Category: NASCAR Cup PR

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
FIREKEEPERS CASINO 400
MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
JUNE 7, 2019

RYAN PREECE, NO. 47 KROGER CAMARO ZL1 Media Breakout Session Highlights:

HOW DID YOU FEEL AFTER THAT LAST ROUND OF PRACTICE?
“I think we are going to start working on handling a little bit for the next run because being wide open in the throttle is going to be key I think to being fast. We’ll see in the second practice. I think you really just lost air when you got around other cars. I don’t know what other people are fighting, but I was fighting being free. Sometimes you would fight a loss of both front and rear, so it’s going to be interesting. I think it’s going to depend on which way you decide to go with whatever you are working on, but at the end of the day, whoever is wide open is going to be the fastest.”

HOW DID YOU FEEL WITH YOUR SPEED?
“I felt like we started out a little off, but as we went on, we got faster and kept making gains. Now, we kind of have a direction of what we need to head in for the second practice. At the end of the day, as long as you can keep gaining time every time you go out, that’s really all you can ask for.”

WITH THE OFF WEEKEND NEXT WEEKEND, DO YOU LOOK AT IT AS A TIME TO RELAX AND REGROUP OR MORE OF GOING INTO THE SHOP AND MAKING SURE YOU ARE READY FOR THE NEXT NINE-STRAIGHT RACES?
“That’s what all of those guys are doing. You don’t want to step on any toes. I’m going to go racing up north in Connecticut and have some fun. I’m somebody who likes to race, so that is my time to relax.”

GIVE ME SOME PERSPECTIVE ON LAST WEEK AT POCONO. FROM WHERE YOU WERE SITTING IN THE COCKPIT LAST WEEK, WHAT WAS THAT RACE LIKE AND HOW WOULD YOU CHARACTERIZE IT?
“It was a track position race. Everything was on restarts; you had to maximize everything you could. If you got in front of a guy that was two are three-tenths quicker, you could really use the air to stop him from catching you. It was different.”

WHEN YOU GO BACK TO POCONO AGAIN, WHAT ELSE ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
“That’s hard to say. You just have to maximize your car. You have to be off the throttle as little as possible. There are things we can do to make our cars better. There are things we are working on every single week to be better, so next time, I’d like to be wide open. As long as we can minimize that off-throttle time, it will be good.”

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR TEAM OVERALL; THE GAINS YOU’VE MADE AND WHAT YOUR EXPECTATIONS ARE FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR.
“Really, just top 20’s and then top 15’s. That’s what you need to do. You almost need to restart and rebuild to gain that momentum. We have found a direction in what we need for our team and we are heading in that direction. We’ve seen a lot of progress with practices over the past four weeks. I felt like we had a pretty good car last week at Pocono; just had some unfortunate instances there that kept us from running really well. At the end of the day, at the All-Star Race and Pocono, we had some really good cars. I feel like heading forward into some of these 1 ½ to 2-mile tracks, I feel like we can start having some pretty good runs.”

HOW ARE YOU CHALLENGING YOURSELF BEHIND THE WHEEL DURING THE RACE? HOW ARE YOU BEING VOCAL TO YOUR CREW CHIEF TO GET YOU MORE EACH TIME?
“I go 120% every time I’m out there. That’s what we’ve been doing the entire year. Every single week and every single meeting that we talk at, we are always heading in that right direction. It’s tough, but we’re getting there. I’ve seen a lot of progress over the last four weeks. Ever since Kansas, we’ve been making a lot of gains. As long as we can keep doing that and translating it into the race, we’ll be just fine and we will end up where I feel like we should be.”
Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS)
Friday, June 7, 2019
EVENT: FireKeepers Casino 400 Media Availability
Clint Bowyer Media Availability

CLINT BOWYER, No. 14 Haas Automation/ITsavvy Ford Mustang — WERE YOU AT THE FORD DINNER LAST NIGHT? “Yeah, I think we all were, as we should have been. What a treat. There are certain things in life, and I guess it all depends on how you grew up but there are certain things that just hit you. Those surreal moments. I was texting my father and a guy that means a lot to me and is really close to him and has been around hot rods and drag racing all my life, my whole upbringing. I was like, ‘You are never going to believe this. I am at Henry Ford’s estate with his great-grandson Edsel as a host at dinner.’ Did you hear what I just said? I am from a little town in Kansas and here I am at Henry Ford’s estate looking at a power plant that he built off the river that charged his estate with the help of Edison. Edison, yes, that guy. It is unbelievable. It was just, my gosh. The pride that Edsel has in his family’s history. it was super cool to sit across the table from Edsel and hear him speak about the history and impact it has made in his life and in our country, it really is a surreal moment that hit me in a big way and I very much appreciated it. It was a very cool night.”

DID EDSEL OFFER ANY EXTRA INCENTIVE TO GET TO VICTORY LANE ON SUNDAY? “There is always an incentive. it goes without saying. When a guy does something like that it shows his appreciation not only of his drivers but our sport of NASCAR and their dedication to the commitment in our sport, to our teams with Stewart-Haas, Penske and Roush and everything they do for us in the Ford camp. It makes you want to go out after that dinner and take care of business like we did last year at home.”

HOW DO YOU THINK YOUR SONOMA STRATEGY WILL CHANGE WITH THE ADDITION OF THE CAROUSEL? “I don’t know. I honestly don’t know. I think everybody has been working hard on it and I have been making laps trying to figure out the carousel. It is going to be a game changer, no question. I don’t’ know what to think about it. For the last several years, I have looked at that track to be the go-to track. Since the car of tomorrow it really woke up certain tracks and Sonoma and these road courses have been some of our best products of racing. I think that is a fact. It is an opinion but it is pretty damn close to factual information. It has been a great product out there, a destination race. Will the carousel change that one way or another? I don’t know. Time will tell. It has changed though for sure.”

DO YOU HAVE PLANS FOR THE OFF-WEEK? “Lake time. Lake time is one of my most favorite things to do. Flooding is affecting everything. These people are getting beat up in the midwest bad. Whether it is tornadoes or flooding, whatever the case may be. It is literally a text or phone call every single day of people that you know. Farmer friends that got their crop in the ground and then it flooded out. My dad sent me a picture yesterday of one of my buddies freight trucks buried, I mean buried in the mud right in the middle of the field. It is sad what everybody is going through. Lakeside Speedway, I saw a picture of that and it is back under water for the second time this year. Hopefully they get some relief and some sunlight and hopefully we will be enjoying the lake. Everything is backed up. The lakes, the retention, literally everything is backed up big time and they need relief in a big way.”

WHAT WOULD THE AVERAGE WEEKEND LOOK LIKE FOR YOU IF YOU HAD A NORMAL 9-TO-5 JOB? “I have always looked to the weekend, since I was a little kid. That is the difference between some of us. I did have a 9-to-5 job but it was 7:30 until whenever the job was done. Let me tell you something about a 9-to-5 job. Racing isn’t a 9-to-5 job. There is no time card. it is whatever it takes to get the job done. You have a partner call and the answer is yes. They need you in Dallas, Texas. They need you in Las Vegas at a show. they need you in Miami, I don’t give a damn where it is at. The answer is yes in today’s day in age. You are on call, 24 hours a day. If someone needs you at the shop to answer a question, it is always a non-stop rotation of whatever the case may be. All week long we have been trying to go over the next month of my life and it is like, God almighty, it is just always chaotic but that is what is fun. You asked what the weekend looked like but since I was a little kid we always looked to the weekend. We have been pulling out with the race trailer and motorhome with my two brothers and dad and going motorcycle racing. Loading that thing Friday at noon while you are on lunch break so you can leave as soon as work is over to go to Lakeside. Pack the old back and it is like, ‘Let’s get it.’ Always looking to the weekend.”

WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO YOU TO PUT MUSTANG IN VICTORY LANE FOR THE FIRST TIME AT MICHIGAN IN THE CUP SERIES ON SUNDAY? “Mustang means a lot to me. It just made sense to me growing up as a car guy that these OEMs have their hot rods on the race track. They are hot rods. Listen to those things out there. That is a hot rod. When you look at a stable like Ford it is a shame Mustang wasn’t always on the race track. It wasn’t their doings, there were political reasons it had to happen but that has changed now. The Mustang is on the race track and what does it mean to have Mustang on the track? For me it is where it belongs and it belongs in victory lane just like we did last year. Going back to the dinner and the commitment and the investment our manufacturers have in us, in particular Stewart-Haas Racing and me and that 14 car. Yes, I want to put it in victory lane because it is huge bragging rights for the manufacturer and huge bragging rights as individuals to be the one to do that.”

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS)
Friday, June 7, 2019
EVENT: FireKeepers Casino 400 Media Availability
Kevin Harvick Media Availability

KEVIN HARVICK, No. 4 Busch Light Ford Mustang — YOU TALKED ABOUT YOU GUYS HAVE TO RELOOK AT HOW LONG YOU USE PARTS AND PIECES WITH THIS PACKAGE. HOW INVOLVED DO YOU GET? DO YOU ASK ZIPPY OR DO YOU ASSUME IT JUST GETS FIXED? “I didn’t assume, I asked. As you look at our place right now you are kind of reevaluating everything. As we started the season and took a wrong direction and had been back peddling to get everything right, the speed of the cars has come back and still working on all the details. It is similar to the way we started 2017 but they have done a great job of turning the ship around and getting the speed back in the cars. I think the steering box issue is a new conversation that you have to look at all the suspension pieces and parts and everything that goes with it. Every week we are 12-18 miles per hour faster through the center of the corner. Ther is a ton more load on suspension pieces, spindles, wheels, steering boxes, front clips and everything that has to do with the car is under a lot more load. You have to step back and to me the learning situation that came out of breaking the steering box is asking the questions about everything else. Obviously that was a topic of conversation. I don’t get too in depth involved in the conclusions to those questions but you have to ask questions. I think they have done a good job in trying to wrangle up everything that we feel like could be a problem going forward. There are just a lot of things that get exposed that are different than what we have done before. We have been working on a number of things that have been exposed and that is just the latest one.”

