DETROIT – (Oct. 7, 2015) – On the heels of their 750th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win, Chevrolet heads to the 1.5-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway with momentum on their side. Chevrolet drivers and teams have earned a total of 43 wins at the track situated just north of Charlotte, North Carolina, the ‘Queen City’. The Bow tie Brand leads all other manufacturers at the track built in 1959.
Charlotte Motor Speedway holds special regard to most drivers and teams participating in the 36-Race NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule. Most of the teams competing at NASCAR’s highest level reside within driving distance of the track and is home to a large majority of drivers and team personnel.
“I always really enjoy Charlotte,” said Kasey Kahne, a four-time Charlotte winner. “You can keep your momentum up, keep your speed up, you can move your line around and find something that works better for your car a lot of times there and some tracks you can’t do that. Charlotte has worked really well for me throughout the years. It has some really high load spots in the car that you need it to be turning really well through. It’s always really fun to win there because it’s so close to home, it’s close to the teams and we have a lot of team members there cheering on the Hendrick cars so it’s neat when a Hendrick Motorsports car wins at Charlotte.”
Charlotte marks the fourth race of the Chase for the Sprint Cup, but the first race in round two, the Contender round. This segment consists of races at Charlotte, Kansas and Talladega. Following last week’s race at Dover International Speedway, Chevrolet has six SS drivers who remain on a quest for the cup. Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman and Martin Truex, Jr., now set their sights on 501 grueling miles under the lights at Charlotte as their next hurdle to moving one step closer to being deemed this season’s champion.
All six contenders have Chevrolets past success at the track on their side. Team Chevy has earned two of the last three victories at the 1.5-mile d-shaped venue. They will face many challenges during the course of the weekend including practicing in the day and guessing on a set-up for night. Traditionally Charlotte is known for coming down to fuel mileage at the end and requiring impeccable tire management. Thus far the Chase has been anything but predictable. Six Chevy SS drivers hope to make Charlotte a tally in the win column and their ticket to round three of the Chase. Seventeen others are on the hunt for their first Victory of the season.
A win at home in front of family and friends will hold special meaning for any driver. For six members of the Bow tie Brigade it will mean getting one step closer to earning Chevrolets 31st driver championship.
Before fans make their way to their seats they are encouraged to visit the Team Chevy display located in the fan midway area. The display will open on Thursday October 8 at 1 p.m.
Fans can check out the great lineup of Chevrolet cars, trucks and SUV’s on display as well as talk with knowledgeable product specialist about all of Team Chevy’s new arrivals. Throughout the weekend fans will have the opportunity to ask questions of their favorite Chevy drivers. Ty Dillon, Austin Dillon, Martin Truex, Jr. and Justin Allgaier are scheduled to make appearances during the weekend.
The 334-lap/501-mile Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., ET on Saturday October 10. Live coverage will be available on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN), PRN, Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 90 and NASCAR.com.
TEAM CHEVY IN NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES (NSCS) COMPETITION:
Chevrolet has won 38 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Manufacturers’ Championships
Team Chevy drivers have scored 750 wins and 676 poles in NSCS competition
CHEVROLET ON THE TRACK—CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY:
Chevrolet drivers have won 43 of 113 races at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Wins by active drivers are:
Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s Red Vest Chevrolet SS, has seven victories at Charlotte Motor Speedway (’03, ’04 – TWICE, ’05 – TWICE, ’09 & ‘14)
Jeff Gordon, No. 24 3M Chevrolet SS, has five wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway (’94, ’97, ’98, ’99 & ’07)
Kasey Kahne, No. 5 HendrickRideAlong.com Chevrolet SS, has visited Victory Lane at Charlotte Motor Speedway four times (’06 – TWICE, ’08 & ’12)
Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Jimmy John’s/Budweiser Chevrolet SS, has gone to Victory Lane at Charlotte Motor Speedway three times (’11, ‘13 & ‘14)
Jamie McMurray, No. 1 McDonald’s Chevrolet SS, has two (2) trophies from Charlotte Motor Speedway (’02 & ’10)
Kurt Busch, No. 41 State Water Heaters Chevrolet SS, has one (1) win at Charlotte Motor Speedway (’10)
