TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
BANK OF AMERICA ROVAL 400
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY ROAD COURSE
CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA
OCTOBER 11, 2020

ROVAL: RACE #32
The anticipation and unpredictability heightens as the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) has reached the elimination race for the Round of 12 of the NCS Playoffs. NASCAR’s premier series makes its third visit of the season to its hometown track for the Bank of America ROVAL 400 on Sunday, October 11, at 2:30 p.m. ET. The event marks the third time in NASCAR history the series has held a race on the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course. Located in Concord, North Carolina, the 2.28-mile road course is comprised of 17-turns, combining the track’s high-banked oval with a road course through the infield. The 109-lap, 248.52-mile race around the North Carolina circuit marks the 32nd race on the NCS schedule and the last chance for Playoff drivers to secure their spots into the Round of Eight of the NCS Playoffs.

The action-packed weekend at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course also features a Saturday doubleheader with the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series for the Drive for the Cure 250 gets underway on Saturday, October 10, at 3:30 p.m. ET. Playoff implications are on the line as the 67-lap, 155.3-mile event will be the first-round cutoff race for the series, reducing the Playoff field from 12 to eight drivers. In addition, for the first time in the series’ history, the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Series will make its debut at the ROVAL for a 100-minute race under the lights Saturday evening, October 10, at 8:00 p.m. ET.

A limited number of fans will be allowed to enjoy the action in-person for both the Saturday and Sunday events, adhering to all safety measures and protocols in place. With approval for up to seven-percent capacity for outdoor sports venues, Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL 400 has been sold out at ‘socially-distanced capacity’.

ROAD COURSE DOMINANCE
Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet driver, Chase Elliott, is no stranger to success at road course events. Elliott is coming into the race weekend as the defending winner of the annual ROVAL event, after rallying from a wreck while leading the lap-64 restart and working his way back through the field to take the lead with just six laps to go.

Elliott’s most recent road course win came during the inaugural race at the Daytona International Speedway in August. The trip to victory lane was his fourth career road course win and third in a row. Elliott, the youngest road course winner in NCS history, is now just the sixth and most recent driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to win three or more consecutive road course races. He also leads the way in active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in road course wins with four, tying previous NCS Champions Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. In addition, Elliott is only one of three to win at more than two different road course venues.

ROUND OF 12: THE CUT-OFF RACE
For the first time in NASCAR history, the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course will be the host of the sixth race of the Playoffs, serving as the elimination race for the second of four rounds, cutting the championship contenders field from 12 to just eight drivers. The Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course is the fourth different track to host the sixth race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, joining Martinsville Speedway (2004-2010), Talladega Superspeedway (2011, 2013-2016), and Kansas Speedway (2012, 2017-2019).

Heading into the ROVAL race weekend, four Team Chevy drivers remain, battling to secure their spots in the Round of Eight and get one step closer to their chance of being named the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Champion. Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE, has already captured his spot in the Round of Eight after his recent victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Here are where the Team Chevy drivers currently sit in the Playoff standings, as well as key statistics heading into the Bank of America ROVAL 400:

Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE – Round of 12 win (3,048 points)
Victories: 1 (Las Vegas Motor Speedway)
Top-Fives: 5; Top-10’s: 16; Laps Led: 140; Average Finish: 13.5
Stage Wins: 1
At the ROVAL: Top-Five’s: 1; Top-10’s: 1; Poles: 1; Average Finish: 12.5

Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 1LE – 4th in Standings (3,097 points)
Victories: 2 (Charlotte Motor Speedway and Daytona Road Course)
Top-Fives: 12; Top-10’s: 18; Laps Led: 783; Average Finish: 12.6
Stage Wins: 8
At the ROVAL: Wins: 1; Top-Five’s: 1; Top-10’s: 2; Average Finish: 3.5 (second-best)

Alex Bowman, No. 88 Valvoline Camaro ZL1 1LE – 7th in Standings (3,075 points)
Victories: 1 (Auto Club Speedway)
Top-Fives: 4; Top-10’s: 11; Laps Led: 394; Average Finish: 15.9
Stage Wins: 4
At the ROVAL: Top-Five’s: 2; Top-10’s: 2; Average Finish: 3.0 (series best)

Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Off Road Camaro ZL1 1LE – 10th in Standings (3,053 points)
Victories: 1 (Texas Motor Speedway)
Top-Fives: 4; Top-10’s 9; Laps Led: 135; Average Finish: 16.1
Stage Wins: 0
At the ROVAL: Average Running Position: 23.555; Average Finish: 31.0

BOWTIE BULLETS
· There have been a total of 124 NASCAR Cup Series points races at Charlotte Motor Speedway, 122 races on the oval track and two races on the road course. Current Chevrolet drivers that have recorded wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway include:
Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1, has eight wins (May 2003, May and October 2004, May and October 2005, October 2009, May 2014, October 2016)
Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1, has one win (May 2010)
Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Off Road Camaro ZL1, has one win (May 2017)
Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 1LE, has two wins (ROVAL September 2019 and Oval May 2020)

· Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet driver, William Byron, is the most recent pole winner at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course when he scored his first-career road course pole at the 2019 ROVAL event.

