Category: NASCAR Cup PR

Toyota Racing – Ty Gibbs
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

LONG POND, Pa. (July 13, 2024) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Ty Gibbs was made available to the media on Saturday after earning the pole position for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway.

TY GIBBS, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

What does this pole mean for you?

“Yeah, it’s really good. It’s crazy how fast time goes by, that’s for sure and all that happens in between it. But it’s really cool to get the pole here. Really appreciate it and thanks to everyone that helps out. It was a fun qualifying session. I always have fun coming to Pocono. Hopefully we can go win it tomorrow.”

Is this any more special with how well you’ve run at Pocono in your career?

“Not a whole lot, really. I mean, I feel like I just really like this place and feel like my cars have always been really good here. It’s been fun and hopefully we can capitalize on it tomorrow.”

How would you describe your growth so far in your career?

“Yeah, definitely a lot for sure. Definitely a lot more experience more than anything. It’s been really fun and I really appreciate the whole crew. Really, really thankful. I’ve been blessed my career. It’s been a really fun time and it’s definitely how fast time goes by.”

Can you take us through your pole lap?

“Yeah, it was really good. I felt like I had a clean lap. I was a little nervous as we didn’t have a break between the two rounds, so didn’t feel like we had enough time to pull our stuff off, but it was still really good. I think that shows the speed of my car. But yeah, I feel like we’re really solid and my car handled really well. Three corners you have to put together and it’s tricky place in a way, but it’s a really fun place too. It keeps you on your toes, I guess.”

How much of an advantage is it to start from pole tomorrow?

“It’s a really big advantage, especially for my pit crew having the first pit stall is very important, getting out of it. So, it’s really nice to have that spot to start in. But besides that, we’re really solid. I feel like it is what is. Hammer down and try to go win tomorrow.”

What makes driving Pocono so fun?

“I mean, there’s a lot that plays into it. There’s really long straightaways here, so it’s like going down the highways with trees on your left. It’s a lot going on, but at the same time, you have a lot of time to rest. It’s really fun in how the track is laid out, the characteristics of the track are really great and how it works. I hope they don’t repave it and leave it how it is.”

Did you lean on Martin Truex Jr. or Denny Hamlin going into this weekend?

“Yeah, I don’t really talk to them before the races, really at the track unless I have something to talk about in the meetings. I really, always appreciated the teammates I’ve gotten to be with and there are a lot of great people, luckily. It’s been a lot of fun. Yeah, I talk to my teammates here casually, but not a whole lot as much as I used to do when I was completely young.”

What is your mindset with the remaining regular season races?

“Yeah, a win would definitely get us in the Playoffs. That’s our goal to go win and be smart outside of that. Go get great stage points and go win is the biggest thing. Takes care of about everything.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs more than 63,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 45 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 26 electrified options.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

Toyota Racing – Denny Hamlin
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

LONG POND, Pa. (July 13, 2024) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin was made available to the media on Saturday prior to this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway.

DENNY HAMLIN No. 11 Mavis Tire Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

Is 23XI Racing going to appeal Bubba Wallace’s fine from Chicago?

“Yeah, I think you can look at them (penalties) similarly if you want to. You can look at them differently if you want to. All in all, it’s a judgment call and that’s the explanation that they gave the team. It’s a judgment call. More than likely, we’ve seen these things happen in other sports where the camera’s on you live, not a cutaway where you’d say ‘oh, by the way, this happened after the checkered,’ I think it being live and everyone seeing it, probably caused a little more of a social media uproar which then they responded to that. I think from the team’s standpoint, I don’t believe there will be any appeals. It’s a learning moment you try not to repeat.”

Are you okay with what Bubba did?

“I didn’t weigh in on it with him. I think those things happen on a regular basis each and every week. Again, it’s based on circumstances of it being on live TV, making it different.”

Do you feel like this will be a weekend to turn things around for your team?

“It’s been some wonky races. I mean there’s been rain, which really changed New Hampshire quite a bit going from what we think is a race-winning car and feeling like we were going to win to not. And obviously Chicago, it turned out the way it did. We were really good in the dry pace. I felt very good with where I was at and then with the rain. And then at Nashville, we all saw what happened there at the end. Yeah, just some different finishes for sure where this race track (Pocono) plays out in a more predictable manner than what others have. Surely, weather can be a factor in things like that, but with this track, you typically have an idea of (pause). The best car usually wins here at a higher percentage than at those others.”

After last year’s finish, how does seeing the large banner of you in the garage feel?

“I love Mavis for it for sure. Certainly, playing to the market is very good. Fortunate for it to be a race track where they know I have a great track record at. I’m glad they and the track were able to work something out to poke at the fans a little bit.”

What are your expectations for next weekend at Indianapolis?

“Yeah, I mean if you’re crazy about side-by-side racing, it probably won’t be for you. But it’s just a big event and you know, it’s still over time, some of the best cars with the best engines, best aerodynamics, best execution on pit road, all of those things equals a win at that track. There’s very many different ways you can win in NASCAR, right? It doesn’t always have to be through the normal competition that always happened. We’ve seen fuel mileage be a part of the last few winners and things like that. Indy will be no different. It’ll be an execution race. You’ll need to qualify well, but you just never know what can happen. Strategy is big there. I do hope that these cars have enough drag down the straightaway to create slingshot-like passes like what we have on the IndyCars at that track. The only thing that’ll limit that is I think our corner speed is just a hair too fast for the second-place guy to stay close enough to make that work. It’ll be tough, but I think on new tires, there’s a shot to see something pretty great. The purist needs to be looking at the strategy part of it.”

Do you feel being strong at Pocono applies to Indianapolis as well?

“I think there will be similarities for sure. A lot of it is just because of the long straightaways, the angles of the corners are not that different when you look at turn 2 here at Pocono. The way you would approach it here would be similar to the way you approach turn 2 at Indy. So I think for many, many years, the cars that have that good mix of horsepower or drag and downforce ratio, you take what you have next week to Indy from here at Pocono and see a lot of similarities. I do think that you can draw some of those conclusions.”

Do records like your career win amount matter to you?

“Yeah, it certainly does. Where I’ve shifted my goals in the final years of my career is to try to get to a big win number, get inside the top-10 of all-time winners. That’s the goal I can achieve week in and week out, right? Certainly, always have goals of winning a championship and that goes over a long period of time. But week-to-week, that’s what fuels me to continue to go to the race track and do this grind every week, is to try to nail down victories. To me, I think when this is all said and done, all these different formats have changed, cars have changed over time, but the wins still stand as equal. I think that’s why I value them so much.”

What would getting 55 career wins mean to you?

“Yeah, I think certainly, four-to-five years ago, I think my number would’ve been 50, somewhere in that range. But as times change, and you start to pick up your performance, you change your goals, and that certainly has changed. You know, I just feel so much more agitated by the ones that we had won. There’s been three this year, leading inside five to go and a late-race caution changed everything. So, I think if you want to get to those goals that you want to win, you have to capitalize on all the moments as you never know when the performance will continue to stay at this race for the years to come. You do know you have it now, so you try to capitalize.”

What about Pocono that suits your driving style?

“Yeah, I think I’m a part of it, for sure. You can’t not draw that conclusion, but just think this track and Indy, for whatever reason, have always been the tell-tale of where your team really stands. Because you have to have such good execution on pit road, your strategy has to be good and you have those three things, low drag, high downforce, high horsepower. Those are the things you have to have to be fast in the Cup Series week in and week out and this track in particular really magnifies it. So I think I’ve just had a really good team that figures this out and over time, I’ve given them information they’ve needed to build me fast cars. I think it’s just my driving style of being easy in the corner, hard off the corner works when you have these long straightaways.”

How do you plan to repeat your success at Richmond?

“Yeah, I mean I’m always trying to get better, it doesn’t matter what the result was. I think back to Richmond, we won, but we weren’t going to win unless a late-race caution came out. So, I think there’s some improvement to be made there and we’ve already gone over what we needed to do to be better there and then once we start preparing here in a few weeks after the break, we’ll treat it like a track we’ve never won at. That’s you know, focusing and bringing the best car we can and me making sure I do what I need to do to keep winning at that track. This is an never-ending cycle. Even though the cars look the same, been here three times with this car, every time, setups have been different. It’s always changing. If you change the weather 10 degrees at this race track, we’ll have to back to the drawing board and come up with something new. We’re never just resting on our laurels and say, ‘we won there last time, we’ll be good.’ We still have to put in the same preparation week in and week out to be good.”

Is there enough time to have a shot at the regular season championship?

“I think unless they have problems, it’ll be tough. But, everyone is struggling to find consistency, right? We were as consistent as anyone for five weeks and now have had five weeks the exact opposite, so just think you know, we’ll need help for sure and we’ll need to be as good as we were two months ago, right? As far as execution and finishing positions. It’s very, very possible, but you’re going to need a few stubbed toes here and there.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs more than 63,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 45 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 26 electrified options.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

Toyota Racing – Martin Truex Jr.
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

LONG POND, Pa. (July 13, 2024) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Martin Truex Jr. was made available to the media on Saturday prior to this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway.

MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 19 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

Is Pocono a track you’d like to see get a second date?

“Yeah, it’s kind of crazy how much things have changed over the years with the schedule, especially and all of the new tracks we’ve gone to in the past few years. Yeah, this place has been a staple for a long time, I enjoy coming here and been coming up this way for a long time. I don’t know, I feel like the future is one race everywhere and not two anymore. Yeah, it’s great that we still come here. It’s unique track and a lot of fun.”

How much energy does a track like this take out of you?

“I would say this probably one of the easier ones from a standpoint of wear and tear on a driver with the long straightaways, you can kind of relax. It’s kind of laid-back racing, besides on the restarts. They’re more mentally challenging than anything. But the physicality of this place is on the lower side compared to the other tracks we go to.”

What are the emotions coming here potentially for the last time and your thoughts on that first win here?

“Yeah, for sure, all the wins over the years are great wins. That one was definitely big one for our team. That really jumpstarted a good couple of years together. Really good memories of that one and I think in 2018 as well with that same group. Got a lot of great memories here, have a lot of heartbreakers as well, a few that go away over the years. But last year, we were very strong and looking forward to hopefully getting a checkered flag tomorrow. That’s what we’re here for and I feel very good about it. Feel great about our team and what we’ve been doing lately. We’ve had a lot of speed, just got to capitalize on it and hope we can do that tomorrow.”

