Category: NASCAR Cup PR

NASCAR CUP SERIES
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
GEICO 500
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
JUNE 18, 2020

TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 REALTREE CAMARO ZL1 1LE, met with media via teleconference and discussed the Homestead race, his expectations for this Sunday’s race at Talladega, the progress he’s made thus far, his view of the point standings mid-way through the regular season, and more. Full Transcript:

TELL US ABOUT LAST WEEK’S RACE IN HOMESTEAD
“We had a fairly uneventful day at Homestead. Going into that race that was a track that a lot of people on our team knew that if we got it pretty close, we’d have a pretty good shot at having a good day there. It’s just something about that race track that just clicks with me. I thought I used to need a little bit of practice just to get the high-side working, but apparently I really don’t even need that to get comfortable. It’s just a testament to the team and the effort they’ve been putting forth. This was a race we had circled and unfortunately we couldn’t really totally take advantage of this race track at this event and get a little more out of it. But, still we got a good finish. We got stages points. And, we had a good, solid night of not really making any major mistakes. That’s something we need to build on, and hopefully we do.”

COME SUNDAY, WE’RE HALFWAY THROUGH THE REGULAR SEASON. SINCE NASCAR’S RETURN, YOU’VE HOVERED BETWEEN 15th AND 20th IN POINTS. HOW MUCH ARE YOU LOOKING AT THE POINTS RIGHT NOW?
“I would say Charlotte was going to kind of show the trend of where the points were kind of going to start heading, and after the 600 I was pretty happy with where things were going. We were tied for 15th with Jimmie (Johnson) and then Jimmie came to life and a couple of these other guys did, too. Unfortunately, we had two not-so-good races and lost some ground. We weren’t far from being in the top 12, which was what I was trying to strive for just to try and get in that first through 12th draw at these races where sometimes, a little bit of track position can help you if you don’t exactly have the car you need. Honestly, at Martinsville we weren’t terrible at the beginning of that race, but if we start 24th, I don’t know if we don’t go a lap down there at the beginning of that race. So, drawing as best you can is important. And all you can really do to control that is to try and be in that first to 12th draw for starting position. I was trying to get there. After the 600, it was within reach. We were only like 20 points out of it, or something. That’s what I told myself, anyway. But now, it’s obviously a lot different. So, I’m trying to pay attention to it just because it determines our starting position.”

AFTER THAT FABULOUS RUN YOU HAD AT HOMESTEAD, WHAT HAPPENED ON THE LAST LAP?
“I don’t know (laughs). I guess I for some reason, going into Turn 1 with two to go, I thought it was the final lap. I must have seen an imaginary white flag waving above my head because I was just convinced that was my last shot to pass Ryan Blaney coming to the line. I just hoped he was going to make a mistake. As it turned out, we were coming to the one to go. Yeah, I wish I could blame somebody. I wish I could say something, but I don’t know. I just missed it. I thought it was the end of the race. I really don’t have an explanation. I’m just very thankful that all the men and women at RCR make really fast race cars. We were about six or seven, or whatever seconds it was, ahead of Aric Almirola so we didn’t lose a spot.”

AS SOLID AS AUSTIN DILLON HAS BEEN ON THE RESTRICTOR PLATE TRACKS, WHAT KIND OF ONE-TWO PUNCH DO YOU THINK YOU’LL HAVE THIS WEEKEND AT TALLADEGA?
“It’s hard to say. I like the direction that our cars seem to have started to trend. They had good speed at the superspeedway at Daytona. We’re going to rely on, we’re taking more power away again, with the bigger tapered spacer, smaller holes; so that’s going to change things. The air ducts. How the air comes through the nose and comes up the sides, that’ll kind of change the approach that we’ve had at the superspeedways a little bit, too. So, I don’t know. Obviously whoever can survive, I think is still going to be there at the end. But, it’s nice to know our cars have had speed. We can get a little bit of damage in certain areas and still be able to stay up in it. It’s just going to come down to decisions and just avoiding the big wrecks as they take place and just trying to make sure we’re in the correct position to do so. If me and Austin can get together at the end of that race, within 10 to go, and not have damage, that’s going to be really good for us.”

WHEN DID YOU REALIZE IT WASN’T THE LAST LAP AT HOMESTEAD? HAS IT BEEN A SOURCE OF COMEDY AROUND THE SHOP OR IN TEAM MEETINGS?
“Oh, yeah. I’ve been getting picked on quite a bit. But, it’s all good. Every time it gets posted on another page in social media or (other) media puts it out, I’m good with it. I’m fine with it. It’s funny. It was just good that we were running that high and something like that happens and it can be talked about.

“It was about the time I let off the button. I was thanking my crew for a great day. I was apologizing for not getting one or two more spots. And as soon as I let off the button, I think my eardrums almost blew out. It was just so loud. Yelling and then it clicked. And then I look up and I see the No. 10 (Almirola) coming up and I’m like oh my gosh, this is not happening. Fortunately I didn’t like drive it into the fence and wreck coming to the checkered flag. That would have made matters worse. But, we avoided that, for sure. It was pretty funny.”

YOU ARE USED TO THE NOTION OF NO PRACTICE. HOW IMPACTFUL IS THAT ON A SUPERSPEEDWAY SINCE YOU USUALLY HAVE DRAFTING PRACTICE. HOW IS THAT DIFFERENT THIS WEEK THAN FOR A REGULAR RACE?
“Everyone has an idea of what a good speedway car for them has been. But, the different amount of power we’re going to have, no air ducts, is kind of a shift with no practice. We just are going off of simulated numbers and data points off of a car that was set up in a cooler condition and obviously, different circumstances. So, it’s going to be quite interesting. But, I think a lot of people will just bring what they know works. And normally you see people bring a good piece and they’ll try some things in practice, whether that’s drafting or a single car run; obviously, none of that. So, I think we’ve been pretty good at getting the cars on the money, but it just adds an extra layer of what-if’s. What if someone’s too loose that first run? It just opens the box for even more uncertainty. And I think it’s made the races interesting. It’s made all the folks at RCR work really, really hard to bring a really good starting point for our cars, which I think, we’ve had more times than not.”

WOULD YOU PREFER, AT A TRACK LIKE TALLADEGA, TO HAVE A PRACTICE?
“I’ve done a bit of plate racing throughout my career, but nothing compared to the veterans of our sport. But, everyone knows when it’s time to go and when they need to pull back, even though it doesn’t appear that way sometimes on our end, in the driver’s seat. But, I mean, it was originally planned, and when there’s one track just like that, they’re really doing everything they can to discourage using a back-up car. You’re probably not going to go out there an experiment in a practice session. Yeah, we’ve had all these rules changes, but honestly, we’ve been doing just fine without practicing everywhere else. That adds a little layer to it, like I said. So, I’m okay without having the practice. When you go to a place like Martinsville, and the first time you hit the brake, you don’t know if your brake vibe is set where it need to. You either know it’s your front tires that lock-up or if you have wheel-hop. So, it’s the same kind of level of uncertainty in a way.”

