Category: NASCAR Cup PR

TALLADEGA, Ala.: Officials from Rick Ware Racing (RWR) announced today that the San Diego, Calif.-based Manscaped has joined the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series No. 52 team with driver Spencer Boyd for Sunday’s 1000Bulbs.com 500 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

Founded in 2017 and featured on ABC’s “Shark Tank,” Manscaped is the only brand dedicated to men’s grooming and hygiene below-the-waist. The product line-up includes precision-engineered tools, unique pH-balanced formulations, and accessories to ensure a simple and effective “manscaping” routine.

“We are excited to have Manscaped join us as a marketing partner this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway,” said Rick Ware Racing general manager Bryan Clodfelter.

“Talladega is a very exciting race and one of those tracks that we really look forward to. “Our No. 52 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 driven by Spencer Boyd is going to be an awesome looking race car and we are thrilled to debut Manscaped on the car.”

“We are thrilled to partner with Rick Ware Racing at the legendary Talladega Superspeedway,” offered Joey Kovac, director of paid media at Manscaped. “Their racing team places the highest importance on driver safety at extreme speeds.

“Manscaped’s SkinSafe™ Technology does the same thing while grooming below the waist. We wish them the best of luck on Sunday afternoon.”

Boyd will make just his third Cup Series start, all for Rick Ware Racing. Previously he has started at Michigan International Speedway and Richmond (Va.) Raceway respectively this season. The 24-year-old will also compete in Saturday afternoon’s NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Sugarlands Shine 250 for Young’s Motorsports.

“We had a solid run in the Cup car at Richmond the last time out,” explained Boyd. “The finish didn’t show the progress we made during the race, so hopefully, we’ll get a chance to improve on that this weekend. I’m honored to represent all of our partners at Talladega including Manscaped.”

In addition to Manscaped, Factor One First Source Fast Pharmacy will serve as a major associate partner for the 31st Cup race of the 2019 season. Additional partners for Sunday’s race include The Medicine Shoppe, Alabama Roofing Professionals, 1A Auto, Wilkerson Automotive, Kickass Beef Jerky, Console Vault and Record Rack.

The 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season continues with the 1000Bulbs.com at Talladega Superspeedway on Sun., Oct. 13 at 2:00 p.m. ET on NBC, the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and SiriusXM Satellite Radio NASCAR Channel 90.

For more on Rick Ware Racing, please “like” them on Facebook (Facebook.com/rickwareracing) or visit WareRacing.com.

Rick Ware Racing is on Twitter. Follow them @RickWareRacing.

For additional information on Manscaped, please visit manscaped.com or follow the brand on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

For more on Spencer Boyd, please like him on Facebook (Spencer Boyd Fan Page) and follow him on Instagram (@spencerboydpr) and Twitter (@SpencerBoyd).

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
1000BULBS.COM 500
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
LINCOLN, ALABAMA
OCTOBER 13, 2019

BOWTIE BULLETS:
CATCHING UP WIITH CHEVROLET CONTENDERS
Four Chevrolet drivers are among the 12 that remain in contention for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship after four of 10 playoff races. Heading into Round 5, here is a look at their start/finish in the last race – on the 1-mile Dover International Speedway oval – the April 2019 and October 2018 Playoff race at the 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway oval:

* Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1
At Dover: Start 5, Finish 38 At Talladega (April 28): qualified 11, finish 1
At Talladega (2018): qualified 5, finish 31
* Kyle Larson, No. 42 McDonald’s Camaro ZL1
At Dover: Start 2, Finish 1 At Talladega (April 28): qualified 10, finish 24
At Talladega (2018): qualified 34, finish 11
* Alex Bowman, No. 88 Nationwide/Amazon Echo Auto Camaro ZL1
At Dover: Start 12, Finish 3 At Talladega (April 28): qualified 9, finish 2
At Talladega (2018): qualified 7, finish 33
* William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1
At Dover: Start 6, Finish 13 At Talladega (April 28): qualified 25, finish 21
At Talladega (2018): qualified 8, finish 20

BOWMAN: A GREAT STORY OF THE PLAYOFFS
Alex Bowman finished second and third in the races at the “Monster Mile” this year. In the trips earlier this season to Talladega Superspeedway and the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway oval, the next races in Round 2 of the Playoffs, Bowman scored runner-up finishes.

“We have two more weeks in this round to get it done,” Bowman said of advancing to the Round of 8.

STANDING TALL AT THE CENTURY MARK
Kyle Larson’s victory at Dover International Speedway was the latest by a Chevrolet driver in the 100th MENCS race at a track. Others include:
Chase Elliott – Talladega Superspeedway; April 28, 2019
Jeff Burton – Charlotte Motor Speedway; October 11, 2008
Dale Earnhardt Jr. – Richmond Raceway; May 6, 2006
Jimmie Johnson – Darlington Raceway; March 21, 2004
Jeff Gordon – Daytona International Speedway; February 16, 1997

TAKING IT STAGE BY STAGE
Chase Elliott leads Team Chevy drivers with 214 stage bonus points, which includes five stage wins, 20 top-five and 36 top-10 finishes. Kyle Larson also has five stage wins, along with 16 top-five and 35 top-10 finishes for 199 points. William Byron (1), Kurt Busch (3), Jimmie Johnson (1), Austin Dillon (2), and Ty Dillon (2) have also contributed stage wins.

COMMEMORATING EARNHARDT’S SUCCESS IN CHEVY MONTE CARLO
Longtime Chevrolet ambassador Dale Earnhardt holds Talladega Superspeedway records for wins (10), top-five finishes (23), top-10s (27) and laps led (1,377) in 44 starts. Fellow Hall of Famer and Chevrolet team owner Richard Childress, who began his MENCS career in 1969 at the track’s grand-opening weekend, will lead the field to the green flag in the black No. 3 Chevrolet Monte Carlo that Earnhardt drove to his 76th and final victory in October 2000 at the Superspeedway. Career Chevrolet drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon are next on list with six wins at the track.

CHEVY DRIVES BREAST CANCER AWARENESS
This October, Chevrolet and General Motors will support the American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer initiative for the ninth consecutive year. Nationwide, dealers, employees, customers and loved ones will join forces to raise breast cancer awareness and make a difference for those affected.

This weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, Chevrolet is hosting breast cancer survivors and their guests on Saturday morning, October 12th, providing hot laps in pink Camaro ZL1 pace cars around the 2.66-mile track with Chevy drivers Chase Elliott and Ty Dillon. They will also be treated to a breakfast hospitality experience complete with a unique activity, a driver question-and-answer session, autographs, photos, and tickets to the race.