Did you see your name is printed on the start/finish line?

“Yeah, I saw watching the Trucks race yesterday. It was very cool.”

Have you embraced tributes like these?

“I’d say I’m ready to embrace it. I think I was actually pretty surprised seeing that two days ago. You know, as a driver, you don’t ever feel like you’re really deserving of things like that. For Pocono to do that, it’s really special for me, my family. Definitely cool to see and hope we’re the first to cross it (start/finish line) tomorrow.”

How much confidence do you have coming into the weekend?

“For sure, it’s been a tough month-and-a-half, finish-wise. Speed-wise, aside from maybe last week and Iowa, we’ve been solid. Just need to capitalize on that and execute. It takes a lot of things to win races, lead laps, stay upfront and have fast cars, so hope we can put it all together this weekend. But I feel good about it. Yeah, just kind of been in a slump for a little while now.”

Anything to pinpoint for the slump?

“It’s been multiple things, frustrating for sure. You name it across the board, it’s happened. The last three races, we’ve been crashed at the end by someone, and that’s frustrating. Dealt with a lot of things like rain and crazy things like that. Yeah, hopefully this is a normal, strai ghtforward weekend. Hoping for a good day today and execute tomorrow, be upfront tomorrow and be in good shape.”

How do you view Richmond and your success there?

“Well the wins stick out as usual. Everywhere, the wins are huge. But yeah, that place has been really, really good for us. And also very frustrating with the amount of times when we’ve dominated and came up short, including this season. Yeah, just always look forward to going there. It’s a very unique track, very old school track. Tire wear, you have to manage your stuff and that really plays into my strengths. It’s going to be different this time around. They’re changing the tire combination from what we had in the spring. Going to have to figure out how to recapture it and hopefully come up with something that worked like it has in the past.”

What will the Olympic break be like?

“Yeah, it’s going to be interesting. Not very often, we get two weeks off. It’s definitely great for the crew guys. They work so hard, so many hours, they just don’t stop. So it’s a grind and it’ll be good for them to spend a little time with their families. As a team, you kind of regroup, recharge with the Playoffs coming up, the end of the season and all that goes into that with the pressure. It’ll be nice break for everyone. I’d say I get more of a break than those guys, so it’s nice to see they get it as well. It should be fun.”

What race in your career stands out the most to you?

“That’s a tough question. Probably the Coke 600 when we lead pretty much the whole thing, besides the green flag pit stop laps. That’s something that probably won’t happen again and it’s cool to be on the sheets for something no one else has done.”

Are you able to relax down the long straightaways here at Pocono?

“Yeah, there’s a lot to think about. What you’re doing next week, where you’ll be fishing (laughs). No, honestly, just it gives you time to think about your car, what’s going on in the race. A lot of times, you’re just in such traffic. Concentration, really focused on what you’re doing and a place like this, you have some time to think about things, so it makes it a little easier from a mental standpoint to kind of understand of how things are going on around you, how your car is doing, what you need. Time to talk to your crew. At Bristol, you can barely hear what they’re even saying, barely have time to even hit the button. So, definitely different there.”

What conversations have you had with Ryan before his race today?

“Not a lot, really. He does a lot of stuff with sim work and working with his team. Last time he raced here, I think it was in Trucks and he ran second, so he has some confidence this week on the simulator. Hopefully he has a good day. He’s had a decent year, obviously that win at Dover was huge again for him. So hopefully, we’re trying to put together more races for him next year. He’s done a great job jumping around a few teams at JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) and preforming well.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs more than 63,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 45 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 26 electrified options.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series Media Availability
The Great American Getaway 400 | Pocono Raceway
Saturday, July 13, 2024

Austin Cindric, driver of the No. 2 Menards/Richmond Water Heaters Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Team Penske, met with the media Saturday afternoon ahead of on-track action in the NASCAR Cup Series. Cindric talked about the last few weeks of the season, his season to date, and preparations for the upcoming NASCAR Playoffs.

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Menards/Richmond Water Heaters Ford Mustang Dark Horse

WHAT DO YOU THINK THE LONG-TERM VIABILITY IS OF CHICAGO AND STREET RACING IN GENERAL AND NASCAR?

“I’ve always loved street course racing, but I think as an industry, we definitely proved that it’s something we can do for the future, really. I don’t think there’s a driver in the field that doesn’t enjoy the uniqueness of that event, being in the city, having the city embrace us for the weekend and it kind of being a bit of a different blip in the schedule as far as your normal day-to-day transitions. Even the crew guys, in a lot of ways, get to explore a little bit more than maybe you would on a normal weekend. As far as the racetrack it is big enough for us to go racing each time. So I just hope that we can go there one year and not have the crazy weather and time limitations and all that. I could easily see it being a classic race on the schedule.”

THIS IS YOUR 100TH CUP START HERE THIS WEEKEND. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU GOING INTO THAT?

“It means time flies, I guess. In some ways, I feel like I’m pretty new to all this. It’s crazy to kind of think of 100 starts. But yeah, it’s been fun. Gotta get keep getting better though. The first hundred’s been good, but we need to make the next hundred great.”

WITH THE CUP SERIES SCHEDULE UNIQUENESS, WE HAVE A STREET RACE, POCONO, THE BRICKYARD 400 NEXT WEEK. WHAT IS YOUR MENTALITY, WEEK TO WEEK, ESPECIALLY WITH PLAYOFFS COMING UP, HOW DO YOU ADJUST ON A WEEK TO WEEK BASIS?

“It’s interesting as far as how it relates to the playoffs. There aren’t too many tracks that we’ve been going to that benefit us from preparing for the playoffs. You don’t really have a Pocono or an Indy or a Chicago street course. I mean maybe the Roval is somewhat close to it, but otherwise I wouldn’t say it was an overly productive couple weeks for preparing for the playoffs other than just getting reps as a team. You will get to you know Richmond and Michigan and tracks like that and kind of wind down the regular season at tracks that I feel like all will be very relevant. I think that’s what makes watching this sport fun, is that you have something completely different each Sunday that you’re going to tune into and watch. If we made new fans last week in Chicago by going there, they’re going to tune in this weekend at Pocono and look at the TV and figure out why this looks so different than what they watched last weekend. I feel like you’ll have that week-to-week with what we get to do. I feel like that’s what makes it fun with a race fan with that many races on the schedule.”

YOU’RE THE LAST FORD DRIVER TO MAKE IT TO VICTORY LANE HERE IN XFINITY IN 2021 IN THE CUP SERIES. NO FORD HAS WON SINCE 2020 AND THEN DATING BACK TO 2017 BEFORE THAT. WHAT DOES YOUR TEAM THINK ABOUT GETTING THE BLUE OVALS BACK TO VICTORY LANE HERE?

“Well, it’s our goal every weekend but it’s a place that I’ve always really liked since my first ARCA race here. I see no reason for us not to be in contention this weekend. I feel like there’s a few drivers that really stand out as you go to this track, and I think for me getting a handle on a few specific areas on the racetrack since we’ve gone to the NextGen car have been pretty important and been a lot of our focus for this weekend. I think today will tell the story for tomorrow.”

WHAT HAS MADE THIS TRACK SUCH A CHALLENGE FOR FORD AND SPECIFICALLY TEAM PENSKE?

“I can’t speak for any year before 2022 but for us with the NextGen car, the bumps are a pretty big challenge. You have a lot less tools in the toolbox as far as how to make a race car compliant because you have linear springs on all four corners, and you have height limitations. So these cars are also very sensitive to not being sealed off to the ground with the diffuser and how sensitive the aero is. Those are all things that bumps are not very good for. I’d say for us that’s been one of the biggest challenges, the tunnel turn and connecting your run from turn one to turn three and that’s where I’m hoping to see us make some progress today from a motor side. I’m not sure how some of that connects, and from an aero side, not sure how some of that all connects, but from a race team side, I see that’s where we can make progress this weekend.”

BETWEEN USING THE RAIN TIRES AT RICHMOND, NEW HAMPSHIRE AND CHICAGO, DO YOU FORESEE THAT BECOMING AN EVEN BIGGER PART OF THE TRAINING REGIMEN IF IT ISN’T ALREADY?

“As far as simulating rain conditions, it’s very hard to do. I mean, it’s the same reason why iRacing has probably just recently come out with something like that. The challenge of racing in the rain isn’t necessarily like the loss of surface grip, it’s all the variables. It’s the drying conditions, it’s how wet is the racetrack. What are you going to do when the track dries out? What are you going to do when the track gets wetter? How those lines change around, standing water on a track like Chicago where there’s a lot of bumps and you can collect water. All those things have to be modeled correctly for them to be really relevant to the driver, let alone even in a controlled environment with a dry racetrack. Sometimes it’s hard to get the simulator tools exactly how it would need to feel in the car. So maybe from a driver training perspective, perhaps, but I feel like I’d be able to learn just as much going to the go-kart track and running on a rainy day. So and I don’t mean that to devalue go-kart racing, but it’s probably just as much a valuable tool as far as from a real-world experience just dealing with those challenges.”

WHEN YOU SEE THE RACES ENDING WITH A TIME, A SPECIFIC TIME FOR IT TO END. WHAT’S THAT LIKE FOR THE DRIVER IN THE COCKPIT AND HOW DO YOU CHANGE YOUR MENTALITY? DO YOU LIKE IT? IT’S EXCITING TO WATCH, BUT WHAT’S IT LIKE TO NAVIGATE?

“It’s interesting that it came up in the Truck Series race last night as well. It hasn’t really come up too many times before last weekend. I think NASCAR’s ability to kind of adjust from what happened last year with the end of the race. There were teams, including myself, in the 2023 Chicago race that kind of took a gamble knowing that sunlight was going to be an issue, and we benefited from it. Other teams were upset because it wasn’t clear. I think NASCAR made it very, very clear what the guidelines were for the end of the race. Everyone was able to really understand what the strategy would look like. So from there, it was much more about just planning on what tires you’re gonna have on for the end of the race because I think some guys kept rain’s on had an advantage and some guys that put dry’s on there or the back of the field like myself had an advantage. So I think NASCAR couldn’t be any more clear about how they did that. I would think that’s probably gonna the guidelines moving forward. As soon as they know I think they’ll make it pretty clear to the race teams.