KESELOWSKI SPOKE OF THE IMPORTANCE TO BRINGING THE MUSTANG TO VICTORY LANE HERE. WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE TO YOU TO BRING THE MUSTANG TO VICTORY LANE HERE? “I think as you look at this particular race track obviously Ford is not far from here and there is a great significance from the Ford Motor Company and the executives at Ford to win. Obviously the Mustang is very important to all of us, especially to Ford Motor Company. As you look at getting to victory lane at Michigan it is the same urgency as it was last year and we did well at that. That is really the same scenario that pops up this year, it just happens to be a mustang with a historic brand and a lot more brand identification than what we have run here in the past. It is still Michigan. It is still in Ford’s back yard. They have won almost half the races here. You look since 1969 and you see the results and see the emphasis they put on Michigan Speedway.”

DOES YOUR STRATEGY CHANGE NEXT WEEK WITH THE CAROUSEL BEING ADDED TO SONOMA? “I was in the simulator this week and got lost a couple times. Forgot where to turn. It is a lot different than I remember it from 1995. I told some of the guys in our organization that they last time i was there and ran this particular course, the course we have been running wasn’t even there. There was a mountain in the middle of the race track. A lot has changed. Running that portion of the race track, the lap time is longer and there are some different corners to deal with and from 3B all the way through 4, through the carousel and the exit of it and what is a different turn 7 than the one we have been racing which was actually turn 5. It depends how you count the corners. I love the fact, and honestly this was a conversation that Marcus Smith and I had at lunch one day and I asked why we don’t just run the carousel and how cool it would be to throw it back. An hour later he told me he talked to his guys and they were looking into it. Next thing you know we are running the carousel. I love the fact they are changing it up. I think Watkins Glen could do the same thing. It seems like SMI is more aggressive in these types of situations with changing things up and trying new things and doing things more on the edge of not knowing what the outcome is going to be. As we have seen with the Roval and with the changes at Sonoma and to my knowledge I have never seen an ISC track put anything on their race tracks and SMI has done it to several of their race tracks to try to improve the racing. I don’t think they are as worried about the life of their asphalt as they are the quality of the race. We have just seen them make a lot more aggressive changes in the things they have done on the SMI side.”

HOW OFTEN DO YOU GET IN THE SIMULATOR? “I don’t do it much. I choose to do it for all the road courses. I feel like I am a visual racer, a visual person that likes to be able to know where I am going, where I have been and with the practices being so short and a new course I think it was very important to get in the simulator and have some sort of idea of where to turn in that new section of the race track. I wanted to have that visual memory of where I was going before I got there because the practices are so short.”

WHAT WAS THE RACE IN 1995 WHEN YOU RAN THE CAROUSEL? “That would have been a Southwest Tour race.”

HAVE YOU GOTTEN TO A POINT OF FRUSTRATION YET IN TERMS OF THE GREMLINS AND BUGS THAT HAVE BITTEN YOU GUYS THIS YEAR? “I am beyond all the frustration. To me it is now a challenge just because I feel like this is very similar to 2014 and 2017. I can see the progression in the speed of the cars and the things we have done and honestly we just chose the wrong direction to start the year. Our cars weren’t where they needed to be and everyone realizes that as a company. We had some situations where we were in position to win some races and had some things go wrong, whether it was my team of the 14. In the end our cars just weren’t fast enough. I think everybody has kept their head down and are looking at it as a challenge now. Aside from the second half of the Charlotte race I think over the last month or so the cars are coming the right direction. Aric had a great test at Indianapolis and that is really the benefit of having quality teammates and people that communicate and an organization like we have with Gene and Tony letting the racers go race. Sometimes that over rules the engineering. Not saying that our engineering guys did anything wrong but it was just the direction just wasn’t right to be able to do the things that we are doing on the race track in the cars in real life scenarios that are being covered with what we are doing on the track is what really tells the tale. We are all pulling the rope

in the right direction now and feel like we have made some good gains. This is part of that challenge that is a cycle. I have talked about this for years. You have to build, you have to rebuild, build and rebuild. You are on the good side of it and the bad side of it and it all has a funny way of cycling itself through. We have had a number of challenges since I have been here with Tony in and out of the car and drivers changing. It is a resilient group of people that continue to set aside the frustrations and look forward. We were all frustrated Sunday because we were in a position to win the race. It is hard to put your thumb on everything and know when steering boxes are going to break. I know we had a pit road penalty but they had a phenomenal day on pit road. There were just a number of things that piled onto one stop there. At this point, in these types of situations for me, they are almost more fun than winning all the time because you get to talk about things and live that frustration and go through those scenarios and in the end sometimes it makes you stronger at the end of those seasons to be where you need to be as we saw with the 22 last year. They were nowhere in sight at the beginning of the year and they finished as the champs. Winning is easy because it means everything is right. You get to get gritty when it is not 100-percent going your way.”

IF YOU WEREN’T RACING AND HAD A NORMAL 9-TO-5 JOB, WHAT WOULD YOU DO ON MOST OF YOUR OFF WEEKENDS DO YOU THINK? “I don’t plan to have a normal job any time soon, or ever actually. For me, life changed when Keelan went to school. We go on vacation when everybody else is on vacation that has kids now. You have to pre-plan a lot to go to the places that you want. For us, we will hang out in the mountains for awhile and go fishing and play golf and have a good time. I don’t really know what normal is. We just plan stuff around our kids and activities. I get to act like I am seven and be an adult.”

WHAT IS YOUR OPINION OF WHAT YOU EXPECT THIS WEEKEND? “I think as we race, I intentionally raced the Xfinity race last year and it didn’t go anything like I thought it was going to go. There was a lot of pushing and shoving to stay in one lane that has been Michigan Speedway over the last several years. You got on the bottom and you get freight-trained on the outside. After the expectations of where the restarts were going into Pocono last week and quickly realizing that if you were on the bottom you were going to get freight-trained on the straightaway. YOu had to rethink your strategy of what you did in the first corner and I think that is why you saw it be so tame. I really thought the cars would draft up much better than they did last week. You didn’t see that humongous draft or very much draft up to a single car down an extremely long straightaway. That is the only thing that has me a little gun shy as to what will happen here. I wish we would have done something a little bitter with the bottom lane, maybe some traction compound in the third lane to really get that third lane burned in here. You can drag all the tires you want and it isn’t going to work. Try to get that third lane burned in. I have a question of what happens with the bottom lane based on what we did last year in the Xfinity race. Those are my concerns. How it turns out, I would be guessing because there have been a few places we have gone that turned out different than I thought it was going to be.”

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE FATHERS DAY MEMORIES? “Father’s Day is a lot more fun being a dad. Keelan has asked me a couple times over the last few weeks what I would want for Father’s Day. It is always something like a new Ford GT or something that is like millions. Like a new yacht or something that he can go back to his mom, because I know where the question is coming from because on Mother’s Day it is pretty funny. It will be like, ‘Hey Keelan, what do you think we should get your mom?’ and the answer comes back as some expensive piece of jewelry or expensive purse or something but in the end we don’t really buy gifts for anything. I just constantly preach the multi-million dollar things to see the reaction he will get from his mom. In the end, we will just be on vacation and it will just be something along those lines.”

YOU HAVE GONE FROM BEING A YOUNG, REBELLIOUS DRIVER TO BEING A SPOKESPERSON OF THE DRIVERS. WHAT HAS THAT EVOLUTION BEEN LIKE? “It is just kind of the evolution of life that follows with it. At this particular point there is obviously some people that don’t like to hear what I have to say, which is fine. There are some people that you feel like you are on their side and it is not really about sides, it is about an opinion and you can take it for what it is worth. At this point it doesn’t matter to me what you think about it, it is my opinion and I will move on from it. I will happily listen to yours as well and it will be a great debate and we will have fun with it. I think the progression of life in general has followed the progression of my career. Having kids was great because you had some more responsibility that you had to come home to than you did before. Things that you say, especially the older Keelan gets, are more magnified. It is like 20-questions when you get home.”

“I was pulling out of the Chipotle the other day after lunch and I go bolting across the street and I get a, ‘What the hell are you doing dad?’ and I was like, ‘what?’ I kind of ignored for a minute and then I said, ‘Where did you hear that?’ It was the day we all sat in a TV booth together. I can’t necessarily blame it on Clint but it sounded a lot like something he would say. It was funny but a moment that you had to explain why we couldn’t use that word.”

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS)
Friday, June 7, 2019
EVENT: FireKeepers Casino 400 Media Availability
Brad Keselowski Media Availability

BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Mustang — DO YOU HAVE AN IDEA OF HOW THIS PACKAGE WILL PERFORM HERE THIS WEEKEND? “It is hard to answer. We haven’t had a practice yet and there are so many variables. It is hard to predict every one of them. We can make some educated guesses but my initial thought was that it would look a little bit like last weekend but now I am not quite so sure because of the way that the track has run in. The biggest variables are going to be how many lanes are available for the cars to have grip and to corner with. The wider the track is in the corners the better the racing is going to be. We really won’t know that until after all of the practice sessions and really into the race to see how wide it gets. The wider it gets the better the race is going to be. I can see the potential for it to do just that. But I don’t know. The variables that come into play with that are the races before hand. We have the Xfinity and ARCA races before hand and all the different tire compounds. The Hoosier compound and Goodyear compound and how they interact. There are a lot of things that come together that create the type of racing. There are a lot of variables that come into play. Some that we have control of and some that we don’t. Some that we have knowledge of and some that we don’t. It is very very difficult at the moment to predict. I think we are all very hopeful that it will look a lot like Kansas. We won that race so I am hopeful for that as well. That was a great race for sure.”