TUNE-IN:
NBC will telecast the 188-lap race live at 2 p.m. ET Sunday, Oct. 13. The NBCSports Gold app will stream the race and live coverage can also be found on MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

BY THE NUMBERS:
* Victories by current Chevrolet drivers at Talladega Superspeedway:
Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1, has two wins (May 2006, April 2011)
Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1, has one win (April 2019)
*Chevrolet has won 41 of the 100 races at Talladega Superspeedway to lead all manufacturers.
* Johnson needs one win to tie Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip (84) for fourth on the all-time list.
*Johnson leads active drivers with 470 laps led in 35 starts at Talladega Superspeedway.
* Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1, leads active drivers with 20 top-10 finishes in 37 starts at Talladega Superspeedway.
* Busch, with an average finish of 15.8 in the October race at Talladega, leads active drivers with 11,309 green flag passes and 3,691 laps in the top 15 (66.9%).
* Team Chevy drivers have earned 13 pole starts this season, led by William Byron with five.
* William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1, is second with 99.69% (8,351 of 8,377) laps completed this season. Byron has been running at the finish in the past 29 races.
* With 160 laps led at Dover, Chevrolet surpassed 23,400 in its MENCS history.
* Chevrolet has won 39 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships.

Chevrolet will be pacing the field at Talladega Superspeedway, with a T1 Silverado leading the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series in the Sugarlands Shine 250, and a Pink Camaro ZL1 leading the NASCAR Monster Energy Series in the 1000Bulbs.com 500.

FOR THE FANS:
· Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway at Talladega Superspeedway
· Fans can check out an assortment of Chevrolet vehicles including: Equinox AWD, 2500HD Crew HC Diesel, Blazer RS, Traverse AWD Premiere, 1500 Crew LTZ Premier 6.2, and Camaro ZL1.
· At the Chevrolet Display, fans can also view Chase Elliott’s No. 9 Dew Camaro ZL1 showcar
· Other activities at the Team Chevy Racing Display include a variety of interactive games for adults and kids

TEAM CHEVY QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSIONS AT THE DISPLAY:
Friday, October 11
· 1:45 p.m. – Young’s Motorsports (Gus Dean, Spencer Boyd, Tyler Dippel)

Saturday, October 12
· 2:30 p.m. – Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Sunday, October 13
· 9:00 a.m. – Austin Dillon
· 9:25 a.m. – Kurt Busch
· 9:45 a.m. – Jimmie Johnson
· 10:05 a.m. – Chase Elliott

Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation:
· Friday, October 11th: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
· Saturday, October 12th: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
· Sunday, October 13th: 8:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

QUOTABLE QUOTES:
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 NATIONWIDE / AMAZON ECHO AUTO CAMARO ZL1 – 7th IN STANDINGS
BOWMAN ON GOING INTO TALLADEGA AS A PLAYOFF DRIVER VERSUS EARLIER THIS YEAR:
“Honestly, it is probably just a little more stressful this go around. I feel like we’ve obviously done a good job as a company and Chevrolet to run well at these tracks. Our superspeedway cars are always really good, but we’re still at the mercy of everyone else. It is really just the unknown of what can happen on the track. We just have to be smart in a stressful environment. I think the easiest thing to do is stay our front all day. There isn’t really anywhere to hide, but you always have guys that try to run in the back and there is still a chance to get taken out anyway.”

BOWMAN ON THE NEW PAINT SCHEME:
“The paint scheme this weekend is pretty awesome. The Amazon Echo Auto device is such a cool product and it’s pretty cool that Nationwide is giving away one million of these devices to their policy holders. It was fun to shoot some of these videos with Dale (Earnhardt Jr.) and Nationwide a few weeks ago. Definitely be on the lookout for more videos this week.”

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 – 8th IN STANDINGS
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON TALLADEGA AND RESTRICTOR PLATE RACING?
“I’m not a huge fan of plate racing, but it is fun to show up at those tracks knowing you’re going to have an extremely fast car. This year especially, Hendrick Motorsports has had some of the best cars at restrictor plate races, and we’ve shown that with good qualifying and good results, especially at Daytona for the No. 24 team. We can lean on that once again this time. I just need to try stay disciplined with my teammates so we can stay at the front of the field and keep momentum going. It seems like lately you really have to work with your teammates to make up any ground through the field. As long as we can do that, and try our best to stay out of trouble, we should have a good chance at a good result.”

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 – 11th IN STANDINGS
WHAT DOES TALLADEGA MEAN TO YOU, WITH YOU BEING FROM GEORGIA AND I KNOW YOU WENT TO THAT TRACK MANY OF TIMES WITH YOUR DAY?
“The race track has always kind of felt like a home race to me. It’s really as close as anywhere, it’s almost as close to going to Atlanta distance-wise. Any time you race close to home, it’s nice because you don’t have to go very far to go over there to the track, which is why I like it. Definitely the crowd makes you feel at home too; they certainly made me feel like that in the spring. I look forward to getting back over there. If it goes good, it goes good. If it doesn’t, we’ll figure it out after that.”

CHRIS BUESCHER, NO. 37 LOUISIANA HOT SAUCE CAMARO ZL1 – 20th IN STANDINGS
“Talladega Superspeedway and I definitely have a love/hate relationship. The superspeedway races have not been kind to us this season, so I’m looking forward to hopefully ending the season on a high note this weekend. Talladega can be so wide open, but it’s very different from the racing we see at Daytona International Speedway. The track is so much wider that it creates more lanes and can sometimes be the cause of more trouble. We’ve had every strategy at these superspeedway races, but the most important one is to be there at the end with the shiny side of our Louisiana Hot Sauce Camaro ZL1 up.”

BUBBA WALLACE, NO. 43 VICTORY JUNCTION CAMARO ZL1 – 26th IN STANDINGS
TALLADEGA CAN BE CONSIDERED A WILD CARD WHEN IT COMES TO FINISHES. WHAT IS IT GOING TO TAKE TO BRING HOME A WIN?
“Looking at the No. 43 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 we had at the Talladega Superspeedway this year, our team was really fast and I was simply trying to get out of the eye-of-the-storm. I ended up causing the eye-of-the-storm and that was unfortunate.

“Our Richard Petty Motorsports team didn’t qualify too well, but within ten laps, we were up there inside the top-five. Our speedway packages have always been really good, and we have always had fast cars. As a team, our resume this year has not been good compared to last year. We have to go to the Talladega Superspeedway, run a smooth and clean race, and be there at the end. We know our Chevrolet Camaro ZL1’s are fast there. I think we’ve destroyed all of our speedway cars, so we’ll have a new one for this one.”