DO YOU LIKE IT?

“It doesn’t really matter to me. I don’t really get to have an opinion, but your restrictions are your restrictions as far as from light and any other factors. It doesn’t really change my day at all. I know times versus laps, it’s all kind of one and the same, depending on how you do the math. Caution flags, I feel like put the biggest variable on a timed race because if that race wouldn’t have had all those cautions at the end, there would have been a lot more green flag laps and dry tires probably would have had more of an advantage at the end of the race. That’s just how it goes.”

WITH ALL THREE OF YOU SEALING YOUR PLAYOFF SPOT, HOW CONFIDENT DO YOU FEEL ABOUT TEAM PENSKE DEFENDING THE CHAMPIONSHIP AND DO YOU FEEL THIS IS YOUR TIME TO WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP?

“The first step to winning a championship is making the playoffs, and all three of us are in the playoffs. It’s not that I’m not a goal setter, but I don’t like setting a result-based goal. for me, the only goal for the season was to make the playoffs because it is your only avenue, your only way to win a championship. As a team, we’ve won the championship with Joey and Ryan the last two years, and it’s all about using that system to be able to get to the next round each time. Whether if that’s winning races late in the playoffs or having enough points, our guys have been able to really execute in that round of eight and propel themselves into a position to be in the championship four. That’s all just about having your best day. I think for us, it’s about maximizing each opportunity with each playoff track and being able to understand where our strengths and weaknesses are. Apart from that, the biggest way to win the championship is to be in it.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES
POCONO RACEWAY
JULY 13, 2024

 WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 RAPTOR HIGH HEAT CAMARO ZL1 AND THE NO. 17 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO SS, met with the media in advance of racing double duty in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series at Pocono Raceway.

Media Availability Quotes:

When you race in the Xfinity Series nowadays, what is the mindset for you? Is it really just go there and win, and anything else is not acceptable? How do you approach today, specifically?

“I mean, it’s hard not to have that mindset, for sure. You want to go win, but you have to take the steps before that to get there. So just trying to remember all the little details about the car; shift points, braking markers, all those things that will be different. There’s not a lot that applies, I don’t think, to the Cup car. But just getting a general feel for the track; getting comfort with the rhythm of the racetrack are all good things and then some of the restart things give you reps to anticipate. Yeah, I think it’s all those things. And yeah, the goal is to win, for sure. But we have to see what we have and kind of where we are when we get out there.”

You’ve done double duty before, so this is nothing new for you, and you’ve done it with the Gen-7 car. Is it tougher now with this platform, going from Xfinity to Cup and Cup to Xfinity, or do you think it’s kind of second nature at this point?

“Yeah, I mean it’s tougher, but you know, we’re adaptable as drivers. At least for me, when I get back into a Xfinity car, I remember some of the things and nuances. So yeah, it may take me a few more laps than what it would have in the past with the Gen-6 car. But going to run late model races and things, it still takes a similar amount of time.. just maybe, like I said, some of the nuances with the car like you would have back in the day. You just have to learn those nuances as you go. Yeah, maybe a little bit more time.”

What do you feel like the No. 24 team needs to do to find more consistency at this point? It seems like you guys still have plenty of speed, but what do you feel like this team is missing, in terms of consistency?

“I mean, I thought last week was good with starting from the back, so I was really happy with that and our result there. Yeah, I mean I think you just have to see what the weekend brings here. I think we’ve always been pretty fast here and hopefully that translates to Indy, as well, if we’re fast here this weekend. Yeah, I think just try to approach each weekend with a clean slate and manage the weekend. We’ve done all the preparation that we can do coming into this weekend with sim, conversations and just trying to be as prepared as we can be. Just really have to see what you fight when you get here to the track. That’s one part of it. And then, executing the race, strategy, restarts and just general execution items will take over on Sunday. So yeah, if we can do all those things on Sunday, I think we can have a positive result, for sure, and maybe string together three good results in a row going into the break would be nice.”

You mentioned the break, William. Do you have plans? What is your mindset going into the break? What does it mean to have two solid weeks off before we get back into the grind of it as an athlete, as a driver?

“Yeah, it’s really nice. I was thinking about it though this week.. I feel like we’re in a really good rhythm with the season this year, so I kind of don’t want it to stop. I kind of feel like I have my routine. I feel like I’m in good shape. I feel like I’m not tired after the races. So I, selfishly, kind of want it to keep going. But I think once I get to the break, I will kind of turn it off and be able to think about some other things. I’m going on a trip with my family, so that will be fun. Just try to experience everything and enjoy the time off because we don’t get that every year, where you get a chance to get two-and-a-half, three weeks off. So it will be really nice.”

We’re finally back on the oval next weekend in Indianapolis. What are you most looking forward to for that race, in general, just being back on the oval? It’s going to be the 30th anniversary of the Brickyard, so it seems kind of fitting that we’re going back to driving down the right way on the front straightaway, as drivers like to say?

“Yeah, I mean I’m super excited. I think this was a decision that a lot of drivers wanted. I think it will be difficult to pass, which isn’t abnormal with this car. But I think it will come down to strategy and execution; your qualifying and everything.

I’m excited for it. I think the track is fun to make laps on. I’m sure it will be tricky with the Next Gen car.. probably a little bit edgy. But I think it will be everything we want as drivers, to be back on the oval with the history that it has.”

 

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.

5 KYLE LARSON

Age: 31 (July 31, 1992)

Hometown: Elk Grove, California

Resides: Mooresville, North Carolina

Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels

Standings: 1st

No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

SIX PACK: With six races to go in the regular season, Kyle Larson leads the NASCAR Cup Series regular season standings by 11 points over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott. Larson is tied for the most wins (three) and top-five finishes (eight) this season while he tops the series in laps led (755) and pole positions (five). In fact, this is the second-most laps led for Larson through 20 races in his career, only trailing his championship season of 2021 when he paced the field for 1,441 circuits in the first 20 events.

POC-OH-NO!: In 2021, Larson entered the doubleheader weekend at Pocono Raceway riding a four-race win streak, including a NASCAR All-Star Race victory. Leading on the final lap, a tire issue in the final corner – and contact with the turn three wall – resulted in a ninth-place finish for the native of Elk Grove, California. The No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM team worked hard to prepare the backup car, which Larson drove to a runner-up finish the following day.

STAGE LEFT: Larson has earned 213 stage points this season, 39 more than second place. The 2021 Cup Series champion has run the most laps in the top five (2,871) while his 13.7 average finish ranks fourth. Since joining Hendrick Motorsports in 2021, the driver of the No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 has 40 stage wins – 13 more than any competitor.

FIVE FOR 5: In Saturday’s qualifying session for the Chicago Street Race, Larson captured his series-leading fifth pole position of 2024 – a personal best in a single season for the 31-year-old driver. His 9.53 average start tops NASCAR’s premier series this year.

CHASING LEGENDS: In just his fourth year driving for Hendrick Motorsports, Larson has 20 wins for the 14-time Cup Series champions. The 2014 rookie of the year trails only team vice chairman Jeff Gordon (93) and Jimmie Johnson (83) in victories for the North Carolina-based organization.

AWAY BUT ALWAYS AVAILABLE: In 2024, the No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM team recognizes “home” events by wearing white firesuits and “away” with blue. Its home races come at tracks with nearby Hendrick Automotive Group car dealerships. This weekend, the team races “away” in the mountains of Pocono. However, it’s easy to pick up a new set of keys from any one of Hendrick Automotive Group’s 94 dealerships nationwide. Customers can also shop from the convenience of their home selecting the category, make, model and vehicle packages that are important to them from the nearly 30,000 new, high-quality pre-owned and certified cars, trucks and SUVs available at HENDRICKCARS.COM.

HENDRICK AUTOMOTIVE GROUP IS HIRING: Join the more than 10,000 people nationwide who work at Hendrick Automotive Group. The company is hiring technicians and other positions at its dealerships throughout the country. Positions are open for all skill levels and offer tuition and training reimbursement. Individuals who are interested can apply at HENDRICKCARS.COM.

9 CHASE ELLIOTT

Age: 28 (Nov. 28, 1995)

Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia

Resides: Dawsonville, Georgia

Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson

Standings: 2nd

No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

REGULAR SEASON UPDATE: With just six races remaining in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season, Chase Elliott sits second in the driver standings, just 11 points behind Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson. He has one win (Texas Motor Speedway), seven top-five finishes and nine top-10s in 20 starts. Elliott’s 10.6 average finish leads the field and is his second-best through 20 races in his career behind only the 2022 season in which he won the regular season championship. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native has spent the seventh-most laps in the top five, fourth-most laps in the top 10 and has the seventh-most stage points earned this year.

POCONO PERFORMANCE: This weekend, NASCAR heads to Pocono Raceway, where Elliott has 14 premier series starts. He’s earned one win (2022), four top-five finishes, nine top-10s and led 67 laps at the 2.5-mile venue. In last year’s Cup race at the “Tricky Triangle,” the 28-year-old driver took the checkered flag in the 10th position. Elliott also has two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the track, most recently leading nine laps and driving to a third-place finish in 2023 for the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports team. Additionally, he earned an ARCA Series win there in 2013.

FIGHT TO THE FINISH: Elliott is one of only three drivers to make it to the finish of every race this season. He has completed all but one lap of competition, which is the fewest since Kurt Busch finished every lap of the first 20 races in 2016. The spring race at Bristol Motor Speedway is the only event in which Elliott didn’t finish on the lead lap. However, he still earned an eighth-place finish.

AG IN PA: This weekend, Alan Gustafson will call his 37th Pocono race in his 20th season as a premier series crew chief. In his previous 36 Cup races at the track, he has amassed three wins – one with Elliott (2022) and two with Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon (2011 and 2012) – along with nine top-five finishes, 20 top-10s and 202 laps led.

FASTEST FIVE: In April at Texas, the No. 9 pit crew laid down the fastest four-tire pit stop (9.076 seconds) of the 2024 season. The over-the-wall squad has remained the same since 2018 and currently holds the fastest average four-tire pit stop time (10.653 seconds) this season. The 2021 Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew award-winning group is comprised of Chad Avrit (rear-tire changer), Jared Erspamer (tire carrier), John Gianninoto (fueler), Nick O’Dell (front-tire changer) and T.J. Semke (jackman).

