Category: NASCAR Cup PR

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS)
Friday, September 27, 2019
EVENT: Bank of America Roval 400, Charlotte Motor Speedway

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Menards/Duracell Ford Mustang – WHAT’S IT LIKE COMING BACK HERE AS A WINNER? “Coming back here, it’s nice coming back to a place you’ve won at no matter how you do it. Honestly, I was kind of more excited to come back here to see the new chicane. I think that was pretty unique, a lot different from what we had last year. We’re actually talking about adding more braking markers because there are only six of them and we’re braking at like the hypothetical seven, so I think we’re gonna add a couple more. Now when Newgarden goes out he’s gonna be like at the two, but I was more excited to get back here and see the new chicane and things like that. But, yeah, it’s nice to come back. That’s kind of all I’ve heard this week was last winner and I don’t really think about that stuff too much. I kind of think about the next one coming up.”

CAN YOU COMPARE WHAT YOU THINK THE DIFFERENCES ARE BETWEEN A CUP CAR AND AN INDY CAR? AND WOULD IT BE SOMETHING YOU WOULD BE INTERESTED IN? “I think everything is different, every little thing. But at the end of the day it’s racing. You can compare how they drive, but as far as the cars themselves they’re night and day. Would I like to drive one? Yes. I lobbied to try to make a few laps today after qualifying in that car and I got the no, which is understandable, but I think it’s cool he’s gonna come out and do it. It was great that he won the championship this year. That was really great for that group, but I think they ran it on the sim and they were like 14 seconds faster than our Cup cars here, so that will be pretty unique to see. They’re just lighter. They’ve got a lot more downforce than us. They stop a lot quicker because they’re that much lighter. I think they weigh like 1800 pounds or maybe 2000 pounds. It’s crazy how much lighter they are, so they’re just a little bit more nimble, a little bit more agile.”

DOES THIS COURSE DRIVE DRASTICALLY DIFFERENT FROM LAST YEAR? “Oh, yeah. Last year, you were carrying so much more speed getting in there and you weren’t really using the brakes much. You’d only downshift one gear and carry a ton of speed through there, and now this year, I know a lot of the guys had multiple problems getting in there the first few times they’ve gotten on the brakes there because initially when you get on the brakes you think you’re good, but then it’s a really tight corner and then immediately you’re turning back to the right after the first set of curbs. It kind of took a little bit to get used to. I know I kind of ran over the strips once and then I missed it and bailed the second time, and a lot of guys have been doing that, so that takes some time to kind of get used to it and get your bearings straight. I think the corner is gonna be really exciting in the race when we’re all bunched up together. You’ll see some pretty bonsai moves in there, but it’s definitely a lot different. I like it better. You needed another heavy braking zone. Before you could never pass through there, it was just too fast and way too narrow, so I think it’s a good thing that they’ve done that.”

THOUGHTS ON DOVER. “It’s always nice to go back to a place where we’ve been this year already with this package. You kind of build your cars maybe a little bit differently. I feel like this year is probably the biggest year that teams have really messed around with how they build their cars – kind of what you want to prioritize from downforce to drag, straightaway speed. The short track stuff, like at Dover, you want as much downforce as you can. You don’t really care about the straightaway speed there, but now you go to Kansas and you’re kind of weighing your options. You build a little bit different for Dover from what you did in the first race this year, but not a whole lot different. Now Kansas, I think that’s another story of the way people are gonna build their cars, but it is nice having references, even for drivers and how you run that place is a lot different and on-throttle time has increased so much more, so that’s just nice to have some previous notes to look back at and kind of figure that out to where you’re kind of unloading off the truck a little bit closer, having a little bit more of an idea.”

HOW DO YOU APPROACH THIS RACE BEING 8 POINTS AHEAD OF THE CUTOFF? “Honestly, we’re in a better spot this year than what we were last year. I think we were only four points about the cutoff line last year and I thought we executed the day really well from getting stage points in the first stage and then winning the second one. That was kind of our goal. Every team around the cutoff line are gonna have their certain goals and how they’re gonna play the race out, and we kind of have our slight idea and plan of what we’ve talked about this week and gonna try to stick to that, and then you compromise if things don’t go your way or something random happens. You just try to have a solid day. You try to run well in the stages and get stage points and whether you’re sacrificing here or there it’s kind of what you have to do. A lot of the teams are in the same boat, you just try to not have any issues, keep it on track and just be in a spot to where you can run up towards the front. Hopefully, you qualify well tonight to where you can start ahead of the curve. You definitely don’t want to start back in the twenties, for sure, so we’ll try to do that and get our weekend started off right here.”

DO YOU THINK DRIVERS WILL REACT DIFFERENTLY IF CARS ARE SPINNING BEHIND THEM OR TAKING EVASIVE ACTION THE LAST COUPLE OF CORNERS? “Honestly, I don’t know. It’s not really anything I’ve thought about. That’s an in the moment decision and you have a split-second to kind of make that decision, so I don’t know. I guess that would be a NASCAR judgment call if he would have just said, ‘I’m going to go straight,’ and gas up and not letting him hit me, I don’t know what NASCAR would do in that situation, so that’s up to them. I think there is some things where you kind of can almost point to it as they say you can go down pit road to avoid a wreck and reclaim your position, so would that be avoiding a wreck? I don’t know. That’s tough to kind of speculate on because it just didn’t happen that way, but I’m not sure. If we find ourselves in that spot, I don’t know which one I’d do. You don’t really think about that beforehand you just kind of whatever you feel at the time and you’re kind of jerk reaction. That’s really how it is, so I’m not sure.”

YOU AND SIMON DID A FUNNY COMMERCIAL FOR INDY AND ROGER HAD A TAG LINE. DID YOU KNOW HE HAD THAT KIND OF SENSE OF HUMOR? “That was funny. That was a funny thing they came up with at Indy with Simon and Mr. Penske. I’ve never been yelled at by Mr. Penske before and then he was yelling and acting like really angry. Me and Simon both looked at each other and didn’t know. He was a good actor, or maybe he was just actually really mad, I don’t know. That turned out really funny. I know people enjoyed that. Mr. Penske, he hasn’t really done a lot of that stuff, and it was cool that he was open and willing to do it for Indy and all those people, so that was a lot of fun. I know a lot of people really enjoyed seeing him in that. That was a nice little cameo by him – maybe there’s an Oscar in his future.”

Samaritan’s Feet – ROVAL – Race Advance

Event: Bank of America ROVAL 400 (Race 28 of 36)

Venue: Charlotte Motor Speedway (Charlotte, NC)

Format: Three Stages – Stages End: Lap 25, 50, 109 = 248.52 Miles

Date/Broadcast: Sunday, September 29 at 2:30 PM ET on NBC

When Corey LaJoie graciously decided to put the Samaritan’s Feet organization on board his No. 32 Ford at Watkins Glen International last month, he had a goal of raising $20,000.

By the time the weekend was over, that goal had been far exceeded. More than $115,000 was raised by way of more than 1,700 donors who contributed to LaJoie’s effort to support the mission of Samaritan’s Feet – to provide shoes to children and individuals in need to inspire hope and encouragement.

The organization, founded in 2003, will return to the body of the Go Fas Racing (GFR) No. 32 Mustang for this weekend’s Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Rather than competing merely on the traditional four-turn, 1.5-mile oval, drivers will navigate the 17-turn circuit that combines the oval and an infield road course, together known as the ROVAL. The layout debuted last fall and Crew Chief Randy Cox guided the No. 32 to a 13th-place finish in an edge-of-your-seat event.

Cox will look to guide LaJoie in Friday and Saturday’s practice sessions as LaJoie learns the ropes ahead of his first start on the new layout. Despite having no prior experience on the 2.28-mile course, the Charlotte, NC native hopes to equal the feat he achieved at the Coca-Cola 600 in May, finishing 12th.