RYAN PREECE, NO. 47 KROGER CAMARO ZL1 – 27th IN STANDINGS
“So far at Talladega Superspeedway, we’ve got some pretty good odds in our Kroger Camaro ZL1. However, superspeedway racing is its own animal. Of the three races at Talladega and Daytona International Speedway so far this season, we have two top-10 finishes. We have speed and I’ve been fortunate to be able to maneuver through some of the wrecks to keep our car clean at the end. That’s always the goal, and especially this weekend. While the season may be winding down, we’re still working hard and building to continue improving and hit the ground running next year, and we’ve got six races left to finish out the season strong.”

Chevrolet Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Statistics

Manufacturers Championships:
Total (1949-2018): 39
First title for Chevrolet: 1958
Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15)

Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015

Drivers Championships:
Total (1949-2018): 31
First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)
Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)

Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016

Event Victories:
Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)

2019 STATISTICS:
Wins: 7
Poles: 13
Laps Led: 1,850
Top-five finishes: 39
Top-10 finishes: 95

CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 786 (1949 to date)
Poles won to date: 712
Laps led to date: 234,105
Top-five finishes to date: 4,008
Top-10 finishes to date: 8,267

Total NASCAR Cup wins by corporation, 1949 to date

General Motors: 1,120
Chevrolet: 786
Pontiac: 154
Oldsmobile: 115
Buick: 65

Ford: 784
Ford: 684
Mercury: 96
Lincoln: 4

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

Toyota: 139

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.

TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY (2.66-MILE OVAL)
LOCATION: TALLADEGA, ALABAMA
EVENT: NASCAR CUP SERIES (RACE 31 OF 36)
TUNE IN: 2 P.M. ET, SUNDAY, Oct. 13 (NBC/MRN/SIRIUSXM)

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Chase Elliott
No. 9 NAPA NightVision Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Driver Chase Elliott Hometown Dawsonville, Georgia
Age 23 Resides Dawsonville, Georgia

2019 Season
11th in standings
30 starts
3 wins
3 pole positions
10 top-five finishes
13 top-10 finishes
578 laps led

Career
143 starts
6 wins
7 pole positions
43 top-five finishes
72 top-10 finishes
1,821 laps led

Track Career
7 starts
1 win
1 pole position
3 top-five finishes
3 top-10 finishes
107 laps led

Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 NAPA NightVision Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, will be available to members of the media on Friday, Oct. 11, at 11:45 a.m. local time in the media center at Talladega Superspeedway.

NAPA NIGHTVISION: On Monday, NAPA AUTO PARTS revealed the No. 9 NAPA NightVision Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 that Chase Elliott will pilot this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. For more images and to see Elliott’s firesuit, click here. The paint scheme features NAPA’s October promotion, which allows customers to save up to $30 when they purchase both NAPA NightVision Premium Headlamps and a pair of Trico Titan Wipers.

ROUND OF 12: This weekend marks race two of three in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs Round of 12. Last weekend at Dover International Speedway, Elliott and the No. 9 team’s day ended early in Stage 1 after a mechanical issue proved to be terminal. The driver of the No. 9 currently sits 11th in the playoff standings, seven points below the cut line. Elliott has won at both of the remaining Round of 12 tracks in the last year (Talladega – April 2019; Kansas – October 2018). Both Talladega Superspeedway and Kansas Speedway are two tracks where Elliott has collected three top-five finishes in his career, behind only Dover, where he has six top-five finishes.

LAST TIME AT ‘DEGA: In the spring at Talladega Superspeedway, Elliott brought home his first win in 2019 and fourth career Cup Series victory. En route to the Talladega victory, the 23-year-old driver collected his first stage win of the season and led a total of 45 laps in the 188-lap event. In total, Elliott garnered 57 points during the May event, the most of any driver.

LOOKING TO REBOUND: After finishing 38th at Dover last weekend, Elliott and the No. 9 team are looking to rebound and re-enter the top eight in the playoff standings to advance to next round. The last time the driver of the No. 9 Chevy finished 38th was at Pocono in July. The next week, he took home the checkered flag at Watkins Glen. Each of Elliott’s last four wins came after he finished outside the top 10 in the previous race.

PIT CREW PROWESS: Among the teams competing in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, the No. 9 pit crew leads the field. Through 30 races in 2019, the team owns the best average time for four-tire stops at 14.128 seconds.

MAKING STRIDES AGAINST BREAST CANCER: On Saturday, Oct. 12, at 7:30 a.m. local time, Elliott will participate in Chevrolet’s American Cancer Society Event at Talladega Superspeedway. To support the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer program, Elliott and fellow Team Chevy driver Ty Dillon will drive breast cancer survivors around the 2.66-mile speedway in pink Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 pace cars.

ELLIOTT AT ‘DEGA: On Sunday, Oct. 13, Elliott will appear at the Team Chevy Stage at 10:05 a.m. local time for a question-and-answer session.

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William Byron
No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Driver William Byron Hometown Charlotte, North Carolina
Age 21 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina

2019 Season
8th in standings
30 starts
0 wins
5 pole positions
3 top-five finishes
11 top-10 finishes
211 laps led

Career
66 starts
0 wins
5 pole positions
3 top-five finishes
15 top-10 finishes
272 laps led

Track Career
3 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
0 top-10 finishes
19 laps led

ONE DOWN, TWO TO GO: The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs Round of 12 kicked off last weekend at Dover International Speedway, and William Byron and the No. 24 team left the track with a 13th-place finish. The 21-year-old driver currently finds himself eighth in the driver point standings, sitting on the playoff cut line tied with ninth place in his first playoff appearance. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native will have two more chances to lock himself into the Round of 8, starting with Talladega Superspeedway this weekend and Kansas Speedway the following weekend. While a win would allow him to automatically advance, he has the opportunity to grab a spot based on points depending on how the next two races play out.

AT IT AGAIN WITH AXALTA: For the second consecutive weekend, Byron will climb behind the wheel of the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for the final superspeedway race of the season at Talladega. In three superspeedway races so far in 2019, Byron has had Axalta on board twice. The first time was the season opener at Daytona International Speedway, where he became the second-youngest pole winner for the Daytona 500 and led 44 laps with an opportunity for a possible win before a late-race incident. He also ran a special patriotic version of the iconic Axalta flames at Daytona in July, where once again Byron was positioned for a possible race win, but weather shortened the race, leaving Byron in the runner-up position. After this weekend, Axalta Coating Systems will have two more races on the No. 24 car in 2019, both coming in November at Texas Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway.