Tony Stewart, No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS, has one (1) trophy from Charlotte Motor Speedway (’03)
A Chevrolet driver has won two of the last three races at Charlotte Motor Speedway
A Chevrolet driver has sat on the pole at Charlotte Motor Speedway 31 times
Team Chevy drivers have scored 191 top-five and 378 top-10 finishes at Charlotte Motor Speedway
A Chevrolet has led 13,420 laps (33.7% of possible 39,840 laps) at Charlotte Motor Speedway
TEAM CHEVY FOR THE FANS AT CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY:
Fans can check out great Chevrolet vehicles including: Silverado 2500 High Country, Camaro SS Coupe, the 2015 Motor Trend Truck of the Year Chevrolet Colorado, Equinox, Silverado 1500, Tahoe and Malibu
At the display fans can see a variety of specialty vehicles including the production version of the Chevrolet SS racecar and a special wrapped pink Chevrolet Silverado in support of breast cancer awareness month
Other activities at the Team Chevy Racing Display include a variety of interactive games for adults and kids
Fans can see a sample of engines, parts and accessories in the Team Chevy Display available for purchase from Chevrolet at their local Chevrolet dealer
DRIVER FAN Q/A APPEARANCES:
Friday, October 9th:
o 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. – Ty Dillon Autograph Session
o 4:45 p.m. – Martin Truex, Jr. Question and Answer Session
Saturday, October 10th:
o 2:45 p.m. – Austin Dillon
o 3:30 p.m. – Justin Allgaier
o 2:45 p.m. – Austin Dillon
o 3:30 p.m. – Justin Allgaier
Hours of operation: Thurs: October 8th – 1:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., Fri. October 9th – 10:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. and Sat. October 10th – 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
ENGINEER EXPERTISE FROM THE GARAGE AREA – ALBA COLON, CHEVROLET RACING PROGRAM MANAGER – NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES:
“After a very successful weekend for Team Chevy at Dover International Speedway, we head to Charlotte Motor Speedway, the first race in the second stage of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, the ‘Contender’ round.
“It was a great weekend for Team Chevy – we swept all 3 events, the NSCS and NXS races at Dover along with the NCWTS race in Las Vegas. Congratulations to Kevin Harvick, Rodney Childers, Gene Haas, Tony Stewart and the entire Budweiser/Jimmy John’s No. 4 Chevrolet SS team on their dominant win. Also, congratulations to Martin Truex, Jr., Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kevin Harvick for making it to the Contender round of the Chase.
“Kevin’s victory also marked Chevrolet’s 750th win in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Team Chevy has more wins than any other manufacturer in NASCAR’s premier division, an accomplishment that every Team Chevy member should be proud of. A BIG THANKS to all our teams. We couldn’t do it without each one of them.
“This weekend at Charlotte is last Saturday night race of the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. To perform, succeed, and win is foremost on the minds of all the teams currently in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Each driver wants to secure a spot in the top eight in the standings before heading to the Talladega race in couple of weeks. This will be the third race at Charlotte Motor Speedway this year, so the teams already have a lot of information in their set-up books before they even turn a lap at the track. For sure this is an endurance race. It is both mentally and physically challenging for the drivers and crews. A lot of strategy and patience is required to be successful at this track.
“The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup is amazingly close; but with seven races remaining, we want to be sure that we place as many Chevrolet SS drivers in the final top 4 as possible. Also, the Manufacturers’ Championship is still far from being decided.
“The teams are always looking forward to racing under the lights in their own backyard; and there is no better feeling than to win on your home turf. See you at the Winner’s Circle!”
TEAM CHEVY FROM THE DRIVER’S SEAT:
MARTIN TRUEX, JR., NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW/VISSER PRECISION CHEVROLET SS – 5TH IN STANDINGS
“We’re excited about advancing into the second round of the Chase even though it means more sleepless nights. We haven’t been really good nor really bad so far in the Chase. We’ve been consistent and that’s why we got past the first round. But to advance into the next round of eight we’re going to have to step up our game. Though we had a great run in Charlotte in the spring (5th and led most laps – 131), it’s a track where I have struggled throughout my career. I hope the last couple of runs we had there has put us in the right direction on how to attack the track on Saturday night.”
