CHEVY’S CHAMPIONSHIP EIGHT LOOKING FOR LUCK AT THE ‘MAGIC MILE’

DETROIT – (September 20, 2016) – The second race of the Chase takes the stars of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series to New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS), a challenging 1.058-mile oval. Nicknamed the ‘Magic Mile’, the eight Chevrolet SS championship hopefuls will need to tap into lady luck to secure strong runs at NHMS in order to put themselves solidly in the top 12 in the point standings; or, capture a win to move them to the Round of 12 before the cutoff race at Dover International Speedway.

Four of the eight Chevy chasers are former winners in the granite state. Kevin Harvick has scored one victory there, while Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson, and Tony Stewart are all three-time winners at the ‘Magic Mile’.

Despite the 1.058-mile track’s minimal banking and sweeping turns, the venue presents many challenges for drivers and teams from pit strategy to chaotic restarts. Championship hopefully Jamie McMurray, outlines several reasons that Loudon can bite competitors in pursuit of advancing to the next round in the playoffs.

“To me, Loudon is a tough track for several reasons,” McMurray said. “It is a one groove track, restarts are crazy and it is hard to pass. I think at the Chase race in Loudon, more so than the first race, guys are trying so hard to gain track position that when you are making a pass, if someone doesn’t give enough room you can get loose and it is easy to get caught up in an accident. It usually doesn’t matter where you are running, this is a track that where you can get caught up in someone else’s mess pretty easily.”

The second race of the Chase from New Hampshire Motor Speedway is scheduled to begin Sunday, September 25 at 2 p.m. Live coverage of the 300-lap/317.4-mile contest will be available on NBCSN, PRN, Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 90 and NASCAR.com.

TEAM CHEVY IN NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES (NSCS) COMPETITION:
· Chevrolet has won 39 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Manufacturer Championships
· Team Chevy drivers have scored 760 wins and 684 poles in NSCS competition

CHEVROLET ON THE TRACK—NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY:
Chevrolet drivers have won 18 of 43 races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Victories by current Team Chevy drivers are:
Kurt Busch, No. 41 Monster Energy/Haas Automation Chevrolet SS, has visited Victory Lane at New Hampshire Motor Speedway three times (’04 – TWICE & ’08)
Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS, has collected three trophies from New Hampshire Motor Speedway (’03 – TWICE &’10)
Ryan Newman, No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet SS, has three victories at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (’02, ’05 & ’11)
Tony Stewart, No. 14 Code 3 Associates/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS, has three wins at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (’00, ’05 & ‘11)
Clint Bowyer, No. 15 5-Hour Energy Chevrolet SS, has two victories at New Hampshire (’07 &’10)
Kevin Harvick, No. 4 ditech Chevrolet SS, has one win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (’06)
Kasey Kahne, No. 5 Great Clips Chevrolet SS, has visited Victory Lane at New Hampshire Motor Speedway once (’12)

Chevrolet is the most successful manufacturer at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with 18 wins
A Chevrolet driver has sat on the pole at New Hampshire Motor Speedway 18 times
Team Chevy drivers have scored 95 top-five and 179 top-10 finishes at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
A Chevrolet has led 5,979 laps (46.8% of possible 12,760 laps) at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

TEAM CHEVY FROM THE DRIVER’S SEAT:
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 24 NAPA AUTO PARTS CHEVROLET SS – 6TH IN STANDINGS
“It’s (Loudon) just so hard to pass, is the first thing that comes to my mind. It’s a tough place. It’s very easy to get frustrated when you catch somebody and it’s just so hard to get around them. At that racetrack, it’s a very fine line of being too low on the racetrack or being too high. The paving seams are very thick and wide and can upset your corner a lot. So I think keeping that stuff in mind is the biggest thing that I think of when it comes to Louden and the challenges you face. Like anywhere else, things can go wrong there just as fast as they can anywhere but I do think the frustration level sometimes can raise easier there than it can other places. But if you have your car driving like you want it to and you’re taking the correct approach throughout the day, then it shouldn’t be any different than the other places.”

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS – 8TH IN STANDINGS
“No words can describe the disappointment I have for what happened in Chicago with the pit road speeding penalty. All you can do is let it soak in and come back next week and be at 100 percent again and get ready to take this Lowe’s car to Victory Lane. We had a lot of speed at New Hampshire last time out and we know what we need to do when we get there.”

KURT BUSCH, NO. 41 MONSTER ENERGY/HAAS AUTOMATION CHEVROLET SS – 10TH IN STANDINGS
“I’ve won at Loudon three times. I feel like it’s a great track that is very comparable to Phoenix and we get there in the final round and so you hope that you have a good run at Loudon because that will bridge it to Phoenix. There you just go to find the right success value. If you have a chance to win go for it. The main objective there is to gain points.”

JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 MCDONALD’S CHEVROLET SS – 11TH IN STANDINGS
“To me, Loudon is a tough track for several reasons. It is a one groove track, restarts are crazy and it is hard to pass. I think at the Chase race in Loudon, more so than the first race, guys are trying so hard to gain track position that when you are making a pass, if someone doesn’t give enough room you can get loose and it is easy to get caught up in an accident. It usually doesn’t matter where you are running, this is a track that where you can get caught up in someone else’s mess pretty easily.”

TONY STEWART, NO. 14 CODE 3 ASSOCIATES/MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET SS – 12TH IN STANDINGS

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 PUMPKIN SPICE CHEERIOS CHEVROLET SS – 13TH IN STANDINGS
“New Hampshire Motor Speedway is challenging in some ways. The restarts really get tight and that’s something that I am going to focus on knowing that those are game changers. Hopefully we can get through those with flying colors and get through New Hampshire Motor Speedway with another solid finish. I’m looking forward to having New Hampshire in the Chase because I feel like it’s always been a good track for the No. 3 team.”

KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 4 DITECH CHEVROLET SS – 14TH IN STANDINGS
“I don’t think Loudon is really any different than any other racetrack. It’s just circumstances that can crop up at really any racetrack throughout the Chase. Any track can be a problem and I don’t think Loudon is any different than the rest of them. If you’re having a bad day you know it can result in a bad day. You just have to overcome that and try to get yourself out of the hole.”

KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS – 15TH IN STANDINGS
“Loudon was a really good track for me my first season, but it’s been a place where I’ve kind of struggled ever since. After the bad luck we had in Chicago with the tire issue really late in the race and not getting a finish where he had been running, we’ll need to have a solid race on Sunday in the Target Chevy. Since we were already locked into the Chase by Richmond, we used that race to try and learn as much as we could for Loudon since the tracks are somewhat similar. We had a really good race at Richmond and learned a lot, so hopefully that will translate to a strong showing this weekend.”

KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 GREAT CLIPS CHEVROLET SS – 17TH IN STANDINGS
“New Hampshire is a tough track and track position is very important because getting around traffic can be very difficult. We have three top 10s in a row and my team has been a doing a great job of bringing fast cars to the track.”

RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR CHEVROLET SS – 18TH IN STANDINGS
“New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a track where you need to be extremely aggressive and extremely conservative at the same time. So you have to be patient and you have to be aggressive. It’s such a finesse track but at the same time the restarts are very critical because it’s hard to pass and you have to know when to go and you have to know when to hold. It’s a fun track. It’s challenging because it’s difficult to pass. It’s a track I’ve always been pretty good at.”

AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 47 BUSH’S CHILI BEANS CHEVROLET SS – 20TH IN STANDINGS
“New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a place that track position is probably the most critical thing. Obviously, you have to have a decent race car, but track position kind of dictates your whole day – – and you can get or you can’t get it. Rarely there are cars that are fast enough to just drive up through the field. Because of that, having a good Friday is really important and to qualify well. Qualifying well and then having good pit stops and the right strategy for the race is what we are focused on to have a solid day at Loudon. There’s enough strategy for you to try to get up there.”

DANICA PATRICK, NO. 10 NATURE’S BAKERY CHEVROLET SS – 24TH IN STANDINGS
“It’s flat and tough to get around, sometimes. You just have to make sure you get through the corners OK and are able to get on the gas quick on the straightaways. It’s tough but, if you have a good car, you can pass and move up through the field. But it can be challenging if it’s not working in your favor.”

PAUL MENARD, NO. 27 LIBMAN/MENARDS CHEVROLET SS – 25TH IN STANDINGS
“We had a decent car when we were there in July. Anytime we go to a heavy braking track like New Hampshire with a lot more downforce, it’s hard on the brakes. There’s a lot more brake heat. We’ve seen more melted beads this year because of the added brake heat. You have to watch your temperature and control how hot the brakes are getting, all while keeping tape on the grill to create downforce. All the heat that transfers to the tires makes them harder with more air pressure build up. There’s a fine balance there for sure.”

CLINT BOWYER, NO. 5-HOUR ENERGY CHEVROLET SS – 26TH IN STANDINGS
“New Hampshire is a tough one. I’ve had some success there, but because of the track size, passing can be tricky. You want to be running up front and following the right strategy to have a chance. Good track position is definitely key to getting the win.”

MICHAEL MCDOWELL, NO. 95 CHEVROLET SS – 33RD IN STANDINGS
“The last time we were in Loudon we had a mechanical issue with the alternator, but we had a really great car. It was actually the best we’ve been at a short track, so we feel good about going back there. When the alternator kept breaking in the race, it gave us the opportunity to turn the race into a test, so we tried quite a few different things and feel like we came up with a good package for this upcoming race.”

ALEX BOWMAN, INTERIM DRIVER, NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CHEVROLET SS:
“Everyone on this No. 88 team has been working very hard and our communication has been great. I’ve been able to run up front every race and that shows how good Hendrick Motorsports is and how good we can be. Getting our first top-10 finish at Chicago last weekend was really good. I’m more confident than I’ve ever been going back to Loudon. We had a fast race car last time, so I think we have a good opportunity this weekend.”