LaJoie and the Samaritan’s Feet organization are giving fans the opportunity to not only have their name on the No. 32 but also be entered to win a pair of racing shoes via LaJoie’s ShoeStakes. To learn more on how you could win a pair of shoes signed by LaJoie, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Austin Dillon, Bubba Wallace, Joey Logano or Chase Elliott to name a few, visit SamaritansFeet.org/ShoeStakes.

The No.32 Ford will also be sponsored by Dynamic Towing Equipment and Management, HMS Motorsport, Corban Homes, My Freedom Smokes, Deacon Foodservice, Venture-Nation, LineBerger Orthodontics, Thrivent Financial, The Keith Corporation, Clean Juice, and Thermal Control Products this weekend.

As championship contenders vie for a spot in the Round of 12 for just the second time on the ROVAL, the action is forecasted to be exhilarating. Don’t miss it on Sunday, Sept. 29 at 2:30 p.m. on NBC.

LaJoie on the upcoming weekend at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL:

“This will be my first trip to the Roval and I’m really looking forward to it. It’ll be an amazing week with Samaritan’s Feet and hopefully we can have some fun and raise more money to buy shoes for those in need. At Watkins Glen we raised over $115,000 and I hope that we can get closer this week to their goal of providing shoes for one million people in need in 2019.”

In the Rearview Mirror: Federated Auto Parts 400

Corey LaJoie, driver of the No. 32 Keen Parts Ford, was credited with a 29th-place finish under-the-lights at Richmond Raceway. Starting 29th, the Charlotte, NC native wasted no time clawing through the field after the green flag flew for the 400-lap event. By lap 10, LaJoie had worked his way into the top-25 and by lap 60, he was nearing the top-20. Ultimately, he would end Stage One in the 26th position.

Under the stage-ending caution, LaJoie relayed to the team that the “balance is really good, just a two or three free everywhere, it’s really close” as he made his way to pit road for four Goodyear tires, Sunoco fuel and an adjustment to tighten the No. 32. He took the green flag for the second stage in the 27th position just before a caution for the No. 88 of Alex Bowman. LaJoie had battled his way back up to 22nd before radioing to the No. 32 team that the GFR Ford had gotten tight. As lap 200 cycled, the green-checked flag flew to conclude Stage One in which the Keen Parts Ford finished 27th.

Reporting that he needed help with center rotation, Crew Chief Randy Cox called the third generation driver to the attention of the pit crew for adjustments, tires and fuel. The next break would be a caution for the No. 77 of Reed Sorenson. Under the caution, LaJoie reported that he “lost rear drive that run” and that the No. 32 was “still tight rolling.” Cox instructed LaJoie to take the wave-around, putting the Keen Parts team back to two laps down.

LaJoie would revisit pit road on lap 286 for four tires and fuel and return to the track in 29th. With 40 laps to go in the Federated Auto Parts 400, he had reached the 27th position. LaJoie crossed the finish line in 30th as the checkered flag flew but would be credited with 29th after post-race inspection.

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About Our Team

About Samaritan’s Feet:
Samaritan’s Feet serves and inspires hope in children by providing shoes as the foundation to a spiritual and healthy life resulting in the advancement of education and economic opportunities. Since their founding in 2003, Samaritan’s Feet and its partners have distributed over 7 million pairs of shoes in 108 countries and 395 U.S. cities. For more information, visit samaritansfeet.org.

Get Corey LaJoie Updates:
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 .

About Go Fas Racing:
Go Fas Racing (GFR) currently fields Ford Mustangs in the Monster Energy 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.

Opening Round of NASCAR Playoffs Concludes at ROVAL This Weekend

NASCAR is back in its own backyard this weekend as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) hits the ROVAL at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the second time ever. The opening round of the NASCAR Playoffs also conclude on Sunday with Ryan Newman sitting ninth in points, 14 points to the good.

Charlotte Motor Speedway (ROVAL)
Sunday, Sept. 29 | 2:30 p.m. ET
NBC, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90
·         Ryan Newman, No. 6 Performance Plus Ford Mustang
·         Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 17 SunnyD Ford Mustang

Road Course Racing

Overall, Roush Fenway has 323 starts on road courses in MENCS and NXS action with nine wins, 55 top fives, 116 top-10s, eight poles and 765 laps led. In Cup action alone, Jack Roush’s Fords have an average finish of 17.5 on road courses with 76 top-10 results. In 111 starts in the Xfinity Series, Roush has an average finish of 16.5.

ROVAL Refresh

This weekend the Cup Series stars hit the track at the 17-turn ROVAL for just the second time ever. Once crossing the start/finish line, the cars will make a hard left turn into the turns 1 & 2 side of the infield, before embarking on a challenging adventure through winding hills and turns. Once through the road course portion, cars will hit the oval once again between turns 1 & 2, before getting up to speed down the backstretch. The entrance to turn three features a challenging chicane – updated from 2018 – before cars get back up to speed, complete turn four, and dive left one last time, completing turn 17 on the front stretch.

Victories on the Road

Former RFR driver Carl Edwards was the last Jack Roush driver to go to victory lane on a road course, earning the win at Sonoma in 2014. Mark Martin, winner of the other four road course races in MENCS action, also won at Sonoma in 1997, and went to victory lane at Watkins Glen in three-straight races from 1993-95. On the Xfinity side, Edwards is responsible for three of the four victories, all in the 60 car, crossing the line first at Watkins Glen (2012), Road America (2010) and Montreal (2009). Chris Buescher also went to victory lane in the 60 in 2014 at Mid-Ohio.

As for the Oval Portion

Considering a good portion of the oval surface of Charlotte Motor Speedway is in play this weekend, we’ll dive into those stats for Roush Fenway on the typical 1.5-mile oval. In MENCS action, Jack Roush has eight wins, 46 top-five and 79 top-10 finishes. In Xfinity action, Roush has 12 wins in 123 starts with 33 top-five and 60 top-10 results.

Where They Rank

·         Coming off another strong run – arguably the best outing of the year thus far – Ryan Newman and the No. 6 team are ninth in the playoffs standings, 14 points to the good entering Sunday’s cutoff race in the opening three-race round of the NASCAR Playoffs.

·         Newman holds a six-point advantage over the No. 12, while the No. 10 and No. 24 have just a three and two point advantage to the cut line, respectively. The No. 88 sits two back, the No. 14 is four back, while the No. 1 is 14 behind the 12th and final spot, with the No. 20 sitting 45 points off advancing.

·         Ricky Stenhouse Jr., is 23rd in points with eight races remaining.

By the Numbers at Charlotte Motor Speedway (Roval)

Race      Win       T5           T10         Pole       Laps       Led        AvSt      AvFn     Miles
2              0              0              0              0              203         2              19.5        36.0        462.84
2              0              0              0              0              104         0              11.5        22.5        237.12
4              0              0              0              0              307         2              15.5        29.3        699.96

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
BANK OF AMERICA ROVAL 400
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA
SEPTEMBER 29, 2019

BOWTIE BULLETS:
CATCHING UP WIITH CHEVROLET CONTENDERS
Five Chevrolet drivers qualified for the 10-race Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs that will determine the champion. Heading into Round 3, a look at their start/finish at Richmond Raceway and start/finish in the 2018 Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course race in the Playoffs:

* Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1
At Richmond: Start 3, Finish 13 At Charlotte: qualified 4th, finished 6th
* Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1
At Richmond: Start 9, Finish 18 At Charlotte: qualified 1st, finished 5th
* Kyle Larson, No. 42 Clover Camaro ZL1
At Richmond: Start 13, Finish 6 At Charlotte: qualified 5th, finished 25th
* Alex Bowman, No. 88 Nationwide Retirement Plans Camaro ZL1
At Richmond: Start 20, Finish 23 At Charlotte: qualified 3rd, finished 4th
* William Byron, No. 24 UniFirst Camaro ZL1
At Richmond: Start 23, Finish 24 At Charlotte: qualified 21, finished 34th

TEAM CHEVY CHAMPION TO MAKE ROVAL RUN
Josef Newgarden, who drove the No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet to his second NTT IndyCar Series championship on September 22 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, will make an exhibition run on the Charlotte Road Course in his IndyCar powered by the 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged, direct-injected Chevrolet V6 engine following MENCS qualifying. Newgarden, a resident of Mooresville, North Carolina, also won the series title in 2017 with Chevy power.