· Chip Ganassi Racing and Chevrolet driver, Kurt Busch, captured the pole at the inaugural ROVAL event in 2018, setting the current qualifying record of 106.868 mph, with a lap time of 76.805 seconds. He also leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in career road course poles with three, all being captured at different tracks on the NCS circuit.

· Career Chevrolet driver and NASCAR Hall of Famer, Jeff Gordon, leads the NASCAR Cup Series in overall road course wins in his NCS career with nine (five at Sonoma; four at Watkins Glen).

· Since the integration of the Playoffs into the NASCAR Cup Series, there have been four times in which the winner of the sixth race of the 10-race Playoff stretch went on to win the Series’ Championship. Three of those four times were done by Team Chevy’s Jimmie Johnson, when he won the sixth race of the Playoffs in 2006, 2007 and 2008 to go on and capture three consecutive NASCAR Cup Series titles.

STARTING LINEUP
For the remainder of the 2020 NCS season, the starting lineups will be determined by a competition-based formula, combining the following metrics from the previous race event: 15% of a fastest lap time position, 25% of the driver’s final race finish position, 25% of the owner’s final race position and 35% of the Owner points position.

Here are Team Chevy’s top-20 starters for Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL 400:

2nd Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 1LE
5th Alex Bowman, No. 88 Valvoline Camaro ZL1 1LE
6th Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Off Road Camaro ZL1 1LE
10th Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE
13th William Byron, No. 24 Hendrickcars.com Camaro ZL1 1LE
16th Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Camaro ZL1 1LE
17th Ty Dillon, No. 13 GEICO Camaro ZL1 1LE
18th Ryan Preece, No. 37 Maxwell Houses for Heroes Camaro ZL1 1LE

TUNE-IN
NBC will telecast the 109-lap, 248.52-mile Bank of America ROVAL 400 live at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, October 11th. Live coverage of the Round of 12 cut-off race can also be found on the NBC Sports Gold App, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

QUOTABLE QUOTES:
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 4th IN STANDINGS
“I don’t know why the road courses have been good to us thus far. I came from short-track racing, I did a little bit of road course racing in go karts, but I don’t know how much that translates. Most of my years coming along were short tracks around the country, asphalt racing – very different from road-course racing. I do think a lot of the credit should go to Jeff (Gordon). Jeff was a fantastic road racer, as we all know. I really think he and Alan (Gustafson) had a very good understanding of what was important at road races and what they really wanted in the cars and what mattered. As a young driver coming into a situation like that, having a good foundation has really helped me learn and learn faster because that foundation was already close. I think when you step into a situation that is good like that, as a guy that is learning, it does nothing but help you and make you better.”

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 7th IN STANDINGS
“This is a very stressful week. I mean the Roval is one thing to be stressed about, but then add a cut off race to it. One of my main goals for the 2020 season with Greg and the team was to make the Round of 8. We are so close and need to put together a solid race on Sunday and capitalize on stage points and a good finish. It is hard to believe that we have the best average finish at the Roval, but we definitely need to put a solid race together this weekend.”

“I am excited to move over to the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet next year with Greg (Ives). The support that we have been given by Mr. Hendrick and everyone at Ally is humbling to say the least. I am proud to be the driver Hendrick Motorsports chose to represent the Ally Financial brand and 48 nation. It has been an exciting week, but our focus from now until the end of the year, is making the final four and bringing home a championship to Hendrick Motorsports.”

GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF, NO. 88 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1 1LE
IVES ON BECOMING THE CREW CHIEF OF THE 48:
“It’s pretty special to be able to represent a number that gave me a lot of success early on in my career and actually built my career. (It) allowed me great opportunities to become (a) crew chief and, for a number that has affected my life so much, a team, a way of living, performing – I think it’s going to be hard to exactly put into words what I felt, other than to say it was a lot of emotion.”

IVES ON THE LEGACY OF THE 48:
“I feel like when it comes to the 48 team, it represents a young kid working hard, going through the ranks of racing, ultimately getting a shot, and that’s the 48 team. Hard work, dedication, being true to yourself, having good character, good on and off the racetrack. That’s somebody who you can look at Jimmie and say, ‘Alex is very similar to that’ and his performance on the racetrack will prove itself. The few wins that we have are quickly going to turn into more.”