DO THE DRIVERS FEEL NEUTERED WITH A 550 ENGINE PACKAGE? “It is definitely different. There are some things you could do now that you couldn’t do before. There are as many, if not more things that you could do before that you can’t do now. I wouldn’t go so far as to say the word “neutered”. I would just use the word “different”. At the end of the day, it is still a challenge and there is still a race to be put on and there is going to be a winner and a lot of losers. The basics remain the same.”

THIS IS YOUR HOME TRACK AND YOU HAVE COME CLOSE HERE. WHERE WOULD A WIN AT MICHIGAN RANK FOR YOU? “Yeah, I feel like I have sat on this podium here the last half a dozen years after the race finishing second or third which really stinks. It is better than finishing poor. It is a huge item on the bucket list. A check mark that is not there. I feel like we have had the opportunity and we have made a few mistakes. I feel like in some ways we have been good but not great enough to do it. I think 2012 I had a really good shot at winning it. I don’t think we have ever really come here and been the best car but we were in position and I made a little mistake late that probably cost us. Other than that, we have been kind of right there. Someone once told me that to win races at the Cup level you run in the top-five and things will fall your way. We have done that a lot here. We have run in the top-five but it hasn’t fallen our way. I just have to believe in the back of my head that it is there and that it will if we keep doing the things we have been doing but it hasn’t yet. That is just the reality. It would certainly be one of the biggest wins of my career. I try not to think too much about it because you just get some bad vibes going I think and you don’t just do your thing. It is certainly always on my mind.”

NEXT UP IS SONOMA, WILL YOU PREPARE ANY DIFFERENT WITH THE ADDITION OF THE CAROUSEL THERE? “It is going to be a much, much different race. There is no doubt about that. With respect to taking out one of the key passing zones in turn seven and also turn 4 B. There are a lot of A’s and B’s and I might not have them all right. I am a C student and you are asking me about A’s and B’s. It is going to have an effect on how the team sets up the car and definitely on the racing in general.”

IT HAS BEEN A HALF A SEASON NOW WITH THIS PACKAGE. ARE YOU DRIVERS ABLE TO SHOWCASE YOUR TALENT? IF SO, HOW? “Well, it is definitely different. It is a bit more of a chess match than it was the raw talent phase. I haven’t put a lot of thought into that as of late. The reality is that the rules are what the rules are. I feel like I could spend a lot of time and energy really digesting my thoughts on all that stuff but the reality is that I am not going to be able to change it. It kind of is what it is. It is my responsibility and opportunity to maximize our performance within whatever given rules are out there. I don’t know if I have a great answer for you because I haven’t really, nor do I want to, digested or reflected upon the differences all that deeply. I feel like I have just entered a mode that it is what it is and you either get happy with it or find something else to do and I really don’t want to do something else. I want to win another championship. I want to win races like this one. I don’t want to waste any of my brain space that I have available, which is very limited, thinking about things that I can’t change.”

QUESTION INAUDIBLE: “I think there are a lot of things that can always be done. I think the blessing and the curse of this sport is that we go to so many tracks in so many different cities that are laid out so much differently. The blessing and curse of that is that of course it creates some variation that leads to new and exciting and unpredictable things. The curse of that is that it is very hard to optimize a rules package for NASCAR and the teams that is cost effective, efficient, all those good business words but also optimized for any given tracks ability to put on the best race possible. That challenge has been the case for decades and will most likely be a challenge beyond that. It seems, at the moment, that maybe we have made some trades to optimize tracks that perhaps weren’t optimized before at the expense of some that were. That just kind of is what it is. It is not really in my hands to make those decisions.”

TEAM PENSKE HAS FOUR WINS THIS SEASON AND JGR HAS ALL THE REST EXCEPT FOR TALLADEGA. WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU GUYS STACK UP FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE SEASON? “I think we are fairly pleased with where we are at and of course we want more. To have three wins and not even be halfway through the season – I don’t think we are halfway yet are we? 18 would be halfway. There is the exhibition race. I guess it depends on how you do the math. But to have three wins for the 2 team is something we are really proud of. I think that we can make more. We had a year when we had six wins and we are on track to do that. I would be thrilled to death if we could have six wins or more in a season. That is a good mark to have as a race car driver. With that in mind I think we have some opportunities. I think this weekend is going to be an incredible opportunity and I am very pleased with some of the things that the team has shown me they are working and progressing on. We have some really good race tracks coming up over the summer that I am feeling really confident about. It is good and it is bad because when you have three wins you look back and think about how you could have had five or six if I had done this better, or if things fell a different way. That is okay. It has been a good year and we are really proud of it but we are hungry for much more.”

WHAT WOULD A SONOMA WIN MEAN TO YOU? “I wouldn’t put it above this race track but it would be a big one. I can understand why there was so much buzz about when Kyle won at all the tracks. I feel like we have an opportunity to do that. We have been close. Checking off Darlington and Indianapolis last year was two really big marks for me. Sonoma would be, in my mind, one of the biggest accomplishments of my career because that track is so very difficult to win at and so technically challenging. We have had very limited success there. I look at that as one of my worst tracks in Cup and if we were able to win there it would be quite a hurdle to overcome. I can’t say it would mean more than winning here. This is a track where we have had almost the exact opposite of Sonoma. We have run really well here for a lot of years and for whatever reason a win hasn’t come but I feel like we are in a good spot to hopefully check this one off.”

IF YOU WON ON SUNDAY YOU WOULD PUT THE MUSTANG IN VICTORY LANE AT MICHIGAN FOR THE FIRST TIME IN CUP. WHAT WOULD THAT MEAN TO YOU? “I had the privilege of having dinner with the Ford family last night. All the Ford drivers got together to do that at the Henry Ford estate in Dearborn. While we were there, Mr. Edsel Ford, or as we like to call him The Godfather of Ford Performance, got up and gave a speech. One of the things he said was that Fords winning percentage here was almost 50-percent at the Cup level and how much it means to him to have success in what they consider to be their backyard. It really struck me how much it means. Sometimes we forget those things. We are racing 30-some times a year and traveling all over and we get very much into a routine where it is one week at a time and trying not to look too far ahead but honestly you do. So you forget the significance of individual races sometimes, especially in the middle of the season and what they mean to different people. And to the manufacturers that have for so long been the lifeblood of our sport and are based here out of Detroit, it means the world to them to have success in front of their executive teams and core employees, both white collar and blue collar. It means a lot to them to bring home that manufacturers trophy. That was one of the smartest moves this track every made was coming up with that manufacturers trophy. The OEM’s that that very, very seriously. HOpefully we can help Mustang get its first win here at the Cup level and I think we will have a terrific opportunity to do so.”

WHAT HAS BEEN THE BEST THING, SURPRISING OR OTHERWISE, ABOUT THE MUSTANG AND ITS PERFORMANCE? “I think the best thing was just the forethought put into it. It was put together with a team that I feel like took it very seriously. In doing so, it gave all the drivers and teams within Ford Performance boost of confidence, I think that would be the right term, in Ford and their technical capabilities and some of the additions that were made to the Ford Performance team. I don’t want to say that was a surprise because that wouldn’t be the right word. It was a big boost, without a doubt. I think we have seen that effort pay off. The car came right on the race track and was competitive immediately. The experiences I had about a year ago when they were in the middle of the design, I felt like that would be the case which is why I don’t say surprise. I felt like the process and the people behind it were the strongest I had ever seen and a huge leap forward from what I had seen in the years past. There are a lot of people that make up that team and make it possible. From Mark Rushbrook who runs Ford Performance on down. I think that their efforts are kind of unsung sometimes. I don’t mind kind of patting them on the back. They really wanted to make sure that this car came out and lived up to the Mustang brand of excellence. I would say at this point in time that they have by far succeeded.”

IS THE REDUCTION IN SPEED HERE GOING TO HELP WITH THE GRIP? “I think so. I think he is right. I want to think he is right. I could tell you that going back to what I was saying earlier, we get caught up sometimes so much in the week to week and we had a few weeks of really big high marks for the sport with Charlotte and Kansas and a lot of confidence built up and then probably didn’t follow that up at Pocono. So it is hard to say exactly what we are going to see. I can tell you that the experience of driving a Cup car with last years rules was really unparalleled by any other track. The speed was just massive. The cars were just ripping it through the corners and down the straightaway, very much on the edge, and it is really hard to explain what that is like as a race car driver because this track was faster than any other and you really felt it. Especially when we used to have that Saturday morning practice session and the track was cool and the cars would really be flying. That feeling at 9 am was hard to explain. It is very hard to explain. It was super intense. That is probably the best way I could describe it. There is part of me that is going to miss that. The part I am not going to miss is the knowledge that if something broke on the car or there was some kind of accident of sorts, you were going to hit very, very hard. I won’t miss that part, I can promise you that, at those speeds. Or that takeoff speeds in these cars is 180 and we were going 215-220 and if anything went wrong the opportunity to fly over the fence wasn’t something anyone was too excited about. There were some trade offs there. But I will say that I would not expect the race to be any less thrilling or engaging than it has been. I would expect it to be more thrilling and engaging. As to what extent, I don’t know. I don’t know if it is going to be just a little bit better or a lot better. I think it could be a lot better and I share Aric’s optimism and I share his thoughts that slowing the cars down a little bit should increase the capabilities of the tires and side by side racing and all those things, but I just don’t know. Without having a practice and seeing all the variables come together and make up the cake that it is with all these different ingredients. We will see.”