YOUR TEAMMATE (AUSTIN DILLON) BECAME A DAD OVER THE WEEKEND. HAS HE BEEN HITTING YOU UP FOR PARENTING ADVICE OR HAVE YOU HAD ANYTHING TO SHARE WITH HIM?
“We talked about it a little bit as it’s gotten closer and he’s asked me about just certain things that I would have thought to think about before Alexa and I had (a baby). I knew he was going to have his hands full with the whole day on Sunday with having Ace come into the world and then leaving the hospital and flying to the race track and racing; and then going home and getting thrown right back into daddy duty. So, we did our debrief over Zoom, like we are here on Monday. He was holding Ace for a little bit, and at the hospital, and jumping in and out of trying to help when needed with the nurses or whatever was going on. I texted him once or twice. I can’t remember exactly what I said, but I knew how I felt a couple days in. I asked him how he was doing and I think he used the word I’m just absolutely delirious. And, I’m like, I get it. I was the same way. You’re used to sleeping normal hours. Every two hours, the baby is up or needs something or the doctor is coming in and out. It’s chaos. But they’re home. That for me, was one thing when I kind of calmed back down. You’re in your own home and can get back in your own routine. But for him, we’re going racing Sunday. So, it’s going to continue to be interesting.”

YOU ALLUDED TO THE RULES PACKAGE BEING DIFFERENT ON THE SUPERSPEEDWAYS NOW, AND OBVIOUSLY A LOT OF THAT WAS IN RESPONSE TO THE ACCIDENT AT THE END OF THE DAYTONA 500. DO YOU ANTICIPATE DRIVERS BEING A LITTLE MORE CAUTIOUS THAN THEY WERE AT THE DAYTONA 500 AND OTHERS IN THE PAST?
“No. I don’t think so. For possibly the worst-case scenario to happen to someone like Ryan Newman, and for him to be okay, just goes to show how safe these cars are and just how crazy we’re able to get into them and get away with it. But, granted, that was a scary situation. There was a lot of uncertainty around it. But, the car held up. He’s still with us. He’s still racing like the old fashioned Ryan Newman. So, I don’t know. I don’t think it’s going to change much. The cars themselves are going to be a little bit slower. I honestly think as crazy as this sounds, I think there’s going to be more aggression now that we have less power and the drag ducts are out. It’s going to change how the cars drive. I think the aggression is going to be even higher, actually.”

DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE COMING INTO YOUR OWN IN THE CUP SERIES?
“I would like to say yes. But, I know how quickly you can fall out of that groove and how easy it is to get down. We had a couple races where we weren’t bad, but we wanted to run better than we were. And a lot of these races, since we’ve been back, we’ve been going to tracks that have been really good for me over the course of time that have been really good for me. And, we’re getting ready to go to tracks that I’ve had trouble with at times. The real test is coming, I think, in the second half of the regular season for us. But, I like what we saw at Homestead. It’s just going to drive our team to work that much harder. Hopefully we can continue to keep overcoming these challenges. But, it’s going to definitely be tougher the second half.”

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

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James Davison’s Debut Postponed Until Pocono

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (June 18, 2020) – B.J. McLeod will handle the driving duties for Spire Motorsports in Sunday’s GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

It was previously announced that James Davison would make his NASCAR Cup Series debut behind the wheel of the team’s No. 77 OilFire Rye Whiskey Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 this weekend.

Davison, a five-time Indianapolis 500 starter and native Australian, will now shift his attention to making his first NASCAR Cup Series start next weekend at Pocono Raceway.

“I have been contacted by NASCAR and informed that although I was previously approved to race, they had to reconsider their position on Superspeedways, given there won’t be practice or qualifying prior to Sunday’s race at Talladega,” explained Davison. “I was pumped about the opportunity to take the green flag, but I fully understand and appreciate NASCAR’s position. I’m approved to race next weekend at Pocono and equally thrilled to make my series debut there.”

Live coverage of the GEICO 500 from Talladega Superspeedway will take the green flag Sunday, June 21 beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The race will be televised live FOX and broadcast on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY (2.66-MILE OVAL)
LOCATION: TALLADEGA, ALABAMA
EVENT: NASCAR CUP SERIES (RACE 13 OF 36)
TUNE IN: 3 P.M. ET, SUNDAY, JUNE 21 (FOX/MRN/SIRIUSXM)

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Chase Elliott
No. 9 Mountain Dew/Little Caesars Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
Driver Chase Elliott Hometown Dawsonville, Georgia
Age 24 Resides Dawsonville, Georgia

2020 Season
2nd in standings
12 starts
1 win
1 pole position
6 top-five finishes
8 top-10 finishes
422 laps led

Career
161 starts
7 wins
9 pole positions
50 top-five finishes
82 top-10 finishes
2,266 laps led

Track Career
8 starts
1 win
2 pole positions
3 top-five finishes
4 top-10 finishes
126 laps led

BANNER YEAR: With 12 races completed in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, Chase Elliott ranks second in the driver standings. His two runner-up results, six top-five finishes and 422 laps led are all career highs through 12 races. The driver of the No. 9 Mountain Dew/Little Caesars Chevrolet ZL1 1LE has five stage wins, which equal his total for all of 2019.

LEADING THE FIELD: So far in 2020, Elliott leads all drivers with five stage wins, 141 stage points and a series-best 6.65 average running position. His six top-five finishes and 10 races led are tied for the most in the series.

THE STREAK CONTINUES: Elliott currently is tied with Joey Logano for the longest active streak of consecutive races led with seven. It is tied for Elliott’s longest-career stretch of leading laps.

PIZZA! PIZZA!: Thanks to Mountain Dew and Little Caesars, the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE will have a familiar look for this weekend’s race at Talladega Superspeedway. The Mountain Dew/Little Caesars paint scheme adorned Elliott’s car when he won at Talladega in April 2019. For more information, head over to LittleCaesars.com.

THIS RACE IN ‘19: Last year during the spring race at Talladega Superspeedway, Elliott brought home his fourth career NASCAR Cup Series win and first of the 2019 season. En route to the victory, he collected his first stage win of the year and led a total of 45 laps in the 188-lap event. Elliott lives in Dawsonville, Georgia, which is less than three hours from the 2.66-mile track.

‘DEGA STATS: This weekend, Elliott is set to make his ninth Talladega start in the NASCAR Cup Series. His first win at the track in April 2019 was also his first superspeedway win at the Cup level. In his previous eight starts, the 24-year-old driver has started outside the top 10 only once and earned the pole position twice – his first start at the track in May 2016 and during the most recent visit in October 2019. He currently holds the best active and sixth-best all-time average finish at Talladega (13.25) of drivers with a minimum of three starts. Elliott has garnered three top-five finishes and led 126 laps in his Cup Series career at the Alabama track. He also has three starts at Talladega in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with one top-10 finish.

