Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Homestead Advance

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
FORD ECOBOOST 400
HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY
HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA
NOVEMBER 18, 2018

BOWTIE BULLETS
CHEVY AT HOMESTEAD: Chevrolet has gone to victory lane at Homestead-Miami Speedway five times in the 19 races that have been held at the 1.5-mile track with three different nameplates (Monte Carlo, Impala, SS). Since Homestead-Miami Speedway became the season-finale race in 2002, Chevrolet has celebrated 10 driver championships and 13 manufacturer titles – more than any other manufacturer.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Camaro ZL1 for Hendrick Motorsports, clinched the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year award last weekend at ISM Raceway with a ninth-place finish in the Can-Am 500. Byron becomes the 18th different driver in NASCAR’s modern era (since 1972) to earn Rookie of the Year honors while piloting a Chevrolet in their first year of competition at the Cup level.

MANUFACTURER CHAMPIONSHIPS: Last weekend at ISM Raceway in Avondale, Arizona, Chevrolet clinched the brand’s 19th Bill France Performance Cup, which is the award given to the top manufacturer of the year in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. This weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway, when the green flag waves on the final NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event of 2018, Chevrolet will lock up their ninth manufacturer championship in that division. This is the sixth time Chevrolet has earned both the Truck and Xfinity manufacturer titles in the same season.

TUNE-IN: The Ford EcoBoost 400 is scheduled to begin on Sunday, November 18th at 2:30 pm, EDT. Live coverage can be found on NBC, 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 five of 19 races at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Victories by current Team Chevy drivers are:

Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s Rookie Throwback Camaro ZL1 has one trophy from Homestead (’16)
A Chevrolet driver has sat on the pole at Homestead-Miami Speedway five times
Team Chevy drivers have scored 40 top-five and 83 top-10 finishes at Homestead-Miami Speedway
A Chevrolet has led 1,512 laps (29.7% of possible 5,079 laps) at Homestead-Miami Speedway

QUOTABLE QUOTES:
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 – 5TH IN STANDINGS
On his 2018 NASCAR playoffs run coming to an end:
“You just have to make the most of opportunities and the whole year counts. Those guys (in the Championship 4) winning a lot of races throughout the season is what kept them away from a pressure-filled situation. All the bonus points they built up pretty much got them to Homestead. That’s the way the system’s meant to work. It pays to win. So, we’ll try to win some more next year.”
KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 CREDIT ONE BANK/DC SOLAR CAMARO ZL1 – 10TH IN STANDINGS
“It’s kind of hard to believe we’re headed into our final race of the year, but I’m really excited to get to Homestead. I look forward to racing at Homestead all year, and know our team has a chance to win when we get there. We’ve come to close to wins there in the past, and I’m really looking to get our Credit One Bank/DC Solar Chevy into victory lane this year. You can gain a lot and carry speed running right up by the wall, but there’s not a lot of room for a mistake up there. Running the wall at Homestead feels like dirt racing around a cushion, so it suits my style and that’s where I’ll be running on Sunday. We still don’t have a win, but have had strong Chevy’s this year, so we’ll be looking to end the year on a high note with a win.”

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW UCON CAMARO ZL1 – 13TH IN STANDINGS
“We all kind of wait for that one (Homestead) all year. That is one of the best tracks, I think, most driver friendly, fun track. It’s not really friendly because you can get into the wall pretty easy, but it’s so much fun to run right against the fence and really be disciplined in how you drive that track and save your tires. It’s an epic race, always intense getting there.”

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S ROOKIE THROWBACK CAMARO ZL1 – 14TH IN STANDINGS
On his final race with Lowe’s and No. 48 team crew chief Chad Knaus:
“Man, I want to win this year. I want to win with Lowe’s on the car and I want to win with (No. 48 team crew chief) Chad (Knaus). So, that’s our top priority. Seeing that (rookie) paint scheme is going to trigger emotions from myself and I’m sure our fans. So many good years with that paint scheme and victories and such. I think this weekend’s definitely going to be an emotional one.”
On Lowe’s:
“I’ll always be grateful to Lowe’s for taking a chance on me and believing that I could win. I’m not sure where I’d be right now if they hadn’t committed to the No. 48 team. I never dreamed we would have come all this way. Their partnership, all the people who touched this program along the way who made an impact on my career and this sport will never be forgotten.”

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 – 16TH IN STANDINGS
“I really haven’t raced at Homestead that much. It’s a tough place for me. I haven’t ever gotten super comfortable running the wall there all day without knocking the right side off. I think we have some work to do, but I am confident we can have a good race car there.”
On Homestead versus other 1.5-mile tracks:
“It just gets really slick. It kills tires and it’s a different shape, so you have to run the fence, pretty much completely dedicated to running the fence. Even on stickers there is no grip. It’s an interesting place.”

RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 31 E-Z-GO CAMARO ZL1 – 17TH IN STANDINGS:
“The key to Homestead is really maintaining momentum. It’s a unique track and it is so important to keep your car rolling because the banking progresses as you go through the corners. When you pick up the throttle it is more rewarding at that track than any other track because you can keep building speed as you exit. Having a car that’s good on entry because it is fairly flat, you are able to run up to the wall and it seems as if that’s one of the most important things. The race there doesn’t necessarily finish up at the wall but being good at the wall to get yourself up in good position to finish the race in the middle of the track or even the bottom is really important.”
AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 47 KROGER CLICKLIST CAMARO ZL1 – 22ND IN STANDINGS
“I’m really proud of how hard our Kroger ClickList team has worked throughout the last stretch of races. We’ve been able to get five top-20 finishes in the last six races, and we are focused on keeping that momentum up and finishing out the season strong this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. I can’t thank all of our partners at Kroger enough for the support they’ve shown both myself and my teammate this season. With a full season under our belts, and a track that we haven’t raced at in a year, I think it’s definitely going to be an exciting race. We’ve shown decent speed in our 1.5-mile track program this season, but Homestead is really different than any of the other 1.5-mile tracks we race on. It’s a true oval, rather than having the D-shape oval and has a true front straightaway. It’ll be important to get the setup right from the start and continue that momentum throughout the weekend in our Kroger ClickList Camaro ZL1. I’m looking forward to finishing out the year strong.”

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 HERTZ CAMARO ZL1 – 23RD IN STANDINGS
“I think the Cup car will be different in some ways, but I think the same characteristics and things apply. Running the fence will be similar there in the Cup car – I’m sure you’re going to hit it at some point in the race. You have to try to make sure you can run up there at the top and be competitive. It’s the last race of the year, so we’ll try to finish on a good note. Overall, it was fun being there last year – it was really exciting and just a cool feeling to win the championship, so it will be cool to go back there and remember some of those things.”
CHRIS BUESCHER, NO. 37 SCOTT COMFORT PLUS CAMARO ZL1 – 24TH IN STANDINGS
“Homestead-Miami Speedway is one of my favorite 1.5-mile tracks. We run right up against the fence, similar to another one of my favorite tracks, Darlington Raceway. Also, like Darlington, it’s easy to get that ‘Darlington stripe’. It’ll be warm and sunny to finish out the season in Miami, and with the old surface there that will affect the track conditions throughout the weekend. I want to thank all of our partners this season, and especially Kroger for stepping up with the No. 37 team like they did. I’m happy to have found a home at JTG Daugherty Racing and I’m excited to have an opportunity to finish out the season strong in the Scott ComfortPlus Camaro ZL1. The colors are definitely Miami-ready, and we’re going to finish out this season on a high note before we head into the offseason and get ready to do it all over again in February.”

TY DILLON, NO. 13 GEICO CAMARO ZL1 – 27TH IN STANDINGS
“Homestead is fun. It’s one of the tracks that every driver looks forward to because the surface is wearing out so much and it makes the tires fall off quickly. That makes it very exciting and challenging for us as drivers. The racing groove goes all the way from the yellow line to the wall. It gives drivers options to move around the track and find what works for their car. If you have a strong car, you can do a lot of good things out there. We’re definitely going to have a strong GEICO Camaro ZL1 with us.”
BUBBA WALLACE, NO. 43 TRANSPORTATION IMPACT CAMARO ZL1 – 28TH IN STANDINGS
“We all want to finish the season strong and, for us, Phoenix was a great run with our Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. A Top-10 run really helped us and we’re taking that momentum to Homestead to finish the season. We’d love to get another Top-10 and use that to build into next season. We’ve had ups and downs this year, and they have all been documented, but I’ve had a blast with Richard Petty Motorsports, all our partners and Chevrolet. We’re building for the future and we have the next two seasons locked in. We’re working hard to improve the ‘43’.”

REGAN SMITH, NO. 95 DUMONT JETS CAMARO ZL1:
“I’m really looking forward to Homestead this weekend. It’s one of my favorite race tracks because of the different lines you can run there, as well as the fact that you need to move around as the tires get old and falloff because of wear the way that they do. It presents opportunities for guys to really drive the cars, and it’s a track that is still very aerodynamic-dependent, so we’ll have to be conscious of that. It’s one of those tracks that is just fun to race around. These past eleven weeks have been a blast getting to be back behind the wheel of a car in the Cup series. I want to finish it up strong for these guys on the No. 95. We started off pretty hot together when I got into the seat, but it just seems like things cooled off for us a bit lately and we’ve been searching for the balance that I need in the race cars. I’m hoping that we’re able to find that this weekend so that we can go out and maybe save a little momentum to end the season with.”