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS/TRACKER OFF ROAD CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 10th IN STANDINGS
EVALUATE YOUR NASCAR PLAYOFFS PERFORMANCE IN THE ROUND OF 12 SO FAR.
“At Talladega Superspeedway, I got into every wreck possible. It was just a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time for most of the day. The week before that, we had a mechanical issue. But through both of those races, my Richard Childress Racing team has been amazing. The communication is unbelievable. They’ve been able to jump right in and fix the damage the last two weeks. At Talladega Superspeedway, we changed the oil cooler and only lost two laps. At Las Vegas Motor Speedway, we knocked the belts off and only lost eight laps. I don’t know how you can make either of those repairs so fast. The communication is great with this team. Even though the last two weeks have been unfortunate, we’re still in the hunt and have a chance to advance to the Round of Eight.

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE NEXT RACE IN THE NASCAR PLAYOFFS, THE ROVAL?
“We have the ROVAL left in the Round of 12. We just need some help from some of these guys who are higher than us in the point standings, and we have to be in the position to help ourselves some, too. We’re going to rely on our notes from the Daytona Road Course a lot. Kaz Grala was a fill in driver for me that week, and he did a great job. We will try to use that same setup moving forward. The ROVAL has never been the greatest track for us, but we’ll see what we can do. We’re going to try our hardest.”

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 14th IN STANDINGS
BYRON ON THE NO. 24 TEAM AT ROAD COURSES:
“With road course racing, we’ve been a solid top 10 team every time we’ve gone to those races. We really just have to figure out that gap between us and guys like Chase Elliott, Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch. How they run at the road courses is phenomenal. I think really trying to close that gap to the top three is key as we’re about a fourth to seventh-place team on road courses right now. We just have to figure out those little things to take it to the next level.”

BYRON ON WHAT HE STUDIES TO PREPARE FOR A ROAD COURSE RACE:
“I think I may attention mainly to the way the other guys use the brakes and small details like how they approach each corner. I like to know what they’re looking for to make speed out of those corners. I think for me, road courses have been good overall. I’m honestly probably better in qualifying than in race trim right now. It’s just about me figuring out those details to make me better and have a shot of winning.”

TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CHEDDAR’S SCRATCH KITCHEN CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 19th IN STANDINGS
IS THERE ANY COMPARISON BETWEEN THE CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY ROVAL AND THE DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY ROAD COURSE YOU COMPETED ON EARLIER THIS YEAR?
“I really thought the two were going to be pretty similar, but they are really nothing alike. The Daytona Road Course is a really challenging track. The chicane we added to the frontstretch has some similarities to what the nature of the Charlotte ROVAL can be like, but to me, the Charlotte track feels a lot more like a street course. I’d be curious what drivers of other divisions would say to that if they ran the ROVAL. To me though, if I imagine running a street course, this is what I imagine it being like. I really enjoy both tracks even though they are nothing alike other than being two ovals we’ve turned into road courses.”

Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics

Manufacturers Championships:
Total (1949-2019): 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 (1949-2019): 31
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)

2020 STATISTICS:
Wins: 6
Poles: 3
Laps Led: 1,811
Top-five finishes: 43
Top-10 finishes: 105

CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 792 (1949 to date)
Poles won to date: 717
Laps led to date: 236,117
Top-five finishes to date: 4,057
Top-10 finishes to date: 8,387

Total NASCAR Cup wins by corporation, 1949 to date

       General Motors: 1,126
       Chevrolet: 792
       Pontiac: 154
       Oldsmobile: 115
       Buick: 65

       Ford: 803                                                         
       Ford: 703
       Mercury: 96
       Lincoln: 4

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

       Toyota: 151

Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

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.

WELCOME, N.C. (October 8, 2020)-Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM)announced today a partnership with Count On Me NC, a mutual pledge and public health initiative that empowers guests and businesses to help keep everyone safe and protected. As part of the agreement, the No. 43 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE will carry the Count On Me NC badge as an associate partner in the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 at the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway on Sunday, October 11 with driver Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr.

Visit North Carolina will make its initial foray into NASCAR with the legendary Petty name. The agreement enlists Richard Petty, a seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, and Thaddeus “Thad” Moffitt, ARCA Menards Series driver, as Count On Me NC’s newest brand ambassadors, and includes the associate partnership of the No. 43 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Moffitt and Petty have autographed the Count On Me NC pledge to help create a safer, healthier environment for everyone by following a few guidelines and best practices.

