TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
Nashville Superspeedway
Lebanon, Tennessee
June 28-30, 2024
With 18 points-paying races complete, the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) will enter the second-half of the 2024 season with a trip to Nashville Superspeedway. The 1.33-mile concrete oval in Lebanon, Tennessee, still stands as one of the newer venues for NASCAR’s top division, with Sunday’s Ally 400 marking the series’ fourth appearance at the track. Coming off a three-week break, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) will return to competition for Friday’s Rackley Roofing 200 – starting the four-race countdown to the end of its regular-season. The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) will also join in on the action with Saturday’s Tennessee Lottery 250.
The visit to the Music City venue will mark the ninth tripleheader weekend for the NASCAR national touring series this season. Chevrolet continues as the only manufacturer to complete a tripleheader weekend sweep in 2024 – accomplishing the feat three times (Daytona International Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway). The Bowtie brand is poised to add onto that record again this weekend, with the manufacturer heading to Nashville Superspeedway as the defending winner across all three NASCAR national series at the track.
Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series at Nashville Superspeedway:
Chevrolet is the only manufacturer that has made a trip to victory in NASCAR’s top division at Nashville Superspeedway. The NASCAR Cup Series’ inaugural appearance at the Tennessee venue came in June 2021, with Kyle Larson and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 team dominating the event by leading a race-high 264 of 300 laps en route to the victory. Larson’s teammate Chase Elliott followed up that performance by taking Hendrick Motorsports to back-to-back victories at Nashville Superspeedway in June 2022. One year ago, it was Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain that carried the Bowtie brand to a three-peat at the 1.33-mile concrete oval.
LARSON, CHASTAIN LEAD NASHVILLE NUMBERS
In the NASCAR Cup Series’ three appearances at Nashville Superspeedway, Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain have posted an impressive stack of stats that makes the pair of Team Chevy teammates automatic favorites heading into the race weekend.
While still looking for his first win of the season, Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain will carry a little extra confidence to Nashville Superspeedway. Not only is Chastain the series’ most recent winner at the track, the 31-year-old Alva, Florida, native has yet to finish outside the top-five at the Tennessee venue. With a runner-up finish in 2021, a fifth-place finish in 2022 and a victory in 2023, Chastain leads the series with an average finish of 2.667 at the track.
Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson has also only recorded top-five finishes in the NCS’ three appearances at Nashville Superspeedway. In addition to his victory in the series’ inaugural race at the 1.33-mile Tennessee oval, the 31-year-old Elk Grove, California, native tallied a fourth-place finish in 2022 and a fifth-place finish in (2023) – giving him the second-best average finish of 3.333 at the track.
NASHVILLE KNOW HOW
NASCAR’s history at Nashville Superspeedway dates back to 2001, with the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series each making their debut at the 1.33-mile concrete oval. Among Team Chevy’s entries for Sunday’s Ally 400, six drivers have made a trip to victory lane in the NASCAR national ranks at the Tennessee venue.
Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott, who currently share the points lead heading into the weekend, took the organization to back-to-back NASCAR Cup Series victories at Nashville Superspeedway in 2021-2022. Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain continued the Bowtie brand’s dominance at the Tennessee venue in 2023 – driving his No. 1 Camaro ZL1 to the victory to make it a Team Chevy three-peat at the track.
Richard Childress Racing’ Kyle Busch and Austin Dillon are another set of teammates that have found success in the NASCAR national ranks at Nashville Superspeedway. Busch has claimed four victories at the Tennessee oval throughout his storied career with two NXS wins (April 2010 & April 2011) and two NCTS wins (June 2009 & June 2021) to his name. Dillon has one NCTS victory at the track – recorded in July 2011 behind the wheel of the organization’s No. 3 Silverado.
Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger has one NXS win at Nashville Superspeedway, which came in the series’ most recent visit to the track (2023). Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar will be making his first career NCS start at Nashville Superspeedway this weekend, but the young Team Chevy driver has already found victory lane at the Tennessee venue. The 21-year-old Portage, Michigan, native is the NCTS’ most recent winner at the track – picking up the victory in the No. 42 Niece Motorsports Silverado in 2023.