HOMETOWN BOY: No. 9 team car chief Matt Barndt hails from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, located less than 50 miles from Pocono Raceway. He joined Hendrick Motorsports in 2010 while studying mechanical engineering at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Upon graduating in May 2013, he became an engineer for Gustafson, Gordon and the No. 24 team, remaining with the team when Elliott took over the ride in 2016. Barndt has continued working with Elliott and Gustafson and was promoted to car chief for the team in 2020.

GET UP AND GO: NAPA Auto Parts’ blue-based scheme is back this weekend on the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Pocono. The Atlanta-based company has been the primary partner for Elliott for all but one of his Cup starts on the 2.5-mile tri-oval, including his win there in 2022. Get a look at all the angles of the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet here.

24 WILLIAM BYRON

Age: 26 (Nov. 29, 1997)

Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

Resides: Charlotte, North Carolina

Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle

Standings: 6th

No. 24 Raptor High Heat Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

CHICAGO BULLISH: After suffering a mechanical issue Saturday, William Byron started at the tail of the field Sunday at the Chicago Street Race. Despite battling the elements and having to change strategies on the fly, he powered his way through the field, dodging the chaos to finish eighth in Sunday’s event.

24 IN ‘24: Byron’s 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season started off hot with three wins (tied for the most) including at the DAYTONA 500. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native has six top-five finishes (tied for the sixth-most) and has 11 top-10s (tied for the second-most). He has the third-best average starting position (10.05) and average finish (13.25). After 20 races, he is now sixth in the 2024 regular season standings and has 16 playoff points.

PREVIEWING POCONO: In his 10 Cup Series starts at Pocono, Byron has two pole awards (June 2019 and July 2023), as well as two top-five finishes and five top-10s with 130 laps led. He holds a 9.9 average finish at the Long Pond, Pennsylvania, track, which is one of six venues where Byron has led more than 100 laps and not won.

PAST POCONO WINNER: Byron isn’t a stranger to victory lane at the “Tricky Triangle.” After starting from the pole position in 2016, he dominated the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race there, leading 44 out of 60 laps before capturing the checkered flag.

TRICKY TRICKY TRICKY: Crew chief Rudy Fugle has four Cup Series starts at Pocono Raceway. His best showing with Byron and the No. 24 team came in 2021 when the group finished third after starting second in the first race of a doubleheader. After that initial event, Fugle scored back-to-back 12th-place finishes and a 14th at the Cup level. The Livonia, New York, native has had more success at the 2.5-mile track, though. In seven Truck Series starts, Fugle has visited victory lane there two times, going back-to-back with Byron in 2016 and Christopher Bell in 2017. His truck drivers racked up two pole awards, four top-five finishes, five top-10s and 71 laps led at Pocono.

DOUBLE DUTY: Byron is pulling double duty at Pocono Raceway this weekend. In addition to Sunday’s Cup Series race, he’ll drive the No. 17 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Hendrick Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series on Saturday afternoon. It will mark the third race for Byron in the No. 17 Chevy in 2024.

MCSWAIN MANIA: For Byron’s four Xfinity Series races in 2024, No. 24 lead engineer Brandon McSwain will serve as crew chief. In his debut at Phoenix Raceway earlier this season, the No. 17 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet Camaro ran up front before being collected in an on-track incident. Then at Darlington Raceway, Byron suffered a flat tire that put him behind early before rallying to an 11th-place finish. McSwain also worked as an engineer for Byron during his 2017 Xfinity Series championship season with Hendrick Motorsports affiliate JR Motorsports.

PIT ROAD PROWESS: After 20 races in the 2024 season, the No. 24 pit crew continues to find success. The five-person crew ranks sixth for the fastest average four-tire pit stop (10.947 seconds). The No. 24 pit crew consists of Spencer Bishop (jackman), Jeff Cordero (front-tire changer), Orane Ossowski (rear-tire changer), Ryan Patton (tire carrier) and Landon Walker (fueler).

HEAT ADVISORY: At Pocono Raceway, Byron will sport the special No. 24 Raptor High Heat Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 paint scheme once again. RAPTOR® is a durable protective coating that is designed to tolerate the toughest climatic conditions and can be applied to a wide range of items, including truck beds, lawnmowers, outdoor furniture and more. With 16 pre-mixed colors available, it’s easy to personalize anything you want to protect. RAPTOR® is available at local paint distributors, auto parts stores and online retailers. For a better look at Byron’s No. 24 Raptor High Heat Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, click here.

48 ALEX BOWMAN

Age: 31 (April 25, 1993)

Hometown: Tucson, Arizona

Resides: Concord, North Carolina

Crew Chief: Blake Harris

Standings: 11th

No. 48 Ally Best Friends Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

WIN-DY CITY: Despite having a runner-up finish in the DAYTONA 500 and 10 top-10 results before Sunday’s Chicago Street Race, Alex Bowman entered the weekend looking for the next step: finding victory lane. After finishing sixth in stage one and second in stage two, the 31-year-old driver did just that. In the final stanza, the Tucson, Arizona, native stayed out on wet tires when pit road opened and passed the leader within one lap. He held off competitors racing on slicks to take the checkered flag by three seconds in the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. It was the eighth win of his Cup Series career and clinched his spot in the 2024 playoffs.

HARRIS BROUGHT IT HOME: Ally Racing team crew chief Blake Harris earned his first Cup Series victory Sunday at Chicago. The race had several delays for standing water and NASCAR officials made competitors aware that the white flag would be thrown at 8:20 p.m. local time regardless of the lap count. As the track dried out, Harris opted to keep his driver on the racing surface with wet-weather tires while the front runners pitted for slicks. The move resulted in valuable track position, which Bowman was able to use in the final laps to lead eight circuits and prove victorious. After 49 races together, the duo has earned one win, one pole position, eight top-five finishes, 19 top-10s and 95 laps led.

FIRST WIN FOR FRESH FACES: In addition to Harris’ first win as a crew chief, the Windy City performance marked the first Cup victory for seven members of the Ally Racing team: lead engineer George Spencer, tire specialist Collin Hoeffner, engine tuner Gage Wenzel, setup mechanic Travis Braden, tire carrier Brandon Grier, jackman Allen Holman and rear-tire changer Andrew Bridgeforth. Spencer, Hoeffner, Wenzel and Braden are in their first year on the No. 48 team. It is the third year for Holman and the second for Grier and Bridgeforth.

POCONO SUCCESS: This weekend, NASCAR will visit Pocono Raceway, the unique 2.5-mile triangle track located in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. Bowman will make his 15th Cup Series start at the venue, where he has earned one victory (2021), four top-10 finishes, two top-fives and led 34 laps.

BEST FRIENDS SCHEME: This weekend, Best Friends Animal Society returns as Ally’s co-primary sponsor of the No. 48 Chevrolet, which will sport a pet-themed paint scheme at Pocono. The paw-fect design has only appeared once this season at Bowman’s home track of Phoenix Raceway. View all angles of the No. 48 Ally Best Friends Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 here. This time, the scheme features “Bring Zoomies Home” on the TV panel, a nod to Best Friends’ new “Bring Love Home” campaign.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK: On Friday, Alex Bowman is visiting New York City’s Best Friends Life Saving Center on Broadway. The visit celebrates the more than $650,000 that Ally and Bowman have raised together for homeless pets at Best Friends Animal Society and its partners nationwide. Ally will cover pet adoption fees from July 12-14 for all animals at Best Friends Lifesaving Centers in New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Northwest Arkansas, Salt Lake City and the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah.

ADOPT A BEST FRIEND: Bowman recently rescued a new pup of his own, a golden retriever mix named Huck. Since 2021, Bowman and Ally have teamed up to support Best Friends Animal Society and its vast network of partners. Every race weekend, the pair donates a total of $4,800 to help homeless pets. When Bowman wins, Ally ups its portion of the donation to $10,000. This weekend, the charitable donation will go to Lycoming County SPCA. Ready to adopt your own furry best friend? Make a road trip two hours west of Pocono Raceway to check out the dogs and cats available for adoption at the shelter.

FUELING THE PIT CREW: The Ally Racing pit crew ranks ninth on pit road for the best average four-tire stop this year (11.006). The five-man crew is composed of jackman Holman, tire carrier Grier, front-tire changer Donnie Tasser, rear-tire changer Bridgeforth and gasman Jacob Conley.

HENDRICK
MOTORSPORTS /

2024	All-Time	Pocono
Races	20	1,365	78
Wins	8*	309*	19*
Poles	6*	252*	14*
Top 5	26*	1,258*	76*
Top 10	41*	2,153*	137*
Laps Led	1,183	80,940*	3,456*
Stage Wins	10	108	5**

*Most **Most (tie)

POCONO RECORD: Hendrick Motorsports has a track record 19 NASCAR Cup Series wins at Pocono Raceway, which is two more than next-best Joe Gibbs Racing and 10 more than Team Penske. At the 2.5-mile “Tricky Triangle,” Hendrick Motorsports also holds the all-time best marks for pole positions (14), top-five finishes (76), top-10 finishes (137) and laps led (3,456).

PERFECT 10: The all-time record for the most different drivers (nine) to win for one team at a single track is held by Hendrick Motorsports. In fact, the organization has sent nine drivers to victory lane at four different venues: Pocono Raceway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Martinsville Speedway and Phoenix Raceway. If William Byron or Kyle Larson finish first this weekend at Pocono, Hendrick Motorsports will become the first team in Cup Series history to win with 10 different drivers at one track.

A GOOD CLIP: Over the last 32 Cup events, Hendrick Motorsports has not gone more than three races without logging a victory. In that span, the team leads the series in wins (12), top-five finishes (39) and top-10s (66). It has placed at least one driver in the top 10 in 31 of the 32 races.

LOOKING FOR NINE: With Alex Bowman’s performance Sunday at the Chicago Street Race, Hendrick Motorsports has a Cup Series-leading eight wins in 2024. All four of the team’s drivers have contributed to the total: William Byron (three), Kyle Larson (three), Chase Elliott (one) and Bowman (one). The 2024 season is tied for Hendrick Motorsports’ second-best win total through 20 races, matching 1997, 1998, 2004 and 2009. In 2007 and 2021, it won 10 of the first 20 Cup Series events.