“With his support for Count On Me NC, Richard Petty will help drive COVID-19 off the track,” Wit Tuttell, director of Visit North Carolina, said. “By engaging with fans who know him from motorsports, the movies, Victory Junction and other arenas, ‘The King’ will motivate people to join his winning team and play an essential role by wearing masks, washing their hands and waiting at a distance when they’re out in public. We can all look forward to joining Richard Petty Motorsports in the Winner’s Circle as we outpace COVID-19.”

Wallace has seven road-course starts in the NASCAR Cup Series, including two each at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL, Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway, Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, and one at the DAYTONA (Fla.) Road Course. The 27-year old also has six road-course starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS), and two starts in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series (NGROTS).

The driver of the No. 43 Columbia Omni-Heat Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for Richard Petty Motorsports has two starts in the NASCAR Cup Series at the 2.32-mile road course at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Wallace posted a career-best finish of 24th-place at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL on September 29, 2019. In addition, the finish on the 17-turn course that combines the high-banks of the traditional oval with an infield road course was a career-best road course finish.

The Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 will be broadcast live on NBC as well as streamed live on NBC Sports on Sunday, October 11 at 2:30 p.m. (ET). It will also broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network (PRN) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

About Count On Me NC
Count On Me NC is a public health initiative designed to help businesses operate as safely as possible, signal their commitment to best practices with signage, and enlist consumers to do their part to curb the spread of COVID-19. A collaboration led by the N.C. Restaurant and Lodging Association in partnership with Visit North Carolina, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services and NC State Extension, the initiative centers on evidence-based training with specific guidance for sanitation and service that goes beyond the stringent health requirements that were in place before the pandemic. Participation is voluntary and free of charge, and training is available in English and Spanish. Thousands of hotels, restaurants, attractions and other businesses display the sea-green Count On Me NC logo that signifies completion of the training. CountOnMeNC.org

About Richard Petty Motorsports
A performance and marketing driven company, Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM), co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty and successful business entrepreneur Andrew Murstein, is one of the most recognized brands in all of motorsports. RPM is the winningest team in NASCAR Cup history with 273 wins and has business partnerships with national and global leaders. Today the race operation fields the famed No. 43 in the NASCAR Cup Series with driver Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. The team is headquartered in Welcome, N.C. and is supported by primary partners Cash App, Coca-Cola, Columbia Sportswear, DoorDash, McDonald’s, United States Air Force, and World Wide Technology (WWT).

For additional information, news and the latest updates, please visit www.richardpettymotorsports.com or connect with RPM on Facebook (Richard Petty Motorsports), Twitter (@RPMotorsports) or Instagram (@richardpettymotorsports).

Toyota Racing – Martin Truex Jr.
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

CONCORD, North Carolina (October 8, 2020) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Martin Truex Jr. was made available to media via videoconference in advance of the race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course:

MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Would you say this season is one of the toughest you have ever competed for?

“I would say that they are all tough. None of them have been easy for sure. It’s definitely been the most unique. There’s been a lot of things different this year, things that we have not had to do before – things new to all of us, I guess. I don’t know if it’s any more difficult, but definitely a lot different season.”

How does a light mist affect the race on Sunday?

“Rain, I don’t know. I’ve never raced in the rain or in the wet, I guess you would call it. With the Roval being the track that it is, I don’t know how that’s going to look. It’s already tough enough to stay on the track and make it to the end of that one, so I think if you make it to the wet, it’s going to be pretty wild. I’ve heard – I don’t have any rain experience as I’ve mentioned – but my crew chief (James Small) does. He said that when the PJ1 gets wet it’s like ice, and you can’t even race on it so I will be interested to see what happens when we get up on the oval if it’s wet. But honestly, strategy wise, there’s only so much you can do looking at the weather, for me, it’s just asking questions to the guys that have raced in the wet and be as prepared as I can if it comes to that.”

How good of a road course racer do you think you are? How do you feel about having to race on six of them next season?

“I really enjoy the road courses and I feel like they have been good for me. I feel like we are always near the front, always have a chance. So, from that point it’s fun, exciting to go to those races. I’m really looking forward to the new road courses next year on the schedule. Going to new places is always fun, but to me road courses are enjoyable. It’s fun to learn new ones and try to figure them out quickly. This season, for instance, going to the Daytona Road Course with very limited experience on that one, and not having practice was a unique challenge but it was a lot of fun. I felt like we had a chance to win that one, so I’m looking forward to all of the new road courses to come. It’s going to be fun to figure them out.”

Do you feel like something great is about to happen with the upcoming tracks and schedule?