THIS IS A LITTLE OFF-BEAT BUT NASA ANNOUNCED TODAY THAT THEY ARE GOING TO ALLOW FOR THE FIRST TIME, PRIVATE CITIZENS TO VISIT THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION. ARE YOU INTERESTED IN GOING TO SPACE? “Do I want to go to space? At the moment, no. But I am 35 and haven’t had a full mid-life crisis yet so there is always time for that to change. I am limited by some of the things I can say because of some government rules that our company is involved in. I can tell you that the space sector is one of the primary interest of the companies I have and we are engaged in those things but I can’t give any of the examples or explanations of how or where but I would expect to play a key role in it along the way.”

QUESTION INAUDIBLE: “I wouldn’t say necessarily a person but more the technologies and equipment to achieve the mission.”

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
FIREKEEPERS CASINO 400
MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
JUNE 7, 2019

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CAMARO ZL1 met with media and discussed his paint scheme for the upcoming race at Darlington, his thoughts on the race package compared to the Kansas race, and more. Full Transcript:

Note: Hendrick Motorsports and Alex Bowman unveiled today the 2019 throwback paint scheme for this year’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, a sleek throwback look that honors Tim Richmond. Bowman and his team announced the news with a video tribute in the media center at Michigan International Speedway ahead of this weekend’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race.

TELL US HOW THIS CAME ABOUT AND WHAT WE’LL SEE AT DARLINGTON
“It’s pretty cool. I feel like everybody wants to be a little bit like Tim Richmond. So, it’s a really neat paint scheme. I think having Axalta willing to do that is really cool in bringing those iconic colors back is really neat. The car looks great. The fire suit is really cool as well. I’m really looking forward to it. It would have been his 64th birthday today, so that’s why we picked to announce it today. I’m excited about it.”

PUT IN PERSPECTIVE HOW THE LAST MONTH HAS BEEN FOR YOU AFTER ALL THE WORK AND TIME THAT YOU’VE INVESTED IN THIS PROGRAM
“I feel like after last week I’d just forgotten about how the couple of weeks before that were. But, I feel like we’ve turned things around and had four or five really solid weeks there. And then really, we had a Top 5 run going last week at Pocono and then decided to get in a fight with fourth gear. So, I think we’ve just had such strong race cars and it’s made my job a heck of a lot easier and I think Michigan can be really good for us. It’s a lot like Kansas. It’s a really high-mechanical-grip race track. Greg (Ives, crew chief) is from here. So it would mean a lot to win here. Hopefully we can make it happen.”

YOU’RE PRETTY SOLID IN POINTS RIGHT NOW. AT THIS POINT OF THE SEASON, ARE YOU FEELING PRETTY GOOD ABOUT YOUR STAND?
“I don’t think you ever feel good about it unless you’re winning races. But, we’re not bad. We don’t have a huge buffer. But we’ve got a little bit of a buffer there. We’ve just got to find Victory Lane. That’s really all I’m worried about. I’m not too concerned about the points. I think if we run well they take care of themselves. And, that’s what I’m focused on doing.”

WHEN YOU LOOK AT A CHARACTER LIKE TIM RICHMOND AND WHAT HE DID DURING HIS SHORT TIME IN HIS CAREER IN NASCAR, HAS IT BROADENED YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF NOT ONLY THE CHARACTERS THAT USED TO DRIVE IN THIS SPORT, BUT DRIVERS WHO DROVE FOR RICK HENDRICK, SPECIFICALLY?
“Yeah, for sure. I think man, Jesse Essex would have a heart attack if Tim Richmond was driving for Hendrick Motorsports right now (laugher). I think everybody in this room that’s met him understands that one. But, no, he’s definitely a character, for sure. I’ve obviously never met him or anything but just hearing stories. There’s a lot of people at Hendrick Motorsports that worked with him or around him. So, there are a lot of stories that get told and it’s pretty interesting. It’s really neat. If I was a race fan, that’s who I would have cheered for. I’m pretty introverted. I kind of stick to myself. I’m not like Tim in that sense. I’m not as outgoing and flamboyant as he was. But, if I was a fan, that’s who I would have cheered for and it’s pretty cool to get to run his paint scheme.”

WHEN DID YOU FIRST GET FAMILIAR WITH TIM RICHMOND? DID YOU WATCH FILM OR HEAR STORIES? HOW DID YOU GET ATTRACTED TO HIS STORY?
“That’s a good question. I don’t really know initially when it was. It was probably about the time I moved to North Carolina and just started learning more about the stock car industry and NASCAR as a whole. As a kid, I watched Cup races, but I was more of like a Sprint Car / Midget fan and knew all those guys and kind of learned about the history of that stuff. So, when I moved to North Carolina and started learning about this history and had some friends….. One of my buddies that runs a Midget during the Winter, he had like an old Tim Richmond fire suit that he always wore and stuff like that. So, that just kind of stood out. And, obviously the 30 for 30 is really interesting and there’s a lot of interesting film. Coming to drive for Hendrick Motorsports just kind of tied the connection together a little bit more.”

DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS FOR THE OFF-WEEK?
“Moving my shop. Last off-weekend I moved my house. This off-weekend, I’m moving my shop. So, I just don’t have fun. Maybe if we win this weekend, I think Kelsey (Tucker, Bowman’s PR rep) has me busy on Monday morning, so if we win she’s going to have me busy hungover (laughs). No, I’ll be moving. Not a whole lot of fun.”

SOME OF THE DRIVERS THINK THIS RACE AT MICHIGAN COULD BE MORE LIKE KANSAS. THERE ARE STILL SOME QUESTIONS, BUT WHAT ARE THE THINGS YOU’RE GOING TO BE LOOKING FOR THAT MIGHT BE LIKE KANSAS?
“I think just a high mechanical grip race track on both ends of the track being able to be wide-open, produces that speedway-stylish racing that we had at Kansas. Kansas has obviously widened out quite a bit more than this place. This place is really one groove, a groove-and-a half; I think Kansas is the perfect place for this package. Here, I really hope that it’ll be like that. The weather is kind of cool. If this place gets hot and slick, it’s going to be tough. But, I think being cooler, more mechanical grip in the cars; it’s one of the best shots that this package has at creating what I think is the desired effect. So, I’m looking forward to it. Obviously our car was really strong at Kansas. I think this can be a really good place for us. We’ve brought pretty much the same thing back. I think it can be really good. It’ll be interesting. Maybe with the speeds being lower the track widens out a little bit, but we’ll have to wait and see.”

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.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS)
Friday, June 7, 2019
EVENT: LTiPrinting 250 Media Availability

Cole Custer Media Availability

COLE CUSTER, No. 00 Jacob Companies Ford Mustang — HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS WEEKEND? “This has never been my best track. If I can figure it out this time that would be great. It is obviously Ford’s backyard so that would be huge for our team to get a win. It is all about on-throttle time and having good exits and keeping your momentum up. In traffic it is really sketch because it is so high-speed and everything. It is really tough to get a handle on the track for sure.”

YOU WON AT CALIFORNIA AND IT IS VERY SIMILAR TO MICHIGAN: “They are not similar at all. They are similar in shape and size but the pavement is so much different. This is a lot newer pavement. At Auto Club you are able to search around the track more and able to slip and slide around where here you are almost wide open and only have the bottom two grooves to work with. It is all about how you can manage keeping your momentum up.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT TOMORROW? “We are coming here to win. I think we will have a good shot at winning. I just need to get a little better than I have been in the past here and if so, we will be right there.”

A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE “BIG THREE” IN XFINITY. DO YOU BELIEVE IT IS THE THREE OF YOU CONTENDING FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP? “Anybody can get mixed in three at any time. It changes week to week but it does seem like for the most part it has been the three of us this year. It seems like the 7 is getting better and the 98 is right there. You have to stay on your game and can’t get cocky but I would say we are the three to beat right now. Everyone will get better and better as the year goes on. It is a matter of us needing to progress as well.”

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO AT THIS TRACK BETTER? “I think working traffic was one of the things I need to do better. The traffic is just so hard here because it changes so much with the dirty air and everything. I think also just how I use my lift points and how I get through the corners. I think there is a way you have to drive this place that isn’t really like anywhere else. You have to be really aggressive with it and I think I might figure that out this time.”

DO YOU FEEL LIKE NOW, AFTER YOUR SUCCESS, THAT EVERY TIME YOU COME TO THE RACE TRACK YOU SHOULD BE THE GUY THAT GOES TO VICTORY LANE? “I think we have the opportunity to every weekend but I don’t think you can get cocky and say you are the guy to beat every weekend. You have to do your homework and make sure you are doing things right. It seems like we can go out there and be one of the ones to beat.”

HOW HAS CHASE BRISCOE HELPED YOU? “It always helps having a teammate, especially in racing situations like restarts at superspeedways or having someone to help you with notes and being able to bounce ideas off each other and stuff like that.”

DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE FLYING RIGHT NOW? “This is the best we have every started a year. I feel like we could win a lot more races. We have some good race tracks coming up for us. You never really know but I think we have some good stuff coming.”

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST AREA OF IMPROVEMENT YOU NEED FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR? “I think we will have a better idea of what we are going to unload with. Me and Mike working together for the first year, coming back to the track for a second time is going to help us a lot.”

WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS NEXT WEEKEND AT IOWA? “We got to go and do that Goodyear tire test with us, Reddick and Bell and a couple other rookies and it went well for us. Hopefully we have the same thing coming back. We were pretty sporty. We will see what happens. I would love to win there. Every driver loves that place. It is so worn out and bumpy, it is really a drivers track. If we can go win there that would be huge.”

DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE GETTING BETTER EQUIPMENT OR YOU ARE MORE CONFIDENT? YOU ARE MORE AGGRESSIVE IT SEEMS: “I think it is a combination of things. It is my third year so I am getting better as a driver and understanding different situations through a race. I also think we have gotten our stuff a little better this year. It isn’t anything astronomical but we have made our stuff better with the ideas that Mike has brought and the experience he has brought has been huge.”

HOW DO YOU GUYS IN THE “BIG THREE” INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER? “We all get along well. It is fun racing those guys. I think we make each other better. I think we can race hard on the day and then kind of laugh about it after the race.”

