TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
FIRST DATA 500
MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY
MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA
OCTOBER 28, 2018
BOWTIE BULLETS
PRETTY IN PINK:
This weekend at Martinsville Speedway, Team Chevy will pace the field with a pink Chevrolet Camaro SS. For the eighth consecutive year, Chevrolet has partnered with the American Cancer Society and their Making Strides Against Breast Cancer program to raise money to support breast cancer research, education for health care professionals, screening guidelines, and promotion for early detection and patient resources. Since 2011, Chevrolet, our dealers, and GM Employees have contributed nearly $10 Million to the ACS.
For each lap the pink Chevrolet Camaro SS pace car ‘leads’ under caution around the half-mile of mayhem, Chevrolet will donate $350 (up to $50,000) to the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer program.
Earlier this month in conjunction with the American Cancer Society and Chevrolet, Martinsville Speedway, hosted 25 breast cancer survivors, and ‘Painted The Curbs Pink’ putting pink ink on the iconic curbs around the historic 0.536-mile Virginia track in support of breast cancer awareness. Jamie McMurray and Kasey Kahne treated survivors and guests to rides around the track in pink Camaro SS pace cars. Martinsville Speedway also provided the survivors with complimentary race tickets to Sunday’s First Data 500.
LEADER OF THE PACK:
Did you know that Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 56 wins at Martinsville Speedway? Chevrolet has gone to Victory Lane more than any other brand at the oldest track on the circuit. Buck Baker took Chevrolet to Winner’s Circle for the first time in 1957 piloting the famous ‘Black Widow’ – a car based off the Chevy 150 Utility Sedan. Since then seven other iconic Chevy brands (Bel Air, Biscayne, Impala, Monte Carlo, Lumina, Impala SS and SS) have entered the hallowed ground of Winner’s Circle at Martinsville adding to the long tradition of racing.
OVER 40 CLUB:
Martinsville Speedway is one of eight tracks (Atlanta, Daytona, Bristol, Charlotte, Darlington, Talladega and Dover) on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) schedule where Chevrolet has earned more than 40 victories. Martinsville Speedway is the only track on the schedule that Team Chevy drivers and team have earned over 50 victories, making it the most successful track for the Bowtie Brand.
CHEVROLET PLAYOFF PICTURE:
Heading into the Round of 8, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 driver, Chase Elliott is the only member of Team Chevy still alive in the quest for the 2018 championship trophy. Elliott enters the first race in the Round of 8 at the 0.56-mile Martinsville Speedway with momentum on his side. The driver of the No. 9 Camaro ZL1 has won two of the last three and three of the last 11 MENCS races. A win at Martinsville would make Elliott one of the Final Four going to the final race at Homestead with an opportunity to take his Chevrolet to the championship stage.
NINE-TIME:
Jimmie Johnson pilot of the No. 48 Lowe’s for Pros Camaro ZL1 is a nine-time winner at Martinsville Speedway, leading all other active drivers in wins at the half-mile of mayhem. Another victory would put Johnson ahead of former Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon and place him third on the all-time Martinsville wins chart. Only Richard Petty (15) and Darrell Waltrip (11) have more victories than the seven-time series champion at the half-mile venue.
CHEVY HISTORY MINUTE:
Rick Hendrick and Hendrick Motorsports have more victories than any other organization at Martinsville Speedway. Hendrick Motorsports earned their first victory at the half-mile venue in 1984 with Geoff Bodine behind the wheel of a Chevrolet. Since that day, Hendrick Motorsports has gone on to record 23 more victories at Martinsville Speedway – all under the Chevrolet Banner. 2018 marks the 35th year of partnership between Chevrolet and Hendrick Motorsports, the longest running partnership at the organization.