FROM THE ‘DID YOU KNOW’ DEPARTMENT
Jimmie Johnson won the third race of the Playoffs twice and went on to register the MENCS championship – 2013 at Dover (sixth title) and 2008 at Kansas (third consecutive title). … Career Chevrolet driver Jeff Gordon leads in MENCS career road course wins with nine (Sonoma, five; Watkins Glen, four).

JOHNSONS IN THE SPOTLIGHT AT CHARLOTTE
Joe Lee Johnson, driving a Chevrolet Impala, won the inaugural World 600 on June 19, 1960, at Charlotte Motor Speedway after starting 20th. Junior Johnson won the National 400 in October 1963, driving a Chevrolet, and won the previous October in a Pontiac. Jimmie Johnson leads active drivers with eight wins at the track, including sweeping the May and October races in 2004 and ’05.

UPDATES TO THE COURSE
Look for more overtaking in an updated backstretch chicane. The layout, which was 32 feet wide, was widened to 54 feet at its widest point. The new turns will require heavier braking and a sharper entry, but a wider radius will provide drivers with risk-taking opportunities and a slightly increased margin for error on exit.

“Just trying to avoid mistakes is the biggest challenge,” Larson said.

TUNE-IN:
NBC will telecast the 109-lap, 248.5-mile race on the 2.28-mile, 17-turn course live at 2:30 p.m. ET Sunday, Sept. 29. The NBCSports Gold app will stream the race and live coverage can also be found on PRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

BY THE NUMBERS:
* Victories by current Chevrolet drivers at Charlotte Motor Speedway:
Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1, has eight wins (May 2003, May and October 2004, May and October 2005, October 2009, May 2014, October 2016)
Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1, has one win (May 2010)
Austin Dillon, No. 3 Jack Daniel’s Camaro ZL1, has one win (May 2017)
* Johnson needs one win to tie Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip (84) for fourth on the all-time list.
* Busch needs one win to tie Dale Jarrett (32) for 25th on the all-time list.
* Team Chevy drivers have earned 12 pole starts this season, led by William Byron with four.
* Byron, No. 24 UniFirst Camaro ZL1, is third among drivers with 99.69% (7,844 of 7,868) laps completed this season.
* Ty Dillon, No. 13 GEICO Military Camaro ZL1, has a streak of 37 races running at the finish.
* Chevrolet has won 39 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships.

FOR THE FANS:
· Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway at Charlotte Motor Speedway
· Fans can check out an assortment of Chevrolet vehicles including: Equinox AWD, 2500 HD Crew LTZ Premier Diesel, Blazer AWD RS, Traverse AWD Premier, 1500 Crew LTZ Premier 6.2, and 2019 Camaro ZL1
· At the Chevrolet Display, fans can also view Kyle Larson’s No. 42 Camaro ZL1
· 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:
Saturday, September 28
· 10:30 a.m. – John Hunter Nemechek
· 11:00 a.m. – Justin Haley
· 11:15 a.m. – Ray Black Jr.

Sunday, September 29
· 10:45 a.m. – Kyle Larson
· 11:00 a.m. – Kurt Busch
· 11:15 a.m. – Ty Dillon
· 11:30 a.m. – Alex Bowman

Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation:
· Friday, September 27th: 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
· Saturday, September 28th: 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
· Sunday, September 29th: 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

QUOTABLE QUOTES:
KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 CLOVER CAMARO ZL1 – 8th IN STANDINGS
“Our Clover Chevrolet was fast last year at the ROVAL and we led a lot of laps, so I hope we’re good again this year. The race will probably be different this time with the much-narrower bus stop, but I’m looking forward to getting on-track and hoping that we have the same speed as we had last year. I’m glad we’ve had two decent races in this round of the Playoffs, and hopefully we can avoid mistakes and have a solid race on Sunday.”

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 UNIFIRST CAMARO ZL1 – 12th IN STANDINGS
LOOKING TO THE ROVAL, A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT BEAST THAT NO ONE HAD SEEN BEFORE LAST YEAR. NOT THE RESULTS YOU WANTED LAST TIME, BUT WHAT CAN YOU TAKE AWAY FROM THAT RACE LAST YEAR THAT YOU CAN APPLY?
“It was a really intense race. I think it will probably come down to a late-race restart. Last year’s race I think even had a fuel mileage aspect to it until the final few laps and everyone had really old tires no grip whatsoever. You try to prepare for that any way you can, and you try to judge the grip level coming to those restarts late in the race. Otherwise, you have to do your best to stay out of trouble early, but also know you can overcome issues at a place like that.”

WE RACED AT SONOMA AND WATKINS GLEN EARLIER THIS SEASON, BUT IT’S HARD TO GROUP THOSE TRACKS INTO THE SAME CATEGORY AS THE ROVAL. ANYTHING YOU CAN TAKE FROM THOSE ROAD COURSES TO APPLY FOR THIS WEEKEND?
“Sonoma is probably the closest track that we race at to the ROVAL, just with the atmosphere plus it has really slow, tight corners. Turn 7 and 8 at Sonoma are similar to the ROVAL as well but Watkins Glen has characteristics that we’ll see this weekend with the front chicane.”

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 NATIONWIDE RETIREMENT PLANS – 13th IN STANDINGS
“This is an interesting and busy week. The “ROVAL” is kind of awkward, but we finished decent there last year. We really need a good weekend on track. We are so close to the Round of 12 cutoff line, so we definitely need to focus on getting as many points as we can this weekend. Last week didn’t go the way we needed it to, so we are definitely going back to the books and hoping to unload strong in Charlotte on Friday.”

KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 – 15th IN STANDINGS
“Heading to the ROVAL this weekend with a few changes to the track. The new chicane is going to be tighter, everyone is going to be more aggressive going down into the back-straightaway chicane. It going to really slow down the pace on the back straightaway, it similar shape-wise to the front straight chicane. Why I think changing that chicane is a great idea, is exactly what we last year on the last lap. The two leaders battling it out and wrecking in the last corner on the final lap. With our team’s playoff hopes at stake this weekend we just need to go out and do our job as a team. We need to score some stage points, that can change the whole complexion for our Monster Energy team”.

CHRIS BUESCHER, NO. 37 VELVEETA CAMARO ZL1 – 20th IN STANDINGS
“I really like the challenge that the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL presents. I enjoy road racing. It’s not in my background by any means, but I’ve had some success in the Cup Series with strong finishes and got my first win in the Xfinity Series at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Last year, we had contact early in the race that gave us a really good shot at figuring out the ROVAL the best we could and getting a top finish. I’m definitely looking forward to ‘redo’ of that race in our No. 37 Velveeta Camaro ZL1.”

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 JACK DANIEL’S CAMARO ZL1 – 22nd IN STANDINGS
FOR THE CHARLOTTE ROVAL, THEY’VE CHANGED THE CHICANE ON THE BACKSTRETCH A LITTLE BIT. HOW MUCH OF A DIFFERENCE DO YOU THINK THAT MAY MAKE?
“I think it will make a big difference. Last year we saw a lot of guys flying through the air in practice trying to gain speed through that section, but now it will be a little bit more technical. It will make the corner going into the start/finish line that much more important because you’ll be going a little bit slower when you get there. You have to have a car that brakes well and reacts well. I think it’s a positive change for the track.”

TY DILLON, NO. 13 GEICO MILITARY CAMARO ZL1 – 24th IN STANDINGS
WHAT DID YOU LEARN LAST YEAR AT THE ROVAL?
“I learned a lot every time we got on the track. I had to be patient at first, because it was very treacherous at the beginning with lots of people crashing cars. Our first goal was to not crash our GEICO Camaro ZL1 and then we wanted to get better every time we touched the track. We did that and were running pretty good, a top-20 finish for sure in our first try there, and got into it with (Daniel) Suarez on the last lap and probably lost too many positions. I feel really comfortable going back and I know the backstretch chicane will be different. I’m glad we won’t be entering it at 180 mph and going into pretty much a launch zone. I applaud NASCAR and Charlotte Motor Speedway for making some changes there and I’m interested to see what it will be like.”