‘DEGA DETAILS: Making his fourth NASCAR Cup Series start at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend, Byron is looking to change his luck at the 2.66-mile track. In his previous three Cup races, Byron has had solid runs, including leading a total of 19 laps, but has a track-best finish of 20th due to the unpredictability of superspeedway racing. Aside from those three Cup races, Byron has one NASCAR Xfinity Series start as well one NASCAR Truck Series start at Talladega.

KNAUS’ KNACK: With a skill for superspeedway racing, crew chief Chad Knaus is set to call his 38th NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega when the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 hits the track this weekend. While Byron and Knaus’ first showing together at Talladega didn’t yield the results they would have liked, Knaus has had previous success at the Alabama track. Racking up six pole awards at superspeedway including a streak of four in a row in his first four races as a Cup crew chief, Knaus also has two wins at the venue.

CLOSE TO HOME: Hailing from Pensacola, Florida, No. 24 team spotter Tab Boyd claims Talladega as his home track. Growing up a few hours away from the superspeedway, Boyd has more than 20 years of experience in NASCAR, holding various roles including an Xfinity Series tire changer and mechanical and fabrication positions before ultimately ending up in the spotter’s stand. When Boyd has time outside of the NASCAR schedule, he is usually still at the racetrack behind the steering wheel of his Street Stock in the Street Stock Mid-Atlantic Series.

HERTZ ULTIMATE RIDE SWEEPSTAKES: In conjunction with Hendrick Motorsports, Hertz is introducing a new “pace car” to its fleet with a limited-edition custom 2020 Camaro ZL1 and 2020 Camaro SS. Available to be reserved beginning mid-October 2019, customers have the opportunity to rent the custom Camaros fashioned in the signature Hertz yellow and black color scheme with custom wheels, interior badging and full performance upgrades outfitted by HMS. In conjunction with the program rollout, customers can celebrate the debut of the limited-edition Camaros by participating in The Hertz Ultimate Ride Sweepstakes – which runs through Nov. 15, 2019 – for a chance to win a 2020 Hertz-Hendrick Motorsports Camaro SS. Five finalists will also win an exclusive driving experience in Charlotte. Click here for more information on the Hertz-Hendrick custom Camaro program.

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

2019 Season
17th in standings
30 starts
0 wins
1 pole position
3 top-five finishes
11 top-10 finishes
89 laps led

Career
645 starts
83 wins
36 pole positions
227 top-five finishes
363 top-10 finishes
18,792 laps led

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

ANOTHER TOP-10: Jimmie Johnson notched his third consecutive top-10 finish last weekend at Dover International Speedway. The seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion qualified 11th and remained in the top 10 the majority of the race en route to an eighth-place result. The three-race top-10 streak is his longest since he had a four-race top-10 streak in the fall of 2016.

LAST FOUR: Johnson and crew chief Cliff Daniels gained some momentum throughout the month of September and into October. The No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team has improved its finishing position each week. The last four race finishes include 11th at Las Vegas, 10th at Richmond, ninth at the Charlotte road course and eighth at Dover. The driver has an average finish of 9.5 in the first round of the playoffs, which is the sixth-best in the series, though he is not eligible for a NASCAR championship this season.

CHEVY STAGE: Johnson will appear for a question-and-answer session at the Team Chevy display in the midway at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday at 9:45 a.m. local time.

‘DEGA WINS: Hendrick Motorsports has 13 wins at the storied 2.66-mile superspeedway in Talladega. Of those 13, Johnson is the proud owner of two first-place trophies. His last win at Talladega was in 2011. Last year in this race, Johnson earned a seventh-place finish. Over his 35 starts, he has led 470 laps at the Alabama racetrack.

SUPER ‘SPEED’ WAYS: The No. 48 superspeedway program has been stout from a performance standpoint in 2019, as Johnson recorded a win in the season-opening “Clash” event at Daytona. He secured a ninth-place finish in the Daytona 500 and a third-place finish at Daytona in July. The driver of the No. 48 Chevy was involved in an on-track incident where the car suffered damage early on during the spring event at Talladega and he finished 33rd.

PINK ACCENTS: To promote awareness for October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Johnson will don pink Alpinestars driving gloves and an Ally Racing hat with pink accents.

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

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Alex Bowman
No. 88 Nationwide Amazon Echo Auto Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Driver Alex Bowman Hometown Tucson, Arizona
Age 26 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina

2019 Season
7th in standings
30 starts
1 win
0 pole positions
6 top-five finishes
10 top-10 finishes
182 laps led

Career
147 starts
1 win
2 pole positions
9 top-five finishes
24 top-10 finishes
456 laps led

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

Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 88 Nationwide Amazon Echo Auto Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, will be available to members of the media on Friday, Oct. 11, at 2:30 p.m. local time in the media center at Talladega Superspeedway.

ON BOWMAN’S SIDE: Nationwide will adorn the hood of Alex Bowman’s No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Sunday’s race at Talladega Superspeedway. This weekend’s ride will feature a special scheme to promote the newly released Amazon Echo Auto device. Nationwide is introducing three new features to its skills for Alexa, including a new driver checklist, Nationwide roadside assistance and information regarding road conditions. The Columbus, Ohio-based insurance and financial services company is giving away one million Echo Auto devices to qualifying new and existing Nationwide auto insurance policyholders in select states. Those qualified customers can visit nationwide.com/echoauto to claim their free device. Check out how easy it is for Bowman to listen to his Talladega playlist using the Echo Auto here.

DOVER RECAP: Last weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series raced at the Dover International Speedway for the first race in the Round of 12 of the playoffs. Bowman qualified 12th for the event behind teammate Jimmie Johnson in 11th. Shortly after taking the green flag, the 26-year-old driver entered the top 10, where he remained for the majority of the 400-mile race. Finishing sixth in both Stages 1 and 2, Bowman earned valuable stage points that will come in handy next week in the Round of 12 finale event an Kansas Speedway. The driver of the No. 88 machine had his sights set up front and took over third place on Lap 351. He maintained that position through the remainder of the event to come home third. His two consecutive top-five finishes are tied for the longest active streak.

PLAYOFF STANDINGS: Following his third-place finish at Dover on Sunday, Bowman now sits seventh in the playoff standings. The No. 88 team is currently 17 points above the cut line going into the second race in the Round of 12 this weekend in Talladega Superspeedway. Earlier this year the Tucson, Arizona, native earned 53 points at the 2.66-mile superspeedway after finishing second to teammate Chase Elliott. It marked the second-most points scored by any driver in the event. In the spring, only four of the 12 playoff drivers finished inside the top 10. So far in the 2019 playoffs, Bowman has an average finish of 8.5, which ranks fifth-best. Only two drivers have finished inside the top five at both the Charlotte road course and Dover, and Bowman is one of them.