A TOP-FIVE TRACK: Talladega Superspeedway is one of four tracks – along with Martinsville, Bristol and Michigan – where Elliott has scored three top-five finishes in the NASCAR Cup Series. The only tracks where he has more career top-fives are Dover (6) and Kansas (4).

GUSTAFSON AT TALLADEGA: No. 9 team crew chief Alan Gustafson will call his 31st Talladega Cup Series race from atop the pit box on Sunday. He collected his first superspeedway victory at 2.66-mile track on April 28, 2019, with Elliott and the Mountain Dew/Little Caesars team. In his previous 30 events calling the shots for five different drivers (Elliott, Kyle Busch, Casey Mears, Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon), Gustafson collected seven top-five finishes, nine top-10s, 229 laps led and six pole awards there.

PIT CREW PROWESS: Among the teams competing in the NASCAR Cup Series, the No. 9 pit crew ranks third for the best average time for four-tire stops at 13.96 seconds through 12 races in 2020.

BEHIND THE 9: Gustafson is trying his hand as a host in a new Hendrick Motorsports video series called “Behind the 9” in which he interviews each member of the No. 9 crew. Fans can learn about where they came from and the role they serve on the team, with each bringing a unique personality and skillset. Episodes are released every Tuesday on the Hendrick Motorsports Facebook page and YouTube channel. The most recent episode features interior mechanic Scott Honan.

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William Byron
No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
Driver William Byron Hometown Charlotte, North Carolina
Age 22 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina

2020 Season
15th in standings
12 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
4 top-10 finishes
15 laps led

Career
84 starts
0 wins
5 pole positions
5 top-five finishes
21 top-10 finishes
309 laps led

Track Career
4 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
0 top-10 finishes
32 laps led

HEATING UP IN HOMESTEAD: After starting 22nd for Sunday’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway and waiting through multiple weather delays, William Byron and the No. 24 team weren’t fazed by the ground they needed to make up. Methodically working his way through the field, the 22-year-old driver raced his way inside the top-five running order by the halfway point in the race. However, with track conditions changing into the night, the handling on Byron’s No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE became tight, hindering his forward progress. Despite the handling woes, the third-year driver crossed the finish line with a personal track-best finish of ninth.

LOOKING AT THE LAST FOUR: With Byron’s top-10 finish on Sunday, he is currently on a two-race streak of finishes within the top 10 and has posted three top-10s in the last four Cup Series races, including eighth-place finishes at Bristol Motor Speedway and Martinsville Speedway.

AT IT AGAIN WITH AXALTA: Heading to a superspeedway race for the second time in 2020, Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE will have the iconic Axalta flames. Axalta was on board the No. 24 car for the team’s most recent superspeedway race at the season-opener at Daytona International Speedway, where Byron raced to a win in the second Duel and was running in the top five early in the DAYTONA 500 before he was collected in an on-track incident. In 2020, Axalta is the 22-race majority partner of the No. 24 team. The company’s relationship with Hendrick Motorsports was recently extended, taking one of the most enduring partnerships in sports through 2027.

‘DEGA DETAILS: Making his fifth Talladega start in the Cup Series on Sunday, Byron will try to change his luck at the 2.66-mile track. In all four previous races, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native had solid runs but only has a track-best finish of 20th (October 2018) due to the unpredictability of superspeedway racing. He looked poised to grab the victory last fall after winning Stage 1 and leading the field for 13 laps. However, while leading with 30 to go, an ill-timed push from behind sent Byron around and ended his day early.

KNAUS DIGS ‘DEGA: With a skill for superspeedway racing, crew chief Chad Knaus is set to call his 39th Talladega race in the NASCAR Cup Series when the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE hits the track Sunday. Racking up six pole awards at the 2.66-mile venue, including a streak of four in a row in his first four races as a Cup Series crew chief, Knaus also has two wins at Talladega, all coming with Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 team. Knaus kept that momentum going with Byron and the No. 24 team last year. In both showings, they were in contention for the win until incidents late in the going ended their races early.

CLOSE TO HOME: Hailing from Pensacola, Florida, No. 24 team spotter Tab Boyd claims Talladega Superspeedway as his home track. Growing up a few hours away from the 2.66-mile superspeedway, Boyd has more than 20 years of experience in NASCAR. His previous team roles include tire changer and mechanical and fabrication positions before he ended up in the spotter’s stand. He is now currently in his third year as the “eyes in the sky” for Byron and the No. 24 team. When Boyd has time outside of the NASCAR schedule, he usually is still at a racetrack as a driver in the Street Stock Mid-Atlantic Series.

ALL-STAR RACE VOTING: For the first time in Cup Series history, the 2020 NASCAR All-Star Race will be held on the high banks of Bristol Motor Speedway, and Byron is looking to lock himself in. Last year, the driver of the No. 24 battled his way into the main event by winning the first stage of the Open qualifying race in a stellar last-corner pass. However, if Byron isn’t able to lock himself in to the All-Star Race before July 15 by winning a points-paying Cup Series race, he will have three chances during the Open qualifying race by winning one of the race stages, or receiving the fan vote. Fans can place their vote once per day with votes shared on social media counting double at NASCAR.com/fanvote until 12 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 14. The winner of the fan vote will be announced immediately following the conclusion of the Open qualifying race on Wednesday, July 15.

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Jimmie Johnson
No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
Driver Jimmie Johnson Hometown El Cajon, California
Age 44 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina

2020 Season
11th in standings
12 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
2 top-five finishes
6 top-10 finishes
98 laps led

Career
663 starts
83 wins
36 pole positions
229 top-five finishes
370 top-10 finishes
18,932 laps led

Track Career
36 starts
2 wins
1 pole position
7 top-five finishes
13 top-10 finishes
472 laps led

THREE OUT OF FOUR AIN’T BAD: Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson and crew chief Cliff Daniels have gained momentum throughout May and June. The No. 48 Ally team has scored three top-10 finishes in the last four races and is credited with an average finishing position of 11.80 – which currently is the seventh-best in the NASCAR Cup Series.

‘DEGA WINS: Hendrick Motorsports has 13 wins at Talladega Superspeedway. Of those 13, Johnson is the proud owner of two first-place trophies. His last win there was in 2011, and he has led 472 career laps around the historic track.

TEST OF TIME: Johnson is credited with the second-closest margin of victory in NASCAR history since the advent of timing and scoring. It came at Talladega on April 17, 2011, when he edged competitor Clint Bowyer by just 0.002 seconds.

SUPER SPEEDY: The No. 48 team’s superspeedway program has been stout. Johnson has had speed in qualifying and during the race, but unfortunately not the finishes to show for it. Last fall at Talladega, he started the race fourth behind teammates Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman and William Byron. Johnson was caught in an accident on lap 106 and settled for a disappointing 38th-place finish.