TARGETING A TENNESSEE THREE-PEAT
Despite the end of a five-race win streak in the NASCAR Xfinity Series last weekend, Chevrolet will look to rebound at a track where the manufacturer has earned recent success. Looking for his first win of the season, Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger has an extra boost of confidence heading into the weekend as the series’ most recent winner at Nashville Superspeedway. In five NXS races on intermediate ovals this season, Team Chevy drivers have collected a combined three victories, with JR Motorsports earning two wins (Sam Mayer – Texas Motor Speedway; Justin Allgaier – Darlington Raceway) and Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott taking the organization’s part-time NXS entry to the victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Saturday’s Tennessee Lottery 250 will mark the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ 25th appearance at Nashville Superspeedway. Chevrolet leads the series with 10 victories at the 1.33-mile concrete oval, with the manufacturer’s first trip to victory lane coming in June 2002 with Jack Sprague behind the wheel of the No. 24 Chevrolet for car owner Rick Hendrick. Nine different drivers have tallied a NXS victory with Chevrolet at Nashville Superspeedway, including the series’ last two winners at the track (Justin Allgaier – June 2022; AJ Allmendinger – June 2023).
TRUCK SERIES’ REGULAR SEASON CONTINUES IN MUSIC CITY
Following a three-week break, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will return to the track with just four races remaining in its regular season. Heading to Nashville Superspeedway, the Bowtie brand sits at a manufacturer-leading eight victories in 12 NCTS races this season – four of which have come at an intermediate oval. Chevrolet leads both of the series’ points standings – pacing the manufacturer points standings by 33-points, with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing’s Christian Eckes leading the driver points standings by 31-points. Eckes’ two wins this season may have each come at a short-track, but the 23-year-old Middletown, New York, native has posted impressive numbers on the series’ intermediate ovals. In six races held on ovals measuring 1.25-1.5 miles, Eckes has yet to finish outside of the top-10, including four top-five finishes. His best came in the series’ most recent event at World Wide Technology Raceway, where he drove his No. 19 Silverado RST to a runner-up result.
Bowyer is Back:
For the first time since his retirement at the end of the 2020 season, Clint Bowyer strap back into the driver’s seat to pilot the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Silverado RST in Friday’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Nashville Superspeedway. Bowyer may have retired behind the wheel of a competing manufacturer, but the Emporia, Kansas, native has a history of success behind the wheel of Chevrolet-powered machines. Bowyer’s eight career NXS wins and three career NCTS wins have all come in a Chevrolet. A 10-time winner in NASCAR’s top division, his first five wins in the series came with the Bowtie brand while driving for car owner Richard Childress.
BOWTIE BULLETS:
· With 47 races complete across NASCAR’s three national series this season, Chevrolet has a winning percentage of 55.3% with 26 victories (NASCAR Cup Series – eight wins; NASCAR Xfinity Series – 10 wins; NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – eight wins).
· In eight tripleheader weekends this season, Chevrolet is the only manufacturer to earn a weekend sweep – accomplishing the feat three times (Daytona International Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway).
· Chevrolet is the only manufacturer to score a NASCAR Cup Series win at Nashville Superspeedway:
Kyle Larson – one win (2021)
Chase Elliott – one win (2022)
Ross Chastain – one win (2023)
· In 90 points-paying races in the Next Gen era, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 45 victories – a winning percentage of 50%.
· With his victory at Sonoma Raceway, Kyle Larson is the second driver to hit a double-digit win record in the NASCAR Cup Series’ Next Gen era with 10 triumphs. Larson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron leads the series’ all-time win record in the Next Gen era with 11 victories.
· With its 42 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championships, and 859 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title as the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.