BOWMAN STATS AT ‘DEGA: The driver of the No. 88 machine will make his ninth career Cup Series start at Talladega on Sunday. Bowman’s best finish of second at the track came earlier this year after the team qualified ninth and led seven laps. In the fall of 2018, Bowman started the event in the seventh position and finished 33rd after a late-race incident. He has led 33 laps at the superspeedway and owns two top-10 finishes. Back in 2013, Bowman made one start at the track in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and finished 13th after rolling off 14th. He made one start in the ARCA Series at the track in 2012 and finished 32nd.

IVES IN ALABAMA: Crew chief Greg Ives will call the shots for the 10th time for the No. 88 team at Talladega this weekend. The Bark River, Michigan, native has one win at the track with Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2015 after leading 67 laps in addition to two top-five finishes and four top-10 results. Ives’ drivers have qualified well at the venue with an average starting position of 6.8. In 2017, the crew chief’s team started on the pole and led seven laps en route to a seventh-place finish. In total, Ives’ drivers have led 168 laps and have completed 92.5 percent of the total laps run in nine events. The crew chief’s resume also includes a 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 until 2012. During that time, he was a part of two wins, two pole awards and seven top-10 finishes at Talladega.

HOME-TRACK FEELS: No. 88 team tire carrier Rowdy Harrell returns to his home state of Alabama this weekend when the NASCAR Cup Series visits Talladega Superspeedway. Harrell grew up in the small town of Moundville, Alabama, which is near Tuscaloosa. He played middle linebacker for the University of Alabama Crimson Tide under coach Nick Saban and was part of three NCAA national championship wins with the team in 2009, 2011 and 2012.

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Hendrick Motorsports

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT TALLADEGA: Hendrick Motorsports has a history of record-breaking performances at Talladega Superspeedway. The organization owns the all-time record at the track in each of the following categories: wins (13), poles (12), runner-up results (14), top-five finishes (58), top-10s (87) and laps led (2,809).

SEVEN MAKE 13: Hendrick Motorsports’ 13 Talladega wins are accounted for by seven different drivers, which tie for the organization’s most at a single track. Jeff Gordon owns the most wins with six, Jimmie Johnson captured two, and Brian Vickers, Chase Elliott, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ken Schrader and Terry Labonte won one apiece.

THE LAST FIVE: All four Hendrick Motorsports drivers have earned three top-10 finishes in the past five races. During that span, the organization has amassed one win, one pole, one runner-up result, five top-five finishes, 12 top-10s, 83 laps led and an average finish of 12.35. The 12 top-10s are the most of all multi-car teams in the last five races.

SUPERSPEEDWAY SUCCESS: Hendrick Motorsports holds the record for the most superspeedway wins all-time with 27 and also holds the record for the most pole positions at superspeedways with 32. In each of the last two superspeedway races, the organization has held two of the top-three finishing positions. That includes Elliott and Alex Bowman finishing one-two at Talladega and William Byron and Johnson finishing two-three at Daytona.

PLAYOFF WINNERS: Hendrick Motorsports has won at least once in 15 of the 16 seasons of the playoffs, with the 2017 campaign as the only outlier.

POSTSEASON POSITIONING: The 2019 season marks a series-best 12th in which Hendrick Motorsports has sent at least three drivers to the playoffs. It is also the 14th consecutive year that the organization has at least two drivers in the playoffs, which is the most of all teams. Its three drivers still in the playoffs in the Round of 12 are tied for the most from a single team.

PILING UP POLE POSITIONS: After securing just two poles in 2018, Hendrick Motorsports has amassed nine poles this year with six races remaining in the season. It’s the fifth-highest total the organization has earned in a single season, tied with the 1996 and 2004 campaigns. Hendrick Motorsports’ record for poles came in 1986 with 16, followed by 12 in 2007 and 2009, 11 in 2008 and 2012 and 10 in 1995. Looking ahead to this weekend, 11 of the last 17 superspeedway poles (Daytona and Talladega) were won by Hendrick Motorsports drivers. The organization has swept the front row in eight of the last 17 superspeedway races with qualifying, including qualifying one-two-three-four for the 2019 Daytona 500.

LEADING LAPS: In 2019, Hendrick Motorsports has more than doubled its total of laps led from a season ago. Last year, the organization’s drivers tallied 497 laps led. Now, after last weekend’s race at Dover, the 2019 total has been brought to 1,060 laps up front with six races remaining in the season.

ORGANIZATION STATS: To date, Hendrick Motorsports has totals of 12 championships, 256 race victories, 224 pole positions, 1,067 top-five finishes and 1,832 top-10 finishes in points-paying NASCAR Cup Series competition. Its teams have led more than 68,700 laps since 1984.

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QUOTABLE /
Chase Elliott on Talladega strategy:
“We’ve talked about it some. It’s going to look real similar to what it did at Talladega in the spring and Daytona in the summer. We made a pretty conscious effort with our manufacturer of Chevrolet to try and do a better job of working together. It worked at Talladega. A lot of us crashed, but at least a Chevrolet still won the summer race at Daytona. Hopefully it works out. That’s the thing, we can put as much effort as we want or as little effort as we want, but it’s never going to guarantee that you aren’t going to crash or have a bad day there. I expect we’ll do our part on our end to try and make as good of a day as we can out of it, but no guarantees.”

Elliott on Talladega’s 50th anniversary:
“Obviously I haven’t been around for very many of the 50, but the racetrack has always kind of felt like a home race to me. It’s really as close as anywhere, it’s almost as close to going to Atlanta distance-wise. Any time you race close to home, it’s nice because you don’t have to go very far to go over there to the track, which is why I like it. Definitely the crowd makes you feel at home, too. They certainly made me feel like that in the spring. I look forward to getting back over there. If it goes good, it goes good. If it doesn’t, we’ll figure it out after that.”

William Byron on superspeedway racing:
“I’m not a huge fan of plate racing, but it is fun to show up at those tracks knowing you’re going to have an extremely fast car. This year especially, Hendrick Motorsports has had some of the best cars at superspeedway races, and we’ve shown that with good qualifying and good results especially at Daytona for the No. 24 team. We can lean on that once again this time. I just need to try stay disciplined with my teammates so we can stay at the front of the field and keep momentum going. It seems like lately you really have to work with your teammates to make up any ground through the field. As long as we can do that, and try our best to stay out of trouble, we should have a good chance at a good result.”