“Yeah, I do feel that way to be honest. We’ve had a really strong year, obviously, not the amount of wins we would like to have but I feel like we are right there on the cusp or winning a couple in a row. Yeah, I think we are ready to roll. We will get through the Roval this weekend. We’ve got some great tracks coming up and places I know we can go and win at. It’s that time of the year that we need to win. We need to make something big happen, and I think that we are ready to make it happen.”

How much has Kansas changed?

“I think when they first repaved it. It took a little bit for it to come in, but I think every year since – really, I think the last five years or so, it’s been really good as far as the high side coming in. You can run all over it. It’s really been a fun track. It’s been a good place to race. Especially with the package we have now. With these cars, we need places that we can move around because it’s really, really hard to follow a guy closely and make time. So, having those options to move around and get some clean air on your car, be able to work different lanes makes the racing a lot of fun for us behind the wheel. Kansas has become a track that we can do that at.”

Does the approach or strategy change in the next round compared to the first two rounds?

“No, I don’t think so. The strategy is every weekend you show up to the track to go out and win, and if you can’t win, you get the best finish that you can get. I don’t think strategy ever really changes in racing. Certainly, there is times that you may have to pull some strategy during a race to try to do something, but looking to the next few races, I’m looking forward to trying to win a couple of them. Really, if we can just make it through this weekend and win Kansas we will be in fine shape.”

Do you feel like it’s going to take a win in the Round of 8 to advance to the Final Four?

“No, I don’t think so.”

# # #

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.

FORD PERFORMANCE MEDIA AVAILABILITY

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2020

Clint Bowyer comes into this weekend’s Round of 12 finale at the Charlotte Roval in need of a victory as he sits 11th in the playoff standings, trailing Joey Logano by 38 points for the final transfer position. Bowyer took part in a NASCAR Zoom call this afternoon to talk about his situation.

CLINT BOWYER, No. 14 Rush Truck Centers Ford Mustang — WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO HAVE FRIENDS AND FAMILY AT KANSAS THIS WEEKEND. “Being able to have your family and friends there is everything. It’s not fun to do without people that make your life what it is, and forever it’s always been that way. I’m tired of Covid. I think we all are, but we’re doing what we have to do. We’re all doing what we have to do, whether it’s attached to racing, sports or life in general you’re doing what you’ve got to do to survive. I’m looking forward to going back home. It’s such a special place for me with family and friends there and fans to watch us do what we do. Our sport is not what it is without fans. I mean, obviously television does a phenomenal job covering our sport, but fans at the track in real life in front of you are what this sport was founded on and ultimately what’s gonna continue it on through the ages. This weekend, I’m looking forward to it. I don’t know if you’ve seen the forecast, but there’s a damn hurricane coming. I said hurricane, so it’s probably more than likely gonna be a washout. Hopefully, it will literally wash enough that it floods somehow. I’m gonna sneak in there and put a plug in the tunnel so it’ll just flood and that way we can’t race until Monday when the sun is out. I think if it does rain, boy, all hell is gonna break loose. There’s a lot of unknowns. I can say that — unknowns for all the above. Look out if it rains.”

IF THINGS DON’T WORK OUT THIS WEEKEND, HOW WILL YOU EVALUATE THE SEASON? “I would say if we finish second, there’s a chance we may get in. If you finish second, more than likely you’re gonna add stage points to it and somebody is gonna have trouble. You’ve got to look at this thing as an opportunity and that’s what I’m looking at. I’ll take second. I want to win. It would be way easier to win, but, honestly, you’re only going one weekend anyway. You want to win one of these first ones of these three as you go through the playoffs. That’s what makes life easy. Like Kurt Busch did, winning that first race — off into the sunset — but I’ll take a Roval victory.”