DO YOU THINK ABOUT WHEN YOU WILL GET TO MOVE UP TO CUP? “At this point you just focus on what is happening in the moment. You have to win more races and impress people. I think that all three of us are pretty close to the point where we could maybe go Cup racing but I know that I have ways that I can get better. You just have to focus on what you are doing.”

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO BETTER TO GO CUP RACING? “Working traffic at times and stuff like that. I have a good idea of how I need to unload each weekend and what I want in the car but it is about getting more comfortable and better in traffic for me.”

DID YOU ALWAYS THINK YOU WOULD BE THIS GOOD ONE DAY? “I don’t know. I don’t think anybody really knows just how good they can be. I have really had to work on getting better. Ever since I got into the Xfinity Series I have worked hard to figure out my weaknesses and what I need to work on to get better. That has all started to come together. I hope we can win a lot more races this year. It is the best we have started off and it is a matter of keeping progressing.”

YOU WERE SO QUIET WHEN YOU FIRST CAME INTO THE SERIES AND NOW PEOPLE KNOW WHO YOU ARE. DO YOU FEEL LIKE IT IS DIFFERENT? “I was always the really quiet guy. It is kind of different. I feel like I have come out of my shell the last couple of years. It is something I didn’t really expect. I thought I would always be the quiet guy but I think it just comes with being more comfortable. You can never really point at one thing, but it is definitely all coming together.”

Richard Childress Racing at Michigan International Speedway … In 171 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Michigan International Speedway, RCR teams have earned three wins, two with Dale Earnhardt (1987, 1990) and one with Kevin Harvick (August 2010). Additionally, RCR has claimed 25 top-five and 58 top-10 finishes with 10 different drivers including Richard Childress, a former driver in NASCAR’s top division, who recorded top-10 finishes at MIS in June 1978 and August 1979.

RCR in the MENCS … In 2,949 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts dating back to 1969, RCR has amassed 50 pole awards,108 wins, 489 top-five finishes and 1,071 top-10 finishes, with an average starting position of 17.7 and an average finishing position of 16.2. RCR has earned 15 total championships (six Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championships with Earnhardt in 1986, ’87, ’90, ’91, ’93 and ’94, six NASCAR Xfinity Series titles, two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series titles and one ARCA Menards Series title) and was the first organization to win titles in NASCAR’s three national series.

#RCR50 … Richard Childress Racing celebrates it’s 50th Anniversary in 2019. Follow our social channels season-long to join in the celebration.

Interactive RCR … For up-to-date news and exclusive content, visit RCR’s corporate Twitter page – @RCRracing – along with the RCR Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team Twitter page – @RCRCup, and driver Twitter pages @austindillon3, @TylerReddick and @DanielHemric. Information about the 15-time championship winning organization can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RichardChildressRacing and at www.RCRracing.com along with official driver pages –  http://www.facebook.com/austindillon3 and www.facebook.com/DanielHemric.

Catch the Action … The Firekeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway will be televised live Sunday, June 9 beginning at 2 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

This Week’s Dow Salutes Veterans Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Michigan International Speedway … In 13 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Michigan International Speedway, Dillon boasts two top-five and four top-10 finishes.

By Seeking Together, We Can Solve Anything – Dow Salutes Veterans … Our solutions are reshaping our world. And at the heart of our solutions are our people. Their diversity is our strength. They reflect the world in which we do business and the communities in which we live. As a diverse community of approximately 37,000 employees worldwide, together we can solve anything.

Cheering for Dillon … If you’re at Michigan International Speedway, come shop Austin Dillon merchandise available track-side by visiting the RCR merchandise trailer in the fan midway.

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:
Much like a lot of this year, there are many unknowns going into Michigan International Speedway with a new rules package. You finished 14th and fourth there last year. Does that mean anything though going there this time around?
“Michigan International Speedway has been a really good place for us. I feel like I’ve always had speed there. We won the NASCAR Xfinity Series race last year with a similar package that we currently race in the Cup Series so as a company I feel like we have a good setup at Michigan International Speedway, and that usually bodes well.”

What do you think we’re going to see during the race at Michigan International Speedway?
“There should be a lot of pushing and shoving. We saw a lot of that in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Michigan last year. There will also be some drafting. It’ll be fun. It’ll be a wild one for sure.”
Daniel Hemric and the No. 8 Chevrolet Accessories Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Michigan International Speedway … Daniel Hemric will be making his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start at Michigan International Speedway in this weekend’s 400-mile event. The Kannapolis, North Carolina, native has made two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the 2-mile speedway, including a runner-up finish in 2018. He also made two NASCAR Truck Series starts there, earning an average start of 7.5 and an average finish of 5.0.

About Chevrolet Accessories … Chevrolet Accessories are the only accessories Designed, Engineered, Tested, and Backed by Chevrolet. Chevrolet Accessories are integrated into the vehicle at the design stage for fit, appearance and compatibility. We put our accessories through a lineup of demanding design and testing processes including: Cycle tests that include thousands of on/off and open/close cycles; corrosion testing; deflection, impact or stone chip resistance; Electromagnetic compatibility with Chevrolet entertainment systems; and Vibration and moisture resistance. Customers trust that Chevrolet Accessories have been engineered specifically for their Chevrolet vehicles. Customers have more freedom than ever to personalize their vehicles, enhance utility and accommodate their active lifestyles. For more information, visit chevy.com/accessories.

Sunoco Rookie of the Year Standings … After a strong run at Pocono Raceway, Hemric is now leading the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings. The driver of the No. 8 Chevrolet Accessories Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 enjoys a four-point lead over Ryan Preece and has an 82-point gap over Matt Tifft.

Meet the Driver … Fans have the opportunity to meet Hemric on Sunday, June 9 at the RCR merchandise trailer in the Michigan International Speedway Fan Zone. Hemric will be signing autographs starting at 10 a.m. ET.

DANIEL HEMRIC QUOTES:
You have had strong runs in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Michigan, finishing second to your teammate Austin Dillon there in 2018. Are you excited to get back there in a Cup Series car for the first time? Will it help that the rules package this year may be similar to what you raced there last year in the Xfinity Series?
“I think the aero package this year for the Cup Series will have some similarities to what was run at Michigan in the Xfinity Series last year. This package has its own things that make it what it is, but we learned some things pretty quickly through practice last year with the Xfinity Series car that were really key to allowing us to have the speed and driveability we had in the race – especially considering how close the pack was during the race. I hate we missed out on our first win there last year, but it was great to have one of our RCR cars in Victory Lane at the end of the day. I look forward to going there for the first time in a Cup car. I know it won’t be 220 mph getting into Turn 1 like it used to be, but I think the racing is going to be just as close and intense as it has ever been. It should be a good show for the fans.”

There is some thought that we could see Daytona and Talladega-style racing at Michigan with this package. Do you expect something along those lines on Sunday?
“I can see the racing at Michigan being similar to Daytona and Talladega with this package, but when we go to Daytona and Talladega those tracks are so wide and banked that it holds the car and your balance isn’t as crucial as other tracks. This weekend at Michigan, your balance is going to be crucial to stay committed. I feel like everybody will be able to drive fairly well by themselves, but once you get in groups you may have some separation because guys will have to work the throttle and that backs the whole group up behind them and a couple cars are able to drive away. It will still be key to make our No. 8 Chevrolet Accessories Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 drive well to make sure you can hang on to the lead pack and have a shot at the win at the end of the day.”
Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Michigan International Speedway… In 48 Series starts at the two-mile speedway, RCR has captured three victories with drivers Kevin Harvick (2003), Paul Menard (2014) and Austin Dillon (2018). The Welcome, N.C., organization has completed 5,869 of the 5,877 laps (99.9 percent) that they have competed. RCR has accumulated two pole awards,12 top-five and 27 top-10 finishes, led 270 laps and averages a starting position of 10.6 and finishing position of 11.5.

Welcome, Joe Graf Jr. … Joe Graf Jr. will be making his first of select starts for RCR in the No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro this weekend at Michigan. This weekend will also be Graf Jr.’s NASCAR Xfinity Series debut.

Pocono Review … Tyler Reddick picked up his ninth-consecutive top-five finish when he placed second during Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at Pocono Raceway.

The Points …Tyler Reddick remains the current Xfinity Series points leader.

Social Media … To keep up with the latest updates from RCR’s Xfinity Series teams, follow @RCRracing and @RCRNXS on Twitter. Updates can also be found via RCR’s Facebook Page and Instagram (@RCRracing).

Catch the Action … Coverage of this week’s Michigan 250 at Michigan International Speedway will be televised live on Saturday, June 8, beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern Time on FS1. It will also be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio, channel 90.

Tyler Reddick and the No. 2 KCMG Chevrolet Camaro at Michigan International Speedway …
Tyler Reddick has two previous NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Michigan International Speedway, with his best finish of seventh coming during last year’s event. The current Xfinity Series points leader also has two NASCAR Truck Series starts at the two-mile track, with a top-10 finish coming in 2015.

About KCMG … KC Motorgroup Ltd. (KCMG) is an international motorsport services group established in 2007 by Dr. Paul Ip. The group, with its headquarters located in Hong Kong, has operations reaching across Europe and the Asia Pacific region. KCMG operates closely with many partner companies and racing organizations around the world to provide unrivaled Motorsport Services, Equipment, Team Management and quality distributorship in the Automotive Industry. 2013 saw KCMG become the first Chinese outfit ever to race at the world famous Le Mans 24 Hours in its 90-year history and participate in the FIA World Endurance Championship. The Hong Kong-based team later on took an historic LMP2 victory at Le Mans and was Vice Champion in FIA WEC in 2015. With years in the motorsport industry, KCMG has been involved in a wide range of Formula, GT and Le Mans prototype endurance racing series across the globe. For more information please visit www.kcmg.com.hk or email info@kcmh.co.hk

TYLER REDDICK QUOTE:
What are your thoughts heading into Michigan International Speedway, a track that can sometimes act a little bit like a superspeedway?
“For me, Michigan International Speedway is kind of like the little cousin of California. Auto Club Speedway is so wide and the track surface is a lot older, so I know conditions are different, but I was hoping Michigan would have widened out a little bit more than it has so far. I’m still holding out hope that one day it will get there. As of right now, it’s still tight racing and all about managing track position and your car the best that you can in clean air. At the same time, you don’t want a car that will go haywire on you when you’re in traffic, because you will be in traffic at one point during the race. You have to be smart at Michigan and do everything you can to keep your track position for the whole day.”