DO YOU THINK THE NEW CHICANE WILL BE BETTER FROM A DRIVER’S STANDPOINT?
“Anything is better than we had last year. It was just too narrow, too fast and too dangerous honestly. I think the new chicane will provide better racing. Last year’s race was amazing and this year’s race is going to be just as good.”

DANIEL HEMRIC, NO. 8 CAT NEXT GEN EXCAVATORS CAMARO ZL1 – 25th IN STANDINGS
“I thought we had a pretty good shot to win last year’s Xfinity Series race at the ROVAL, but I wheel-hopped coming through the final chicane, had to serve a stop-and-go penalty and still came back to finish 10th. We were fast all weekend with the Cup car last year as well. We were running inside the top 10 late in the race but were caught up in that melee into Turn 1 and that hurt the overall result at the end of the day. Anytime you’re racing in front of your hometown it is special. The track has implemented the new backstretch chicane, and from what I can tell it is way slower than what was there for last year’s race. It seems to be very slow and very technical. That is going to change things up a lot this year. It will change everyone’s gear ratios, the approach to that part of the track, and I feel like it will become a valuable passing zone. Last year, it was kind of like a life-or-death decision to make a pass through there – which made it fun for the drivers and exciting for the fans. This year, you will need to be more patient and have more technique to not only get through that section of the track but to make passes there. I’m pumped to get there, I’m pumped to carry this amazing Cat Next Gen Excavator scheme on our No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, and I’m pumped to see what we can do.”

BUBBA WALLACE, NO. 43 LEITHCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 – 26th IN STANDINGS
THEY’VE CHANGED THAT CHICANE ON THE BACKSTRECTH. HOW MUCH OF A DIFFERENCE DO YOU THINK IT WILL MAKE?
“We will find out because I’ll go through there, and probably have to change it up again.

“The changes to the chicane will give the teams more room to race. It gives you a little bit more room for error, as well. It seems like you had to really tip-toe through there last year, and things were moved throughout the weekend. I think the Charlotte Motor Speedway did a nice job with it, but we’ll get a fair shot this week.”

RYAN PREECE, NO. 47 KROGER CAMARO ZL1 – 27th IN STANDINGS
“I enjoy racing the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL. To be honest, we’re all on the same playing field. It’s not like somebody has a shortcut somewhere. I enjoy road racing. We had a pretty strong run at Watkins Glen before a mechanical failure ended our day early. I was fortunate enough to run the ROVAL in the Xfinity Series last year, and we had a really strong run there as well. We passed a lot of cars and went for stage points, restarting the final stage in the back and drove all the way to fourth. So, I feel optimistic. It’s going to be a challenge. You’ve just got to be as prepared as possible, and I’m looking forward to having a good day in the No. 47 Kroger Camaro ZL1.”

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: 5
Poles: 12
Laps Led: 1,625
Top-five finishes: 35
Top-10 finishes: 87

CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 784 (1949 to date)
Poles won to date: 711
Laps led to date: 233,880
Top-five finishes to date: 4,004
Top-10 finishes to date: 8,259

Total NASCAR Cup wins by corporation, 1949 to date

General Motors: 1,118
Chevrolet: 784
Pontiac: 154
Oldsmobile: 115
Buick: 65

Ford: 783
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.

CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY (2.28-MILE ROVAL)
LOCATION: CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA
EVENT: NASCAR CUP SERIES (RACE 29 OF 36)
TUNE IN: 2:30 P.M. ET, SUNDAY, SEPT. 29 (NBC/PRN/SIRIUSXM)

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

2019 Season
7th in standings
28 starts
2 wins
3 pole positions
9 top-five finishes
12 top-10 finishes
543 laps led

Career
141 starts
5 wins
7 pole positions
42 top-five finishes
71 top-10 finishes
1,786 laps led

Track Career
1 start
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
1 top-10 finish
0 laps led

Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, will be available to members of the media on Friday, Sept. 27, at 3:30 p.m. local time in the media center at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

WHITE FLAG ON ROUND OF 16: This weekend will set the field for the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. Chase Elliott currently ranks seventh in the driver playoff rankings with a 37-point advantage over 13th place. This weekend, the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 driver would clinch on points with 20 points and a win by a playoff driver outside the top 12. If Martin Truex Jr., Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Kyle Larson, Ryan Newman or Ryan Blaney win, he would clinch on points with 17 points. If Aric Almirola wins, he would clinch with 18 points. If William Byron wins, he would clinch with 19 points.

SPECIAL BRAVES KICKS: Elliott will have a special pair of Atlanta Braves shoes during the Charlotte road-course weekend to show his support for the baseball team as it heads into the Major League Baseball playoffs in October. The Braves currently lead the National League East by 7.5 games.

ROAD-COURSE WARRIOR: Elliott continues to prove his road-course prowess after collecting his first career NASCAR Cup Series victory at Watkins Glen International last season and then dominating the course this year to go back-to-back. The No. 9 driver remains the ninth-youngest first-time winner in the Cup Series (22 years, eight months and eight days) and the youngest road-course winner of all time. In 2018, he was one of only three drivers to finish inside the top 10 in all three road-course races (Sonoma Raceway, Watkins Glen International and the Charlotte “roval”). The Dawsonville, Georgia, native held the best average finish on road courses last season (3.67) and his 141 points collected on those tracks were 20 more than any other driver. He is also tied with teammate Jimmie Johnson for the most top-10 finishes in Stage 1 and Stage 2 on road courses since 2018 with eight.

ROAD-COURSE STATS: The No. 9 driver is set to make his 10th Cup Series start on a road course this weekend. In his previous nine starts on road courses, he has collected two wins (tied for the third-most wins by active drivers), three top-five finishes, five top-10s and a total of 144 laps led – 135 since the beginning of 2018 (the most of any driver). He has started inside the top five in each of the last six road course races, and his average starting position of 2.5 on road courses this season is the second-best of all drivers.

AT THE ‘ROVAL’ LAST YEAR: Last year at the “roval,” Elliott took the green flag from fourth. A late caution in the opening stage shuffled him back on the restart, but he managed to maintain a top-five position to finish Stage 1 in fifth. The No. 9 team pitted during the stage break, restarting Elliott 26th for Stage 2 after many competitors elected to stay out. The driver steadily gained positions throughout the second stage, advancing to sixth by the end of the segment. Similar to the first stage break, many competitors remained on the track and did not pit after the second stage while the No. 9 team elected to head to pit road. On fresh tires, Elliott quickly moved up to 13th. He raced inside the top 10 throughout multiple cautions in the final segment and ultimately took the checkered flag in sixth.

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

2019 Season
12th in standings
28 starts
0 wins
4 pole positions
3 top-five finishes
10 top-10 finishes
187 laps led

Career
64 starts
0 wins
4 pole positions
3 top-five finishes
14 top-10 finishes
248 laps led

Track Career
1 start
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
0 top-10 finishes
0 laps led

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 UniFirst Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, will be available to members of the media on Friday, Sept. 27, at 2:30 p.m. local time in the media center at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

TWO DOWN, ONE TO GO: Heading into the first elimination race of the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, driver William Byron has scored a seventh-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and a 24th-place result at Richmond Raceway in the first two races of the Round of 16. Despite an unfortunate finish at last weekend’s short-track race, Byron remains above the cut line, now in the 12th position, two points above Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman.

UNIFIRST RETURNS: This will be the second time in 2019 that Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will have the UniFirst Corporation (NYSE: UNF) on board, featuring the company’s signature green and white colors. UniFirst will return one more time at Kansas Speedway in late October. In 2016, Unifirst and Hendrick Motorsports announced an eight-year partnership that runs through the 2023 NASCAR season. UniFirst is the official work-wear provider of Hendrick Motorsports, supplying work clothing and uniforms to the team and its sister company, Hendrick Automotive Group, which is the largest privately-held retail automotive organization in the United States.