TUNE-IN:
The First Data 500 is scheduled to begin on Sunday, October 28th at 2:30 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 779 wins and 699 poles in MENCS competition
Chevrolet drivers have won 56 of 139 races at Martinsville Speedway. Victories by current Team Chevy drivers are:
Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s for Pros Camaro ZL1, has nine victories at Martinsville Speedway (’04, ’06, ’07 – TWICE, ’08, ’09, ’12, ’13 & ‘16)
Ryan Newman, No. 31 E-Z-GO Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, has visited Victory Lane at Martinsville Speedway once (’12)
A Chevrolet driver has sat on the pole at Martinsville Speedway 53 times
Team Chevy drivers have scored 259 top-five and 489 top-10 finishes at Martinsville Speedway
A Chevrolet has led laps 27,303 (43.2% of possible 63,607 laps) at Martinsville Speedway
FOR THE FANS:
Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway area at Martinsville Speedway
Fans can check out great a great assortment of Chevrolet vehicles including: 2019 Corvette Stingray, 2019 Trax Premier, 2019 Tahoe RST, 2019 Colorado ZR2, 2019 Bolt EV, 2019 2500 HD Tribute, 2019 Traverse Redline, 2019 Silverado 1500 LD Dbl, 2018 Silverado 1500 Crew HC, 2019 Equinox, 2019 Cruze Hatch Premier, 2018 Malibu, 2018 Camaro ZL1
At the Chevrolet Display, fans can view the No. 48 Lowe’s for Pros Camaro ZL1 show car and the 2018 Camaro ZL1 race car show car, as well as, 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
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, October 26th
3:30 p.m. – Timothy Peters
3:45 p.m. – Stewart Friesen
Sunday, October 28th
11:20 a.m. – Alex Bowman
11:45 a.m. – Ty Dillon
Noon – Chase Elliott
Chevrolet Display Hours of operation: Fri. Oct. 26th– 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; Sat. Oct. 27th – 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Sun. Oct. 28th – 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
QUOTABLE QUOTES:
CHEVROLET DRIVERS IN PLAYOFF CONTENDERS:
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 SUNENERGY1 CAMARO ZL1 – 4TH IN STANDINGS
“Martinsville has been one of the toughest places for me for sure. I thought that we were getting better there last year and kind of struggled again there this past spring. Hopefully, we can kind of get back to the way we were last year. We had a couple of really good runs there last season in both races. Went back with a similar mentality and it didn’t really work. So, hopefully we can get it rolling again.”
CHEVROLET DRIVERS NOT IN PLAYOFF CONTENTION:
KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 FIRST DATA/CLOVER CAMARO ZL1 – 11TH IN STANDINGS
“Martinsville has always been a track where I struggle. The short, flat track is really different from the types of places where I raced growing up, which is one of the reasons I think I tend to have a hard time there. I’ve work hard over my Cup career to get better there, and just recently spent some time in the Chevy simulator to get ready for this weekend. We’re out of the playoffs, which gives us the chance to just go out there and race, so hopefully we have a good weekend and I can run better than my average.”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW CAMARO ZL1 – 13TH IN STANDINGS
“Man, I love going to Martinsville. It’s an hour away from my house. Anytime you can get to a short track and beat and bang and really work on those hard-braking corners you feel like you’ve got a chance. I can’t wait to get there. Our short track program has been really good this year. We were fast at Richmond. So, can’t wait to get to Martinsville the flat paperclip.”
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S FOR PRO’S CAMARO ZL1 – 15TH IN STANDINGS
“I’ve had a lot of success at Martinsville and I think it’s because for a long time, once you hit on a certain setup, it worked for an extended period of time. For some reason I excel at these unique, quirky tracks like Martinsville. There is a lot of history there for me, our team, and its where Mr. Hendrick and this organization got there first win. So, its special for multiple reasons and as a driver I always want to do well there. I look forward to it – it’s like going back in time to the roots of the sport.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CAMARO ZL1 – 16TH IN STANDINGS
“Martinsville can just be really frustrating. You have to be pretty perfect there to have a good day. It’s really hard to pass and manage tires and make the right choices throughout the race. It’s just hard to have a completely solid day there, but it’s a good place for me. I tend to qualify really poorly at Martinsville and race really well, so I’m all good if qualifying gets rained out again, but we will just have to wait and see.”
RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 31 E-Z-GO CAMARO ZL1 – 17TH IN STANDINGS:
“Martinsville is a blast. I really enjoy it because it is a short track. There is a lot of heavy braking and it’s important to manage your rear tires. I like the fact that it is close to home. There are so many true short-track race fans that come out and support us there. They are huge longtime fans that appreciate what kind of a show that Martinsville Speedway puts on. Their enthusiasm makes us want to put on a good show for them as well.”