KURT BUSCH, NO. 41 STATE WATER HEATERS CHEVROLET SS – 6TH IN STANDINGS
“It’s really one race at a time, but yes, they’re three and three and three, and you can’t get too far ahead of yourself because one week at a time, if something happens, then it changes your strategy for the other two weeks. So each time you start a new grouping like Charlotte, I think Chicago is one of the most important races of the year. It starts the Chase. I think Charlotte is one of the most important races because it’s the first race in that sector. And then I think Martinsville, it’s one of the most important races other than Homestead.
“There’s something special about the fall race at Charlotte because of the speed that’s in the track. It’s like the earth has cooled off and you get into those cool nights that are in the 50s, and the track has so much speed in it that it’s a different setup than what you run in May when the track is warmer.”
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 3M CHEVROLET SS – 7TH IN STANDINGS
“The goal was to advance, and now we reset (the points) and see what we can do in the next three. I’m excited about this weekend because we ran well and led some laps at Chicago, so hopefully we run well and are competitive at the remaining intermediate tracks like Charlotte this weekend.”
RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR CHEVROLET SS – 10TH IN STANDINGS
“Some of the history of Charlotte Motor Speedway has been being successful in knowing which way the balance is going to go. I don’t think it is as sensitive as it used to be, but it is still a factor. Secondly, the key is having a car that’s balanced at both ends of the track because it is fairly unique. In Turns 1 and 2 you carry more speed than in Turns 3 and 4. There is a lot more vertical force. Turns 3 and 4 also have more bumps than there ever has been, so that’s a big part of it now. It’s kind of back to where it was before it was repaved.”
DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CHEVROLET SS – 11TH IN STANDINGS
“I hate some guys don’t get to make it and some guys do, but I’m glad we are able to move on to the next round. It kind of resets and hopefully we don’t make any more mistakes and make it too hard on ourselves to try to get to that next round. Now, it’s time to regroup and prepare for the next race. I’m proud of our Nationwide team, and I’m ready to race this weekend at Charlotte. I just have that good confidence in my guys. They really support me and pump me up and give me the confidence to go out there and work hard. We have been building this team for a long time.”
KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 4 JIMMY JOHN’S/BUDWEISER CHEVROLET SS – 12TH IN STANDINGS
(In Regards to his history at Charlotte Motor Speedway): “I’m 100 percent good with it, especially the last three or four years at RCR we were able to perform there (at Charlotte) and win a couple races. It’s been very good to us since I’ve been at SHR. It just took a long time to figure out. It’s just like Dover. It took 15 years to walk out of Victory Lane with a trophy that you actually earned yourself and not something that you owned in the Truck Series. It was good to finally check that one off.”
JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 MCDONALD’S CHEVROLET SS – 13TH IN STANDINGS
“I look forward to racing at Charlotte this weekend. I have been fortunate enough to win this event two times in my career and would sure like to have the McDonald’s Chevy contend again this weekend. We were unfortunately knocked out of the Chase last weekend at Dover, but we can focus on finishing as high in the point standings as possible. Regardless of whether or not we are in the Chase, we go to the track every week trying to win races and that is what we will shoot for on Saturday night.”
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S RED VEST CHEVROLET SS – 14TH IN STANDINGS
“After 14 years of partnership, I know what the red vest means to everyone at Lowe’s. It’s why I’m proud to have red on my car at Charlotte and Lowe’s as part of my team. With the elimination last week, of course there is disappointment, but it’s part of it. We are looking forward to going to each track without pressure and with the mindset to win.”
PAUL MENARD, NO. 27 RICHMOND/MENARDS CHEVROLET SS – 15TH IN STANDINGS
“The fall race is generally cooler and a true night race since it starts and ends in the dark. That makes the transition as the track cools a little easy and predictable. Charlotte is a very temperature sensitive track. Generally the grip on the track builds toward the end of the race and makes it harder to make time if you don’t run the bottom.”