WE’RE TRACKING: Chicago was the 32nd track where Hendrick Motorsports has won at least one Cup Series race. WWT Raceway (introduced in 2022) and Iowa Speedway (introduced in 2024) are the only active tracks where the team has not gone to victory lane.

BIG ANNIVERSARY: In 2024, Hendrick Motorsports is celebrating its 40th anniversary. The team holds the all-time NASCAR Cup Series records in every major statistical category, including championships (14), wins (309), pole positions (252) and laps led (80,940). This season, it leads all Cup organizations with eight points-paying victories through 20 races.

QUOTABLE /

Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his team’s speed at Pocono Raceway: “We seem to have good pace at Pocono, so I enjoy going there. We’ve been real close to a win a couple of times. Cliff and the team do a good job of understanding the race strategies and executing, so hopefully we put ourselves in position to battle for a win again.”

Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the fun of racing at Pocono Raceway: “We had a good baseline setup at Pocono (Raceway) last year and we’re going to try to build on a little bit of momentum we had there. The fun part about a Pocono race is that strategy always comes into play – even if you have issues like we did with the spin last year. You can create opportunities to be different to catch cautions and, if things work out, to get you back up front. We’ll need to be aware of the different strategies and make sure we make the right decisions at the right time.”

Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on racing at Pocono: “Pocono has not been a great track for me. I felt like it was there early on. I had some really good runs, a couple opportunities to win, which was great, and it’s just kind of slowly been trending down over the last handful of years. So I would just like to get back on the horse up there and to make that one (Pocono) a little better than it’s been.”

Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on this weekend’s race at Pocono and the playoffs getting closer: “Pocono is a tough track, but I feel like we’ve developed a good set of notes over the past couple of years with this new car. Last week (Chicago) was a tough one for us and the playoffs are approaching fast, so we’re focusing on what we need to do these final weeks to stay in the running for the regular season championship and get as many points as we can. We have a group fully capable of that. We just need to capitalize on opportunities and minimize mistakes.”

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on why he’s had success at Pocono Raceway: “Pocono has always been a strong track for me and I don’t know why. I have just always had a good feel for it and understood the dynamics of it. I think that helps when you don’t have to worry about making a lot of speed, you can just focus on what your car needs to do well. I think that’s always an advantage. There is just certain places we go that I have the feel right away that I want and we can just build and go from there. Pocono is definitely one of them.”

Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on why he loves competing at Pocono Raceway: “I love Pocono and how unique it is. The turns are all different. Turn one comes after that long straightaway and you’re hauling the mail getting into that corner. There’s a large bump right where you want to brake and lift. That makes it hard for you to set the car and make it do what you want it to. It’s a pretty wide turn and usually your car gets tight there, so it makes it hard to turn and then not be too free in the other corners. After the track was repaved a few years ago, the turn two tunnel is starting to get worn out again, which makes it really treacherous. Meanwhile turn three is the flattest and leads back into the long straightaway. You have to not be free getting into that corner and get off really, really well. Traditionally you have to be really good in turn three. It will be difficult but that’s why I love that place.”
​

Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on visiting the Best Friends Life Saving Center in New York and competing at Pocono Raceway this weekend following a win: “I’m excited going into Pocono where we won before and were really strong last year before we crashed. I feel really good going into this weekend. It’s always an interesting race and you typically see varying strategies with just with how big the racetrack is. You’re able to flip stages and kind of run it more like a road course race than a normal oval race because of the size of the track. We have Best Friends back on the car this week, which is going to be really cool. On Friday, we are going to stop into the Best Friends Life Saving Center in New York City. That will be a lot of fun as well. Hopefully we can go get another win.”

Blake Harris, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his first Cup Series win as a crew chief and competing at Pocono Raceway: “It was really exciting last weekend to get Alex back in victory lane and get a bunch of these 48 boys their first win in the Cup Series. I’m obviously also super pumped to also get my first win as a crew chief. It feels good to finally be able to solidify all four cars here at Hendrick Motorsports into the playoffs. I’m certainly really excited to get to Pocono now and these last few races before the playoffs. We can still contend for more wins without having to sweat getting in on points. We want to start working our way back up in the standings and get as many playoff points padded up before then so we can go contend for a championship.”

Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series at Pocono Raceway… In 177 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Pocono Raceway, Richard Childress Racing has earned two wins, both by Dale Earnhardt. In 1987, Earnhardt rallied from a 16th-place starting position to win, one of 11 victories he would claim during the season. Earnhardt won again in 1993, edging Rusty Wallace for the victory. RCR and Earnhardt won the Cup Series championship in both seasons where the team won at Pocono. Both Tyler Reddick (second) and Austin Dillon (10th) scored top-10 finishes at Pocono in 2022. The Welcome, N.C., based team has 17 top-five and 59 top-ten finishes at the ‘Tricky Triangle.’

A First for RCR at Pocono… In 2023, Austin Hill became the first RCR driver to win a NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Pocono Raceway. He led the final two laps of the race and won the event when the caution flag waved on the final lap in NASCAR Overtime. Since the NASCAR Xfinity Series began competing at Pocono Raceway in 2016, RCR has made 19 starts at the 2.5-mile track. RCR has had at least one driver claim a top-10 finish in all eight previous races at Pocono. The team has racked up six top-five and 13 top-10 finishes entering Saturday’s race.

Catch the Action… The Explore the Pocono Mountains 225 at Pocono Raceway will be televised live on Saturday, July 13 beginning at 3 p.m. ET on USA. The race will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

The Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway will be televised live on Sunday, July 14 beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET on USA Network and the NBC Sports App. The race will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

This Week’s No. 3 Boot Barn Chevrolet at Pocono Raceway… Austin Dillon has 18 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Pocono Raceway and has led 10 laps of competition at the track. Dillon earned his best Pocono finish in the Cup Series in July 2022 when he finished 10th after starting 15th. He has one NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Pocono, a 10th-place effort in 2019. He has made four NASCAR Truck Series starts at the 2.5-mile speedway, scoring a top-10 finish in each race, including a win in 2014.

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Meet Austin Dillon… Dillon is scheduled to participate in a Q&A session alongside teammate Kyle Busch on the Team Chevrolet stage in the Pocono Raceway Fan Midway on Sunday at 11:20 a.m. ET.

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:

What are your thoughts on Pocono Raceway?

“Pocono Raceway is a fun, fast track and I feel like we’ve built a good notebook there. I’m excited to get to the Tricky Triangle this weekend in the No. 3 Boot Barn Chevrolet.”

What has been the biggest challenge for you at Pocono Raceway?

“The Tunnel Turn is the biggest challenge at Pocono Raceway. It’s a high-speed turn, and over the years, it’s gotten rough with the track’s tunnel underneath it. The bumps going over the Tunnel Turn are noticeable, and you need your car balanced well through that turn. There are three different corners at Pocono, making it difficult to solve. You know you’ll have to give up some on one end to be better at the other.”

What is the key to a strong race at Pocono Raceway?

“To have a car that handles average in all three turns is key. We’ll have to be aggressive on fuel strategy and have a clean day on pit road to have a shot at a win or a top-five finish.”

Kyle Busch and the No. 8 zone Chevrolet at Pocono Raceway… Kyle Busch will make his 37th NASCAR Cup Series start at Pocono Raceway this weekend. Busch has four wins at the 2.5-mile Pennsylvania speedway (2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021), the second-most among active drivers. The driver of the zone Chevrolet won three times in four races from 2017 through 2019 and led 218 laps (545 miles) in the process. His first win in 2017 came in dominating fashion, where he also won the pole and led the most laps (74 of 160). The Las Vegas, Nev., native enters this weekend with 11 top-five and 18 top-10 finishes in 36 Pocono starts. He has three wins in six NASCAR Truck Series races at Pocono and one victory (2018) in two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the Long Pond, Pa., facility.

Starting Up Front at the Tricky Triangle… Busch leads all active Cup Series drivers will four pole positions at Pocono Raceway (2010, 2015, and both races in 2017).

History Making Victory… Busch’s 2023 NASCAR Truck Series victory at Pocono Raceway was the 100th for Kyle Busch Motorsports, the most by any organization in the series. Busch is the all-time wins leader in Truck Series history with 66 victories.

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KYLE BUSCH QUOTES:

Which end of the racetrack in Pocono Raceway is most critical for a good lap?

“Pocono Raceway has three very distinct corners and you need to be fast in each one in order to have a fast race car and to have a good day. I would say the biggest compromise between turns is between Turn 1 and Turn 3.”

Last year at Pocono Raceway, the track had a huge crowd. Do you think that’s because the facility has just one race a year?

“I was pleasantly surprised to see such a good crowd at Pocono Raceway last year. I do believe it has to do with us only going there once a year. When we go to some of these tracks twice a year, fans will decide which one they want to go to, instead of just knowing that they only have one chance to go so they better get their tickets as soon as they can.”

There’s a lot of shifting at Pocono Raceway. Would you be in favor of NASCAR making a rule change to limit that or is that something that you enjoy?

“I think at Pocono Raceway, since the track is so big and with the three corners being as different as they are, it needs shifting. I think shifting at Pocono is an okay thing. What I don’t agree with is when we have to shift when we go to a short track.”

Jesse Love and the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Camaro SS at Pocono Raceway… Jesse Love will make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Pocono Raceway on Saturday. The 19-year-old has completed two ARCA Menards Series races at the “Tricky Triangle”, crossing the finish line first one season ago. In 2023, Love started from the second position, led 40 of 60 laps, and captured the victory.

Impressive Rookie Campaign… Through 18 races of his rookie campaign, Love has posted one win (Talladega Superspeedway), three poles, five top-five and nine top-10 finishes. The Menlo Park, California native is the current Sunoco Rookie of the Year points leader and sits fifth in the Xfinity Series driver championship point standings.

About Whelen Engineering… Whelen Engineering is a family-owned company with a pioneering spirit and a passion to protect the lives of those who protect and serve others. The company mission is to provide industry-defining safety solutions around the world, while creating a community of problem-solvers who are inspired to push boundaries and continue our legacy of delivering ground-breaking innovation. As a global leader in the emergency warning industry, Whelen has been trusted to perform since 1952, when George Whelen III invented the first rotating aviation beacon. Whelen now encompasses two state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Connecticut and New Hampshire with over 750,000 square feet of engineering and manufacturing space and the largest design staff in the industry. Every part of every Whelen product is proudly designed and manufactured in America. We embrace quality as our foundation, we celebrate innovative engineering in every product we produce.