‘ROVAL’ READY: Just like the rest of the NASCAR Cup Series field, Byron will be making his second start at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s “roval” this weekend. However, this year’s race will have a new reconfiguration with the backstretch chicane. Last year, the No. 24 driver had a solid, top-10 day at the 2.28-mile course, until a flat tire mired him deep in the field before a late-race incident ended his day early. Despite the results not reflecting the day he was having, the sophomore driver is still optimistic about this weekend. In two road-course races this season, Byron has the highest average starting position in the field (2.0) after starting on the front row at both Sonoma Raceway and Watkins Glen International. Byron has shown strength on the road courses in 2019, including capturing his first Cup Series stage win at Sonoma.

TIED FOR SECOND: Byron is one of four Cup Series drivers who have finished second in a race in 2019 but have yet to capture the checkered flag. He is ranked third among the Cup field for most laps led (187) without a win.

HOME SWEET HOME: Cutting his teeth in the racing world in Charlotte, North Carolina, Byron is one of only a handful of drivers who was born and raised in the “Home of NASCAR.” After visiting U.S. Legend Cars International headquarters in Harrisburg, North Carolina, with his father in 2012, Byron found himself behind the wheel for the first time the following year competing in the Young Lion Division. Winning 33 of the 69 legend car events, in 2013 Byron went on to lock up the U.S. Legend Young Lions national championship and the Thursday Thunder Young Lion championship at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Progressing to the Legend Car Pro Division the next season, Byron also signed with JR Motorsports developmental program at the same time. From that point on, Byron hasn’t slowed down at all as he climbed the racing ranks before ultimately making it to the top level of NASCAR as a Cup Series rookie in 2018.

HOME TRACK FEEL: In addition to Charlotte Motor Speedway being the home track of Byron, a native of Charlotte, North Carolina, a handful of members of the No. 24 team also claim it as their home track including engineer Matt Piercy, from Conover, North Carolina, and interior specialist Jacob Bowman, from Pilot Mountain, North Carolina. Two members of the No. 24 pit crew also call North Carolina home: jackman Eric Ludwig, from Burlington, and fueler Landon Walker, from North Wilkesboro.

CHECKING THE BOXES: This weekend’s race at the “roval” marks the final track of four where No. 24 team crew chief Chad Knaus has yet to claim a victory on the current NASCAR Cup Series schedule. While it is only the second race at the 2.28-mile track, Knaus came close to capturing the win in the inaugural event last season with Jimmie Johnson, but a next-to-last-corner move for the win by the No. 48 resulted in a spin, ultimately leaving the team with an eighth-place finish.

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 Chevrolet 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 Hendrick Motorsports. In conjunction with the program roll out, customers can celebrate the debut of the limited-edition Camaros by participating in The Hertz Ultimate Ride Sweepstakes – beginning Sept. 18, 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
18th in standings
28 starts
0 wins
1 pole position
3 top-five finishes
9 top-10 finishes
88 laps led

Career
643 starts
83 wins
36 pole positions
227 top-five finishes
361 top-10 finishes
18,791 laps led

Track Career
1 start
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
1 top-10 finish
0 laps led

THE SPIN FOR THE WIN: Last year’s finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s “roval” was one for the highlight reels. Jimmie Johnson was challenging Martin Truex Jr. on the final lap of the race for the lead. He came off Turn 4 to make the pass but ended up tagging Truex and causing both cars to spin on the front stretch. The third-place car took the win and Johnson was eliminated from playoff contention despite an eighth-place finish.

ROAD COURSE STAGE POINTS: Since 2018, Johnson has eight top-10 stage finishes on road courses, which is second-most in the Cup Series during that span. Last year at the “roval” at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the No. 48 driver finished sixth then second in the first two stages before bringing it home eighth at the checkered flag.

HELMET SWAP STORIES: The driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 has been documenting his history in the sport via a video series titled “The Archives,” which lives on his social media feeds. This week’s release was a story about driver Tony Kanaan, and his helmet swap with “one of the funniest guys in Indy Car.” The videos can be viewed on Johnson’s Twitter feed.

PRETTY IN PINK: To commemorate October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Johnson will don pink Alpinestars driving gloves and an Ally Racing hat with pink accents. Last week the driver participated in the Paint the Wall Pink event at Charlotte Motor Speedway to kick off Breast Cancer Awareness Month and paint the track’s infield pit wall pink.

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 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.

FUELING FUTURES: In partnership with Ally’s Fueling Futures program, Johnson and other professionals from Hendrick Motorsports hosted approximately 60 students from Charlotte-Mecklenburg and Cabarrus County schools at the Hendrick Motorsports campus to discuss career “pit stops” to learn about engineering, marketing, automotive tech, computer science and personal finance. They explored both university and certificate degree career paths while touring team facilities and shops on campus and were exposed to the broad range of behind-the-scenes jobs essential to professional sports operations and related fields. Click here for more information.

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

2019 Season
13th in standings
28 starts
1 win
0 pole positions
4 top-five finishes
8 top-10 finishes
182 laps led

Career
145 starts
1 win
2 pole positions
7 top-five finishes
22 top-10 finishes
456 laps led

Track Career
1 start
0 wins
0 pole positions
1 top-five finish
1 top-10 finish
0 laps led

Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, will be available to members of the media on Friday, Sept. 27, at 2:45 p.m. local time in the media center at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

ON BOWMAN’S SIDE: Nationwide will adorn the hood of Alex Bowman’s No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Sunday’s race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This weekend’s ride will feature a special scheme to promote retirement plans. Nationwide is helping Americans get ready for and enjoy retirement by asking people to share what their “real-tirement” goal looks like by using the hashtag #REALtirement on social media. Nationwide is sending the winner on a trip to Miami to meet Bowman and watch the season-finale race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

BOWMAN GOES LEFT AND RIGHT AT CLT: The driver of the No. 88 machine will make his second start at the Charlotte Motor Speedway “roval” this weekend. Last season, Bowman qualified third and crossed the line fourth after 109 laps during the event. The Tucson, Arizona, native has seven starts at the Charlotte Motor Speedway oval and has two top-10 finishes in his last two events at the track.

LOOKING AT POINTS: Following last weekend’s event at Richmond Raceway, where the No. 88 team finished 24th, Bowman now sits 13th in the playoff points grid just two points out of the top 12. The Round of 12 will be set following Sunday’s race at the Charlotte road course. In 2018, Bowman gained 71 points between the events at Richmond and the “roval,” sending him to the Round of 12, and this year the No. 88 team is hoping history will repeat itself.

ROAD-COURSE STATS: In his last five starts at road courses with Hendrick Motorsports, Bowman has scored stage points in six of the 10 total stages. The driver’s lowest finish in those last five road-course starts still has him in the top 15 with three 14th-place results.

IVES ON ROAD COURSES: Bark River, Michigan, native Greg Ives will make his second start at the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course on top of the No. 88 pit box as crew chief this Sunday. He led Bowman and the No. 88 team to a fourth-place finish at the “roval” last season after qualifying third for the event. Ives has 11 starts as a crew chief in the NASCAR Cup Series on road-course tracks with Hendrick Motorsports. In those 11 starts, he has one top-five finish and four top-10s.

IN-CAR CAMERA: This weekend, Bowman will carry the Nationwide foot camera in his Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. During Sunday’s race, fans will be able to see the footwork that goes into racing at a road course.

MEET BOWMAN: On Sunday, Sept. 29, the driver of the No. 88 Nationwide machine will be at the Team Chevy display at 11:30 a.m. local time at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Bowman will take fan questions and sign autographs while at the display.