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 HENDRICKRIDEALONG.COM CHEVROLET SS – 17TH IN STANDINGS
“I always really enjoy Charlotte. You can keep your momentum up, keep your speed up, you can move your line around and find something that works better for your car a lot of times there and some tracks you can’t do that. Charlotte has worked really well for me throughout the years. It has some really high load spots in the car that you need it to be turning really well through. It’s always really fun to win there because it’s so close to home, it’s close to the teams and we have a lot of team members there cheering on the Hendrick cars so it’s neat when an HMS car wins at Charlotte.”
KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 TARGET PLAID CHEVROLET SS – 19TH IN STANDINGS
“It’s nice to be at home this weekend. I think all of us drivers, and the crew guys, enjoy the break from being on the road. You always want to win at Charlotte because this is our one real home race, so you want to have a good run for all the friends and family that come out for this one. I like running Charlotte, but we haven’t always had the best runs there. It seems like one race we’re good, and next race we’re off a bit. Last season we had a strong top-10 finish in the fall race and not as good a run in this season’s 600. Our Target Chevy has been getting better the past few races, so hopefully we’re due for a good finish this time around.”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW/GREAT STUFF CHEVROLET SS – 21ST IN STANDINGS
“I think you can definitely tell the difference. Its only 100 miles shorter but it changes the way you run the race. They’re both a lot of fun, but I’m looking forward to this 500-mile race.”
CASEY MEARS, NO. 13 GEICO CHEVROLET SS – 22ND IN STANDINGS
“I’m looking forward to this week in Charlotte because friends and family that don’t get to come to too many other tracks get to come to Charlotte Motor Speedway. It’s definitely always nice being able to race at home and sleep in your own bed. I also get to catch some more of our children’s activities with Trish – weekend things I would normally miss. This race week I’m extra excited because my Grandpa Bill (Mears) is coming to stay with us for a week. As far as the GEICO Chevrolet SS goes, the Germain Racing guys have really put a lot into our intermediate track program this year and we’ve seen a lot of gains. Charlotte Motor Speedway should be a great place to show that.”
AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 47 HOUSE AUTRY CHEVROLET SS – 23RD IN STANDINGS
“Overall, I think we’ve learned some things over the last couple of weeks that will help us going into Charlotte Motor Speedway to be better. Charlotte is probably one of the most temperature sensitive racetracks we race at for sure. Practice is somewhat during the day and that makes racing at night there always a tough challenge just because that place changes so much from day to night. It doesn’t matter if it’s the 600 weekend or the 500 weekend; it’s always a difficult schedule trying to set your car up for the race. Hopefully, we will go there and be better.”
DANICA PATRICK, NO. 10 GODADDY CHEVROLET SS – 24TH IN STANDINGS
“I like Charlotte. It’s really nice for the crews because it’s a home race for them. They get to sleep in their own bed and a lot of their family and friends are there. So you want to give them a good performance. It’s fun for me at Charlotte because a lot of the crews have young kids, so it’s fun to meet them and see them around the hauler during the race weekend. It’s just a bit of a different experience than a lot of the tracks we go to.”
TONY STEWART, NO. 14 BASS PRO SHOPS/MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET SS – 25TH IN STANDINGS
“It always seems like it’s a battle of trying to get your car to cut through the center of the corner and keep the forward drive in it. It seems like it’s a sacrifice of one or the other, but the two ends of the track are different. It seems like you can carry a lot more speed through (turns) one and two, and (turns) three and four are a little more thread-the-needle-type corners. Sometimes there isn’t a big difference between the fall and spring races at Charlotte. They’re spread out so far and they’re at the beginning of summer and the end of summer, so a lot of times they can be very similar.”
JUSTIN ALLGAIER, NO. 51 BRANDT CHEVROLET SS – 30TH IN STANDINGS
“Charlotte [Motor Speedway] is great because it’s the home track for most of the driver and teams. It’s not often that we get to sleep in our own beds. Even though our shop is in Spartanburg, S.C., it’s still the closest track for HScott Motorsports. On the track though, I hope we have some better luck than we’ve had in the past. The fall race last year went really well for us, but then we’ve had some fluke things happen in my other two starts at Charlotte. BRANDT Professional Agriculture is back on the car this weekend and it looks like the weather will be really nice. We should get plenty of practice time and I’m looking forward to this weekend.”
About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 115 countries and selling around 4.8 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.
- Team Chevy
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