JESSE LOVE QUOTE:

With winning the ARCA Menards Series race at Pocono Raceway last season, what is the outlook heading to the track for the first time in the Xfinity Series car?

“I look forward to getting back to Pocono Raceway. I had a strong race there last season in the ARCA car, leading the majority of laps and running up front the entire time. It’s such a fast racetrack and a unique configuration with each turn being different. With the speed that we continue to bring each week in our Whelen Chevrolets, I have no doubt that our No. 2 car will be fast from the moment we hit the track for practice. We should be in contention for the win and if we put ourselves in position, I feel confident that we can get back to Victory Lane. As I said last week after the Chicago Street Race, everything that we are working on now is to set us up for the Playoffs. Our Richard Childress Racing team is grinding to be better each week and make sure we are ready for the final push.”

Austin Hill and the No. 21 Global Industrial Chevrolet Camaro SS at Pocono Raceway… Austin Hill has made three career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Pocono Raceway, claiming his first victory at the 2.5-mile speedway last season in dramatic fashion while piloting the No. 21 Global Industrial Camaro. The Winston, Georgia native also has eight NASCAR Truck Series races on his resume at the Long Pond, Pennsylvania track, earning one pole, two top-five, and three top-10 finishes.

100 Starts… Saturday’s race at Pocono Raceway will mark Hill’s 100th career Xfinity Series start. Through his first 99 events, the 30-year-old has posted eight wins, five poles, 36 top-five, and 60 top-10 finishes. Hill was also the 2023 Regular Season Champion.

Global Industrial Home Race… Located 2.5 hours from Pocono Raceway, Global Industrial’s headquarters are based in Port Washington, New York. During Saturday’s race, Global Industrial will have more than 300 associates and guests at the track cheering on Hill and the Richard Childress Racing team. Prior to arriving in Pennsylvania, Hill made a visit at the Global Industrial Distribution Center in Robbinsville, New Jersey to meet and sign autographs for associates.

Military Charities on Board… Global Industrial, RCR, Bennett Transportation & Logistics, and United Rentals have teamed together to support and raise awareness for four special military-focused charities at Pocono Raceway. The decklid of Hill’s Global Industrial Camaro will feature the logos of K9s for Warriors (Global Industrial), Wreaths Across America (Bennett), Turns for Troops (United Rentals), and Toys For Tots (RCR).

K9s for Warriors… Through its corporate social responsibility program, Partnerships With Purpose, Global Industrial has expanded its service initiative to raise awareness for veterans through its support for K9s for Warriors – a non-profit organization that provides highly-trained service dogs to U.S. military veterans suffering from post-traumatic brain injury and/or other forms of trauma related to military service. On Saturday, leadership, veteran, and canine members of the K9s For Warriors team will join Hill and the Global Industrial associates at Pocono Raceway.

About Global Industrial Company… Global Industrial Company (NYSE:GIC), is a value-added distributor. For 75 years, Global Industrial has gone the extra mile for its customers, currently offering hundreds of thousands of industrial and MRO products needed to run businesses and facilities. Global Industrial is committed to its customer-centric strategy, and utilizes a team of subject matter experts, Global Industrial Exclusive Brands™ products and national vendor relationships to help customers succeed. Global Industrial. “We Can Supply That®”.

AUSTIN HILL QUOTE:

As defending race winner, explain returning to Pocono Raceway and how last season’s race unfolded.

“It’s always nice to go back to a track that you won at the last time you were there. Last year, we didn’t have the best car, but we did make our Global Industrial Chevrolet better throughout the race. I thought we were a top-five or top-seven car. On the last restart late in the race, Josh (Berry) drove into Turn 1 and got really loose on entry. We drag raced down the backstretch and once I cleared him, I knew I just had to hit my marks. We were really saving fuel on that last run and didn’t know if we were going to make it. It was definitely on my mind going into the Tunnel Turn that I had to get back to the start-finish line. Thankfully, it all worked out and I even had enough fuel to do a burnout. It was a special win, especially for Global Industrial, so hopefully we will be in position to repeat this weekend.”

JUSTIN HALEY | CODY WARE
Pocono Advance

Event Overview

● Event: The Great American Getaway 400 presented by VisitPA.com (Round 21 of 36)
● Time/Date: 2:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, July 14
● Location: Pocono (Pa.) Raceway
● Layout: 2.5-mile triangle
● Laps/Miles: 160 laps/400 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 30 laps / Stage 2: 65 laps / Final Stage: 65 laps
● TV/Radio: USA / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Justin Haley, Driver of the No. 51 Walmart Health and Wellness Ford Mustang Dark Horse

● After looping the streets of downtown Chicago, the NASCAR Cup Series treks to the Pocono Mountains for Sunday’s Great American Getaway 400 presented by VisitPA.com. The 2.5-mile, triangle-shaped Pocono (Pa) Raceway first hosted NASCAR on Aug. 4, 1974, nearly 50 years ago. The first Ford driver to visit victory lane at the “Tricky Triangle” was Bill Elliott on June 9, 1985. Six weeks later, Elliott won the second Cup Series visit to Pocono to complete that year’s sweep for Ford.

● Justin Haley, driver of the No. 51 Walmart Health and Wellness Ford Mustang Dark Horse, looks to become the 25th driver to win for Ford at Pocono in his fourth Cup Series start at the track. He has a best Cup Series finish of 21st at Pocono, earned in 2021. In three Xfinity Series races, Haley has a best finish of ninth, earned in his first series start at the track in 2019.

● The Cup Series’ return to Pocono lands just shy of a year since Haley announced that he would join Rick Ware Racing (RWR) fulltime beginning in 2024. Since then, Haley has equaled or bettered the team’s previous best effort at eight different tracks, and earned RWR’s best finish on a non-superspeedway-type track with his ninth-place finish at Darlington on May 12. He matched that with another top-10 at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois on June 2. Two weeks later, Haley said he’s committed to owner Rick Ware and his team for as long they will have him – “Without Rick, I wouldn’t even be in the Cup Series right now. Whatever Rick wants my future to be, you know, if that’s for me to stay for 5 to 10 years, I’ll stay for 5 to 10 years just because he gave me the opportunity when no one else would. I kind of owe everything to him.”

● In 2017, Haley pulled double duty at the Tricky Triangle. He started the weekend by winning his third ARCA Menards Series race and second of the season after starting second and leading 28 laps. The next day, he drove to a 10th place finish in his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start at Pocono. He returned the following year to finish fifth in the Truck Series race.

● Haley is fresh off a 16th-place finish in last weekend’s Chicago Street Race. It was his sixth top-20 in the last nine races and moved the No. 51 team to 29th in the driver standings.

Cody Ware, Driver of the No. 15 Jacob Construction Ford Mustang Dark Horse

● Cody Ware returns to the No. 15 Jacob Construction Ford Mustang Dark Horse for his third start of 2024. He has four previous starts at Pocono with a best finish of 25th, earned in 2021.

● Ware’s first start this season came at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway on April 21. The 28-year-old driver started 34th and steadily worked his way toward the top-20 throughout the race. He was on pace for a top-20 finish when the leaders made contact on the final lap and collected several cars in the aftermath, including Ware’s. He took the checkered flag in 24th for his second-best career result at Talladega.

Rick Ware Racing Notes

● The Progressive American Flat Track (AFT) series wrapped its 10th event of the season last weekend at the DuQuoin (Ill.) Mile. AFT Singles rider and defending class champion Kody Kopp finished second by .001 of a second to earn his ninth podium of the year. He holds onto the top spot in the championship standings by 32 points. Mission SuperTwins rider Briar Bauman just missed out on a podium finish with a fourth-place result and is currently fourth in the standings with two podium finishes, including a win at the Ventura Short Track in Chico, California.

● Rick Ware has been a motorsports mainstay for more than 40 years. It began at age six when the third-generation racer began his driving career and has since spanned four wheels and two wheels on both asphalt and dirt. Competing in the SCCA Trans Am Series and other road-racing divisions led Ware to NASCAR in the early 1980s, where he finished third in his NASCAR debut – the 1983 Warner W. Hodgdon 300 NASCAR Grand American race at Riverside (Calif.) International Raceway. More than a decade later, injuries would force Ware out of the driver seat and into fulltime team ownership. In 1995, Rick Ware Racing was formed, and with wife Lisa by his side, Ware has since built his eponymous organization into an entity that fields two fulltime entries in the NASCAR Cup Series while simultaneously campaigning successful teams in the Top Fuel class of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, Progressive American Flat Track and FIM World Supercross Championship (WSX), where RWR won the 2022 SX2 championship with rider Shane McElrath.

Justin Haley, Driver Q&A

Why is Pocono so “tricky?”

“I’ve really enjoyed racing at Pocono in the past. I’ve had really good finishes there – a win, and also some pretty big hits. There are just so many things that it takes to be good there. Track position will be important, as it always is, but we’re really going to have to try to get the car driving well in every corner. They’re all different, so you know that there’s probably going to be one or two corners where the car isn’t doing exactly what you want. We’ve also seen Pocono turn into a strategy race, which has helped us at a few other places this year. It’ll just come down to making the right calls and having a fast car. The Rick Ware cars have been really strong lately, so we just need to keep that going.”

It’s been about a year since you announced your decision to move to Rick Ware Racing. Is there anything that stands out when you reflect on that time?

“I think a lot of people were confused and didn’t understand why I was making the decision. I knew why. I think that’s become pretty clear by now, that in my conversations with Rick (Ware) and Robby (Benton), they gave me what I needed to know improvement was coming. They put in the work to invest in people and commit to being better, and I’ve done the same for them. It’s a team and we all work together to find that success. We’re a small group but we’re competing right alongside teams with a lot more resources than we have, and it’s working. I owe everyone in that shop a lot and I’m glad I can go out and give them the finishes that they work hard for.”

Cody Ware, Driver Q&A

In your last two starts, you really focused on getting comfortable in the car and trying to better your previous performances. Is that the goal for this weekend?

“I think so. It takes a couple of laps to get refamiliar with the car, especially at a place like Pocono. You carry so much speed down the straightaways and really have to hit your marks, so the quicker I can get reacclimated, the quicker I can give the team feedback that can help us keep the car dialed in throughout the race. The team has been doing really well lately. They’ve been showing a lot of speed and I’m excited to see what we’re able to do on a bigger track like Pocono.”