THUMBING A RIDE: One of the most memorable “rides” Johnson has taken at Talladega came in 2012 when former Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. picked him up on the racetrack after the No. 48 Chevrolet was collected in a spectacular four-wide accident coming to the checkered flag in overtime. Johnson’s car was no longer able to carry on, so he rode on Earnhardt’s window back to the garage. It was announced Tuesday evening that Earnhardt will be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2021.

MILESTONES ON THE HORIZON: Johnson has the most overall points-paying wins of all active drivers, and his next trip to victory lane will be his 84th in the NASCAR Cup Series. He secured his 83rd victory in June 2017 to tie NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough for sixth on the all-time list. An 84th win would tie Johnson with Hall of Famers Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Allison for fourth all-time. The No. 48 driver currently is 10 wins behind former Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon, who has 93 victories and is third on the list.

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Alex Bowman
No. 88 Valvoline Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE ​
Driver Alex Bowman Hometown Tucson, Arizona
Age 27 Resides Concord, North Carolina

2020 Season
8th in standings
12 starts
1 win
0 pole positions
2 top-five finishes
3 top-10 finishes
369 laps led

Career
165 starts
2 wins
2 pole positions
12 top-five finishes
29 top-10 finishes
843 laps led

Track Career
9 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
1 top-five finish
2 top-10 finishes
33 laps led

NEW LOOK FOR VALVOLINE: On Wednesday, Valvoline unveiled a special paint scheme for Talladega Superspeedway that Alex Bowman will pilot on Sunday. The updated scheme features the brand’s red, white and blue colors and the Valvoline logo prominently on the hood of the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. In January 2018, the leading worldwide supplier of premium branded lubricants and automotive services extended its partnership with Hendrick Motorsports through 2022. The Official Lubricants Partner for Hendrick Motorsports will be on board Bowman’s machine in four events this season and will continue to be an associate partner on the organization’s full stable of Chevrolets. Check out the new paint scheme here.

ABOVE AVERAGE: In the first 12 races of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, Bowman has the sixth-best average running position of 11.24. The No. 88 pit crew’s stops this year have been quick each week, as well. The team ranks fourth on the list of pit crews with an average four-tire stop time of 14.031 seconds.

BOWMAN AT ‘DEGA: Bowman will make his 10th Talladega start in the Cup Series on Sunday. The No. 88 driver’s best finish of second at the track came during the 2019 spring event after leading seven laps. He has led 33 laps total at the superspeedway and has two top-10 finishes. In 2013, Bowman made one start at the track in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and finished 13th after rolling off 14th.

VIRTUAL WINNER AT TALLADEGA: On April 26, 2020, Bowman captured his first iRacing victory in the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series at Talladega Superspeedway. The 27-year-old driver led eight laps in the 74-lap event to bring home the virtual victory. Bowman secured four top-10 finishes in the Pro Invitational Series before the NASCAR Cup Series went back racing on May 17.

LEADING LAPS: Bowman has led four races for a career high 369 laps so far in 2020. In just 12 events, the 27-year-old driver has led 169 laps more than he did in 2019 and is currently ranked fourth in the NASCAR Cup Series in laps led this season.

STAGE POINTS: In 2020, Bowman has won four stages in 12 races. The Tucson, Arizona, native has captured 126 stage points this year, which is fourth overall in the NASCAR Cup Series.

TWOxSEVEN: Bowman has finished inside the top two on seven occasions in the last two Cup Series seasons. In 2019, the driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet won at Chicagoland Speedway and finished second at Talladega, Dover, Kansas and the Charlotte road course. So far this year, the Valvoline driver has won at Auto Club Speedway in March and finished second at Darlington in May.

IVES IN ALABAMA: On Sunday, crew chief Greg Ives will call the shots for the 11th time at Talladega for the No. 88 team. The Bark River, Michigan, native has one win with Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2015 after leading 67 laps, three top-five finishes and five top-10 results at the track. Ives’ drivers have an average start of 6.3 at the 2.66-mile facility. In 2017, the crew chief’s team started from the pole position and in 2018, Bowman led 26 laps to bring home an eighth-place finish. In total, Ives’ drivers have led 168 laps and have completed 88.9% of the total laps in 10 events. The crew chief’s resumé includes one win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at the superspeedway with Regan Smith in 2013. Ives was a race engineer for the No. 48 team at Hendrick Motorsports from 2006-2012. During that time, he was a part of two wins, two pole awards and seven top-10 finishes at Talladega.

IVES HAS SUPERSPEEDWAY SUCCESS: Ives has earned two of his four points-paying Cup wins at superspeedways. In 2015, he visited victory lane twice with Earnhardt – once at Daytona and once at Talladega. Ives won a Duel qualifying race at Daytona in 2015 and 2016 with Earnhardt and has four superspeedway pole awards in the Cup Series, including three at Daytona.

HOME TRACK FEELS: Rowdy Harrell returns to his home state of Alabama this weekend for Sunday’s race at Talladega. The 30-year-old tire carrier for the No. 88 team grew up in the small town of Moundville, Alabama, which is near Tuscaloosa. He was a middle linebacker for the University of Alabama under coach Nick Saban and was part of three NCAA national championships in 2009, 2011 and 2012.

GOOD DISCOUNTS: During the month of June, No. 88 team sponsor ChevyGoods.com is providing discounts on all accessories, including Adam’s Polishes, NOCO and Truck Hero. Customers can receive 10% off MSRP with purchases of $100-$249 (offer code “GET10”), 15% off with purchases of $250-$499 (code “GET15”), and 20% off with purchases of more than $500 (code “GET20”). Free ground shipping is also available with offer code “FREESHIP.”

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Hendrick Motorsports

MEGA ‘DEGA: Hendrick Motorsports is the all-time leader in every major statistical category at Talladega Superspeedway. In NASCAR Cup Series competition, the team holds the track records for wins (13), pole positions (13), runner-up finishes (14), top-fives (58), top-10s (88) and laps led (2,843). Hendrick Motorsports’ most recent Talladega victory was April 2019 with Chase Elliott.

EIGHT AGAIN: Seven different drivers have contributed to Hendrick Motorsports’ 13 Talladega wins: Jeff Gordon (6), Jimmie Johnson (2), Elliott, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Brian Vickers, Terry Labonte and Ken Schrader. Last month, Elliott became the eighth driver to visit victory lane for car owner Rick Hendrick at the Charlotte Motor Speedway oval – a new record for the most drivers to win for any team at any NASCAR Cup Series racetrack. A first-place finish Sunday at Talladega by William Byron or Alex Bowman would equal the mark.

NOT A TYPO: A Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet has led in each of the last 36 NASCAR Cup Series races held at Talladega Superspeedway, representing the longest active streak.

AS OF LATE: Hendrick Motorsports has scored at least one top-10 finish in the last six Cup races held at Talladega and has won a stage in each of the last two events there. The team qualified 1-2-3-4 at the track last October and has earned 10 Talladega pole positions in the last 10 seasons (since 2010).