Manufacturer Points Standings
Chevrolet: 650
Toyota: 647 (-3)
Ford: 623 (-27)
Manufacturer Points Standings
Chevrolet: 603
Toyota: 566 (-37)
Ford: 503 (-100)
Manufacturer Points Standings
Chevrolet: 458
Toyota: 425 (-33)
Ford: 384 (-74)
TUNE-IN:
NASCAR Cup Series
Ally 400
Sunday, June 30, at 3:30 p.m. ET
(NBC, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Tennessee Lottery 250
Saturday, June 29, at 5 p.m. ET
(USA Network, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Rackley Roofing 200
Friday, June 28, at 8 p.m. ET
(FS2, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)
QUOTABLE QUOTES:
Corey LaJoie, No. 7 Garner Trucking Camaro ZL1
Nashville Superspeedway has been a good track for you and Garner Trucking is back on board. What’s your perspective heading into this weekend?
“I’m excited to welcome Garner Trucking back to the No. 7 at Nashville. The track has been one of our stronger tracks as a team so we’re going in with some confidence that we can race in the top 15. The concrete surface presents a little different of a challenge than usual, but I feel good about our process leading into the weekend.”
Kyle Busch, No. 8 Zone Camaro ZL1
You have said that brakes are very important at Nashville. What can you do to take care of the brakes? Does finding the right balance with the setup help you to not abuse the brakes?
“With the old car, I feel like brakes were way more important but with the new car, the brakes are so good that I don’t feel like brakes are really an issue. It’s all about being enough on the brakes to get the slowing down that you need done, but then getting off the brakes so you can roll the speed for the middle of the corner and the exit to make your lap time fast.”
This will be the fourth Cup race at Nashville. What trends have you noticed over the three previous events?
“What I’ve noticed over the last couple events at Nashville is the way the groove is and how it widens out throughout the weekend. Makes for a pretty fun track to drive. Nashville is just so unique. There’s really no other track like it.”
AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Celsius Camaro ZL1
“Nashville has been a great racetrack for us on both the Xfinity and Cup side of our program. Being able to win the Xfinity race last year was a huge highlight; getting that guitar that is so iconic and then running inside the top 10 all day in the Cup race. It’s a racetrack that I have enjoyed since we started going to it. Hopefully, we can have the same success that we have had the past few years. Looking forward to the weekend and thinking we can have a good run in both race cars and find the momentum that we need.”
Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1
Bowman on racing the Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway:
“I’m excited to get there (Nashville Superspeedway). It’s been a rough place for us the past couple of years, but I feel like the places we have historically struggled at we are getting better at. Like New Hampshire (Motor Speedway) we’ve fought hard at for a long time and last weekend we had a pretty good run going there compared to the past couple of years before our issue. I think Nashville (Superspeedway) can be really good and I always look forward to all that Ally has going on at and around the track for this race specifically.”
Blake Harris, Crew Chief, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1
Harris on his 48th start with Alex Bowman this weekend and expectations for the weekend at Nashville Superspeedway:
“If it’s our (with Alex Bowman) 48th start this weekend at Nashville (Superspeedway), then we definitely need to add a win to the column together. The Ally 400 is a big race for our team with Ally as the primary partner on our No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro. I think we’ve got a lot to build on this year from similar intermediate tracks so far. It’s going to be hot and slick out there- we’re looking forward to getting out on track in the “Music City.”
Zane Smith, No. 71 Jockey Outdoors by Luke Bryan Camaro ZL1
Tell us about the Jockey paint scheme that you are running in Nashville this weekend.
“It is super cool having Jockey Outdoors™ Collection by Luke Bryan on my No. 71 Chevrolet for this race. It is a perfect paint scheme to showcase in a race with an iconic city tied to it. Nashville has always been a great racetrack for me and I’m a huge country music fan, so to carry one of the best country music artists on the hood of my car for 400 miles on Sunday is awesome. I’m thankful for the Jockey team and Luke Bryan for joining us for an exciting race. I’m looking forward to getting on the track in Nashville.”
Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Zeigler Auto Group Camaro ZL1
Nashville Superspeedway has been a mixed bag for you in both the Truck and Xfinity Series. Now you’re stepping into a Cup car for the first time at Nashville, but you’ve been strong on mile-and-a-half tracks this season. How are you feeling about this weekend’s challenge at a track where you’ve won before?