IF YOU DON’T, HOW WILL YOU TAKE THIS YEAR? “I’m a racer. You’re going into race weekend. I ain’t talking about what ifs if it doesn’t happen. It’s gotta happen. It’s gotta happen now. It’s gotta happen this weekend. Covid sucks. 2020 hasn’t been much fun for anybody. This season has been tough. It’s been tough in so many different ways — on the teams, on everybody. It’s hard to honestly, fully — here’s the thing, and I just believe this — as it’s gotten better, and I don’t believe just because of my experience with it, but the proof is in the pudding — when you go out there and compete on a weekend you show up as a driver and you bring your stuff to the car. You show up a couple hours before the race, you get in it and you race as hard as you can, and go home. You try to make the best decisions you possibly can to make the best out of the situation. If you have a good day, you kind of leave thinking, ‘Man, I don’t know. I didn’t have much to do with the outcome other than just that moment.’ So much of any success in life has to do with the preparation beforehand, so it’s difficult. When you show up to the racetrack — literally our preparation for the races is Zoom meetings. I got in the simulator to prepare. I went down to Ford and spent some time in the simulator. I did the most I could, but you’re going to these tracks with a lot of guesswork on the table still. Sometimes you hit it and sometimes you don’t, so when you hit it kind of leave happy and obviously excited, but you’re like, ‘Yeah, I don’t know. Maybe.’ If you don’t hit it and you struggle that weekend, you kind of leave going, ‘Yeah, I don’t know. We’d have been way better off we had some time to dissect some of these things, AB some of these situations in a practice session or something else,’ but that’s not the case anymore. So I don’t want to say it’s an asterisk beside the year. It’s not that far, but I think the proof is in the pudding when you look at our results, going back to some of these tracks for the second time, using that first race as a somewhat of a practice session because that’s all we have. Look at Kyle Busch. Look at his results since he’s come back to these races for the second time. He’s been a lot better off and everybody is gonna have that same scenario, so it’s been a challenging year to say the least.”

WE HAVEN’T HEARD ANYTHING ON THE 14 FOR NEXT YEAR. HAVE YOU STARTED TALKING TO ANYBODY ELSE OUTSIDE OF STEWART-HAAS? “I talked to my wife the other night. It’s obviously time to begin those talks and Casey has been working on that stuff, but, honestly, look at the time. The timing is a crunch right now for me. I mean, it’s all about trying to get the most out of every single weekend to get through the playoffs, so, honestly, you asked me if I’ve been talking, no, I ain’t been talking. You’re trying to do the things you can do and, for me, the things that I’m good at is obviously doing the best I can do in that race car, but working with partners and trying to keep them on board. Times are not only tough for us with racing and everything else, they’re tough for companies, a lot of companies out there, so trying to keep them involved — figuring out where that is, how that stacks up, how you can help them help you and those are the conversations that I’m good at the kind of relations that I try to have on a daily basis with your partners and everything else regardless of your future, whether you go or whether you stay.”

HOW DO YOU ATTACK THE ROVAL IF IT’S WET? “Dude, I don’t know. I don’t know. that anybody knows. I was asking somebody just a couple days ago I’m like, ‘What do you do’ when it was becoming pretty apparent that we’re gonna have some rain, some moisture on our hands it’s like, ‘All right, do you do anything different with the setup?’ These are honest questions. Our sport as far as I’m concerned, I ran a race up in Montreal in Canada somewhere and we ran up there in the rain. I remember that XFINITY race, but it became too much. It was a flood. I remember literally hydroplaning across the infield and being like, ‘Hey, man. We’re not racing anymore. We’re surviving. What is this?’ I do remember that a little bit. I remember the biggest challenge of all of it was literally seeing. It wasn’t attacking the track or trying to figure out grip levels or setups or whatever else, it was flat-out just visually being able to see where you’re going. I think it was Carl Edwards. I’m not 100 percent sure, but I’ll never forget being under caution and you couldn’t see the car in front of you anymore and I think it was Carl, but don’t hold me to that — smoked the car in front of him and I think it ended their day, all under caution because you couldn’t even see him. That is going to be on everybody’s radar. All of our guys are trying to figure out what product works. Does Rain-X work? How good the windshield wipers work. Those are just things that, yes, our manufacturers can probably help with that stuff, but there are different tools. We don’t have glass windshields. We have Lexan windshields. There’s just so many different things that play into that. Defrosters and things like that, trying to not fog up. There’s just a lot of new things that are on the conversation table this week in preparation for this race to say the least.”

WHY ARE YOU SO GOOD WHEN YOUR BACK IS UP AGAINST THE WALL? “Honestly, I think it keeps me sharp, it keeps you focused on it, your eye on the ball. It doesn’t let you wander and lose focus and get your mind on something else. There is no time for that. I hate to say it, but I like being scared. It’s almost healthy for me. I didn’t realize it until I’ve been doing this a long time and usually when you’re on that bubble or something like that we’ve been able, for the most part, to prevail because you’re back is up against the wall and you’re out of options and there are no excuses or anything else. You just got to go out and get the job done. That’s always kind of been a healthy environment for me.”

YOUR AVERAGE FINISH IS 3.5 AT THE ROVAL, WHICH IS THIRD-BEST. “Pretty hard to believe that a 3.5 is third-best. My God. I do remember this damn 9 car winning last year off of his own caution. I’ll never forget that. Did he have us covered? There’s no question. He had the race won, but then he gave it up and then his very caution ended up winning him the race again, so anything can happen at the Roval. There’s no question about it.”

