TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
FEDERATED AUTO PARTS 400
RICHMOND RACEWAY
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA
SEPTEMBER 22, 2018
BOWTIE BULLETS
LEADER OF THE PACK:
Chevrolet leads all other manufacturers with 38 victories at the 0.75-mile, D-shaped, Richmond Raceway. Chevrolet has powered 17 different drivers and teams with six different nameplates (Impala, Monte Carlo, Lumina, Monte Carlo SS, Impala SS and Chevy SS) to Victory Lane at the Virginia short-track.
CHEVY HISTORY MINUTE:
2018 marks the 60th anniversary of Chevrolet’s first win at Richmond Raceway. In the fall of 1958, Speedway Thompson drove his Black Widow Racer Chevrolet to victory over Lee Petty. Thompson led 140 of the 200-lap race event. It was Thompson’s 18th career Cup Series win and his first at Richmond Raceway.
DID YOU KNOW:
Did you know? Chevrolet’s Jeff Gordon set the track qualifying record of 130.599 mph in his Chevrolet SS on September 6, 2013.
TUNE-IN:
The Federated Auto Parts 400 is scheduled to begin on Saturday, September 22 at 7:30 pm, ET. Live coverage can be found on NBCSN, 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 777 wins and 699 poles in MENCS competition
Chevrolet drivers have won 38 of 124 races at Richmond Raceway. Victories by current Team Chevy drivers are:
Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s for Pros Camaro ZL1, has three wins at Richmond (’07 – TWICE & ‘08)
Kyle Larson, No. 42 Credit One Bank Camaro ZL1, has hoisted the trophy at Richmond once (’17)
Ryan Newman, No. 31 Bass Pro Shops/Cabela’s Camaro ZL1, has one trophy from Richmond (’03)
A Chevrolet driver has sat on the pole at Richmond Raceway 46 times
Team Chevy drivers have scored 233 top-five and 477 top-10 finishes at Richmond Raceway
A Chevrolet has led laps 15,274 (32.7% of possible 46,709 laps) at Richmond Raceway
FOR THE FANS:
Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display located in the Fan Midway Area at Richmond International Raceway
Fans can check out great a great assortment of Chevrolet vehicles at the Team Chevy Display including: 1500 Crew Centennial, Cruze HB Premier, Corvette Conv, Trax Premier, Malibu Premier, Bolt EV, 2019 Tahoe RST, 2019 2500 HD Tribute, 2019 Traverse, 2019 Impala, 2019 Equinox, 2019 Colorado ZR2, Camaro ZL1
At the Chevrolet Display, fans can view the No. 8 Camaro ZL1 show car and a fully accessorized Camaro 2SS 1LE
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 or at accessories.chevrolet.com
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:
Friday, Sept. 21st
11:30 a.m. – Michael Annett
2:45 p.m. – Daniel Hemric
3:00 p.m. – Shane Lee
3:30 p.m. – Alex Bowman
5:00 p.m. – Ty Dillon
6:00 p.m. – JD Motorsports (Garrett Smithley, Quin Houff, Vinnie Miller)
Saturday, Sept. 22nd
4:00 p.m. – Jamie McMurray
4:15 p.m. – Ross Chastain
5:00 p.m. – William Byron
Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation: Fri. Sept. 21st – 10:00 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. and Sat. Sept. 22nd – 10:00 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
QUOTABLE QUOTES:
CHEVROLET DRIVERS IN PLAYOFF CONTENDERS:
KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 DC SOLAR CAMARO ZL1 – 8TH IN STANDINGS
“I thought our team did a good job last weekend of executing and that’s what we’ll need to continue doing throughout the playoffs. Even though I have a win at Richmond, it’s been a tough track for me and I tend to struggle with taking care of my tires for longer runs. We did have a really positive test there recently, so I’m looking forward to getting back and seeing how we stack up against the field. We just need to do what we did in Las Vegas and put ourselves in a position to contend at the end.”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW VORASURF CAMARO ZL1 – 10TH IN STANDINGS
“It’s interesting because I always felt like Richmond Raceway was one of my worst places. We just haven’t been able to perform there. However, this year we had a really good run at the Spring race earlier this year and our Dow Camaro ZL1 was pretty good at the test just a couple of weeks ago, so I’m pumped to get back to go to Richmond Raceway. One of the notable things about Richmond is that it’s one of those places’ drivers circle for payback opportunities because you can always get to somebody there. It makes it a fun race for the fans. We will be aggressive when we get there.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CAMARO ZL1 – 12TH IN STANDINGS
ON THE DEBATE IF RICHMOND IS A SHORT TRACK OR NOT AND IF THE SECOND RACE IN THE PLAYOFFS WILL SEE TEMPERS FLARING:
“Richmond is definitely a short track. As slick as it gets and as much tire wear as there is it’s definitely a short track.
“With this being the first Round, I don’t think things will get too heated, but it’s hard to say. I’m sure the race for the win will be close and be a tough race, but I don’t see any like super crazy heated stuff going on.”
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S FOR PRO’S CAMARO ZL1 – 13TH IN STANDINGS
“Historically Richmond hasn’t been one of my best tracks. We tested there last month and were able to learn some things. I wish we finished last week in the top five then we would have had a little more of a cushion heading into these next two races. We had a good run in the spring. I’m preparing, because I don’t want to be caught off-guard that I have to go in (to Charlotte) to win to survive and move on.”
