Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Kentucky Advance

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
QUAKER STATE 400
KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY
SPARTA, KENTUCKY
JULY 8, 2017

BOWTIE BULLETS
LEADER OF THE PACK:
Team Chevy driver, Kyle Larson continues to lead the point standings as the series heads into the second half of the season. Only nine races remain until the playoff cutoff race at Richmond to determine the 16 drivers that will vie for this season’s championship title. Currently, Team Chevy has four drivers who have victories under their belts and are all but guaranteed a spot in this year’s playoffs.

HALFWAY THROUGH:
Last weekend at Daytona International Speedway marked the halfway point of the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. Thus far, Chevrolet has collected seven victories by four different drivers and three different Chevrolet team organizations.

DID YOU KNOW:
Kentucky Speedway is the only track on the current NASCAR Cup Series schedule in which a Chevrolet driver or team has not collected a victory.

TUNE-IN:
The Quaker State 400 is scheduled to begin on Saturday, July 8 at 7:30 pm, ET. Live coverage can be found on NBC Sports Network, PRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

BY THE NUMBERS:
Chevrolet has won 39 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships
Team Chevy drivers have scored 772 wins and 693 poles in MENCS competition
Following the first six Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races held at Kentucky Speedway, Team Chevy drivers have recorded 11 top-five and 27 top-10 finishes
Team Chevy drivers, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Kyle Larson have all recorded poles at the 1.5-mile Kentucky Speedway.
A Chevrolet has led 364 laps (22.7% of possible 1,602 laps) at Kentucky Speedway

QUOTABLE QUOTES:
KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS – POINTS LEADER
“It’s always a little hard to get back to tracks where were we only race once a year, but fortunately my teammate, Jamie McMurray, had a good test at Kentucky a few months ago. That test should give our team some current info to help with setup before we get to the track this weekend. Kentucky is definitely a tough track with some challenging banking, but a cool place to race. I hope we can continue our solid runs and contend for a win this weekend.”

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 24 NAPA CHEVROLET SS – 6TH IN STANDINGS
“We did not test. I think one of our teammates tested there last year. I think it will probably be something similar to kind of how we approached it last year. Just not really knowing. It sounds like it’s going to be more similar to last year versus what it was from last year to the previous years. I think we have something to lean on there a little bit.”

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS – 7TH IN STANDINGS
“Kentucky is a tough one for me. I have some early fond memories. That’s the first place I drove a Cup car when Hendrick put me under contract I was a test driver for quite a few reps just getting my laps and my laps started there. So, that is probably the only fond memory I have of that track (laughs). When I look at my Busch Series days there, I wrecked a lot of race cars. We’ve had some competitive runs there, and I don’t think the finishes show where our competitive level has been; but it is just a very unique track. It always has been. The Turn 3 entry, regardless of the surface put down, it’s always been very challenging. I just haven’t mastered it yet.”

JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 CESSNA CHEVROLET SS – 8TH IN STANDINGS
“We have had really fast cars at all of the mile-and-a-half tracks this year, so hopefully Kentucky Speedway will be no exception. I think this race came down to a fuel mileage race last year so it will be interesting to see how that turns out with the stages this year. We participated in a Goodyear test there a few weeks ago and I felt like we had a really good test. We will have a new right-side tire for this weekend, so I’m looking forward to getting there and having a solid weekend .”

RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR CHEVROLET SS – 15TH IN STANDINGS
“Kentucky is one of those tracks that I have mixed feelings about. Austin tested there earlier this year and with another fresh coat of asphalt, we’ll just have to wait and see how it goes. I’ve never been a fan of its configuration but it is what it is. Last year, we had one of our best finishes of the season so anything can happen, I guess. We’ll just wait and see how it goes.”

KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 MOUNTAIN DEW CHEVROLET SS – 20TH IN STANDINGS
“As the track ages from the repave last year, the racing grooves will continue to widen out. Last year with the way the tire was, it turned into a fuel mileage race, but we’ll have a little bit different tire for this race so we’ll see how that turns out.”

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW CHEVROLET SS – 21ST IN STANDINGS
“Well, we got a tire test there this year, so I’m looking forward to going back there. Kentucky is one of those places I’ve always been pretty decent at and it’s still the same track as far as the banking and stuff goes. We will look forward to Kentucky as one of those places that we feel like we can run well at. I think brakes are going to be important there.”

DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL CHEVROLET SS – 22ND IN STANDINGS
“The track will take some time to get better, even with what they did with the pavement to try to make it age quicker last year. The track was very slick and just had one groove, which made passing a challenge, but that should improve with time. We also had a super conservative tire and I think we need the tires to wear out before the fuel runs out. I’m looking forward to getting back there and to going to the Nationwide Children’s Hospital. I’m excited for some of my guys to be able to see the hospital for the first time.”

TY DILLON, NO. 13 GEICO CHEVROLET SS – 23RD IN STANDINGS
“I like Kentucky Speedway after its repave. We were very successful at the old-style Kentucky. But, we did come back and lead a lot of laps there. I think the repave is going to be great the more years we get on the track. We’re working on some new packages at Germain Racing for Kentucky Speedway. We weren’t really happy with the way we ran at Michigan, but there’s definitely no quit in this GEICO Chevrolet crew. Hopefully we unload with some speed there and have a good weekend. I do think the tire dragging makes the racing surface a little bit more competitive. The one, main line is so dominant. If you get out of it, it’s pretty dusty. If they can lay down rubber from the middle of the groove up to the wall, I think you’ll see a great race.”

PAUL MENARD, NO. 27 SYLVANIA/MENARDS CHEVROLET SS – 24TH IN STANDINGS
“I’ve yet to meet a repave that I’ve enjoyed more than the previous. Kentucky came in better than everybody expected it to last year. So, it should be better this year. Compared to most of these repaves, Kentucky actually had two grooves last year, so it should only get better. It should just be an evolution of the racing surface.”

MICHAEL MCDOWELL, NO. 95 WRL GENERAL CONTRACTORS CHEVROLET SS – 25TH IN STANDINGS
“I have not raced at Kentucky in a long time. Ty (Dillon) raced there last year for LFR. Obviously with the repave, I don’t have a whole lot to bring to the table, but I’ve watched the videos and studied the data. It may take me a little to figure out this new asphalt, but it should be a fun weekend, especially after coming off our best finish as a team!”

CHRIS BUESCHER, NO. 37 BREYERS CHEVROLET SS – 26TH IN STANDINGS
“Going to Kentucky for this weekend it is a 1.5-mile, two very different corners, one very flat, one with a decent amount of banking. The new pavement there has been very interesting, it has had good speed. It seemed to put on a pretty decent race last year. With the changes that they made to Texas Motor Speedway, I think Kentucky became a little bit more similar to Kentucky and we had a really good car there earlier this season. Excited to be heading to Kentucky. We are going to take some of our notes from Texas and see what we can do there.”

AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 47 KROGER/CLICKLIST CHEVROLET SS – 27TH IN STANDINGS
“Kentucky Speedway is a unique 1.5-mile racetrack. Last year repaved, one of the toughest things they did was they made Turns 1 and 2 and (Turns) 3 and 4 completely different. So, it’s a tough racetrack, a track that for me as a driver I still have to get used to. But, a very important race because it’s the home of Kroger. We’ve got a lot of Kroger guests. We want to go out there and perform at our best. Let everybody celebrate a good race and more than anything to have a great time. So, that to me is what the most important thing about Kentucky is just having so many Kroger executives and Kroger guests out there and I want to put on a good show for them.”