“I like Nashville a lot. We won there last year in the trucks so that is a great memory. I also ran really good in the Xfinity car last year before that crash but I felt like I actually had a shot to win that one. I’m looking forward to Nashville in a Cup car. We have really good notes from mile-and-a-halves and a really good idea of what it takes to go fast around that place. We have the ability to run really, really well. It’s a track that suits me but also really suits our team and what we’re really good at. I think it’ll be a great weekend.”
Clint Bowyer, No. 7 Rush Truck Centers Silverado RST
Why did you want to return to the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and make a start with Spire at Nashville?
“For me, it’s the tie working with (Brian) Pattie and the good old days. Putting the band back together, so to speak and having some fun. Nashville is a cool racetrack that has meant a lot to me over the years. Separate from that, it’s about the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. That’s a really fun series. It’s a fun vehicle to drive. There’s a lot of drag and you can drive them hard and get away with it. You hustle a truck pretty hard. This race should be right in my wheelhouse.”
Do you have any expectations for the weekend?
“Expectations are to win. The truck is winning. Put Kyle Busch in it and it wins. It darn well better win with me in it. It’s a good track for me. I’ve won in the Truck Series before. I’ve won with Brian Pattie before. He built me a new truck for it. It’s like, holy smoke! I don’t want pressure in my life anymore. I don’t need pressure, but here it is (laughs)!”
How do you plan on knocking the rust off?
“I’ll have one run on a set of tires to knock the rust off and then I’ll have to go qualify. It’s going to be a pretty important lap to start up front and have a shot at winning. Honestly, I don’t even remember being on that race track it has been so long, so I’ll have to get reacquainted with the track a little bit. I feel like I can get the fundamentals back pretty quick. I ran those SRX races last year and I was pretty quick right off that bat. I actually surprised myself. I had a ton of fun and was competitive.”
Tyler Ankrum, No. 18 Ullico Silverado RST
Ankrum on his outlook for the final stretch of the regular season:
“The focus for our Ullico team is on securing a playoff position. We’re in a good position right now with a nice cushion, but we want to give ourselves more of a buffer and hopefully lock in with a win at Nashville. I feel good about our Ullico Chevrolet for Friday night. I enjoy racing there and have had a couple top-10’s the last two years, so this is a good opportunity for us. The last three off weeks have been a good reset, but I’m looking forward to getting back in the truck and working hard to lock into the playoffs over these next four races.”
Christian Eckes, No. 19 Adaptive One Calipers Silverado RST
Eckes on restarting the season at Nashville:
“The last few weeks were a nice reset for everyone, and we put the down time to good use. Our guys put a lot of effort into our Adaptive One Calipers Chevrolet. We need to get back to victory lane and that’s what we want to try to do on Friday. We didn’t run the way we wanted to at Nashville last year, but hopefully we’ve made some gains that will pay off this week. Nashville can be a challenging place with the concrete surface and being a little smaller than a typical intermediate. Hopefully we can dial ourselves in throughout the race and execute the way we need to finish the night in victory lane.”
Bayley Currey, No. 41 DQS Silverado RST
Last year, the trucks at Nashville seemed like it was a combo that naturally fit you. How can you take what you learned to transition it to this weekend?
“Yeah, that was fun last year; I definitely feel like that was the best run in my NASCAR career. I felt like we could have walked away with the win if a few things went differently. I really like these kind of tracks that are in between a mile-and-a-half and a short track. You still have to use a little bit of brake, but you’re carrying so much speed too, so I feel like it fits my style as a driver. I think if we can fight the dirty air that’s usually pretty bad here and stay up front with some track position, we should be pretty good on Friday.”
Matt Mills, No. 42 J.F. Electric / Utilitra Silverado RST
It’s been a while since you last raced at Nashville, so do you anticipate it being tough to get acclimated again?
“Well, the first time I raced at Nashville in the Xfinity car, I had no idea what the track was going to be like. So, going into it this time with having the resources of the simulator time and the good, experienced people at the team, I’m definitely more prepared for this track now. I think we should be a lot better; we’ve started to build some good momentum on our mile-and-a-half and short track package, and Nashville seems to be in the sweet spot right in the middle of those types of tracks. In the past, the Niece trucks have been really fast there, so hopefully it’ll be a good one for us.”