HOMETOWN TRACK: Three members of the No. 88 team call Charlotte Motor Speedway their home track. Scott Denton, backup hauler driver for the No. 88 team, grew up in Belmont, North Carolina, and attended his first NASCAR race at the 1.5-mile track back in 1988. No. 88 team jackman Dustin Lineback grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina, and went to East Carolina University from 2007 until 2011. While at ECU, Lineback played football for the Pirates while receiving his Bachelor of Science degree. Learn more about Lineback here. Underneath mechanic for the No. 88 team Cole Timm calls Charlotte his home track. Timm went to Lake Norman High School and attended his first race at the 1.5-mile venue in 2005 when he was six years old. The 20-year-old not only works on race cars, but also is a racer himself. He has run 21 races in the CARS Super Late Model Tour Series, capturing two wins, 12 top-five finishes and 16 top-10s.

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Hendrick Motorsports

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT CHARLOTTE’S ROAD COURSE: There has been just one race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course, which made its debut last season. Hendrick Motorsports captured one top-five finish and three top-10s in the event. Those three top-10s tied with Stewart-Haas Racing for the most by any team in the race. The organization also had three drivers start in the top six at the “roval” in 2018.

A DATE TO REMEMBER: In the last four NASCAR Cup Series races run on Sept. 29, a Hendrick Motorsports driver found Victory Lane in three of them. Jeff Gordon won at North Wilkesboro in 1996 and Kansas in 2002, then Jimmie Johnson won at Dover in 2013.

ROAD-COURSE SUCCESS: Since the start of 2018, Hendrick Motorsports has won two of the five races on road courses, and won four of the 10 stages in those races. In that span, it has led 157 laps – the most of all teams – and swept the front row in the most recent road-course qualifying at Watkins Glen with Elliott in first and William Byron in second.

TEAL AND GOLD STEERING WHEEL: September is both Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, and all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers will be among the competitors participating in the Drive for Teal and Gold Steering Wheel campaign. The program supports the awareness and battle against both diseases. After the race, the steering wheels will be autographed and then auctioned off by the NASCAR Foundation to benefit the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation.

POSTSEASON POSITIONING: Hendrick Motorsports currently has three drivers competing in the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, marking a series-best 12th season in which the organization has sent at least three to the playoffs. It is also the 14th consecutive year that Hendrick Motorsports has at least two drivers in the playoffs, which is also the most of all organizations. Chase Elliott, William Byron and Alex Bowman are the first-, second- and fifth-youngest drivers competing in this season’s playoffs. Hendrick Motorsports owns 43 wins in the playoffs, which is an all-time record.

PLAYOFF DRIVERS: Byron became the ninth-different driver Hendrick Motorsports has taken to the playoffs, the most of all organizations in series history. He joins a list that includes Elliott, Bowman, Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch and Mark Martin.

PILING UP POLE POSITIONS: After securing just two poles in 2018, Hendrick Motorsports has amassed eight poles this year with eight races remaining in the season. It’s the sixth-highest total the organization has earned in a single season, tied with the 1998 campaign. Hendrick Motorsports’ record for poles came in 1986 with 16, followed by 12 in 2007 and 2009, 11 in 2008 and 2012, 10 in 1995, and nine in 1996 and 2004.

1,000 ON THE DOT: 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, the 2019 total has been brought to 1,000 laps up-front with eight races remaining in the season.

ORGANIZATION STATS: To date, Hendrick Motorsports has totals of 12 championships, 255 race victories, 223 pole positions, 1,064 top-five finishes and 1,826 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 the changes to the “roval” this year:
“With the course changing from last year, I think it’s going to make us all slow down a bit more just from how it looks to me. I think we will have to slow down heading into the new chicane and treat it like a corner. We are just gonna get there and give it a shot and try to be solid.”

William Byron on what he learned from from the “roval” last year:
“It was a really intense race. I think it will probably come down to a late-race restart. Last year’s race I think even had a fuel mileage aspect to it until the final few laps and everyone had really old tires and no grip whatsoever. You try to prepare for that any way you can, and you try to judge the grip level coming to those restarts late in the race. Otherwise, you have to do your best to stay out of trouble early, but also know you can overcome issues at a place like that.”

Byron on road-course races:
“Sonoma is probably the closest track that we race at to the ‘roval,’ just with the atmosphere plus it has really slow, tight corners. Turns 7 and 8 at Sonoma are similar to the ‘roval’ as well, but Watkins Glen has characteristics that we’ll see this weekend with the front chicane.”

Jimmie Johnson on what he learned at the “roval” last year:
“I learned to not wreck coming to the checkers (laughs) from last year. Seriously though, we had a good car in Sonoma and in Watkins Glen and great notes to lean on, so I am really looking forward to redeeming myself this race. We were so close last year, I believe we will be in the mix.”

No. 48 team crew chief Cliff Daniels on racing at the “roval” this weekend:
“There are good notes to pull from for this race. We definitely have a shot to go out and win this thing. We were one turn away from winning it last year. Even though there are changes in the rules package and the chicane on the course, it’s pretty incredible to watch Jimmie (Johnson) go out there and acclimate to any changes thrown his way. We have a great opportunity on the ‘roval,’ we just need to go out there and execute.”

Alex Bowman on racing at the “roval” this weekend:
“This is an interesting and busy week. The ‘roval’ is kind of awkward, but we finished decent there last year. We really need a good weekend on-track. We are so close to the Round of 12 cut-off line, so we definitely need to focus on getting as many points as we can this weekend. Last week didn’t go the way we needed it to, so we are definitely going back to the books and hoping to unload strong in Charlotte on Friday.”

Michael McDowell on the ROVAL
1 Start
Best Finish: 18th
“Obviously, I’m excited to race at the ROVAL this weekend. I always enjoy going to a road course, but this one is certainly different from Watkins Glen and Sonoma in that there’s very little room for error. If something happens or you make a mistake at Sonoma, you can go off course, but there’s less opportunity to do that here. We had some good speed in this race last year, and I’m looking forward to putting on a good show in our No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops Ford Mustang.”

Road-course races make up a relatively small part of the Monster Energy Cup Series schedule, but when Paul Menard and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team take the green flag for the Bank of America Roval 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway it will be the team’s 100th Cup start on a road course.

The Wood Brothers have accumulated eight wins, eight poles, 30 top-five and 39 top-10 finishes in their first 99 road-course starts.

The majority of their success came on the old Riverside International Raceway course in California. In 43 starts there, they had seven wins, four with Dan Gurney and three with David Pearson. Their eighth win came at Watkins Glen with Marvin Panch driving.

Eddie Wood said Riverside, which hosted its last Cup race in 1988, was a special place.

“It’s where I went to my first road course, and our family ran really well there long before I went for the first time,” he said. “That track had a lot of history. They ran Indy cars and sports cars there. It was a special place to a lot of people, not just us.”

Wood said he’s looking forward to building more road-course memories at the Roval at Charlotte, now in its second season.

“We had a good run going last year until everybody piled into each other there at the end,” he said. “It’s a unique course, but it’s challenges are similar to other road courses.

“It’ll be a race of strategy. It’ll be important to stay on the track, and we’ll have to adapt to the handling package that is new this year.”

Qualifying for the Bank of America Roval 400 is set for Friday at 4:40 p.m., and the race is scheduled to start just after 2:30 p.m. on Sunday with TV coverage on NBC.

About Motorcraft

Motorcraft® offers a complete line of replacement parts that are recommended and approved by Ford Motor Company. From routine maintenance to under-hood repairs, Motorcraft parts offer exceptional value with the highest quality and right fit at competitive prices. Motorcraft parts are available nationwide at Ford and Lincoln dealers, independent distributors and automotive parts retailers are backed by Ford Motor Company’s two-year, unlimited-miles Service Parts Limited Warranty. Ask for Motorcraft by name when you visit your local auto parts store or your favorite service facility. For more information, visit www.motorcraft.com.

About Quick Lane Tire & Auto Centers

Ford’s Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center offers routine vehicle maintenance such as oil and filter changes, light repair services including brake repair, and tire replacements on all vehicle makes and models. With more than 800 locations and growing, customers can visit www.quicklane.com to find a center that is closest to them, print savings coupons and review maintenance tips to keep their vehicles running at peak efficiency. This site includes information on how to spot tire wear, how to jump-start a battery and even a series of tips to improve a vehicle’s fuel economy.