WHAT IS SILLY SEASON LIKE NOW COMPARED TO WHEN YOU FIRST GOT IN THE SPORT? “It’s totally different. I just said it, it’s unfortunate. It’s unfortunate for a lot of people involved. That’s the way it is. Unfortunately, it’s gonna happen every year. That’s where I think we’re evolving to is the long-term deals you’re just not able to get done anymore. I’ll never forget, when I went to RCR I went in and my first Cup sponsor there was a stack, it was literally a stack of those sponsors begging to get into the sport that you really chose which one worked best for your organization or your lifestyle, which one possibly could last longer — have longer legs. That’s what made up your mind. Yeah, it was a long-term, three-year deal. You didn’t want anything longer than that for selfish reasons. Now, it’s completely opposite. Now, no partner needs to be a long-term deal because that’s just the environment that we’re in. It’s the demand. We owe it all to ourselves to work hard and you guys are such a big part of that. You do such a great job of covering our sport and making us superstars. It doesn’t happen without you guys and your hard work of selling our story of NASCAR and the characters within. Characters, we drivers have to do their part. When I came into this sport there were a lot of characters. There were a lot of superstars and they did a good job of when we came in of handing us the reins to a gold mine and all of us drivers have to do a good job of working hard to make sure that we hand over those reins to these kids coming through — that they have a great opportunity for them and their families just like we did.”

Virtual Event Recognizes 10 Diversity Trailblazers Across the NASCAR Industry

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (October 8, 2020) – NASCAR will host the 13^th annual NASCAR Drive for Diversity Awards today in celebration of the sport’s diversity and inclusion trailblazers. A special virtual ceremony will honor industry members whose pioneering efforts are making a difference both on and off the racetrack.

NASCAR executives, drivers, pit crew members, partners and other industry leaders will gather virtually to recognize the contributions of 10 deserving awardees who are setting an example by advocating for diversity and inclusion across the NASCAR industry.

“As we continue in our mission to enhance diversity across this great sport, we are inspired by the stories and efforts of so many leaders within the industry who are setting positive examples and driving meaningful change,” said NASCAR President Steve Phelps. “We are proud to recognize these 10 individuals and organizations whose hard work and accomplishments are having a profound impact and contributing to a more diverse and inclusive NASCAR.”

The NASCAR Drive for Diversity Awards are traditionally held in the spring and recognize winners for their efforts and contributions the previous year. The 2020 event, postponed due to the impact of COVID-19, will mark the first live-stream of the awards.

The 2020 NASCAR Drive for Diversity Award recipients are as follows:

Diverse Driver Award: Hailie Deegan, DGR-Crosley – Deegan became the first female to win a race in the former NASCAR West Series and the first female to earn Rookie of the Year (2018). Her third-place finish among 2019 championship standings was the highest for a female driver in series history. In the ARCA Menards Series this season, Deegan has already matched the highest finish in a race by a female (second, twice) and currently leads the series’ Bounty Rookie of the Year standings. Off the track, Deegan is constantly engaging with fans on social media to grow her following and overall brand.

Young Racer Award: Isabella Robusto, Rev Racing – Robusto is in her fourth season with Rev Racing and the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program. She competed as a youth driver in the Legends division during her first three seasons with the team. Robusto currently competes full-time in a Late Model Stock car. She uses her voice and position to support The NASCAR Foundation, most recently by participating in the #GivingTuesdayNow campaign to bring awareness for efforts to help children dealing with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Crew Member Award: Brehanna Daniels, Independent Contractor – Daniels made history in 2019 when she became the first female African-American graduate of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Pit Crew Development Program to pit in the DAYTONA 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Daniels currently works with aspiring pit crew members as a mentor and coach helping them to pursue their career dreams.  Daniels has been featured on national morning shows and The Titan Games on NBC.

Outstanding Intern Award: Monon Rahman, Rick Ware Racing – Rahman was a member of the 2019 NASCAR Diversity Internship Program class working at the NASCAR Research & Development Center in Concord, N.C. Upon completing his internship, he was hired as lead engineer at Rick Ware Racing working on the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and IMSA teams. Monon graduated from the University of Kentucky at age 19 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Partner Award: The Coca-Cola Company – In 2019, Coca-Cola brought together a collective of industry partners to establish Daniel’s Amigos, a fan-facing initiative to welcome new fans into NASCAR by connecting around shared cultural passion points of sports, racing, music, family, food and togetherness. This initiative strives to create deep and meaningful at-track experiences to increase the sport’s connection and interest within the Hispanic community.