2020 TOP-10 STREAKS: Hendrick Motorsports has placed at least one of its four cars inside the top 10 in the last 11 NASCAR Cup Series races and put two or more in the top 10 in four straight. Elliott, Byron and Johnson have each posted three top-10 finishes in the last four events.

LEADER OF THE PACK: Hendrick Motorsports continues to close in on another major milestone: 70,000 laps led in the NASCAR Cup Series. Its 69,793 laps led since 1984 is the all-time record and nearly 10,000 more than any other team. After 12 races in 2020, Hendrick Motorsports has led 904 laps, which is more than the team posted through 12 races in 2018 and 2019 combined.

PLAYOFF UPDATE: After 12 events, Hendrick Motorsports is the only organization to have four drivers in playoff position. By virtue of race wins, Elliott and Bowman have each clinched spots in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, while Byron and Johnson are currently in playoff position via points.

ALL-TIME NUMBERS: Since its inception in 1984, Hendrick Motorsports has totals of 12 championships, 258 race victories, 226 pole positions, 1,081 top-five finishes and 1,860 top-10s in points-paying NASCAR Cup Series competition. Its teams have led nearly 70,000 laps, which is the all-time record. Including 2020, the organization has won at least one race in 35 consecutive seasons, the longest-ever streak. Hendrick Motorsports is 10 wins away from tying Petty Enterprises’ all-time Cup Series record of 268.

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QUOTABLE /
Driver Chase Elliott on his 2020 performance thus far:
“I think bringing fast cars to the track is number one. I also think we have been executing a little better over these past few weeks. I felt like before the break we had fast cars and we were in positions or fast enough to win at times, but we were just not executing well. I wasn’t doing a great job, we were having some struggles on pit road, just kind of the whole nine yards. I feel like since the break, a lot of that stuff has been cleaned up. I don’t want to say it’s perfect, cause it’s certainly not, but we’ve been executing races better I feel like as a whole, which in my opinion has put us in more positions to win.”

Elliott on racing at Talladega:
“Last year worked out really well for us. It was kind of one of those races where things just kind of just fell in our lap there towards the end of the race. We were super patient and just very disciplined as a group. I’m looking forward to getting back to Talladega this weekend with the Mountain Dew/Little Caesars Chevy and trying to do it all again.”

Driver William Byron on heading to Talladega:
“I’m excited to get to Talladega. We always have fast cars as an organization. Talladega last year was really good for us as a team. We were leading and got pushed sideways, which ended our day. I think though that this weekend will be a good opportunity for us to do well. It is unpredictable but you have to do what you can to try stay in contention and be there at the end. You really look past your windshield during the race so to speak. You mainly watch the car running two spots ahead of you more than anything. This weekend will be no different. You have to watch the cars ahead to try spot potential wrecks before they happen to give yourself more reaction time. If we can do that and keep our nose clean, we’ll be in a really good spot to grab the win.”

Driver Jimmie Johnson on the strategy needed at Talladega:
“Talladega is its own beast. You go in wanting to be fast and stay clean for the race, to work well with others, but you have to also accept that you can’t control what might happen 99% of the time. It will be weird going there without the infield being jammed up because it’s such a party destination, which will probably be the biggest difference for me – not seeing thousands of fans having a blast in the infield. Our speedway program at Hendrick Motorsports has been really good so I feel like we will be fast off of the truck.”

Driver Alex Bowman on his experience at Talladega:
“Talladega is a track where we have been pretty good at in the past. I feel like any time Hendrick Motorsports goes to a superspeedway, we are solid. Last year in the spring we were really fast and had a great car. We came up short by one spot to Chase (Elliott), but that just shows how great these Hendrick Motorsports cars are at Talladega.”

Bowman on implementing his iRacing win at Talladega to the real deal:
“I don’t think I can apply anything from my virtual win at Talladega earlier this year to this weekend’s race. It is a completely different style of racing, but we typically bring fast cars to ‘Dega. It does not hurt to crash at the virtual Talladega, and I definitely used a ‘reset’ in that race. So that is not going to work on Sunday.”

This Week in Motorsports: June 15-21, 2020

· NCS/NXS/ARCA: Talladega Superspeedway – June 20-21

PLANO, Texas (June 17, 2020) – NASCAR returns to the high banks with superspeedway racing this weekend in Alabama.

NASCAR National Series – NCS | NXS

Superspeedway (and 2020) Success… Denny Hamlin has scored most of Toyota’s NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) superspeedway success. The Chesterfield, Virginia-native has won the Daytona 500 three of the past five seasons (2016, 2019, 2020), and earned Toyota’s most recent victory at Talladega Superspeedway (2014). So far this year, Hamlin has accumulated a series-leading three Cup Series, including winning on Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway after leading more than half of the laps. Kyle Busch was also victorious in a Camry in the Cup Series at the Alabama superspeedway in 2008.

Playoff Positioning… Talladega Superspeedway marks the halfway point of the Cup Series regular season. Currently three Toyota drivers are in Playoff positions – Hamlin (three wins) and Martin Truex Jr. (one win) have clinched spots due to victories, while Kyle Busch holds the third Toyota position in ninth-place in the point standings. Erik Jones currently sits 18th in the standings, less than 10 points behind the final Playoff spot.

Rookie Record… With an eighth-place result on Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Harrison Burton broke the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) rookie record previously held by Carl Edwards for consecutive top 10 finishes in a driver’s first full-time season in the series. It was Burton’s 10th straight top-10 finish this year, highlighted by two wins at California’s Auto Club Speedway in February and Florida’s Homestead-Miami Speedway on Saturday.

Dash 4 Cash Opportunity… Brandon Jones is one of four drivers who are eligible to earn a $100,000 bonus from Xfinity after his second-place finish in Sunday’s NXS event. The third of the four Dash 4 Cash races takes place at Talladega this Saturday. Jones will achieve the bonus by being the highest-finishing driver at Talladega amongst himself, Chase Briscoe, Ross Chastain and A.J. Allmendinger.

Two Shots at The Win… Riley Herbst will compete twice on Saturday as he runs in both the ARCA Menards Series (AMS) and NXS events. Herbst will drive the No.18 Monster Energy Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) in both races.

NASCAR Regional Series – ARCA

Self Back on Track… Saturday’s AMS event at Talladega Superspeedway is the first event for the series since Phoenix in early March. The 2019 series runner-up Michael Self has had a strong start to the year – winning the season opener at Daytona International Speedway and following that up with a runner-up result at Phoenix Raceway. Self currently leads the point standings by 12 points. He will be joined in the field by Venturini Motorsports (VMS) teammates Drew Dollar and Ryan Repko.

Stay Connected

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About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks in North America, where we have 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama (10 in the U.S.), and directly employ more than 47,000 people (over 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold nearly 2.8 million cars and trucks (nearly 2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2019.

Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
GEICO 500
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
JUNE 17, 2020

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS/TRACKER OFF ROAD CAMARO ZL1 1LE, met with media via teleconference and discussed his newborn son, Ace, the progress of the RCR teams, the upcoming Talladega race and new package, the All-Star race being moved to Bristol, and more. Full Transcript:

TALK US THROUGH WHAT THESE LAST FEW DAYS HAVE BEEN LIKE WITH ALL THE EXCITEMENT
‘Yeah, I’ll first start off by saying I’m tired. But, it’s been an amazing experience. And, mom has absolutely crushed it. Dad is doing everything he can. He’s hanging on by a thread. But today is awesome. I was late but was just playing with him. He is an amazing little guy and I’m just pumped to have him in this world and ready to show him everything about life. It’s pretty cool.”

CONGRATULATIONS. WANTED TO ASK YOU ABOUT HOW WELL THE ENTIRE TEAM IS DOING, BOTH YOU AND TYLER REDDICK. YOU’RE GETTING TOP-TENS, AND REALLY ACCELERATING EARLY IN THE SEASON, WHICH IS A HIGH FOR THE TEAM IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. WHAT IS IT LIKE? WHAT’S YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH TYLER? WHAT’S YOUR SENSE OF THE TEAM AS A WHOLE REALLY BEING ON IT THIS YEAR?
“It’s been an awesome year so far. I always want more. But, I mean, compared to years past, I’m very optimistic of where we are; especially last year to this year, a big jump. Those jumps are hard to come by. Tyler, coming in the off-season with an Xfinity championship, brought some momentum. I think it fired-up everybody. It fired-up myself to compete. He’s a good wheelman. It builds both teams to kind of compete within and that comes with these good finishes we’re having. The competition is great at RCR. And you’ve got to have that. I feel like that’s a big part of it. And, Chevrolet stepped-up their game in the off-season and really gave us something else to work with as far as the car goes. And, our whole entire shop is working really hard. Obviously, it’s been tough on everybody with the quarantine and whatnot, but I feel like we did a good job of keeping up with the work that we had ahead of us. It’s been a really good break for our team, if anything. And, the way we go to the race track now if a little bit different. Less people go to the track and I think that’s a good thing for our guys. The core group on each team is strong, and that’s nice to see.”

I’M NOT SURE WHEN ACE WAS BORN, BUT WAS THERE A POINT LATE SATURDAY NIGHT OR EARLY SUNDAY MORNING WHERE YOU THOUGHT YOU MIGHT MISS THE RACE?
“He was born at 6:30 in the morning. So, there was definitely a time period where you’re going to the hospital and mom is getting checked-in and you’re just hoping that everything is going to go smoothly. And, it did. The good Lord blessed us with an amazing pregnancy. Mom just walked in and crushed it. Ace came out with flying colors. Everything went well. But if any small thing goes wrong during that timeframe, I’m not racing. So, everything went good. The doctors were great. We used Wake Forest and they did such a great job with Ace and mom and that’s what allowed us to get to the race track and had just a really memorable day.”

LOOKING AHEAD TO TALLADEGA, HOW DO YOU THINK THE CHANGES IN HORSEPOWER AND NO AIR DUCTS WILL IMPACT THE RACE?
“I don’t really know how the air ducts will do. We’ve obviously raced in the past without aero ducts, so that’s one thing I just don’t really …. I’d have to really go back in time and look at what our cars did differently. But, there was probably somewhere you could match them up to. I don’t know what the closest year that we ran a package like this would be. But, we feel like the racing is going to be different from the way it was at Daytona. It always is different from Daytona to Talladega. So, I’d say the first stage of the race, will definitely be a learning curve for just about all of us. Set-up wise should not be a problem. I hope not. But, just the way we race and the runs you get, we’ll be learning that first stage. And, you want to be aggressive because every point matters throughout the year.

“So, just trying to play the chess match that’s ahead of us this weekend is going to be the key. Just knowing when to go. I’ve done a lot of different strategies when it comes to speedway racing, but my favorite is just going out there and racing and kind of throwing caution to the wind. I feel like that usually plays out better for us. I won the Daytona 500 being a little more cautious, but it’s just more fun that way when you go out there and race. So, we’ll see. We’ll make a decision quite early in the race to kind of figure out how everything is going. Hopefully all of our Chevys will run up-front together and work hard together to do what we need to do to bring home the win for Chevrolet.”

WHEN NASCAR RESUMED THE SEASON WITH ALL THE PRECAUTIONS THAT WERE TAKEN FROM A SAFETY AND TRAVEL STANDPOINT, IT WAS A SMALL GROUP OF GUYS WHO COULD JUST DRIVE TO DARLINGTON AND OF COURSE, CHARLOTTE AFTER THAT. BUT, WITH COVID-19 STILL VERY MUCH A THREAT, ARE THE PRECAUTIONS THAT YOU HAVE TO TAKE NOW AS YOU TRAVEL AND EXPAND YOUR FOOTPRINT BY GOING TO PLACES LIKE MIAMI AND TALLADEGA, WHAT PRECAUTIONS ARE YOU TAKING TO KEEP EVERYBODY SAFE?
“I think we’ve done a good job. RCR is making our teams…..when they go to the track, they can only take two in a car at a time. And then drivers, as far as getting to the track, we’ve been pretty much with ourselves. Tyler and I flew together to the track to Atlanta. Everybody has been kind of keeping their distance and wearing masks and doing everything that they’ve asked us to do throughout the process, and it’s worked well. We take our temperatures and report back to RCR and NASCAR with those; and then just trying to stay away from big groups of people. The Zoom meetings, so just talking to my guys, so I think it’s really drawn my team a bit closer, I think, because you get to look at each other on the phone. And, I guess my mind doesn’t wander as much when I’m just talking to my guys at my house. It’s kind of nice to really have the time to sit down and talk about our cars and go through the whole thing and go through the race. It gives you more time to just kind of focus on what’s going on and what went on. So, I think it’s been really good for my team.”

WHEN YOU ARE FLYING, IS IT SMALLER GROUPS THAN IT WAS IN THE PAST?
“Yes. I think the teams are flying on a different path than what the drivers are and just trying to stay as separated as possible, of going at certain times to be able to check the car. The road crew and then the shop crew are going in and out at different times also, so they’re not really connecting, either.”

YOU MENTIONED POINTS, AND YOU’VE BEEN BOUNCING AROUND THE 13th, 16th, 17th SPOT IN THE POINTS. HOW MUCH DO YOU PAY ATTENTION TO IT AT THIS POINT AS TALLADEGA MARKS THE HALFWAY POINT OF THE REGULAR SEASON? HOW MUCH DOES THAT DICTATE WHAT YOUR TEAM MIGHT OR MIGHT NOT DO IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS?
“I don’t think we can change what we’ve been doing as far as strategy goes. I think we’ve been aggressive when it comes to strategy and that’s worked out for us. Some short-pittings that have gained us spots at the end of these races. I trust Justin (Alexander, crew chief) and I think obviously, to be where we want to be, we want to win races. And we feel like our cars are very close and capable of doing that right now. The more we run in the top 5 and top ten’s, that’s when you get those opportunities to win. We’ve had two cars that are capable of running speeds to win this past weekend at Homestead. I would have loved to see what our car did if we would have been able to not have the problem we had with the tire getting away. And then, Martinsville, another really fast race car that we had that flat tire pretty much before the race started.