Jimmie Johnson on racing at Talladega:
“My take on Talladega is that you are at the mercy of everybody else’s luck 98 percent of the time. You just kind of put it in a different spot in your head and deal with it knowing you can’t control what might happen most of the time. It’s a great atmosphere for fans – a festival of sorts – but when it comes to racing, at the end of the day all you can do is hope you’re in that 2 percent of people that make it through the wrecks.”

Alex Bowman on approaching Talladega as a playoff driver:
“Honestly, it is probably just a little more stressful this go around. I feel like we’ve obviously done a good job as a company and Chevrolet to run well at these tracks. Our superspeedway cars are always really good, but we’re still at the mercy of everyone else. It is really just the unknown of what can happen on the track. We just have to be smart in a stressful environment. I think the easiest thing to do is stay out front all day. There isn’t really anywhere to hide, but you always have guys that try to run in the back and there is still a chance to get taken out anyway.”

Bowman on his new paint scheme:
“The paint scheme this weekend is pretty awesome. The Amazon Echo Auto device is such a cool product and it’s pretty cool that Nationwide is giving away one million of these devices to their policy holders. It was fun to shoot some of these videos with Dale (Earnhardt Jr.) and Nationwide a few weeks ago. Definitely be on the lookout for more videos this week.”

Denny Hamlin
#11 FedEx Ground Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing

Race Info:
Race: 1000Bulbs.com 500
Date/Time: Sunday, Oct. 13/2:00 p.m. ET
Race Distance: 188 Laps/500.8 Miles
Track Shape: Tri-Oval
Track Length: 2.66 Miles
Banking: 33 degrees
2018 Winner: Aric Almirola

Express Notes:

Dover Recap: Denny Hamlin recorded his 15th top-five finish of the season on Sunday with a fifth-place finish at Dover International Speedway in his 500th career start in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. After starting from the pole position, Hamlin kept the #11 FedEx machine up front throughout most of Stage 1, only relinquishing the lead in order to visit pit road for his first green-flag pit stop. Following the round of stops, Hamlin returned to the top spot, eventually taking the Stage 1 win, securing a playoff bonus point in the process. Leading the field to the green for Stage 2, Hamlin showed the way again, until pitting with 54 laps remaining in the segment. Hamlin assumed the top spot following the scheduled stops, however, the FedEx car was beginning to develop a tight condition as the segment progressed. As the laps wound down, Hamlin got trapped behind a lapped car and Martin Truex Jr. passed the #11 with 10 laps remaining in the Stage. Hamlin started the final segment next to Kyle Larson and tried to keep up with Larson, but the evolving tight condition returned to the FedEx car. A lack of cautions hampered crew chief Chris Gabehart’s ability to dial in enough adjustment to give Hamlin the handling he needed, and the FedEx car eventually faded to fifth by the time the checkered flag waved. Hamlin led the most laps, with 218, but Larson went on to score his first victory of the season.

Talladega Superspeedway Preview: The Series returns to the “Biggest and Fastest” track in NASCAR, Talladega Superspeedway, for Sunday’s 500-mile race. Coming off a fifth-place finish at Dover, Hamlin looks to add his second career victory at the track and score his team’s fifth win of the 2019 season.

Hamlin Statistics:
Track: Talladega Superspeedway
Races: 27
Wins: 1
Poles: 0
Top-5: 6
Top-10: 10
Laps Led: 302
Avg. Start: 17.2
Avg. Finish: 18.3

Hamlin Conversation – Talladega:

Is Talladega as much of a wild card as everyone says?

“It’s definitely a wild card. Most anyone can win at Talladega. Strategy plays such a big role. Not by the crew chief, by the driver. Trying to put yourself in the right lane at the right time is the name of the game.”

You are now 15 points behind the points leader, Martin Truex Jr.  What is your FedEx Racing team’s focus as you get ready for Talladega?

“We just have to stay on our game. Talladega is known as the biggest and the fastest course in the circuit. We’ve finished top five there six times, including a win, so we have had success. We just want to stay focused and patient so we can continue to climb up the leaderboard and be up front at the end.”

FedEx Ground Along for the Ride at Talladega: The #11 car features the letters “GPLS” on its B-post to recognize the FedEx Ground Great Plains district for excelling in safety performance during the first quarter.

Roush Fenway Heads to Sweet Home Alabama for Fall Tilt
Roush Fenway takes its pair of Fords to Sweet Home Alabama this weekend as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) heads to Talladega Superspeedway. RFR has eight wins all-time at Talladega including the most recent by Ricky Stenhouse Jr., in 2017.

Talladega Superspeedway
Sunday, Oct. 13 | 2 p.m. ET
NBC, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90
·         Ryan Newman, No. 6 Wyndham Rewards Ford Mustang
·         Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 17 SunnyD Ford Mustang

Michael McDowell on Talladega
17 Starts
Best Finish: 16th
“We know we can run well at Talladega with our No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops Ford Mustang. However, it’s important to be smart and patient in order to be in contention for the win. There’s a lot of factors that you cannot control, but we know that people are going to be aggressive heading into the last 20 laps – especially those in the Playoffs – so we need to do everything we can to stay focused and get a good result for our partners at Love’s.”

Matt Tifft on Talladega
1 Start
Best Finish: 37th
“Superspeedways are seen as ‘the great equalizer,’ but you often still see the same guys running well at the end. Teamwork can actually be really important in order to set yourself up for a good finish, so we always try to keep that in mind when we’re in the pack with other Fords. We had a great run at Daytona and had some strong speed at Talladega in the spring, but unfortunately our day was cut short early on. I’m looking forward to having another chance at a good finish for our No. 36 Surface Sunscreen/Tunity Ford this weekend.”

When Eddie Wood, Paul Menard and the other members of the No. 21 Menards/Tarkett Flooring team arrive at Talladega Superspeedway for this weekend’s 1000Bulbs.com 500 they might need a map to find their way around.

Since the NASCAR circuit last visited the track in April, the track has undergone a $50 million “Transformation” that includes a new tunnel under the track, a new Cup garage and numerous infield improvements designed to enhance the at-track experience for fans.

Eddie Wood is one of those long-time members of the garage community that has seen all of the previous upgrades throughout the track’s 50-year history and is anxious to check out the latest.

“I was fortunate to get to work in the first garage at Talladega, which was made from an old bridge that the governor of Alabama gave to Mr. France,” Wood said. “And it doesn’t seem like that long ago that the garage we were in back in the spring was built.”

The new facility is far beyond any improvements of the past.

“I’m glad to see Talladega making changes to stay current with other facilities on the circuit,” Wood said. “The things they’re doing for the fans are really good. It gives fans a much better experience of going to a NASCAR race.