Joe Graf Jr. and the No. 21 EAT SLEEP RACE Chevrolet Camaro at Michigan International Speedway … Joe Graf Jr. will be making his first of select starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for Richard Childress Racing in the No. 21 EAT SLEEP RACE Chevrolet Camaro this weekend at Michigan International Speedway. Graf Jr. has one previous start in the ARCA Menards Series at the two-mile track, finishing fifth there in 2018. Graf Jr. will return to the ARCA Menards Series again this weekend, racing in the series Friday night before making his Xfinity Series debut the following day.

About EAT SLEEP RACE … EAT SLEEP RACE (eatsleeprace.com) is a racing lifestyle apparel company based out of New Jersey. Since 2001 the brand has offered a full product line including accessories and apparel for men and ladies. As one of the pioneers of motorsports apparel, the brand has deep roots in the racing industry and was created to offer fresh designs for all racing enthusiasts. The company has expanded to now offer a dedicated children’s product line of apparel and accessories branded as the Fast Kids Club with its hot selling ABC book for future race car drivers.

Meet RCR’s Newest Intern … Graf will not only be driving for Richard Childress Racing, but will also be interning with the team’s marketing and communications staff to learn the business side of the sport. The dual role will help the New York University freshman grow as a driver on both the competition and front office ends of racing.

Media Availability … Graf Jr. will be available to NASCAR media members to talk about his debut start for RCR during the Xfinity Series rotation in the Michigan International Speedway media center on Friday, June 7, beginning at 11 a.m. local time.

JOE GRAF JR. QUOTE:
How does it feel to be making your debut NASCAR Xfinity Series start with RCR this weekend at Michigan International Speedway, a track you have some experience at?
“Ever since I was a kid I have dreamed about racing in NASCAR, and this weekend that dream becomes a reality. To make my debut with a team as respected as Richard Childress Racing is beyond humbling. I want to thank Richard Childress, Torrey Galida and everyone at RCR for making me feel so comfortable. Racing for RCR is an honor, especially in their 50th anniversary season. It is something that I will cherish and remember for the rest of my life. Richard’s work ethic and dedication to our sport inspires me to be the best driver that I can be.”

“Making my debut start at a track like Michigan that I’m familiar with and will also have extra seat time at over the weekend with the ARCA Menards Series is nice. I won’t have to focus as much on learning the track while in the No. 21 EAT SLEEP RACE Camaro and can instead focus all my energy into learning the car and communicating with the team. I’m grateful to EAT SLEEP RACE for coming on board the No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro for my debut. They’ve been a big supporter of my racing career this season, so it’s exciting to be taking this next step together.”

How will having a teammate like Tyler Reddick help you in your debut NASCAR start this weekend?
“I’m really excited to be racing with Tyler Reddick as a teammate this weekend. I have watched Tyler progress over the last few years and how hard he has worked to become a series star. It’s so cool that I get to run an RCR Chevrolet Camaro alongside such an accomplished racer and with such an amazing team. I am hoping that his input and advice will allow me to excel in my series debut.”

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
FIREKEEPERS CASINO 400
MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
BROOKLYN, MI
JUNE 9, 2019

BOWTIE BULLETS:
LOOKING TO CLAIM VICTORY IN MILESTONE RACE:
Chevrolet has 26 victories in the 99 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at the 2-mile Michigan International Speedway, which opened in October 1968. GM brands Buick, Oldsmobile and Pontiac have combined for an additional 10 wins.

CLOSING THE DEAL:
Twenty-one races at MIS have been won by the pole-sitter, most recently by Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 42 Credit Bank One Camaro ZL1, in June 2017. Other Chevrolet race winners from the pole: Benny Parsons in June 1980, Bobby Labonte in August 1995, and Jeff Gordon in June 2001 and August 2014. Gordon, with six poles at the racetrack, still holds the MENCS track qualifying record of 206.558 mph set in 2014.

FOUR ACES FOR LARSON, BUSCH?:
Larson won three consecutive MENCS races at the racetrack – August 2016, which was his first MENCS victory, and sweeping the 2017 races – and is tied with Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1, for the most among active drivers. Busch, who is tied for the most starts with 36 at the track among current drivers, has three poles, including last June’s race.

NO. 3 WITH A BULLET:
Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1, is third in the MENCS standings through 14 races. He has one win (Talladega), six top-five finishes – including fourth place after starting 12th the past two races (Pocono, Charlotte) — and two stage wins.

THE GREAT RACE FOR CHARITY:
In support of The Great Race for Charity, Team Chevy will feature decals on their Camaro ZL1 race cars showcasing the nonprofit organization Operation Homefront logo in the MENCS FireKeepers 400.

A $5 donation on behalf of MIS will be made to Operation Homefront for every ticket package that is sold. Another $5 donation will be made back to the nonprofit organization of the manufacturer who sells the most tickets for both 2019 races at MIS. The winning charity will be presented with a check during pre-race ceremonies at the Consumers Energy 400 on Aug. 11.
Operation Homefront has provided military families with critical financial assistance, transitional and permanent housing, and other family support programs and services for over 15 years.

Fans can purchase tickets to support their favorite manufacturer and charity at www.mispeedway.com or by calling 888-905-7223.

TUNE-IN:
FS1 will telecast the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway live at 2 p.m. ET Sunday, June 9. Live coverage can also be found on MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

BY THE NUMBERS:

• FireKeepers Casino 400 wins by current Team Chevy drivers:
  Kyle Larson, No. 42 Credit One Bank Camaro ZL1, has three wins (2016, two in 2017)
  Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1, has one win (2014).
  Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1, has three wins (2003, ‘07, ‘15).
• Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with eight poles, including the past two races by William Byron in the No. 24 Hendrick Autoguard Camaro ZL1.
• Jimmie Johnson paces active drivers with 700 laps led at MIS.
• Cale Yarborough recorded seven of his eight wins at the track in a Chevrolet (1977, 1980, 1983 sweep) or GM brands Oldsmobile (1978) and Buick (1982).
• Chevrolet has won 39 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships.
• Team Chevy drivers have scored 781 wins and 707 poles in MENCS competition.

QUOTABLE QUOTES:
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 – 3rd IN STANDINGS
THOUGHTS ON MICHIGAN STRATEGY:
“I assume the outside lane will be really dominant on restarts. Getting up in that outside lane and getting in the draft will be big. I don’t know if the guy up front will ever be able to get away or not. The thing about Michigan is that it is still very one-lane. Unfortunately, that racetrack just hasn’t really widened out like we all hoped it would or like it used to be. Maybe it will and maybe the new package will make it widen out some. I think it will be similar to the Xfinity race last year unless we are able to move around more.”

KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 – 8th IN STANDINGS
“Michigan Speedway is a place where I think the new aero package will have a ton of excitement with the draft and wide-open throttle time. Michigan can be an easy track to drive when you have cool conditions and can be one of the toughest tracks to drive when you have hot conditions. We’ll see what Mother Nature brings for us this weekend. The package will be exciting, the cars have been racing well and everybody is getting settled-in. I think Michigan is going to be one of those big asterisk races on the excitement, the fun, the value and the prestige of winning for your manufacturer.”

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CAMARO ZL1 – 11th IN STANDINGS
“The past five weeks we have seen improvements. Last weekend, we didn’t have the greatest race and had some unfortunate things happen there at the end, but this team never gave up. I think going to Michigan this weekend will be good for our group. We have had some good races there before and it is a fast racetrack. The track is really narrow, so we will see how this package races on Sunday.”

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 HENDRICK AUTOGUARD CAMARO ZL1 – 14th IN STANDINGS
THE SPEEDS AT MICHIGAN ARE CLOSE TO TRACKS LIKE DAYTONA OR TALLADEGA, BUT MOST DRIVERS SAY THAT MICHIGAN IS A PLACE THAT YOU REALLY FEEL THE SPEED IN THE CAR. DO YOU THINK THAT’S THE CASE?
“Absolutely. With the new package we have, I think the racing could be more similar to a Talladega or Daytona. If that’s the case, it’ll be a really wild race. I don’t really know what to expect otherwise. Michigan is always fast and you’re always on edge there because it’s so flat. It seems like you’re either on edge with the front or the back of the car and that makes it tough.”

KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 CREDIT ONE BANK CAMARO ZL1 – 16th IN STANDINGS
“With our team’s history at Michigan, it’s always a place where I look forward to competing. We didn’t have the best races there last season, so I’m looking forward to getting back and running like we have in previous seasons. Our Chevy’s have had really good speed lately, so I think we’re heading into a good track for us at a good time. It will be interesting to see how the racing is at Michigan with the new package, but we’ll be ready to do what we need to do to be competitive. There’s always a lot of pride on the line to have a good showing for Chevrolet in their back yard, so hopefully we have a strong weekend.”

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW SALUTES VETERANS CAMARO ZL1 – 21st IN STANDINGS
THERE ARE A LOT OF UNKNOWNS GOING INTO MICHIGAN. WITH 14TH AND 4TH PLACE FINISHES LAST YEAR, DOES THAT MEAN ANYTHING GOING INTO THE WEEKEND?
“Michigan has been a really good place for us. I feel like I’ve always had some speed there. We won the Xfinity race with a similar package that we race in the Cup series. I always enjoy going to Michigan. I feel like we have a good setup as a company there.
“It should be a lot of pushing and shoving; we saw a lot of that in that (Xfinity) race. It’ll be fun; a wild one for sure.”