“The opportunities are coming and we need to capitalize on them, and I think the only way to do that is if you see guys…..like, Brad Keselowski is a great example. I don’t feel like he’s had the fastest car in most of the races he’s won, but he’s hung around and his team has given him that opportunity to get clean air and win those races. So, the aggression has to come and then, it just makes it a lot easier when you get a win under your belt. And in years past, I feel like we could circle and kind of thing about the small amount of opportunities we had to win a race in our group. And this year, I feel like we’ve definitely got a bigger shot at winning with more opportunities available with the speed in our race cars.”

WHAT DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE BETTER AT IN SPEEDWAY RACING AT DAYTONA AND TALLADEGA IN THE LAST YEAR? WHERE TO YOU FEEL LIKE AS A DRIVER, YOU’VE GOTTEN BETTER OVER TIME?
“Maybe just the choices I make. I feel like the choices, the lines, drafting closer to people, making the right calls just from history and being in these races. I don’t know. I think it comes in spurts. You get in a rhythm with speedway racing sometimes and it really works out for you. And then you think you’ve got it figured out and then you have a streak of bad finishes and you’re like, what’s going on here? But the one thing that’s kind of resonated a long time with me is the moment you start hating speedway racing, it’s just not going to be good for you. So, you’ve got to learn to love it and enjoy the craziness of it all. And, I think that kind of breeds more good finishes for you. You start seeing kind of against it, and it’ll bite you.”

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE ALL-STAR RACING MOVING FROM CHARLOTTE TO BRISTOL?
“It’s definitely a big change. I think it’s good for the All-Star to move around. I feel like Marcus (Smith) and all the people at NASCAR did a good job choosing Bristol because you’re going to get a lot of action there. It’s very easy to get to someone’s back bumper and move people. It’s a chaotic track. And, for the All-Star racing, I think it’s a beautiful setting for it. Some of the drivers aren’t going to like it because they know what’s coming. It’s going to be a bit of a mess at times, but then it’s going to hopefully just put on a great show for our fans. That’s what we’re here to do. And, I’m lobbying for the ‘Choose Rule’, and I think there’s a shot at it for the All-Star race. I’m hoping that goes into effect. I think that track is perfect for it.”

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

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 100 countries and selling more than 4.0 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

Roush Fenway Weekly Advance | Talladega

Roush Fenway carries its stout superspeedway program to the high banks of Talladega this weekend, where last fall Ryan Newman was .007 seconds away from a win. Dating back 12 events at the 2.66-mile track, Roush Fenway has one win and seven top-10s.

Talladega Superspeedway (2.66-Mile)
Geico 500

Sunday, June 21 | 3 p.m. ET

FOX, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

· Ryan Newman, No. 6 Castrol Ford Mustang

· Chris Buescher, No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang

NASCAR Returns to Action

· NASCAR’s return to racing continues at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend, with the first superspeedway race since the Daytona 500. The 500-mile event from the 2.66-mile track was originally set for April 26.

· Despite the horrific last-lap crash in the Daytona 500 in which RFR was potentially in line for a 1-2 finish, RFR has fared particularly well in superspeedway races as of late. Newman finished a close second last fall at Talladega, while teammate Chris Buescher finished third in February in Daytona.

· Four weeks of NASCAR action were completed prior to the COVID-19 hiatus with races at Atlanta, Homestead, Texas, Bristol, Richmond, Talladega, Dover and Martinsville postponed.

Homestead Recap, Talladega Preview

· Newman was unable to overcome a mountain of obstacles – including multiple on-track incidents and a late speeding penalty – to finish 30th.

· Buescher earned a crucial stage point Sunday at Homestead, before going on to finish 23rd in the Fastenal Ford.

· Castrol returns to Newman’s No. 6 machine Sunday at Talladega, while Fastenal is back on Buescher’s No. 17 machine.

Starting Lineup Procedures

The starting lineup for Sunday’s race will once again be determined by a random draw based on teams’ order in owners points. Newman is 20th and Buescher is 21st, with both drawing for a starting position in the 13-24 group. The draw will take place on NASCAR RaceHub at 6 p.m. ET Thursday on FS1.

Running Clear Across Alabama

Roush Fenway has seen its fair share of success at the Alabama track, amassing 269 starts, eight wins, 44 top-five’s and 92 top-10s across NASCAR’s three major touring series. Roush machines have also tallied seven poles, including three in cup action, and have led more than 1450 laps.

Winning in Greenbow

Roush Fenway has won in all three of NASCAR’s major series at Talladega. The team won its first race at Talladega in the NCS event in the spring of 1995. Former Roush Fenway driver Mark Martin won for the organization in all three series at the 2.66-mile oval.

Most recently, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. piloted his Fifth Third Bank Ford to victory lane three years ago when the NCS rolled through Talladega for the organization’s eighth win at the historic track.

Fastest Chicken in the South

Former Roush Fenway driver Mark Martin won the fastest Cup race ever recorded on May 10, 1997 at Talladega piloting the No. 6 Ford. Martin, who held off NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt, started from the 18th position and led 47 laps en route to the victory. The race saw 26 lead changes and had an average speed of 188.354 mph.

Tale of the Tape

Roush Fenway has started 210 NCS races at Talladega with 75 top-10 and 37 top-five finishes along with three poles. Former drivers Mark Martin (1995, 1997), Jamie McMurray (2009), Matt Kenseth (2012) and Stenhouse are responsible for RFR’s combined five Cup wins and overall a Jack Roush Ford has led 1497 laps at the 2.66-mile track.

Roush Fenway Talladega Wins

1995-1 Martin Cup

1997-1 Martin Cup

1997 Martin NXS

2006 Martin Truck

2009 Ragan NXS

2009-2 McMurray Cup

2012-2 Kenseth Cup

McDowell on Talladega:

“It’s a big week for us at Front Row Motorsports. We have Love’s Travel Stops back on board for the second week in a row and we’re coming off of a couple strong top 15 finishes. Last time we were at Talladega in the No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops Ford Mustang, we came close to capturing the checkered flag and finished 5th. So when we come to Talladega, we know that it is always a good opportunity for us to hopefully win a race and secure a playoff birth. We’re heading there at a good time as we have some momentum in our program and things are rolling pretty good; but it’s Talladega, and anything can happen. I’m just ready to hopefully put up a big result for everyone at Love’s Travel Stops and Front Row Motorsports.”