Daniel Dye, No. 43 NAPA Nightvision Silverado RST
Dye on coming back after three weeks off:
“I’m excited to get back in my No. 43 NAPA Nightvision Chevy this weekend at Nashville. It’s nice to have some time off and take a step back for a moment. These last couple of weeks I have spent a lot of time getting with my team to prepare for the few regular season races remaining. I also was able to run a Xfinity race at Iowa and had a strong run to score my first career top-10 in the series. With these last couple of races our goal is still the same. We want to earn our spot in the playoffs and be a strong contender. “
Kaden Honeycutt, No. 45 AutoVentive/Precision Vehicle Logistics Silverado RST
How high is your confidence heading into Nashville after having two strong runs on intermediate tracks?
“I feel really confident going to Nashville, especially after the last two mile-and-a-half tracks that we ran. We’re bringing the same truck that we had at Kansas and Charlotte, so I know we’ll be really fast, but it’s all about executing. We’ve got to be fast on and off pit road, as well as myself on the racetrack in qualifying well. It’s up to me to figure out how to win the race and bring home back-to-back wins for Niece Motorsports after they won with Carson last year. Now, it’s our turn as a company to try and back it up this year. Thanks to AutoVentive and Precision for jumping on board, and for all they do for our team as a whole. We’ll go out and represent them well and try to get them a win!”
Rajah Caruth, No. 71 HENDRICKCARS.COM Silverado RST
Last year at Nashville you were leading when mechanical issues arose. Are you excited to get back to the track and bounce back from last year’s result?
“I’m honestly just excited to get back to Nashville, in general. Last year was the only time I’ve raced there, and it is a cool racetrack and a nice facility. They did a great job with the track preparation and the resin, so we were able to move around and race a bit. I know my truck will be better, and it’s hard to be much better than we were last year. We took the lead and were getting ready to have a really good day before we had that fuel pickup issue. I’m just excited to get back from this three week stretch and press the attack with the playoffs coming up.”
Chase Purdy, No. 77 Bama Buggies Silverado RST
You’ve earned a pole and have two top-10 finishes on intermediate tracks this season. How do you feel going to Nashville?
“I’m looking forward to getting back to Nashville. Last year, we had a lot of speed there so we’re looking for more this season. Hopefully, we can build on the speed we found at the last few races and bring back a great finish.”
Jack Wood, No. 91 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Silverado RST
Wood on making his fourth start at Nashville:
“I’m glad to get back in the truck. It definitely feels like it’s been a while since Charlotte and I’ve been looking forward to Nashville for a while. We had a couple good runs out west in our NAPA Auto Care Chevy since then and showed some speed, so hopefully we’ll have more of the same on the truck side this week. I’ve been able to run all three races at Nashville, so I feel like I have a good amount of experience there. There’s only four more races until the playoffs, and we’d love to get into the owners’ points playoff. We have a great opportunity to get it and are right there. We just need to maximize what we have each week and be consistent to make it happen.”
Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics
Manufacturers Championships:
Total (1949-2023): 42
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, 2021, 2022, 2023
Drivers Championships:
Total (1949-2021): 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)
2024 STATISTICS:
Wins: 8
Poles: 6
Laps Led: 1,561
Top-five finishes: 34
Top-10 finishes: 69
Stage wins: 11
· Chase Elliott: 1
· Kyle Larson: 8
· Ross Chastain: 1
· William Byron: 1
CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 859 (1949 to date)
Poles won to date: 749
Laps led to date: 250,736
Top-five finishes to date: 4,332
Top-10 finishes to date: 8,929
Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:
General Motors: 1,193
Chevrolet: 859
Pontiac: 154
Oldsmobile: 115
Buick: 65
Ford: 831
Ford: 731
Mercury: 96
Lincoln: 4
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467
Dodge: 217
Plymouth: 191
Chrysler: 59
Toyota: 187
About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. 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 at www.chevrolet.com.