CHRIS BUESCHER, NO. 37 KROGER THRILL OF THE GRILL CAMARO ZL1 – 22nd IN STANDINGS
“We’re looking to build on the momentum from the past several weeks heading into a big race for all the manufacturers,” said Chris Buescher. “It’s really important for us to have a good weekend at Michigan International Speedway for our brands and our manufacturer. We know there’s a lot of unknowns, but we’ll utilize what we’ve learned over the last two months or so and maximize our weekend. Also, at Michigan we’ve got Hellmann’s, Maxwell House and Kleenex Wipes on the hood of our Thrill of the Grill Chevy. As we get ready to travel to Michigan, I also want to remind fans they can text “THRILL” to 31279 to save and win!”

DANIEL HEMRIC, NO. 8 CATERPILLAR CAMARO ZL1 – 24th IN STANDINGS
YOU HAVE HAD STRONG RUNS IN THE NASCAR XFINITY SERIES AT MICHIGAN, FINISHING SECOND TO YOUR TEMMATE AUSTIN DILLON THERE IN 2018. ARE YOU EXCITED TO GET BACK THERE IN THE CUP SERIES CAR FOR THE FIRST TIME? WILL IT HELP THAT THE RULES PACKAGE THIS YEAR MAY BE SIMILAR TO WHAT YOU RACED THERE LAST YEAR IN THE XFINITY SERIES?
“I think the aero package this year for the Cup Series will have some similarities to what was run at Michigan in the Xfinity Series last year. This package has its own things that make it what it is, but we learned some things pretty quickly through practice last year with the Xfinity Series car that were really key to allowing us to have the speed and drivability we had in the race – especially considering how close the pack was during the race. I hate we missed out on our first win there last year, but it was great to have one of our RCR cars in Victory Lane at the end of the day. I look forward to going there for the first time in a Cup car. I know it won’t be 220 mph getting into Turn 1 like it used to be, but I think the racing is going to be just as close and intense as it has ever been. It should be a good show for the fans.”

THERE IS SOME THOUGHT THAT WE COULD SEE DAYTONA AND TALLADEGA-STYLE RACING AT MICHIGAN WITH THIS PACKAGE. DO YOU EXPECT SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES ON SUNDAY?
“I can see the racing at Michigan being similar to Daytona and Talladega with this package, but when we go to Daytona and Talladega those tracks are so wide and the banking is so much that it holds the car and your balance isn’t as crucial as other tracks. This weekend at Michigan, your balance is going to be crucial to stay committed. I feel like everybody will be able to drive fairly well by themselves, but once you get in groups you may have some separation because guys will have to work the throttle and that backs the whole group up behind them and a couple cars are able to drive away. It will still be key to make our No. 8 Chevrolet Accessories Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 drive well to make sure you can hang on to the lead pack and have a shot at the win at the end of the day.”

Chevrolet Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Statistics

Manufacturers Championships
Total (1949 – 2018): 39
First title for Chevrolet: 1958
Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-2015)

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 – (in 2007)

2019 STATISTICS:
Wins: 1
Poles: 8
Laps Led: 987
Top-five finishes: 16
Top-10 finishes: 45
CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 780 (1949 – to date)
Poles Won to Date: 707
Laps Led to Date: 233,242
Top-Five Finishes to Date: 3,985
Top-10 Finishes to Date: 8,217

Total NASCAR Cup wins by Corporation, 1949 – To-Date

       GM: 1,114
       Chevrolet: 780
       Pontiac: 155
       Oldsmobile: 115
       Buick: 65

       Ford: 781
       Ford: 680
       Mercury: 96
       Lincoln: 4

       Chrysler: 466
       Dodge: 217
       Plymouth: 190
       Chrysler: 59

       Toyota: 131

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.

Sunscreen Company Offering 36% Discount with Code

MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY (TWO-MILE OVAL)
LOCATION: BROOKLYN, MICHIGAN
EVENT: NASCAR CUP SERIES (RACE 15 OF 36)
TUNE IN: 2 P.M. ET, SUNDAY, JUNE 9 (FS1/MRN/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
3rd in standings
14 starts
1 win
2 pole positions
6 top-five finishes
7 top-10 finishes
402 laps led

Career
127 starts
4 wins
6 pole positions
39 top-five finishes
66 top-10 finishes
1,645 laps led

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

RUNNER-UP FINISHES: Chase Elliott is in good company as one of four drivers with the most runner-up finishes at Michigan before their first win at the track. NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon also earned three second-place results before capturing his first win at the two-mile oval (1998), and both Martin Truex Jr. and NASCAR Hall of Famer Terry Labonte have three runner-up results without a win at Michigan.

MICHIGAN STATS: The driver currently holds the best average finish (5.3) of all time at Michigan. He has finished inside the top 10 in all six career NASCAR Cup Series starts at the two-mile oval, which ties him for the series’ longest streak of starts before a finish outside the top 10 at Michigan. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native has collected three top-five finishes – all of which were runner-up results – at the track. Elliott also averages a starting position of 10.7 at the venue.

GUSTAFSON STATS: In his 15th season as crew chief, Alan Gustafson is set to call his 29th race from atop the pit box this weekend at Michigan. In his previous 28 starts at the venue with five different drivers (Elliott, Gordon, Mark Martin, Casey Mears and Kyle Busch), Gustafson has collected two wins – with Martin in June 2009 and Gordon in August 2014, when he started from the pole position. The No. 9 team crew chief has garnered five top-five finishes,13 top-10s and 292 laps led at the Michigan track.

LAST FIVE: Last weekend’s fourth-place finish at Pocono Raceway kept a streak alive for Elliott. The driver of the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 has collected five straight top-five finishes (Talladega – first; Dover – fifth; Kansas – fourth; Charlotte – fourth; Pocono – fourth). It marks the longest top-five streak of Elliott’s Cup Series career. His previous longest streak was two races in August 2018 (Bristol and Darlington). Over the last five races, he has averaged a finishing position of 3.6 – the best average finish of all drivers – and has led 280 laps. Elliott has also collected more points (236) than any other driver over the previous five events.

SO FAR IN 2019: Through the first 14 races of the season, Elliott has led 402 laps – leading in eight of the last nine races after going the first five races of the season without leading a single lap. He currently owns the fourth-most laps led by a driver this season. He has taken the green flag from the front row in three races this season, starting from the pole position in two of the last seven races (Bristol and Dover). So far this season, Elliott averages a starting position of 12.4 and finishing position of 9.2.

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

2019 Season
14th in standings
14 starts
0 wins
3 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
4 top-10 finishes
148 laps led

Career
50 starts
0 wins
3 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
8 top-10 finishes
209 laps led

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

POCONO PLAYBACK: Collecting back-to-back NASCAR Cup Series pole awards, William Byron led the field to the green flag once again last weekend, this time at Pocono Raceway. Leading the initial 21 laps, the driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Autoguard Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 finished Stage 1 in second place and Stage 2 in third, collecting crucial stage points. A minor dust up with the wall caused him to lose momentum in the final 50 laps, but Byron fought to work his way back through the traffic. He ultimately crossed the finish line in ninth, his fourth top-10 finish of the 2019 season.

STATS DON’T LIE: Continuing to make strides every race, Byron has added to his already impressive sophomore season stats. In the last five races, Byron has scored 163 points – fifth-highest of all Cup drivers – propelling him from 20th to 14th in the driver point standings. He’s started on the front row six times – the most of any driver this season so far – and is tied for the most pole awards this season with three. Aside from starting in the top three in each of the last four races, he’s led laps in the last four consecutive races, the best streak of his career so far. In the last two races, Byron has had an average running position of seventh and has scored stage points in seven of the last 10 races. He has also finished in the top 10 in three of the last four races this season.

HENDRICK AUTOGUARD RETURNS: After another strong showing this past weekend in the Hendrick Autoguard colors, Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet will once again carry the premier vehicle protection program on board this weekend at Michigan International Speedway. Available at Hendrick Automotive Group dealerships, Hendrick Autoguard includes additional individualized maintenance products like tire and wheel protection, paintless dent repair, an oil change program, a mechanical repair service contract, flexible maintenance, and others. The program affords customers numerous options to get the maximum value from their vehicle with the highest level of service in the industry. All Autoguard vehicle protection programs are available as single products or value-packaged for additional savings. For more, visit the Hendrick Autoguard website.

MICHIGAN MOTIVATION: Byron will return to the two-mile, D-shaped oval for the third time in his NASCAR Cup Series career this weekend. Looking to continue to improve off his previous starts, the driver has a best starting position of 14th at the venue and a track-best finish of 13th, both coming in the rain-shortened event last June. Byron also has one Xfinity Series start at Michigan, where he qualified fourth and ended the race in the runner-up position, as well as one Gander Outdoor Truck Series start in which he started third and finished fourth.

INDY TEST: Before heading to Michigan this weekend, Byron and the No. 24 team participated in a two-day tire test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday and Wednesday, June 4-5. It is the first Goodyear tire test for the No. 24 team this year.

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Jimmie Johnson
No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Driver Jimmie Johnson Hometown El Cajon, California
Age 43 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina

2019 Season
17th in standings
14 starts
0 wins
1 pole position
1 top-five finish
6 top-10 finishes
68 laps led

Career
629 starts
83 wins
36 pole positions
225 top-five finishes
358 top-10 finishes
18,771 laps led

Track Career
34 starts
1 win
0 pole positions
5 top-five finishes
13 top-10 finishes
700 laps led

Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, will be available to members of the media on Friday, June 7, at 3:30 p.m. local time in the media center at Michigan International Speedway.