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 – 22ND IN STANDINGS
“I love Martinsville. It’s an awesome track. It’s challenging, but I feel like it’s a place I look forward to. I’ve raced there for four or five years now, and it’s just a lot of fun. I enjoy going there and I kind of know what I need in the car there, so that will be fun. You have to have the right things in the car, but the way you race is put in the drivers’ hands.”
AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 47 KROGER CLICKLIST CAMARO ZL1 – 23RD IN STANDINGS
“I love racing at Martinsville Speedway. It’s definitely my favorite short track that we race at on the schedule. Just knowing the history behind racing at Martinsville Speedway is so special to be able to race the Kroger ClickList Camaro ZL1 there. It’s one of those racetracks where until you cross the finish line, anything can happen. We were able to get a top-10 finish in the first Martinsville race of the season, but you definitely have to prepare for it like you do a superspeedway race. Survival is key. If you do everything right, and you get caught in a wreck or someone gets into you the wrong way, then it’s something you can’t control. It’s when you force yourself into those mistakes or early in the race you start bouncing off a guy and eventually they come back and pay you back. Those are things that you can control. If we can make it to the end, I know we can have a top finish.”
CHRIS BUESCHER, NO. 37 BUSH’S CHILI BEANS CAMARO ZL1 – 24TH IN STANDINGS
“I love short track racing, so I’m always excited to get to Martinsville Speedway. Martinsville was a little bit of a rocky start for me in my Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career, but it’s starting to come around a little bit. My teammate, AJ, always runs extremely well there, so it’s good to have that information to lean on and work together a little bit. It’s always a game of making it to the end at Martinsville and trying to avoid any melee in our BUSH’S Chili Beans Camaro ZL1. We’ll focus on keeping the fenders on it and making it to the end.”
DARRELL ‘BUBBA’ WALLACE, NO. 43 PIONEER RECORDS MANAGEMENT CAMARO ZL1 – 27TH IN STANDINGS
“We have a few races that we have highlighted for the rest of the season and Martinsville is one of them. I think we can really do well this weekend. Our Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 cars have been fast the past few weeks and we just need to get some luck.
“In the spring, we had a speeding penalty and then an issue after that. So, I am eager to get back there because I know we have a good car. We just want to put the whole weekend together, not make any mistakes, and get a good finish.”
TY DILLON, NO. 13 GEICO CAMARO ZL1 – 28TH IN STANDINGS
“Our GEICO Racing team has had some pretty decent races at Martinsville. I have a really good feel for the track from racing there quite a bit throughout the years with it being so close to home. I had some great runs in the Truck Series there that have given me confidence heading there in a Cup Series car. I’m looking forward to going back this weekend. Hopefully we will have a strong run on Sunday and leave with positive momentum to close out the season.”
REGAN SMITH, NO. 95 WRL GENERAL CONTRACTORS CAMARO ZL1:
“Martinsville is definitely one of the more challenging places that we go to on the circuit in terms of getting your car to turn. Getting your car to be able to get up off of the corner, having the drive that you need and the grip with the rear tires so that you’re not spinning the rear tires are all really important factors for there. It’s typically a one-lane racetrack and the transitions from concrete to asphalt really present quite a challenge in terms of getting the car to grip the same over those two varied surfaces, as well as getting the car to transition across them where they have bumps into the corner. There are a lot of things that you have to think about and worry about when it comes to Martinsville. There’s a curb along the bottom lane, so it’s not like other tracks where you can maybe cheat the apron just a little bit to help yourself out. Brakes are always a severe issue there. You really need to work on having your car rolling well so that you aren’t using too much brake as you get into the corner, which can cause bigger problems like blown tires and bead failures. There are a lot of things to keep in mind as we head into the weekend, but Martinsville is one of those places where if you get your car right, it can be a very fun race track. If you can find a balance that lets you be happy with your car, it can even open up some opportunities to pass, especially on old tires. If you manage your tires well it can really pay dividends at the end of the race.”