TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
BOJANGLES SOUTHERN 500
DARLINGTON RACEWAY
DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA
SEPTEMBER 3, 2017
BOWTIE BULLETS
LOCKED IN:
With only two races remaining until the 2017 Playoffs begin, Chevrolet has five drivers (Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Larson, Ryan Newman, Austin Dillon and Kasey Kahne) locked into the first round of the championship contest. Chevy drivers Chase Elliott and Jamie McMurray are currently in points positions that could earn them a slot into the post season, but a race win at Darlington or Richmond would assure their participation as championship contenders.
CHEVY OVER 40 CLUB:
Chevrolet drivers and teams have earned 41 victories at the famed Darlington Raceway, more than any other manufacturer. Darlington is one of only seven tracks on the current Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule where the Chevy brand has eclipsed at least 40 victories. From 1955 to today, Chevy has powered 20 different drivers to Winner’s Circle at the track known as ‘The Lady in Black’.
LEADER OF THE PACK:
Following the 24th race of the 2017 season at Bristol Motor Speedway, Chevrolet has collected nine victories in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, more than any other manufacturer. The consistency and success of all the Chevrolet drivers and teams has allowed the Bowtie Brand to sit atop the Manufacturer standings with two races remaining until the Playoffs begin. Chevrolet is on track to earn an unprecedented 40th Manufacturer title.
THROWBACK:
Since Herb Thomas took Chevrolet to Victory Lane at Darlington Race for the first time in 1955, the brand has become synonymous with winning at the track dubbed ‘Too Tough to Tame’. This weekend, Darlington again celebrates with ‘Throwback’ paint schemes. Chevrolet has been a part of the history of the 1.366-mile venue since the track opened for competition, and has powered 20 different drivers and teams to hoist the iconic trophy at the egg-shaped facility. Chevrolet has taken every single nameplate that it has ever competed with in NASCAR Cup Series competition to Winner’s Circle at Darlington: Bel-Air, Biscayne, Impala, Monte Carlo, Lumina and most recently the Chevy SS. The only moniker yet to visit Victory Lane? Camaro…which returns to competition in 2018 on a quest to make it a clean sweep for Chevy at Darlington.
TUNE-IN:
The Bojangles Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway is scheduled to begin on Sunday evening September 3rd at 6:00 p.m. Live coverage can be found on NBC Sports Network, MRN, 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 774 wins and 693 poles in MENCS competition
Chevrolet drivers have won 41 of 113 races at Darlington Raceway. Victories by current Team Chevy drivers are:
Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s Throwback Chevrolet SS, has three trophies from Darlington Raceway (’04 – TWICE & ‘12)
A Chevrolet driver has won one of the last three races at Darlington Raceway
A Chevrolet driver has sat on the pole at Darlington Raceway 21 times
Team Chevy drivers have scored 181 top-five and 380 top-10 finishes at Darlington Raceway
A Chevrolet has led 12,930 laps (33.7% of possible 38,350) at Darlington Raceway
FOR THE FANS:
Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway Area at Darlington Raceway
Fans can check out great a great assortment of Chevrolet vehicles at the Team Chevy Display including: Malibu, Colorado Redline, Equinox, Traverse Redline, Silverado 1500 Special Ops edition, Silverado 1500 Crew Redline, Silverado 2500, Camaro Convertible Redline, Impala Premier, Cruze Hatchback Redline, Corvette Grand Sport Coupe, Tahoe and Bolt
At the Chevrolet Display, fans can view the No. 48 Chevrolet SS and No. 3 DOW Chevrolet SS show cars
Also on display is a Chevrolet R07 racing engine complete with electronic fuel injection. Fans can also see a sample of engines, parts and accessories available for purchase from Chevrolet Performance at their local Chevrolet dealer
Other activities at the Team Chevy Racing Display include a variety of interactive games for adults and kids
TEAM CHEVY QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSIONS AT THE DISPLAY:
Saturday, September 2nd
10:00 a.m. – Ben Kennedy
10:30 a.m. – Spencer Gallagher
11:00 a.m. – Brendan Gaughan, Brandon Jones & Daniel Hemric
12:10 p.m. – Paul Menard
2:00 p.m. – JD Motorsports
Sunday, September 3rd
2:30 p.m. – Jeffrey Earnhardt
3:05 p.m. – Kasey Kahne
3:25 p.m. – Ryan Newman
Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation: Fri. Sept. 1st – Noon – 5:00 p.m., Sat. Sept. 2nd – 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and Sun. Sept. 3rd – 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
QUOTABLE QUOTES:
KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 CREDIT ONE BANK CHEVROLET SS – 3RD IN STANDINGS
“The off weekend was a lot of fun, and a nice break before we head into the home stretch of the season. Darlington is a really fun track to race, but a tough place to drive too. We tested there last month and had a good session, so hopefully that translates into a good race for us this weekend. With the playoffs only two races away, Darlington is a great place to start getting focused in on what need to do over the next few weeks. We ran well at Darlington last season, so I think we have a good chance to contend this weekend in the Credit One Bank Chevy.”
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 24 NAPA AUTO PARTS THROWBACK CHEVROLET SS – 7TH IN STANDINGS
ON WHY DARLINGTON IS SO DIFFICULT FOR DRIVERS:
“I think a couple of things, running up by the wall is one part of it. The track is worn out, so running next to the wall is difficult. You are slipping and sliding so that can make that hard. Also, one end being so different from the other, having your car balanced to where it drives good on both ends or drives as good as you can get it on both end is important there. It can be done it’s just really hard to do.”
JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 MCDONALD’S CHEVROLET SS – 9TH IN STANDINGS
“This race has been a lot of fun the last couple of years with the throwback stuff. It is fun to show up and see all of the different looks that the teams show up with. From a competitive standpoint, this is one of the more challenging races all year. The track demands so much attention, the turns are so different from each end of the track and the tire fall-off is crazy. It is all about managing the race and your car for such a long race. I think we have a cool looking McDonald’s Chevy this weekend that pays tribute to David Pearson, who won at Darlington in 1980 and the stylized number one that will be on the car is a familiar look from car owner Hoss Ellington.”
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S THROWBACK CHEVROLET SS – 11TH IN STANDINGS
“Darlington commands a ton of respect. To qualify well requires a lot of bravery, to win there you have to be smart. It’s a tough track. I’m pumped to run the throwback scheme again, every year the garage embraces this more and more. It’s really fun. Also, our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Houston. We will be thinking of them this weekend.”
RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR CHEVROLET SS – 15TH IN STANDINGS
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 GREAT CLIPS THROWBACK CHEVROLET SS – 20TH IN STANDINGS
“I’ve been close to winning there, but haven’t been able to pull it off yet. It’s a tough place because you run so close to the wall and it’s slippery. You have to race the racetrack, you can’t get caught up in racing other people. The racing lanes have changed a lot over the years and they even change throughout the race. It’s one of my favorite tracks and to win at Darlington would be unbelievable.”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 AMERICAN ETHANOL CHEVROLET SS – 21ST IN STANDINGS
“Can’t wait to get to Darlington. The throwback scheme with the old Wrangler car it looks bad to the bone. I like what RCR has been doing with our throwbacks. Darlington is one of those places that you have to race the track. You always do. If you try and get too much there it will turn around and bite you. The ‘Lady in Black’ she can get you quick.”
DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONWIDE THROWBACK CHEVROLET SS – 22ND IN STANDINGS
“Basically, Tony (Eury) Sr. went to bat for me and told Dad, ‘We’ll take Junior, and me and Tony Jr. will make a driver out of him’ — and that’s what happened. That’s how I found out, just a month before Daytona that I was going to race this car. That’s the way I stumbled into knowing about this job and that I was going to be a full-time racer in ’98. This scheme means a good deal to me and I hope we have as much success at Darlington as we had in this car in ’98 and ’99. We almost won at Darlington in one of those races (in ‘98) – we were door-to-door with Dick Trickle coming to the finish line and lost by a few feet. So, hopefully we can recreate some of that magic. I think that the primary sponsor Nationwide Insurance is a great pairing with this scheme. It went together really well, so I was very happy with what it looked like on the design sheet.
“The throwback program is exciting. It’s a great opportunity for teams, drivers, owners and anyone really to sort of see the history. As a fan of the sport, I love seeing the other teams express that knowledge and the history. Darlington is a perfect place to do it because of how long that track has been around and what it means to the sport.”
PAUL MENARD, NO. 27 DUTCH BOY/MENARDS CHEVROLET SS – 23RD IN STANDINGS
“Darlington is really fast, really narrow and different on both ends. Turns 1 and 2 are almost wide open in qualifying trim, but it really slows up in the race. So, what you need early in the run is different than what you need late in the run. We’ll run up by the fence for 500 miles, so you have to take care of your fenders.”
TY DILLON, NO. 13 GEICO CHEVROLET SS – 24TH IN STANDINGS
“I love Darlington. It’s one of those places that kind of grows on you as a driver the more you go back because it’s such a tough race track in general, then, throwing 40 cars out there with you, it’s really challenging. I think the more experience you get there it definitely helps. We are going back with a Smokey Yunick throwback based on Johnny Rutherford’s NASCAR debut race car. The 1963 Impala paint scheme looks really cool as a GEICO Chevrolet SS. I’m looking forward to doing the whole throwback weekend in Darlington.”
CHRIS BUESCHER, NO. 37 CHEERIOS CHEVROLET SS – 25TH IN STANDINGS
“Darlington is one of my favorite racetracks. It’s hard to come out of there without a Darlington stripe, but we’re going to do our best to keep the No. 37 Cheerios Chevrolet off the wall as much as we can. Darlington is such a unique racetrack in that Turns 1 and 2 are so different from Turns 3 and 4 with the egg-shaped oval. We’re also running a special paint scheme that replicates Patty Moise’s 1988 No. 37 car, and it just adds to the uniqueness of Darlington Raceway and the throwback team, and I’m excited to be a part of it and hopefully we can put on a good show this weekend.”
AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 47 KROGER CLICKLIST CHEVROLET SS – 26TH IN STANDINGS
“Darlington, a place that when I first went to it I thought it looked like an egg. Even after the repave the tires have started getting very important. As a driver, I’m going to want 18 sets of tires because they are going to go away quick. Darlington is a track that at some point you are going to end up hitting the fence, the right-side of the car is going to be damaged. Not my best racetrack, so I’m trying to go there, make it a little bit more fun and try to run up front. Even more important, the throwback paint scheme, Terry Labonte, two-time Cup champ, the Piedmont Airlines team the Kroger Chevy is going to be looking good in the throwback scheme. We are going to have some fun.”
MICHAEL MCDOWELL, NO. 95 WRL GENERAL CONTRACTORS CHEVROLET SS – 27TH IN STANDINGS
“Throwback weekend is always fun for everyone. The crew guys, the paint schemes, as well as the fans get really into it. It’s added more excitement to what is already one of NASCAR’s most exciting races of the year. It’s an extremely challenging racetrack – probably the toughest place we go to, but it should be a fun weekend.”