About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, electrified vehicles and Lincoln luxury vehicles, provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification, autonomous vehicles and mobility solutions. Ford employs approximately 200,000 people worldwide. For more information regarding Ford, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.

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.

Denny Hamlin
#11 FedEx Freight Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing

Race Info:
Race: Bank of America ROVAL 400
Date/Time: September 29/2:30 p.m. ET
Distance: 400 Laps/600 Miles
Track Length: 1.5 miles
Track Shape: Tri-oval
Banking: Turns: 17-20°; Straights: 5-11°
2018 Winner: Ryan Blaney

Express Notes:

Richmond Recap: Denny Hamlin earned a podium finish before his hometown crowd at Richmond Raceway Saturday night, as the Chesterfield, Va., native took third in a race that saw Joe Gibbs Racing sweep the top three finishing positions. After taking the green flag in sixth in his FedEx Office Toyota, Hamlin moved into the top five early and never left. The car was strong for all 400 laps, despite some handling and grip issues that the team adjusted on all evening. But Hamlin’s No. 11 didn’t quite measure up to his teammates, with Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch dominating most of the race. Truex Jr. won for his second consecutive victory and Busch crossed the line second in front of Hamlin. The finish bumped the FedEx team driver to fifth in the Playoff standings.

Charlotte (Bank of America ROVAL 400) Preview: The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series will come home to North Carolina for the third race of the Playoffs and the final event in the Round of 16. Charlotte Motor Speedway will host the series on its “Roval” (road course and oval hybrid) course on Sunday, Sept. 29. Denny hopes to keep his momentum going as he moves into fifth in overall points.

Hamlin Charlotte Motor Speedway (Road Course) Statistics:
Track: Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Coarse
Races: 1
Wins: 0
Poles: 0
Top-5: 0
Top-10: 0
Laps Led: 0
Avg. Start: 27
Avg. Finish 12

Hamlin Conversation:

Not able to pull out a win, but an impressive race. How are you feeling about your team’s performance?

“We had a third-place car tonight, and that’s where we ended up. We just didn’t have the long-run speed that my teammates had. But it was a good day overall. We ran in the top five all night, executed well and maximized our day. Our confidence is high going into Charlotte next week.”

Next race is on the road course in Charlotte. How are you feeling about it and the different kind of track?

“The Roval is the wild card of wild cards. It can turn your entire season on its head with just one wreck. It’s unforgivable. But, I love the addition of the bigger bus stop on the backstretch. It adds an element of true road course to Charlotte. We’ll go out there with the best strategy we can and execute to the best of our ability.”

FedEx Virginia Beach Team Along for the Ride at Richmond Raceway: For the Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, FedEx Freight recognizes the company’s West Palm Beach, Fla., service center by featuring the call letters WPB on the #11 FedEx Freight race car. The West Palm Beach service center has approximately 75 team members who are committed to making every FedEx experience outstanding.

FedEx Office – Closest to Charlotte Motor Raceway: 7741 Gateway Lane NW, Suite 110, Concord, NC 28027, (704) 979-1971

Toyota Racing – Christopher Bell, Bob Leavine and David Wilson

Teleconference Quotes

CONCORD, N.C. (September 24, 2019) – Leavine Family Racing announced earlier today that Christopher Bell will drive the No. 95 Toyota Camry in the 2020 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Bell, Leavine Family Racing’s founding owner, Bob Leavine, and Toyota Racing Development (TRD, U.S.A.) president, David Wilson, spoke with media on a teleconference.

CHRISTOPHER BELL

Talk about the relief of having this announcement made and the fact that you’ll have crew chief Jason Ratcliff coming with you next year.

“I’m really, really excited about making the next step here at LFR (Leavine Family Racing) and I’m hoping that we can get it kicked off on the right foot. I think having Jason along beside me is going to be a huge; it’s going to be a really big advantage having Jason with me. He’s a great crew chief. He’s got a lot of experience with veteran drivers and we got to start our communication process in the Xfinity Series together, so there’s nobody else I’d rather go with than him.”

How long will it take you to ease on into the Cup Series?

“I think a lot of it will have to do with how well I adapt to the rules package in the Cup Series. The Xfinity cars, for whatever reason, fit me pretty well, so there wasn’t that much of a learning curve in the Xfinity cars, but the Cup Series cars right now are drastically different than the Xfinity Series cars, so I think a lot of it will depend on how quickly I can pick that up.”

What does it means to you to race in the Cup Series?

“It’s the pinnacle of motorsports in the United States of America. If you talk to anybody, any kid, their dream, if they dream of racing, is to run in the Cup Series in NASCAR. It’s a dream come true for me. I say it’s a dream come true for me, but whenever I was a kid in Oklahoma and I started dirt track racing, I didn’t see how it was possible to get there just because I was a dirt track driver and that’s all I knew. I honestly didn’t think it was possible to get to the Cup Series and now here I am today and it’s just, it’s pretty surreal.”

Are there any limitations to your sprint car racing next year and do you have any plans to do any Xfinity Series races next year?

“I don’t know about the Xfinity side of things. We don’t – we haven’t even really talked about it. I think Bob (Leavine) can explain a little bit more on the sprint car side of things.”

Will you cut back on your sprint car racing schedule now that you’re in the Cup Series next year?

“I understand that my dirt racing is going to have to slow down a little bit. With the Cup Series, the schedule is a lot more, it’s a little bit bigger than what the Xfinity cars are and it’s going to be a huge learning curve moving into the Cup Series, so as Bob (Leavine) alluded to, I’m going to be allowed some races, but I understand that the schedule won’t be near what it has been the last several years.”

You started with Toyota in 2013 in the driver development program. When you started with Toyota, did you think you’d ever make it to the Cup Series?

“I remember back whenever we first got together and I actually met with Jack Irving (Senior Manager, Commercial Director, TRD) and Tyler Gibbs (Vice President and General Manager, TRD) and we talked about the plan. I remember they sent me a bubble chart and that was back at the very beginning of best-case scenario, after this we go late model racing, best-case scenario we go Truck (Series) racing, worst-case scenario, we stay Truck racing. It would be really cool to see that bubble chart, I’m sure it’s floating around in an email somewhere, to see how true it all came six years later down the road here. I thought it was realistic that I could get to Cup whenever I started in the USAC ranks with them, as long as I performed, but then as you make every step, it gets harder and harder and harder. Back in 20– I guess it would have been last year in the Xfinity Series, we had a very successful year and there was still no way to get to Cup so that was a very, very big road block and I wasn’t sure if it was going to happen there for a while, but David Wilson, Tyler Gibbs and Jack Irving and those are the people from the TRD side that made it happen and then obviously there’s countless people at the Toyota side that made it happen as well. Whenever I started out on the midget (racing) side, I felt like I could definitely make it to Cup if I performed well enough. I felt like there was a clear path, but like I said, each step that I took, the path became more and more fuzzy because the number of seats, they just keep dwindling down. I think that’s the best answer I can give you.”

BOB LEAVINE, founding owner, Leavine Family Racing

Are there any limitations to how many sprint car races Christopher can run next year?

“I’m excited for Christopher to continue sprint car racing. We did that for Kasey (Kahne). In fact, Sharon (Leavine) and I got to our first one because of going to see Kasey race. He enjoyed that and to take that away from someone who started like Christopher did and enjoys it so much, I can’t imagine – there’s not a plan for him to stop that. I know he will be prudent in races he goes to because he understands the commitment that we’re going to ask of him in the Cup Series of getting familiar, the time spent like David (Wilson) said, in the simulator and those things. He knows he’s going to have to readjust his time and readjust his schedule and he’s a smart enough young man to do that. I don’t have to tell him. I’m sure he will invite me to a race here and there, but it’s like have fun, now let’s go Cup racing and that’s his job, that’s his primary job and so as intense as he is, knowing what his focus is and having visited with him a lot about what he likes to do, he likes to race. What do you do in your spare time? I like to race. What do you do on vacations? I don’t take any. It’s had to tell somebody that does that as a “hobby”, not to do it. We’re excited that he still wants to and excited to see him win there. I think it’ll be contagious with his confidence level. It just absolutely does, when you win, you’re confident and he will win in the sprint car series and we expect him to carry that forward in the Cup Series.”