HOME TURF: Michigan International Speedway is in close proximity to two key players on the No. 48 team. Sponsor Ally Financial is based in nearby Detroit, roughly 78 miles east of the track. Ally Detroit Center, formerly One Detroit Center, is a skyscraper located in the downtown area overlooking the Detroit Financial District. The 43-story tower is the tallest office building in Michigan and the second tallest building overall in the state. Michigan is also home to manufacturer Chevrolet, as General Motors Company is also based in Detroit’s Renaissance Center just around the corner from Ally.

MICHIGAN FINISHES: Jimmie Johnson has had some exciting finishes at Michigan. Over the years, Johnson has led 700 laps at the two-mile track. After a few close calls and near misses, Johnson scored his first and only win at Michigan on June 15, 2014, leading 39 laps en route to the checkered flag.

MICHIGANIANS: No. 48 team crew chief Kevin Meendering was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and lived there – gracing the pits of Berlin Raceway – until he was 8 years old, when he and his family moved to North Carolina. Meendering began working at Hendrick Motorsports as an intern and moved his way through the organization as he attended the University of North Carolina at Charlotte part-time to earn a mechanical engineering degree. Also claiming Michigan as a “home” track is Brandon Harder, the fueler on the No. 48 pit crew. Harder is a native of Oak Harbor, Ohio, and attended Bowling Green State University, majoring in construction management before moving to North Carolina to pursue his NASCAR dreams.

JJ Q&A: Johnson will participate in a question-and-answer session Sunday, June 9, on the pre-race stage at Michigan International Speedway at 11 a.m. local time. One lucky child from the crowd will be picked at random to introduce the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion.

ALLY SWAG(GER): Ally will help fans get their “Ally Swag(ger)” on once again this weekend. Fans will have the opportunity to update their Johnson gear with the Ally colors if they find an Ally brand ambassadors in the campgrounds at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. local time. Follow @AllyRacing on Twitter for exact locations and updates.

POCONO REWIND: Last weekend at Pocono Raceway, Johnson and the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team seemed on track for another solid top-10 run but slid backward in the closing laps to a 19th-place finish. After starting eighth and running in the top 10 for the majority of the race, Johnson later tweeted that while loading the car in the transporter, the team noticed the track bar was bottomed out on the right side of the car and that something happened during on-track contact, which allowed the car to drop multiple inches. The culprit was a mechanical failure.

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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
11th in standings
14 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
3 top-five finishes
4 top-10 finishes
94 laps led

Career
131 starts
0 wins
2 pole positions
6 top-five finishes
18 top-10 finishes
368 laps led

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

Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, will be available to members of the media on Friday, June 7, at 11:30 a.m. local time in the media center at Michigan International Speedway.

WELCOME BACK, NATIONWIDE: The primary blue-and-white colors of Nationwide will be featured on the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in 20 NASCAR Cup Series events in 2019. Nationwide will adorn the hood of Alex Bowman’s Chevrolet for this weekend’s event at Michigan International Speedway. After this weekend’s race, the Nationwide colors will be back on board the No. 88 machine at Kentucky next month. Last August, Hendrick Motorsports and Nationwide extended their primary partnership with Bowman and the No. 88 team for an additional two years beginning in 2019.

LET’S COMPARE: It is safe to say that Bowman and the No. 88 team have been successful in the last five races. The Tucson, Arizona, native has three top-five finishes and four top-10s in the last five races. Bowman’s average finish went from 18.3 in the first nine races to 5.6 in the last five. The Nationwide team has moved from 21st to 11th in the point standings in that span.

POINTS, POINTS, POINTS: Bowman has scored the second-most points among all drivers over the last five races. The driver of the No. 88 Nationwide Chevy is second to teammate Chase Elliott on the list, with 204 points earned since Talladega Superspeedway.

BOWMAN AT MICHIGAN: Bowman has seven previous starts in the NASCAR Cup Series at the two-mile track in Michigan. Last spring, Bowman started from the 21st position and ended the race 16th after the event was cut short due to weather on Lap 133. The 26-year-old has completed 92.5 percent of the total laps run in those seven events. Bowman also has four previous starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Michigan. In 2016, he qualified on pole for the 125-lap event and went on to get a seventh-place finish. Last spring, the driver qualified 10th in the No. 23 Chevrolet and finished 21st after leading eight laps. The driver ran for JR Motorsports in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series event in 2015 and finished 11th after starting 16th. In 2012, Bowman qualified third for the ARCA Racing Series event at the track and led 12 laps before crossing the line second.

MOST LAPS: Bowman is sixth on the list of drivers who have led laps this season but have yet to capture a victory. The 26-year-old has led 94 laps total over four events this season. The No. 88 machine led seven laps at Talladega, 16 laps at Dover, 63 laps in Kansas and eight laps in the 600-mile event at Charlotte two weeks ago.

IVES HEADS HOME: No. 88 team crew chief Greg Ives will make his ninth NASCAR Cup Series start as crew chief this weekend at his home track of Michigan International Speedway. In his eight previous starts calling the shots, he has one top-five finish and three top-10s. Ives’ best finish of second came in 2015 with Dale Earnhardt Jr. behind the wheel. In 2013, Ives was a crew chief at JR Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and captured the victory in the spring event with driver Regan Smith. Ives’ drivers have led 20 laps in the Xfinity Series at the two-mile track and have an average finish of 3.5. Ives was a race engineer for the No. 48 team between 2006 and 2012. During that time, the team captured six top-10 finishes and three second-place starting positions.

HOMETOWN TRACK: Three members of the No. 88 team have ties to the state of Michigan. Ives grew up in Bark River, Michigan, which is approximately 443 miles from the Michigan track. Ives received his Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Michigan Technological University. No. 88 team hauler driver Andy “Squiggs” Quillan grew up in Belding, Michigan, which is approximately two hours from Michigan International Speedway. Quillan grew up a NASCAR fan and attended his first race at his home track back in 2001. Front-tire changer Scott Brzozowski grew up in Sterling Heights, Michigan, which is just outside Detroit. Brzozowski started out as a member of the No. 24 over-the-wall crew before switching to the No. 88 team in 2015.

PITCH TO WIN BIG: Small Business Week ran from May 5-11 and recognized small businesses everywhere. Nationwide and BlueVine are teaming up to give away up to $100,000 to one small business to help it grow. From now until June 30, small-business owners can visit www.pitchtowinbig.com to enter for a chance to win funds to achieve their business goals. Nationwide and BlueVine will select the contest finalists, who will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Nationwide’s headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, to pitch business leaders during a live “Pitch to Win” event. The winning pitch will win the $100,000 prize, with second place receiving $20,000 and third place taking home $10,000.

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Hendrick Motorsports

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT MICHIGAN: At Michigan International Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports has collected eight wins, 11 pole positions, 52 top-five finishes and 99 top-10s along with 2,491 laps led. This weekend, Michigan could become the seventh different track where the organization has collected 100 or more top-10s.

POWER OF THE POLE: Hendrick Motorsports leads organizations in poles for the 2019 season. Last weekend at Pocono Raceway marked the fourth time in history that the organization has captured six or more poles in the first 14 races of the season. The record for most poles captured in one season by the organization is 16, a feat it accomplished in 1986 when it had amassed seven poles in the first 14 races.

FEELING HOT, HOT, HOT: Over the last five races, the organization has claimed the top spot in many areas. The team stands as a leader in the most poles (three), second-place finishes (three), top-five finishes (eight), top-10s (14) and average finish (9.6). At least one Hendrick Motorsports car has finished in the top five in each of the last five races, which is the longest active streak in the Cup Series.

ORGANIZATION STATS: To date, Hendrick Motorsports has totals of 12 championships, 253 race victories, 221 pole positions, 1,055 top-five finishes and 1,808 top-10s in points-paying NASCAR Cup Series competition. Its teams have led more than 68,400 laps since 1984.

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QUOTABLE /
Chase Elliott on improving:
“We’ve had some good NAPA Chevrolets the last couple of weeks. We’ve been good, just not great and you have to be great to win these things. I’ll go to work and try to do a better job, and we’ll see what we can do (at Michigan).”

Elliott on Michigan strategy:
“I assume the outside lane will be really dominant on restarts. Getting up in that outside lane and getting in the draft will be big. I don’t know if the guy up front will ever be able to get away or not. The thing about Michigan is that it is still very one-lane. Unfortunately, that racetrack just hasn’t really widened out like we all hoped it would or like it used to be. Maybe it will and maybe the new package will make it widen out some. I think it will be similar to the Xfinity race last year unless we are able to move around more.”

William Byron on speed at Michigan:
“Absolutely. With the new package we have I think the racing could be more similar to Talladega or Daytona. If that’s the case, it’ll be a really, really wild race. I don’t really know what to expect otherwise. Michigan is always fast and you’re always on edge there because it’s so flat. It seems like you’re either on edge with the front or the back of the car and that makes it tough.”

Jimmie Johnson on Michigan:
“I enjoy the racetrack. It’s been one of my favorite tracks to run on since I’ve started racing. There’s lots of lane options and high speeds. From inside the car, the experience on the track has always been pretty intense and cool.”

Johnson on Michigan’s speed:
“The highest speed I’ve ever had in a race car was at Michigan. The rules package this year will change that, the straightaway speeds won’t be as high as we have had in the past. When they resurfaced it and with the higher horsepower rules package, I think I went 217 mph into Turn 1, and that’s the fastest I’ve been in a race car.”

Alex Bowman on continuing success into Michigan:
“The past five weeks we have seen improvements. Last weekend, we didn’t have the greatest race and had some unfortunate things happen there at the end, but this team never gave up. I think going to Michigan this weekend will be good for our group. We have had some good races there before and it is a fast racetrack. The track is really narrow, so we will see how this package races on Sunday.”