“It’s a behind-the-scenes experience because they can get closer to the cars and to the people that work on them.”

Although the changes in the infield of the track are unprecedented for Talladega, Wood expects the events on the track to be typical for the giant, 2.66-mile superspeedway, which means there will be plenty of drama.

“The thinking used to be that you wanted to do what you had to do to be in position to go for the win with 10 laps to go, but now it’s more like being there with one to go,” he said. “It’s the same for everybody. You have to get through the unusual happenings at Talladega.”

And he said those “unusual happenings” don’t always involve a “Big One” multi-car crash, a fairly common occurrence on a track where drivers can run three- or four-wide and 10-rows deep.

“It can go all green flag all the way to the end,” he said. “It’s happened before, just like it did at Dover last Sunday.”

Qualifying for the 1000Bulbs.com 500 is set for Saturday at 3:35 p.m. (4:35 Eastern Time), and the race is scheduled to start just after 1 p.m. (2 p.m. Eastern) with TV coverage on NBC.

Menards

A family owned company started in 1958, Menards is headquartered in Eau Claire, WI.  Menards has more than 300 retail stores located throughout the Midwest in the states of IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, MI, MN, MO, NE, ND, OH, SD, WI and WY.  Menards is known throughout the home improvement industry as the low price leader.  It’s famous slogan “Save Big Money at Menards” is widely known and easy to remember.  For more information, visit Menards.com, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest.

Wood Brothers Racing

Wood Brothers Racing was formed in 1950 in Stuart, Va., by Hall of Famer Glen 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. Glen’s brother, Leonard, is known for inventing the modern pit stop. The team currently runs the Ford Mustang driven by Paul Menard in the famous No. 21 racer.

Team:                          No. 17 SunnyD Ford Mustang
Crew Chief:                 Brian Pattie
Twitter:                          @Stenhouse17team, @Stenhousejr, and @roushfenway

ADVANCE NOTES

Stenhouse at Talladega Superspeedway

The two-time Xfinity champion has 12 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) starts at Talladega with an average finishing position of 11.8.

In 12 MENCS starts, Stenhouse has scored one win, five top-five and seven top-10 finishes and completed 99.2% of the laps.

Returning to the Site of his First Cup Win

After earning his second career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) Coors Light pole award, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. took the lead on the final lap to claim his first career MENCS victory at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday afternoon earning a spot in the 2017 Playoffs.

Last time at Talladega

After having to start at the rear for an unapproved adjustment, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. drove his Ford to the front leading 16 laps before blowing a tire coming to the white flag earning a 25th place finish in Sunday’s Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

On the Car

Iconic brand and thirst quenching favorite SunnyD will return to the No. 17 this weekend as the primary partner on the No. 17 Ford.

Driven for a Cause
Throughout the month of October, Roush Fenway Racing will show its support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month by running special pink numbers on its Ford Mustangs. In addition, Roush Fenway Fords will sport pink ‘Driven for a Cause’ ribbon decals on the C-Post all month long.

Stenhouse Jr. on racing at Talladega:

“I always look forward to Talladega, not only is it my home track but also the site of my first Cup win. The main thing is to be patient as anything can happen. Jimmy Fennig has been working really hard on our cars since Daytona as we think we found some things to make our Fords faster. With six races to go, our goal is to have a clean race and try to be there at the end to compete for the win.”

Team:                   No. 6 Wyndham Rewards Ford Mustang
Crew Chief:         Scott Graves
Twitter:                @Roush6Team, @RoushFenway and @RyanJNewman

1000 Bulbs 500 – Sunday, Oct. 13 at 2 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

Newman at Talladega Superspeedway
·         Newman will make his 36th Cup start at Talladega on Sunday. In 35 prior races, Newman has an average finish of 19.2 with 14 top-10s and six top-fives.
·         His best finish at the track came just two seasons ago when he crossed the line second in the 2017 fall race. He also finished ninth last spring after starting 18th.
·         After finishing seventh this April, Newman has three top-10s in his last four starts at the 2.66-mile track.
·         He holds an average starting position of 14.9 with 11 starts inside the top-10. He has two career qualifying efforts of third or better, including third in 2005 and second in 2012.
·         Newman also made one Xfinity Series start at Talladega back in 2009, where he qualified on the pole and finished second.

Scott Graves at Talladega Superspeedway
·         Graves will call his seventh MENCS event at Talladega on Sunday. In six previous races atop the pit box, Graves has a best finish of third with Ricky Stenhouse Jr., back in 2013.
·         He most recently finished seventh with Newman this spring and overall has an average finish of 11.2.
·         Graves also called three Xfinity Series events at Talladega, all of which were top-10s. He led Chris 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.

Last Time at Talladega
Despite getting caught up in an early incident, Newman came back and restarted within the lead pack at the end of the spring race to finish seventh.

QUOTE WORTHY
Newman on racing at Talladega:
“We’re looking forward to the opportunity in front of us at Talladega. Any time we got to a restrictor plate track we feel we have a chance, and I think we’ve shown that this year at Daytona and the first Talladega race. It’s always an odd ball because you never know what can happen on a Superspeedway, but we’re excited for the challenge and glad to have Wyndham Rewards back on the car this weekend.”

Recapping Dover
Newman crossed the line 22nd Sunday at Dover.

Driven for a Cause
Throughout the month of October, Roush Fenway Racing will show its support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month by running special pink numbers on its Ford Mustangs. In addition, Roush Fenway Fords will sport pink ‘Driven for a Cause’ ribbon decals on the C-Post all month long.

FORD PERFORMANCE NASCAR: TALLADEGA PLAYOFF NOTES

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series are in action this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway as the playoffs reach the halfway point.  Ford had its seven-race MENCS winning streak at the track snapped last spring, but comes into the weekend having won five straight Talladega playoff events.  Here’s a look at where Ford stands in both series, along with some of those key wins from past seasons.

FORD IN THE MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES AT TALLADEGA
·         Ford has 28 all-time series wins at Talladega, including 7 of the last 8, and 10 of the last 14.
·         Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, David Ragan, Kevin Harvick, Aric Almirola and Clint Bowyer all have series wins at Talladega.
·         NASCAR Hall of Famer Bud Moore helped Buddy Baker win three straight series races (1975-76), becoming the first to do that in Talladega history.

