TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
TOYOTA OWNERS 400
RICHMOND RACEWAY
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA
APRIL 13, 2019
BOWTIE BULLETS:
LEADER OF THE PACK:
Chevrolet leads all 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 racetrack that hosted its first NASCAR race in 1953.
FRONT ROW THREE-PEAT?
Chevrolet drivers have occupied the front row the past two races, with Chase Elliott earning the pole and William Byron starting second at the .5-mile Bristol Motor Speedway and Jimmie Johnson claiming the pole and Alex Bowman starting alongside at the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway. In 2018, the most recent Chevrolet sweep of the front row was August 18 at Bristol by pole winner Kyle Larson and Elliott on the outside.
SUCCESSFUL AT RICHMOND, JOHNSON SEEKS TO MOVE UP:
Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1, is the only active driver with consecutive wins at Richmond Raceway (2007). Johnson has three career wins, seven top-five finishes and two poles in 34 races at the track. With his next win, Johnson will tie Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip for fourth on the all-time wins list.
RECORD-SETTER:
Chevrolet’s Jeff Gordon still holds the track qualifying record of 130.599 mph in his Chevrolet SS on Sept. 6, 2013.
TUNE-IN:
FOX will telecast the 400-lap/300-mile Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway live at 7:30 p.m. ET April 13. Live coverage can also be found on PRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
BY THE NUMBERS:
Chevrolet has won 39 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships.
Team Chevy drivers have scored 779 wins and 703 poles in MENCS competition.
Chevrolet drivers have won 38 of 125 races at Richmond Raceway. Victories by current Team Chevy drivers:
Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1, has three wins (’07 – twice, ‘08)
Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1, has two wins
Kyle Larson, No. 42 Credit One Bank Camaro ZL1, has one win (’17)
QUOTABLE QUOTES:
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 AAA CAMARO ZL1 – 18th in Standings
In the past Richmond was not one of my best tracks. I’ve qualified well there and ran good for a little while, but always seem to struggle adjusting the car throughout the race. Last year, Richmond was a bright spot for us. We finished sixth at the second race there and raced inside the top 10 the entire race. So, I was really pumped after last year, to see what we were able to do because that was definitely an Achilles Heel for me. I had to get over it, mentally, because it beat me up pretty hard for a while. But, now I love going there. I’ve figured something out. We figured a set-up that works. So, I’ll be pumped to get to Richmond.”
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 – 20th in Standings
WHAT MAKES RICHMOND UNIQUE?
“Richmond is a very slick track. I think that will still be the case even with a different downforce level from the new package we’re running. It’s just very slick overall. It doesn’t seem to really pick up that much grip, even at night as the race goes on it doesn’t seem to pick up much. It’s just a very abrasive track that is just hard to get around.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CAMARO ZL1 – 21st in Standings
ON RICHMOND RACES AT NIGHT VS DURING THE DAY:
“I am not sure that it matters much if the race is at night versus during the day at Richmond. The track gets really slick and widens out whether its during the day or night. Either way, Richmond is a fun track and I think the improvements that they are doing at the track is really cool.”
ON THE UPCOMING OFF WEEK:
“It is going to be nice having a weekend off and everyone being able to reset. These 88 guys have been working day in and day out since before Daytona and I know are going to enjoy the weekend with their families for the Easter holiday. We will be working throughout the week on our Talladega car and strategy and be ready for the race the following weekend.”
TY DILLON, NO. 13 GEICO CAMARO ZL1 – 22nd in Standings
“Richmond is one of my favorite tracks. I love short-track racing, so this race is always circled on my calendar every year. Our short-track program at Germain Racing has been strong this year. We’ve finished in the top 15 at every short track that we’ve been to this year, and we won a stage in Bristol. There’s still more building to do, but we’re excited and proud of the direction that we’re heading. I’m ready to get our GEICO Camaro ZL1 out there to see what it can do.”
CHRIS BUESCHER, NO. 37 SCOTT COMFORT PLUS CAMARO ZL1 – 23rd in Standings
“We’re excited to see if this new package is going to improve our Richmond Raceway performance this weekend. If you look at my stats, this is a track that has been really hit or miss for me, similar to ISM Raceway. This season at ISM Raceway, we had probably our best performance since I’ve joined JTG Daugherty Racing, and with the tracks being fairly similar, Richmond Raceway is one that we’ve had circled on our list. All of the hard work that has been done in the offseason at JTG Daugherty Racing, including setting up our cars with this new package has seen positive results so far this season and that’s just a testament to everyone at the shop. We have been helped by the rules changes, but I think we are also solidly around the next group of teams that we are racing around because of all of the hard work that we’ve done in our fabrication and engineering departments. I feel like Richmond Raceway is going to be something that’s really good for us this weekend and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can get out of our Scott Comfort Plus Camaro ZL1.”
RYAN PREECE NO. 47 KROGER CAMARO ZL1 – 25th in Standings
“Heading to Richmond Raceway this weekend, I don’t think the draft and us bunching up will really come into play. When you go to a short track, you see close racing because it’s a half-mile, right? There is only so much you can get away from somebody. You go to a 1.5-mile and you’ve got a lot more distance. So, if you’re five car lengths behind somebody at a 1.5-mile, that’s basically being a car length and a half at a short track. Richmond is a short track and I think it’s going to be the same. It’s going to be racing. You’re going to have comers and you’re going to have goers, depending on what the tires’ attrition is. I think if there is some fall off in the tire, you’re going to see some guys go forward and certainly go backwards. To me, it’s really just going to be no different. Yeah, you’re going to have a higher downforce but you’ve got a harder tire, so it’s going to balance that. That’s our goal this weekend in the No. 47 Kroger Camaro ZL1.”
BUBBA WALLACE, NO. 43 WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY CAMARO ZL1 – 27th in Standings WHAT MAKES RICHMOND UNIQUE?
“Our Richard Petty Motorsports team has struggled there in the past. I have a K&N Pro Series East win there, and ran okay in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. “The low grip, tire fall-off, and it’s cool to see how the groove moves up the fence – especially at a short track like that makes Richmond (Va.) Raceway unique. That would be like running Martinsville (Speedway) against the fence, so it’s cool, but we just struggle to get a handle on having speed. It seems like our speed is where guys fall-off, and our team is falling-off at the same time. It is a struggle. I always look forward to it. It’s another short track that I’m always a fan of.”
DANIEL HEMRIC, NO. 8 BASS PRO SHOPS/TRACKER BOATS CAMARO ZL1 – 29th in Standings
YOU HAVE A STRONG RECORD IN THE XFINITY SERIES AT RICHMOND RACEWAY AND MADE YOUR CUP DEBUT THERE LAST APRIL. WHERE DOES THAT TRACK RANK FOR YOU AND WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE SUCCESSFUL THERE?
“For me, you just chase grip at Richmond. Front grip, rear grip, overall grip is king. There is something that I have found there over the last few races that have caused us to not necessarily qualify well, but really comes on 20-30 laps into the run. It will be key to find that early in the weekend and maintain that throughout the weekend and Saturday night’s race. With this new package, it is going to be a challenge to get back to the gas and have good forward drive off the corners. If we can get that feeling I’m looking for, Richmond is my personal favorite track on the schedule that we go to and hopefully when we get there this weekend, we can start to turn some of this bad luck around and have a solid day with the No. 8 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet.”