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 HOOTERS CAMARO ZL1 – 14TH IN STANDINGS
“I don’t really think of Richmond as a short track. I think Bristol and Martinsville are kind of the only two short tracks on the schedule. Richmond is just a different place and I think that is what makes it so tough. It seems everyone knows how to drive the racetrack and it’s hard to be different. That may be what makes the racing pretty good there because it’s hard for people to be different and everyone is kind of choked into doing the same thing and you really have to be superior to show your strength.”
CHEVROLET DRIVERS NOT IN PLAYOFF CONTENTION:
RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 31 BASS PRO SHOPS/CABELA’S CAMARO ZL1 – 17TH IN STANDINGS
ON IF A DRIVER CAN MAKE IT TO HOMESTEAD WITHOUT WINNING A RACE
“Of course, you can. You can finish second in the final 10 races and still be the Cup champion. It is mathematically and physically possible. But do I think it will happen? No. I also think there will be a day when a person doesn’t win the final race. I think we were really close to that in 2015 when Larson was up front and then we had a late-race caution. There will be a time when the champion is not the race champion or the champion could finish 20th for all we know. It’s just the way the system is. You don’t have to win, but you want to go into the Playoffs knowing you are a winner and not pointing your way in. Those wins gave you a bye into the next round and that’s exactly what a driver wants.”
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 – 22ND IN STANDINGS
“Richmond really fits my style. The short tracks are fun for me – I really enjoy them. I feel like I can kind of maneuver the car and lean on a lot of techniques at a short track that you don’t use at the mile-and-a-half tracks. I really enjoy going to Richmond, which is kind of unique because I didn’t love it that much the first couple of times, but the last time around, it was a lot of fun. Now we have a notebook on that place, and can look back on what we did there the first time and what led to some success.”
CHRIS BUESCHER, NO. 37 CHEERIOS – ZERO HUNGER ZERO WASTE CAMARO ZL1 – 23RD IN STANDINGS
“I really want to like Richmond Raceway, but we’ve had a love-hate relationship so far in my Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career. It’s a really unique racetrack that’s really tricky to master. It has two very different corners, and the racetrack itself has widened out a lot over the past several races. With a track as flat as Richmond, it’s really rare to see cars run all the way from the bottom to the fence hunting for grip. I’ve been able to find some bite off of the corner, and that’s really what I’ll be searching for in the Cheerios Zero Hunger, Zero Waste Camaro ZL1 on Saturday night.”
AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 47 KROGER CLICKLIST CAMARO ZL1 – 24TH IN STANDINGS
“We’re looking forward to short track, Saturday night racing at Richmond Raceway this weekend, and we really want to make sure we have a good setup off the truck. We get limited practice time with the shorter schedule, so we want to take advantage of everything we can. The older surface at Richmond Raceway makes it really easy to wear the front tires off of our Kroger ClickList Camaro ZL1. The track has also gotten really slick throughout the years. The key is finding the balance between having good forward drive off the corner, having good turn through the corner, and not burning the tires off all at the same time. We had a good run at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and we are trying to build some momentum for the final races. Our goal is to continue improving upon that and getting all we can out of the last nine races of the season.”
DARRELL ‘BUBBA’ WALLACE, NO. 43 WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY CAMARO ZL1 – 27TH IN STANDINGS
“We just want to see the checkered flag right now! We’re going through a rough patch and we just need to shake it off and finish this season strong. We tested at Richmond, and for me, that’s just helping to get more laps at the track in a Cup car. So, we feel good going into this weekend, I feel good about it. Our Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 cars have showed some good speed. We’re still working on a lot of things, but we have improved in some areas. We just need to fully execute this weekend.”
TY DILLON, NO. 13 GEICO CAMARO ZL1 – 29TH IN STANDINGS
“So many things change in that amount of time. If you took the exact car that won Richmond back in the spring, it would probably struggle to run inside the top 10. Every team, including our GEICO Racing team, is developing new ideas all season long, and it seems like once we hit playoff time it’s particularly ramped up. So, if you brought the same car back with the same exact body specs from the first race this year, performance would more than likely be worse. It’s an ever-changing sport, and that’s what makes it so challenging.”
REGAN SMITH, NO. 95 PROCORE CAMARO ZL1 – Filling in for Kasey Kahne
“Richmond never used to be one of my favorite tracks, but it has become one of my favorite tracks. I had to re-learn how to drive Richmond. When I was at Furniture Row, I felt like I was able to do a really nice job in qualifying, but then we just weren’t able to race very well. It seemed like we could get the car set-up for speed for one or two laps, but then I just couldn’t carry that speed on. At JRM (JR Motorsports) I started to really focus on long runs, not watching the front-side of runs, and was able to turn the tide and make it to where we had better long run cars. A lot of that came from protecting your tires and doing the right things coming off the corners. Naturally, you have brakes to worry about and there’s a big sweeping corner into Turn 1, which is completely different than Turn 3. The exits to both corners are also different from each other, so it’s all about finding that balance in your race car. You need to have a car that turns well enough but isn’t too loose in or too tight off at Richmond. I’ve learned that you’re never going to be entirely happy with the handling the entire way around the track, but you need to find what’s most important for our No. 95 Chevy and go from there. I’m looking forward to this weekend, and I have 400 laps on Saturday night to make it good, or 400 laps to mess it up, so it should be a fun weekend!”