About Love’s Travel Stops

Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores is the nation’s industry-leading travel stop network with more than 520 locations in 41 states. Founded in 1964 and headquartered in Oklahoma City, the company remains family-owned and operated and employs more than 26,000 people. Love’s provides professional truck drivers and motorists with 24-hour access to clean and safe places to purchase gasoline, diesel fuel, fresh coffee, restaurant offerings and more. Love’s has more than 380 truck service centers, which include on-site and stand-alone Speedco and Love’s Truck Tire Care locations. Love’s and Speedco combined is the largest oil change, preventive maintenance and total truck care nationwide network. Love’s is committed to providing customers with “Clean Places, Friendly Faces” at every stop. To learn more, visit loves.com.

Team: No. 6 Castrol Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Twitter: @Roush6Team, @RoushFenway and @RyanJNewman
Race Format: 500 miles, 188 laps, Stage Lengths: 60-60-68

Geico 500 – Sunday, June 21 at 3 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

NASCAR Returns to Action

· NASCAR’s return to racing continues at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend, with the first superspeedway race since the Daytona 500. The 500-mile event from the 2.66-mile track was originally set for April 26.

· Despite the horrific last-lap crash in the Daytona 500 in which RFR was potentially in line for a 1-2 finish, RFR has fared particularly well in superspeedway races as of late. Newman finished a close second last fall at Talladega, while teammate Chris Buescher finished third in February in Daytona.

· Four weeks of NASCAR action were completed prior to the COVID-19 hiatus with races at Atlanta, Homestead, Texas, Bristol, Richmond, Talladega, Dover and Martinsville postponed.

Homestead Recap, Talladega Preview

· Newman was unable to overcome a mountain of obstacles – including multiple on-track incidents and a late speeding penalty – to finish 30th at Homestead.

· In the original schedule for Talladega, there was one practice session for teams on Saturday. That has since been removed, meaning the Cup Series’ first on-track action will be when the green drops for the 500-mile race.

· The starting lineup will once again be determined by a random draw based on teams’ order in owners points. Newman – 20th in points – will draw for a spot in the 13-24 group. The draw takes place at 6 p.m. ET Thursday on NASCAR RaceHub on FS1.

Newman Historically at Talladega Superspeedway

· Newman makes his 37th Cup start at Talladega on Sunday. In 36 prior starts, he has an average finish of 18.7 with 15 top-10s and seven top-fives.

· Newman is coming off a second-place run in the sixth-closest finish in NASCAR history — .007 seconds – where last fall he secured his second runner-up result in the last three years.

· In the past five races alone at Talladega, Newman has just one finish outside the top-10. He also finished seventh in the 2019 spring event, a year after crossing the line ninth in the 2018 spring race.

· Newman has one Xfinity Series start at Talladega, which came back in 2009, where he qualified on the pole and finished second.

Scott Graves at Talladega Superspeedway

· In just seven Cup starts atop the pit box, Scott Graves has an impressive 9.9 average finish with only one result outside the top 15 dating back to 2013. Outside of the pair of top-10s in 2019 with Newman, Graves also has a third-place run with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2013), and a top-10 with Daniel Suarez in the spring of 2018.

· Graves also called three Xfinity Series races at Talladega, all of which were top-10s. He led Buescher to a runner-up result in 2014 and followed that with a sixth-place finish a year later, before finishing seventh with Suarez in 2016.

QUOTE WORTHY
Newman on racing at Talladega:
“Sunday is a big day for both me personally, as well as our race team. I don’t think there’s any doubt we’ve shown what we can do at a superspeedway track. We were right there last fall and just missed it, and obviously felt good going into the last lap in Daytona in February. As always, being one of the ones left at the end will be key, and we hope to be one of those come Sunday in the Castrol Ford.”

On the Car
Castrol returns to Newman’s No. 6 machine this weekend at Talladega. The high-performance lubricant brand signed as the team’s official oil partner in January and will serve as the primary for select races in 2020.

About Castrol

Castrol, a global leader in lubricant technology, serves customers and consumers in over 140 countries in the automotive, marine, industrial and energy production sectors. Our branded products are recognized globally for innovation and high performance through our commitment to premium quality products, highly responsive services and cutting-edge technology. To find out more about Castrol products and programs, please visit www.castrol.com/us.

RagingBull.com co-founder Jason Bond has partnered with Go Fas Racing for the GEICO 500 this weekend to promote his newly released book, “Wall Street Bookie.” The book teaches traders what Bond calls the “casino trading strategy,” where he teaches how he takes advantage of careless bets made by other traders.

Bond taught himself how to trade while working as a full-time gym teacher. His first trading profits grew, as did his business, and both eventually allowed him to free himself of over $250,000 in debt.

“We’re excited to join Corey and the Go Fas Racing team to compete at Talladega Superspeedway and debut my newest trading strategy, which you can learn more on at WallStBookie.com,” said Bond.

Bond has trained more than 30,000 individuals, providing them with his experienced insight on the strategy he uses as a highly-skilled trader and trading coach.

Along with Jeff Bishop, Bond co-founded the RagingBull.com Foundation to donate some of his trading profits to charity. Since inception, the foundation has donated more than a half-million dollars to charity.

Bonds will host a free training event on June 25 to discuss the specifics of his successful strategy. To get access to both the e-book and the training session, visit WallStBookie.com.

RagingBull.com sponsored the No. 32 team at the season-opening Daytona 500 where driver Corey LaJoie finished eighth.

The GEICO 500 will take place on Sunday, June 21 at 3 p.m. ET. The 500-mile contest will be televised on FOX.

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About Our Team

About Jason Bond, Expert Trader at WallStBookie.com/Co-Founder of RagingBull.com:
Jason taught himself to trade while working as a full-time gym teacher. Jason’s first trading profits grew, as did his business and both eventually allowed him to free himself of over $250,000 in debt. Now a multimillionaire and a highly skilled trader and trading coach in his own right, Jason has taught well over 30,000 people the strategy he uses to find trades. Along with Jeff Bishop, Jason co-founded the RagingBull.com Foundation to donate some of his trading profits to charity. The foundation has so far donated over half a million dollars to charity. Jason recently released his new book Wall Street Bookie that teaches traders what he calls the “casino trading strategy”, where he takes advantage of careless bets made by other traders. He is also hosting a FREE training event on June 25th that will go over the ins and out of this strategy. You can get access to both the ebook and training for FREE at: WallStBookie.com.

About Go Fas Racing:
Go Fas Racing (GFR) currently fields Ford Mustangs in the NASCAR Cup Series for driver Corey LaJoie. Located in Mooresville, North Carolina, GFR has competed in the NASCAR’s premier series since 2014; fielding cars for some of NASCAR’s top drivers, including past champions. To find out more information about our team please visit www.GoFasRacing.com.

Stay up-to-date on Corey LaJoie:
To get live updates during the race weekends follow @coreylajoie on Instagram and Twitter. Make sure to give Corey a “like” on Facebook – “@CoreyLaJoieRacing”. For a detailed bio and updated in-season statistics, please visit www.coreylajoieracing.com.