Institution Award: Urban Chamber of Commerce, Las Vegas – The Urban Chamber of Commerce in Las Vegas is being recognized for its efforts to help educate the local community about NASCAR and its diversity and inclusion initiatives. Urban Chamber members helped turn their memorable experience during a 2018 NASCAR Cup Series race – part of a NASCAR Opinion Leader Initiative activation at Las Vegas Motor Speedway – into a three-day outreach event surrounding the race weekend a year later.

Industry Ambassador Award: Jennifer Satterfield-Siegel, Rev Racing – Satterfield-Siegel is the first African-American female team owner and sponsor in the NASCAR Touring Series. She and her husband, Max Siegel, co-own and manage Rev Racing. An Indianapolis native, Satterfield-Siegel has made a national impact with her involvement in the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program.

National Series Driver Award: Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports – On the track, Johnson is known as a seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, tying NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. He has also spent his career pursuing excellence off the racetrack as a philanthropist, triathlete, businessman and father. More than a decade ago, Jimmie and his wife established the Jimmie Johnson Foundation which has impacted diverse youth and communities through $12 million in support to various organizations.

Track Award: World Wide Technology Raceway (WWT)– The raceway partnered on a youth outreach program with the Jackie Joyner Kersee Foundation (JJK), NASCAR Diversity & Inclusion and NASCAR Acceleration Nation. During the summer of 2018, WWT Raceway personnel visited JJK’s center along with NASCAR drivers, and have also assisted with an iRacing program at JJK. More than 120 children and their families were treated to a day at the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series race.

Team Award: Richard Childress Racing (RCR) – Richard Childress Racing is a team that engages drivers, manufacturers and sponsors to effectively reach fans on and off the track in support of NASCAR’s diversity and inclusion goals. Several pit crew members who have trained with the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Pit Crew Development Program now pit for RCR. Additionally, the team recently named its first woman vice president and currently has a total of four women serving in director-level or higher roles within the marketing and communications departments.

The NASCAR Cup Series’ Bank of America ROVAL 400 will be broadcast live from Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course on Sunday, October 11 at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

About NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 16 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR consists of three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series™), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour), one local grassroots series and three international series. The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, Americrown Service and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (‘NASCAR’).

Inductees Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Red Farmer, the late Mike Stefanik and Landmark Award recipient Ralph Seagraves to be honored in ceremony slated for 2022

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (October 8, 2020) — The NASCAR Hall of Fame announced today that it will postpone the Induction Ceremony and Induction Week events for the Class of 2021. The decision was made in partnership with NASCAR after very thorough and thoughtful conversations regarding how best to plan and execute one of the sport’s most cherished moments while facing the ongoing uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Induction Ceremony, which was set to take place on Friday, February 5, 2021, is now anticipated for early 2022. The Class of 2021 consists of Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Red Farmer, the late Mike Stefanik and Landmark Award recipient Ralph Seagraves.

“Without question, the safety of our inductees, our guests and our staff is the highest priority for us,” said Winston Kelley, NASCAR Hall of Fame Executive Director. “The ongoing public health crisis prohibits our ability to plan for and celebrate these honorees’ landmark achievements as originally scheduled to the fullest extent – with their families, friends and fans present – and in a manner that’s representative of their incredible accomplishments in NASCAR and their contributions to the sport.”

The celebration annually draws fans, members and visitors from across the country to a variety of special events throughout the week at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, leading up to the official Induction Dinner and Ceremony. In addition to class Inductees and the Landmark Award recipient, the Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence is also recognized during the week’s events.

It is anticipated that the new date for the Class of 2021 Induction Ceremony and Induction Week events will be announced sometime in summer 2021. In addition, events celebrating both the class of 2020 and 2021 are hopeful for later in 2021.

The Class of 2020 exhibit in the museum’s Hall of Honor will remain on display until the Class of 2021 is enshrined in 2022. The NASCAR Hall of Fame recently reopened its doors to the public with enhanced safety measures following six months of closure due to COVID-19 restrictions.

To learn more about the NASCAR Hall of Fame, the Class of 2021 and current exhibits visit nascarhall.com.

About the NASCAR Hall of Fame
Located in Uptown Charlotte, North Carolina, the NASCAR Hall of Fame is an interactive, entertainment attraction honoring the history and heritage of NASCAR. The high-tech venue, designed to educate and entertain race fans and non-fans alike, includes artifacts, hands-on exhibits, a 278-person state-of-the-art theater, Hall of Honor, Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant, NASCAR Hall of Fame Gear Shop and NASCAR Productions-operated broadcast studio. Opened on May 11, 2010, the NASCAR Hall of Fame is owned by the City of Charlotte, licensed by NASCAR and operated by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority. For more information, visit nascarhall.com.