Other than only having only three turns, what makes Pocono such a unique track?

“The shape is certainly unique, but having three very different corners with long straightaways on top of everything else that makes a race tough can lead to a long day. Your car will never handle perfectly, but if it’s close enough and you can get off of each corner the way you need to, your biggest battle is probably going to be dirty air or whatever else is going on around you.”

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 DEX Imaging team are headed to Pocono Raceway hoping to build on their strong run a year ago on the 2.5-mile track known as the Tricky Triangle.

“I’ve had Pocono circled on the schedule after looking back at Harrison’s results from 2023,” said crew chief Jeremy Bullins. “He brought the 21 car home eighth last year at this race, and I’m hoping for more of the same this year.”

Pocono is a special place for Bullins as he got the first of his nine Cup wins as a crew chief at Pocono in 2017 with Ryan Blaney driving the No. 21 Ford.

Bullins pointed out that the No. 21 DEX Imaging team has had some promising runs in recent weeks, and he hopes that continues this weekend.

“We’ve had a couple of opportunities lately to bring home some good finishes, and hopefully this week we can do just that with our DEX Mustang,” he said.

Practice for The Great American Getaway 400 presented by VisitPa.com is set for Noon on Saturday (Eastern Time) to be followed by qualifying at 12:45 p.m.

Sunday’s 160-lap, 400-mile race is expected to get the green flag just after 2:30 p.m., with Stage breaks at Laps 30 and 95.

USA Network will carry the TV coverage all weekend.

About DEX Imaging
DEX Imaging is the digital document imaging division of Staples, the world’s largest business solutions provider. DEX sells and services the broadest selection of copiers, printers and data management solutions, such as HP, Konica Minolta, Canon, Kyocera and numerous others.

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES:
Reducing Operating Costs
Reducing Paper Consumption
Increasing Productivity

DEX Imaging has been the recipient of virtually every industry award since the company’s inception, including the JD Power & Associates Award for Best Customer Experience, the prestigious ProTech Service award by Konica Minolta, the Diamond Premier Dealer Award by Kyocera, and the Elite DEALER Award by ‘ENX’ magazine. Other accolades include being named ‘Best Place to Work’ by numerous business journals in the markets DEX serves.

Wood Brothers Racing
Wood Brothers Racing was formed in 1950 in Stuart, Va., by Hall of Famer Glenn Wood. Wood Brothers Racing is the oldest active team and one of the winningest teams in NASCAR history. Since its founding, the team won 99 races (including at least one race in every decade for the last seven decades) and 120 poles in NASCAR’s top-tier series. Fielding only Ford products for its entire history, the Wood Brothers own the longest association of any motorsports team with a single manufacturer. Glenn’s brother, Leonard, is known for inventing the modern pit stop. The team currently runs the Ford Mustang driven by Harrison Burton in the famous No. 21 racer.

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
Pocono Raceway
Long Pond, Pennsylvania
July 12-14, 2024

Returning from an idle weekend, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) will rejoin the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) at Pocono Raceway for the sport’s 10th tripleheader weekend of the 2024 season. One of the most unique venues on the NASCAR circuit, the 2.5-mile, three-turn track lying within the Pocono Mountains has over 50 years of experience hosting NASCAR’s premier series, with Sunday’s The Great American Getaway 400 Presented by VisitPA.com marking the series’ 91st appearance at the track. The NCTS will kick-off the “Tricky Triangle” tripleheader on Friday, July 12, with the CRC Brakleen 175, followed by the NXS in the Explore the Pocono Mountains 225 on Saturday, July 13.

 
Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series at Pocono Raceway:

In the NASCAR Cup Series’ 90-race history at Pocono Raceway, Chevrolet leads the series with 34 all-time victories – a double-digit advantage over the next leading manufacturer, Ford, with 24 victories. In over 50 years of competition at Pocono Raceway, 40 different drivers have earned a victory at the “Tricky Triangle” in NASCAR’s top division, with Benny Parsons becoming the first driver to win under the Chevrolet banner at the track in July 1977. With six career NCS victories to his name, NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon continues to share the top position of Pocono’s all-time wins list with Toyota’s Denny Hamlin. Among the drivers entered in Sunday’s event are 10 past Pocono winners, including Chevrolet’s two most recent winners at the track with Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott (2022) and Alex Bowman (2021). Team Chevy’s Kyle Busch has also found success at the 2.5-mile Pennsylvania venue – sitting second among the series’ active drivers with four victories at the track (2021, 2019, 2018, 2017).

BOWTIE BACK TO DEFEND IN THE TRUCK, XFINITY SERIES

Chevrolet will make its return to Pocono Raceway as the track’s defending winners in both the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series. One year ago, Team Chevy’s Kyle Busch took Kyle Busch Motorsports on a monumental trip to victory lane at Pocono Raceway – collecting the organization’s 100th, and ultimately final, triumph in the NCTS. In the same afternoon, Busch’s Richard Childress Racing teammate, Austin Hill, also tallied a win in the NXS to give the Bowtie brand a sweep of the victories across the two series.

On top of being the most recent winning manufacturer in the NCTS and NXS at Pocono Raceway, Chevrolet also scored the inaugural race win at the “Tricky Triangle” in both series with victories courtesy of Elliott Sadler in the NCTS (July 2010) and Kyle Larson in the NXS (June 2016). Heading into the weekend, Chevrolet stands at six all-time NCTS wins and three all-time NXS wins at the 2.5-mile Pennsylvania venue. If Chevrolet successfully defends its race-winning title in both series this weekend, the Bowtie brand would tie the manufacturer-leading wins record at Pocono Raceway in each division.

HENDRICK TOPS “TRICKY TRIANGLE”

Among the 26 different organizations that have won in NASCAR’s top division at Pocono Raceway, Hendrick Motorsports leads the way with 19 wins – all recorded in partnership with Chevrolet. There have been nine different drivers that have contributed to the organization’s series-leading feat at the “Tricky Triangle”, with Jeff Gordon sitting at a series-best six victories. Hendrick Motorsports’ two most recent trips to victory lane at the track have come with a pair of its current active drivers including Chase Elliott, who picked up the victory in the debut season of the Next Gen Camaro ZL1 (2022). Alex Bowman also contributed to the organization’s winning record with a victory during the 2021 season.

PACING IN THE PLAYOFF PICTURE

In just the series’ second-ever street course event, Alex Bowman and the No. 48 Camaro ZL1 team snapped an 80 race winless streak by taking the checkered flag at the Chicago Street Course. Of the now 12 different winners in the NASCAR Cup Series this season, Bowman is the fifth Team Chevy driver to earn a victory, with the 31-year-old Arizona native giving the Bowtie brand the most playoff berths, to-date, among its manufacturer competitors.

With Bowman’s victory, all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers have now clinched a position in the series’ 16-driver playoff field to compete for the championship title. This also marks the sixth season that all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers have won races in the same year, with the organization also accomplishing the feat in 2003, 2006, 2007, 2012 and 2021.

SVG SCORES SERIES-LEADING TRIUMPH

Returning to the hallowed grounds of his history-making NASCAR Cup Series win, Shane van Gisbergen’s first career NASCAR Xfinity Series start at the Chicago Street Course ended in similar fashion – by taking his No. 97 Kaulig Racing Camaro SS to victory lane. The victory came after yet another stout performance by the 35-year-old New Zealander, with van Gisbergen earning the pole and a stage win en route to the victory. Despite competing in his rookie campaign, the victory marks van Gisbergen’s third victory this season – making him the series’ winningest driver heading into the Pocono race weekend.

“TRICKY TRIANGLE” MARKS THREE-TO-GO FOR THE NCTS

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ most recent event at Nashville Superspeedway saw McAnally-Hilgemann Racing’s Christian Eckes post a perfect performance in his No. 19 Silverado RST – leading every lap of the event en route to his third victory of the 2024 season. The dominant execution by the 23-year-old New York native marked the first time in 12 years that a driver led every lap of a single event in the series. Adding yet another victory to his resume, Eckes continues to build his points lead with the Team Chevy driver sitting at a 40-point advantage over second-place Corey Heim with three races remaining in the series’ regular season.

Among the four drivers that have already solidified a playoff berth by virtue of a win, three come from the Chevrolet camp, including McAnally-Hilgemann Racing’s Christian Eckes (three wins), Rev Racing’s Nick Sanchez (two wins) and Spire Motorsports’ Rajah Caruth (one win). Of the six positions that remain up for grabs in the series’ 10-driver playoff field, Team Chevy’s Tyler Ankrum and Grant Efinger will enter the Pocono race weekend above the cutline, with Ankrum in the sixth position (+47) and Enfinger in the ninth position (+33).

BOWTIE BULLETS:

· Chevrolet will pace the field in the tripleheader race weekend at Pocono Raceway. The Silverado RST will lead the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in Friday’s CRC Brakleen 175; the Camaro SS will lead the NASCAR Xfinity Series in Saturday’s Explore The Pocono Mountains 225; and the Camaro ZL1 will lead the NASCAR Cup Series in Sunday’s The Great American Getaway 400 Presented by VisitPA.com.

· With 52 races complete across NASCAR’s three national series this season, Chevrolet has a winning percentage of 55.8% with 29 victories (NASCAR Cup Series – nine wins; NASCAR Xfinity Series – 11 wins; NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – nine wins).

· NASCAR Cup Series victories by active Chevrolet drivers at Pocono Raceway:

Kyle Busch – four wins (2021, 2019, 2018, 2017)

Chase Elliott – one win (2022)

Alex Bowman – one win (2021)

· In 90 NASCAR Cup Series races held at Pocono Raceway, Chevrolet has recorded 34 victories and 35 poles – both of which are series-leading records.

· In nine 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).

· In 92 points-paying races in the Next Gen era, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 46 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 860 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 the Pocono Raceway.

· Fans can check out an assortment of Chevrolet vehicles including: Blazer EV, Silverado EV, Silverado ZR2, Corvette Z06, Equinox RS, Trax 2RS, Traverse Z71, Colorado Trail Boss.

· Fans can also view William Byron’s No. 24 Camaro ZL1 show car.

Team Chevy Driver Appearances at the Display:

Friday, July 12

· Ty Dillon: 4 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.