What does this do to elevate your team moving forward?

“Probably that word you used, it elevates it. With the talent, character and experience that Christopher has and has gotten as he moved up through a very solid foundation with the people surrounding him, with Jason (Ratcliff) coming over, (Mike) “Wheels” (Wheeler) still being here and our total people on the car will be the same, which was really built on this year. Then the, for lack of a better term, enhance with JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) is all going to come together very well. It’s our next step that we’ve been working on for about five years, so really pleased that Christopher is a part of it. Obviously Toyota being a part of it is huge, TRD and JGR being a part of it, it’s a great family and we all elevate together.”

What does it mean to have this enhanced alliance and what’s your journey been like since you first started Leavine Family Racing?

“I’ll use the word that Christopher (Bell) used, surreal. Just go back to when the charter came into being, I can remember Jeremy (Lange, president of LFR) and I coming out of a TOC meeting and wondering how in the world we were going to continue to race. We didn’t, we weren’t given a charter. It’s been a long haul and a difficult one. Our biggest step and our biggest improvement was going to Toyota and the relationship base from David (Wilson), Tyler (Gibbs) and Jack (Irving) and all the people at Toyota and TRD and then Coach (Joe Gibbs) and JGR and all of the support over there, that really was a breath of fresh air because it really was getting difficult to compete and try to get better. We did. We were able to take steps, getting Kasey (Kahne) over here, although it wasn’t for a full year, it was a big step of credibility. That helped our racing program, but with him getting sick and we had a transition of crew chiefs and so that wasn’t a stellar year and we knew going into this year with (Mike) “Wheels” (Wheeler) coming over, we had an opportunity to step up and show what we could do to get better because it would’ve just been unrealistic financially as well as information-wise for us to start off as the Furniture Row program because I didn’t think we could handle it. I think what we did slowly learning JGR’s way, TRD’s way, and being ingrained in that and building a relationship was the right way to go. Then the fact that it did provide an opportunity for us to you know get Christopher and go to the program for next year, it’s kind of like Christmas early. It’s a pretty special time for LFR. Everyone here from Jeremy (Lange) down, Sharon (Leavine), is all excited about our possibilities, but yet, and I’m sure just like we expect Christopher, he’s got a job to do in 2019. We’ve got a job to do with Matt (DiBenedetto) because Matt has done an exceptional job this year, Wheels, we’re still building on that. We’ve got work to do, but it’s really cool. To think about it, it’s almost like I don’t want to think about it, because we followed Furniture Row to RCR (Richard Childress Racing). They went on and did those things and all along it’s like I would like to be – we’re even smaller than Furniture Row – I would like to be that next model team that steps up and says hey, you can do this. Only with the help of TRD and Toyota and Coach Gibbs and JGR and the good Lord, we have that opportunity.”

With Rheem and Procore as sponsors for next year, does that fill your primary sponsorship inventory for next year?

“We still have a handful of races, inventory to sell, so obviously and hopefully with the announcement where we can now go out, I hate to say this word, but peddle Christopher and his talent and what he’s done I think will help us. It just took time. There’s a lot of parts and pieces, moving parts and pieces, in this, what we have just accomplished and put together. We would like to have done it sooner, but it just wasn’t ready. So now we get an opportunity and Jeremy, our sales group, are on top of it. I’m sure they’re relieved, for lack of a better term, of having something to sell for 2020.”

Are you already in better shape next year than at the beginning of this season in terms of sponsorship?

“Absolutely.”

DAVID WILSON, president, Toyota Racing Development (TRD, U.S.A.)

What type of enhancements have been made to the alliance with LFR?

“The easiest way to characterize the alliance is it’s akin to what we had between TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing and Furniture Row Racing a couple of years ago. Certainly not going to get into the detail of it, but enhanced hardware, enhanced communication, sharing of information, the tools that TRD provide will be further enhanced, time available on our sim and again, everything that TRD brings to the table is going to be the same as what it has been with Joe Gibbs Racing.”

So will Christopher get more simulator time than Matt DiBenedetto did?

“We certainly try and accommodate all of our partners and drivers. Again, it is a huge priority for us to make sure Christopher has what he needs to succeed, to be confident and this is a complete package. It is not being done piecemeal and you can tell that by the names – having Jason (Ratcliff) follow Christopher over, etc. – all of those things are designed to give him the best opportunity to succeed and continue to meet and exceed our expectations.”

What will you take from what you learned with the Joe Gibbs Racing and Furniture Row Racing relationship in 2016-2018 and apply moving forward?

“That’s a great question because when we rolled out that program, it was the first time we’d ever contemplated that. It was a very challenging alliance and it’s no different than what’s happened in the garage in other places where these alliances, the alliance partner begins to have a degree of success that perhaps was unexpected. This time around, we’re being much more intentional about it. The conversations that we’ve had between ourselves, Bob (Leavine), Joe (Gibbs), in understanding exactly what it is that we are going to be doing, what it is that we’re going to be sharing, again those conversations are a lot more specific and intentional such that we don’t have any misunderstandings as we go down this path. Again, by its very nature, it’s somewhat counterintuitive because of just the competitiveness of this sport, so that’s why it is – it only succeeds as a three-legged stool with Toyota / TRD, Leavine Family Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing participating collectively.”

Do you anticipate being able to give Christopher Bell any opportunity in a Cup Series seat this year or are you strictly going to wait until next year?

“The priority this year is for Christopher to win an Xfinity championship. We need to be respectful of that. We need to be respectful of not only Christopher, but Joe Gibbs Racing, in that regard. Obviously, we can’t just go out and put Christopher in a Cup car as much as we’d love to, and go out testing. That’s not the way it works in our spot. We do have tools that will be made available to him once he finishes his business this year. And let me just add, the flip side of that is that Matt DiBenedetto and Bob (Leavine) and the family still have unfinished business as well and we certainly want to finish out our season strong and hopefully give Matt an opportunity to get up there in the winner’s circle before the end of this season is over.”

Have there been any plans to finalize the Xfinity Series lineup next year now that Christopher is moving up to the Cup Series?

“Well that’s really a JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) question. Certainly, we work hand-in-hand with Joe (Gibbs) and the family over there, but we’re not prepared to discuss the 2020 lineup yet. I imagine it will be shortly though.”

With a young driver, how do you manage expectations and allow him a chance to transition into the next level without too much pressure to perform right off the bat?

“It starts with making sure that all of the pieces are in place. I know for the general public, this alliance, this announcement today looked like a no-brainer, worst-kept secret. The reality is this was one of the most challenging deals we’ve ever put together. Christopher alluded to the fact that he was ready to race Cup this year, but the opportunity didn’t present itself. Again, sometimes the hardest thing in this sport is to say no, we’re not ready, we don’t have all of the pieces in place to do the best possible job and I harp on this all the time. We use a tremendous amount of discipline to make good decisions because we’re dealing with people, we’re dealing with a young man who has done a tremendous job at every level that he’s raced. Christopher has been extremely gracious today and that’s just his character, but make no mistake he has earned this opportunity. It’s incumbent upon Bob (Leavine) and I to make sure that he has the tools, the people, the sponsorship, to succeed. Yes, there’s pressure, but by the same token, the step between Xfinity and Cup is the biggest step – I think it’s one of the biggest steps in all of motorsports. It’s not just the hardware. It’s the people that he’s racing against. He is going to be racing against Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Erik Jones. Just within the Toyota family he’s going to have his hands full, so again, we’re circumspect about that and yet we’re confident that Christopher will continue to do well in this sport.”

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 38 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 2.8 million cars and trucks (2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2018.

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 ToyotaNewsroom.com.