ROUND OF 12 MENCS PLAYOFF STANDINGS (Top 8 Advance After Kansas)
4th – Kevin Harvick (+42 ahead of cutoff)
6th – Brad Keselowski (+20 ahead of cutoff)
9th – Joey Logano (-0)
10th – Clint Bowyer (-4 from final transfer spot)
12th – Ryan Blaney (-22 from final transfer spot)

FORD IN THE NASCAR GANDER OUTDOORS TRUCK SERIES AT TALLADEGA
·         Ford has 1 series wins at Talladega
·         Mark Martin won the inaugural series event at the track in 2006.
·         Matt Crafton has 1 top-five and 4 top-10 finishes in 13 NGOTS career starts at Talladega.

ROUND OF 6 NGOTS PLAYOFF STANDINGS (Top 4 Advance After Phoenix)
5th – Matt Crafton (-3 from final transfer spot)

FORD TALLADEGA PLAYOFF WIN STREAK SITS AT FIVE

Ford has won the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway each of the last five seasons, including Aric Almirola’s triumph last year.  Brad Keselowski (2014 and 2017) and Joey Logano (2015 and 2016) have each won it twice during that time.

WINNING IN THE CLUTCH

Needing a win to advance in the Playoffs, Brad Keselowski did exactly that in winning the Geico 500 on Oct. 19, 2014.  The win was Keselowski’s sixth of the year, most for any driver in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, and enabled him to move into the next round.  Keselowski got a push from Penske teammate Joey Logano on the final green-white-checker restart and held off Matt Kenseth for the win.

ROUND OF 12 SWEEP

Joey Logano made history in 2015 when he came to Talladega Superspeedway and completed a three-race Round of 12 sweep by surviving a green-white-checker finish to win the CampingWorld.com 500.  Logano became the first driver to sweep an entire round in only the second year of the format and won for the sixth time in 2015.  In order to do it, he had to survive an aborted green-white-checker restart and then the official restart after it was determined by NASCAR that the original attempt had not gone green before an accident back in the pack occurred.  The cars lined up again and shortly after Logano passed the start-finish line, a multi-car wrecked ensued that involved Kevin Harvick, who was having engine issues which brought the caution out and gave Logano the win.

TEAM PENSKE ROLLING AT TALLADEGA

Team Penske drivers Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski have combined to win 6 of the last 10 MENCS races at Talladega Superspeedway with each winning three times.  Keselowski won the Playoff race in 2017, making him the winningest active driver at the track with five, while Logano won the same event in back-to-back seasons (2015-16).

STENHOUSE WINS FIRST CUP RACE

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. passed Kyle Busch on the final lap and to win the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race of his career in the spring of 2017.  In a race that saw eight caution flags, including a red flag that lasted nearly 27 minutes after an 18-car accident, Stenhouse found himself on the outside of the front row with Busch for an overtime restart.  Busch jumped out to the lead, but Stenhouse got a run and then used that momentum to dart to the inside and make the decisive pass.  The win capped off a weekend that saw Stenhouse win the pole and Ford capture both races after Aric Almirola won the NASCAR XFINITY Series race on Saturday.

BAKER PROVIDES MOORE SUCCESS

The first time Ford went to victory lane at Talladega Superspeedway was May 4, 1975 when Buddy Baker, driving for Hall of Fame car owner Bud Moore, held off David Pearson on the final lap.  The win was Baker’s ninth career victory and came after he took the lead with 18 laps to go.  One of the key decisions in getting Baker to the checkered flag first came when his team opted for two tires on its final pit stop of the day while Pearson and the Wood Brothers decided on gas only.  Even though Pearson steadily gained ground on the final lap, Baker was able to hold on by half a car length to win.  That started a streak which saw Baker and Moore win three straight Talladega races.

DAVEY ALLISON’S FIRST WIN

Ford has had many milestone moments at Talladega Superspeedway, including the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win for the late Davey Allison, who won the Winston 500 on May 3, 1987.  The race came down to a restart with 10 laps to go in which Allison found himself behind Dale Earnhardt in the outside lane.  Earnhardt bolted to the lead when the green flew and Allison tucked in right behind him through turns one and two.  As they came off the second corner, Allison went to the inside and easily passed Earnhardt for what proved to be the winning pass.  Terry Labonte ended up finishing second with Earnhardt third.  Allison went on to win 19 NSCS races, including three at Talladega.

ROBERT YATES RACING’S FINAL WIN

When Dale Jarrett won the UAW-Ford 500 on Oct. 2, 2005 it ended up being the final trip to victory lane for Robert Yates Racing.  This race came down to a green-white-checker restart, where Jarrett was positioned fourth.  He was still in that spot when they came around to start the final lap, but quickly moved to the outside as Tony Stewart grabbed the lead on the inside lane.  The two drivers battled side-by-side down the backstretch before Jarrett powered his way in front.  Seconds after getting the lead, Kyle Petty was involved in a single-car accident that brought out the caution as the cars entered turn three.  Jarrett was declared the winner after NASCAR verified that he was in front at the time the yellow flag was thrown.  The win was RYR’s 57th triumph in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and came six years after the team won its only championship with Jarrett in 1999.

DAVID RAGAN’S SURPRISE VICTORY

And then there was David Ragan, who became the 11th driver to win a NASCAR Nationwide and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway when he took the checkered flag in the 2013 Aaron’s 499.  The win was his second series victory and first for Front Row Motorsports, and it ended in typical Talladega fashion.  As the cars came to the white flag it was Carl Edwards in the lead while Ragan was fifth and tucked in the middle lane behind Aric Almirola.  When Almirola moved to the high side, it enabled Ragan and teammate David Gilliland to work together and push their way forward.  The duo was behind Edwards off turn two, but they made their move to the inside on the backstretch and made what proved to be the decisive pass.

FORD’S MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP WINNERS AT TALLADEGA
1975 – Buddy Baker (Sweep)
1976 – Buddy Baker (1)
1979 – Bobby Allison (1)
1983 – Dale Earnhardt (2)
1985 – Bill Elliott and Cale Yarborough
1987 – Davey Allison and Bill Elliott
1989 – Davey Allison and Terry Labonte
1992 – Davey Allison (1)
1994 – Jimmy Spencer (2)
1995 – Mark Martin (1)
1997 – Mark Martin (1)
1998 – Dale Jarrett (2)
2005 – Dale Jarrett (2)
2009 – Jamie McMurray (2)
2012 – Matt Kenseth (2)
2013 – David Ragan (1)
2014 – Brad Keselowski (2)
2015 – Joey Logano (2)
2016 – Brad Keselowski (1) and Joey Logano (2)
2017 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (1) and Brad Keselowski (2)
2018 – Joey Logano (1) and Aric Almirola (2)

FORD’S NASCAR GANDER OUTDOORS SERIES WINNERS AT TALLADEGA
2006 – Mark Martin