Saturday, July 13

· Josh Williams: 12 p.m. – 12:15 p.m.

· Anthony Alfredo: 12:15 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.

· Jeb Burton & Parker Retzlaff: 1 p.m. – 1:20 p.m.

Sunday, July 14

· Zane Smith: 10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.

· Daniel Suarez & Ross Chastain: 10:45 a.m. – 11 a.m.

· Alex Bowman: 11:05 a.m. – 11:20 a.m.

· Kyle Busch & Austin Dillon: 11:20 a.m. – 11:35 a.m.

Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation:

· Friday, July 12: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m.

· Saturday, July 13: 8 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

· Sunday, July 14: 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Manufacturer Points Standings

Chevrolet: 725
Toyota: 716 (-9)
Ford: 696 (-29)

Manufacturer Points Standings

Chevrolet: 677
Toyota: 641 (-36)
Ford: 564 (-113)

Manufacturer Points Standings

Chevrolet: 498
Toyota: 459 (-39)
Ford: 414 (-84)
 
TUNE-IN:

NASCAR Cup Series

The Great American Getaway 400 Presented by VisitPA.com

Sunday, July 14, at 2:30 p.m. ET

(USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

NASCAR Xfinity Series

Explore The Pocono Mountains 225

Saturday, July 13, at 3 p.m. ET

(USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series

CRC Brakleen 175

Friday, July 12, at 5:30 p.m. ET

(FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

 
QUOTABLE QUOTES:

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Busch Light Peach Camaro ZL1

What is difficult about racing at Pocono?

“Pocono is a challenging track because all three turns are different and you have to figure out which turn you’re going to sacrifice some handling in to make up for it at another turn. We’ve had some good runs there the last couple of races and I’m confident we’ll have good Busch Light Peach Chevy this weekend and get a solid result.”

Corey LaJoie, No. 7 Parity in Paris Camaro ZL1

What are your thoughts heading to Pocono in the final push before the break?

“Pocono is one of the most unique tracks in the world and a great weekend on the schedule. We’ve had some good runs there in past years, but our results haven’t matched our speed the last few trips. We will change that this weekend. The next two weeks are very similar in character, so we’ll also use this weekend as an opportunity to tune in our Brickyard package.”

Kyle Busch, No. 8 Zone Camaro ZL1

Which end of the racetrack in Pocono is most critical for a good lap?

“Pocono has three very distinct corners and you need to be fast in each one in order to have a fast race car and to have a good day. I would say the biggest compromise between turns is between Turn 1 and Turn 3.”

Last year at Pocono the track had a huge crowd. Do you think that’s because the facility has just one race a year?

“I was pleasantly surprised to see such a good crowd at Pocono last year. I do believe it has to do with us only going there once a year. When we go to some of these tracks twice a year, fans will decide which one they want to go to Instead of just knowing that they only have one chance to go so they better get their tickets as soon as they can.”

There’s a lot of shifting at Pocono. Would you be in favor of NASCAR making a rules change to limit that or is that something that you enjoy?

“I think at Pocono, since the track is so big and with the three corners being as different as they are, it needs shifting. I think shifting at Pocono is an okay thing. What I don’t agree with is when we have to shift when we go to a short track.”

Daniel Hemric, No. 31 Poppy Bank Camaro ZL1

“Pocono can be rewarding with good fuel strategies and good straightaway speed. The key is getting off turn three and ride quality over the bumps in track. I feel like we are better on this aero-package than the short-track package, so hopefully we can keep the momentum going that we’ve had the last couple weeks.”

Zane Smith, No. 71 Focused Health Camaro ZL1

Back-to-back solid weekends for you and your team. Can you say that the momentum is building.

“I think the momentum is building. We have been competing up front the last two weeks, even leading a few laps last weekend in Chicago. It’s crazy how much cleaner the air is up front. My No. 71 Spire Motorsports team has been working hard every day in the shop and at the track, so it feels good to be able to show what we are capable of. Chicago was a super cool event but I’m looking forward to this weekend. I’ve never raced the cup car at Pocono but have had some success in the truck series there. It definitely fits its nickname, it’s a tricky track.”

Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Delaware Life Camaro ZL1

You’ve performed well at Pocono in Truck Series competition, but it’s your first time at the track in a Cup car. How confident are you feeling heading into this weekend’s race given your previous experience at Pocono?

“Pocono is a very difficult racetrack. I’ve put in a lot of extra time with the team and will be getting in last minute simulator time right up until I fly out. It’s nice because we have similar set ups for Indianapolis, so the goal the next two weeks is to run really well. We can go into Pocono this weekend with a mindset to do well, but to also learn a lot for the following week.”

In the five races leading up to Chicago, you averaged a 14th-place finishing position. Racing is a momentum sport, and with the Olympic break coming up in a couple weeks, how do you look to ride that wave of momentum into the break?

“We’ve also had the opportunity to finish in the top-10 in the last two weeks. From getting caught behind someone running out of gas, to getting caught in the middle of an incident with nowhere to go, the results do not show how fast these cars are right now. My team is doing everything right, and I am excited for luck to finally go our way, show how well we’re running and how fast these cars are.”

Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1

What are your thoughts with six races left in the regular season?

“We are improving each week. We were very fast at Chicago. We got blocked there when Bubba (Wallace) and (Alex) Bowman got together and took us out of the top 10. My team rebounded really well. We made a great call to switch to dry tires and passed a lot of cars. We are learning a lot each week. We will be ready for the playoffs.”

What do you think of Pocono Raceway?

“It was cool to get the pole there in 2018 and then we finished second in the race that weekend. At Pocono, it always helps to have a good starting spot. Pocono is a track where you can’t make mistakes on the track, and you can’t have mistakes on pit road. Everyone has to do their part to execute perfectly.”

What do you feel is most important to be successful at Pocono?

“Track position is extremely important every weekend, but it’s especially important at Pocono. If you make a mistake, it takes so much longer and is so much harder to recover from. It’s a tough place for sure.”

Connor Mosack, No. 7 Friends of Jaclyn Foundation Silverado RST

All three corners at Pocono are modeled differently and require a different approach. How much do you rely on your road racing background to tackle the track?

“Pocono has similarities to a road course in the sense that all three corners are very different. How you look at the optimal way to go through each corner is similar to how you would look at values on a road course. But the track definitely races more like a normal oval when you look at momentum and dirty air.”

You were having a great day in the Xfinity Series race last year before a mechanical problem knocked you out. Are you eager to get back to Pocono and build on your success?

“The Xfinity race was going well for us last year before the rotor issue. I certainly learned a lot about how to keep my momentum going in traffic and completing passes. The speed was definitely there, so I’m excited to go back in a fast truck with Spire this year and build on that momentum.”

Bayley Currey, No. 41 DQS Silverado RST

You made your first start for the team here five years ago. What do you remember about that experience compared to how it is today?

“It’s been really cool seeing this whole group grow together, honestly. I remember where the team was before my first start for them in 2019, starting in the shop where they were at with only two trucks. Now, we’re in a way bigger shop and have three full-time trucks. There’s a lot of stuff that we do in-house where it wasn’t like that when I first got here. It’s been great to see all the progression that Al (Niece) and Cody (Efaw) have made over those five years, and I’m excited to go back to Pocono this week with that group.”

Matt Mills, No. 42 J.F. Electric / Utilitra Silverado RST

This is one of the shortest races all year in terms of laps, so does that raise your intensity level?

“Yeah, I’ve never really been able to run a truck here before, but it’s all going to be about track position. The straightaways are so long and the trucks punch such a big hole in the air, so that’s going to be tough to learn and figure out how to time your runs and keep momentum. It’s another good track for us at Niece Motorsports, so I’m going to go there with a good mindset to learn as much as I can from my guys.”

Ross Chastain, No. 45 Mar-Del Watermelon Association Silverado RST

With there being only two starts left in the Truck Series for you, how bad do you want to go back to victory lane before your season ends?

“Everyone on the crew wants to make it back to victory lane, but I think for us on the No. 45 team, the most important thing we need to do is execute in both of these races to get as many points as we can. We all love winning, but for me, what would feel just as good would be to keep Al (Niece) in the fight for the owner’s championship. I’m not able to run any truck races during the Playoffs, so my goal is to help with some good runs before I pass the baton off to Kaden (Honeycutt) and Connor (Mosack) as they finish out the year.”

Rajah Caruth, No. 71 HENDRICKCARS.COM Silverado RST

Pocono is a much different racetrack than anything else on the schedule. What technique and experience at other tracks can you utilize to prepare?

“Pocono is a very unique racetrack in its own right. Turn One is a traditional corner at a majority of the racetracks we go to. Turn Two isn’t really applicable to anything we go to in terms of its character and its angle. Turn Three is super similar to Milwaukee, where I’ve run at a few times between ARCA and the truck race last year. You just have to do your due diligence in preparation before getting to the race track.”

Last time out, you earned a much-needed top-five at Nashville. How do you look to build on that with three races remaining before the playoffs?

“I’m trying to get my mind right and get into it mentally with the playoffs right around the corner. I’m really excited for the last few months of the season and to have a chance to compete for the big trophy come November. With that said, I prepare one race at a time. For right now, all focus is on Pocono. The momentum is there, and I hope we can parlay the successes from Nashville into this weekend and end of the regular season as a whole. Fourth in the regular season standings is still within reach and I think we have the speed to make it happen.”

Chase Purdy, No. 77 Bama Buggies Silverado RST

How are you feeling heading to Pocono, a track in which you have ran well in the past.

“I feel confident for this weekend! This place is always one of my favorites to go to. I’m looking forward to this one and I think we have the opportunity for a great run.”

 
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: 9

Poles: 7

Laps Led: 1,627

Top-five finishes: 36

Top-10 finishes: 76

Stage wins: 12

· Chase Elliott: 1

· Kyle Larson: 8

· Ross Chastain: 1

· William Byron: 1

· Shane van Gisbergen: 1

CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:

Total Chevrolet race wins: 860 (1949 to date)

Poles won to date: 750

Laps led to date: 250,802

Top-five finishes to date: 4,334

Top-10 finishes to date: 8,936

Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:

       General Motors: 1,194

       Chevrolet: 860

       Pontiac: 154

       Oldsmobile: 115

       Buick: 65



       Ford: 832                                                           

       Ford: 732

       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.