, you’re not going to be as strong in the last 30 minutes. That’s normal. Fatigue is setting in, your muscles are tired, you’re running out of fluid, and you’re hungry. Racing is the same way, especially in the Coca-Cola 600. We start running out of energy and you’re mind gets tired after four hours of racing. But I look to this race as a marathon, and you have to be on top of your game for the last part of this race. So, I always try to keep that in my mind when I’m in the car. This isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon.”
Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics
Manufacturers Championships:
Total (1949-2024): 43
First title for Chevrolet: 1958
Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15)
Most recent: 2024
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, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Drivers Championships:
Total (1949-2024): 33
First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)
Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)
Most recent: Kyle Larson (2021)
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, 2021
Event Victories:
Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)
2025 STATISTICS:
Wins: 4
Poles: 7
Laps Led: 1,647
Top-Fives: 24
Top-10s: 55
Stage Wins: 11
CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 870 (1949 to date)
Poles won to date: 760
Laps led to date: 254,358
Top-fives to date: 4,393
Top-10s to date: 9,062
Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:
General Motors: 1,204
Chevrolet: 870
Pontiac: 154
Oldsmobile: 115
Buick: 65
Ford: 843
Ford: 743
Mercury: 96
Lincoln: 4
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467
Dodge: 217
Plymouth: 191
Chrysler: 59
Toyota: 194
About General Motors
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