Brooklyn, MichiganAugust 7, 2022 NASCAR CUP SERIES RACE #23 – MICHIGANShifting from the left- and right-hand turns of a road course circuit to a 2-mile oval, the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) head to Chevrolet’s home track: Michigan International Speedway (MIS). Located outside of “Motor City”, Detroit, the series’ trip to the manufacturers’ backyard has more than just the race win trophy on the line. Drivers and teams will also be racing to deliver their manufacturer the Michigan Heritage Trophy. The prestigious award is a recognition and celebration of the history cars and manufacturers bring to the race track. Each year, the track recognizes the sport’s manufacturers by presenting the award to the winning manufacturer in the NCS race at MIS. Since the debut of the award in August 2013, Chevrolet has brought home the title six times. Sitting in the Irish Hills of Southeastern Michigan, the 2-mile oval first hosted the NCS in June 1969 and has since held 104 races for NASCAR’s premier series. Chevrolet has recorded 26 trips to victory lane at MIS, most recently by reigning NCS Champion Kyle Larson in August 2017. The Michigan venue was also the track that delivered Larson his first career NCS win in August 2016; and to this date, the 30-year-old Hendrick Motorsports driver is one of just two drivers in the series’ history to record their first NCS win at the track. Chevrolet will be pacing the field this weekend at MIS. The Camaro SS will be leading the NASCAR Xfinity Series in Saturday’s New Holland 250 and a Camaro ZL1 will pace the NASCAR Cup Series to the green in Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400. A NASCAR SWEEP FOR THE BOWTIEWith all three NASCAR national series in competition in Indianapolis last weekend, each race saw a similar outcome: a Chevrolet-powered machine in victory lane. The bowtie brand’s weekend sweep kicked off with Grant Enfinger and the No. 23 GMS Racing Silverado RST team, taking the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) playoff opener win at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. Road course master, AJ Allmendinger, captured his third NASCAR Xfinity Series road course win in 2022 with the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Camaro SS team at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course. Capping off the weekend at the 2.439-mile, 14-turn circuit was Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1 team, who delivered Chevrolet its 10th consecutive NCS road course win. This marks the second time this season that Chevrolet has swept the wins when all three NASCAR national series are in competition on the same weekend. This feat was also accomplished earlier in July when Parker Klingerman drove the No. 75 Henderson Racing Silverado RST to the win at Mid-Ohio (July 9, 2022); and hometown heroes Austin Hill and Chase Elliott took the NXS (July 9, 2022) and NCS (July 10, 2022) wins at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Chevrolet is the only manufacturer to achieve this feat in 2022 thus far. |
CHEVROLET’S ROAD COURSE DOMINANCE: 10 IN A ROWThe month of July started out the same way it ended for Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet team. The 26-year-old Chevrolet driver followed up his first career NASCAR Cup Series win at Road America (July 3, 2022) with a second consecutive road course win, piloting his No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course last weekend. The win also made Richard Childress Racing the only organization in the series’ history to win on both the oval and road course circuit at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “I need to do everything I can to win as many races as possible for this group because I wouldn’t be the road course racer I am today if it wasn’t for RCR; if it wasn’t for the people on my team; if it wasn’t for Chevrolet,” said Reddick. “I owe it to them. I owe it to my team. I owe it to the people that really have helped me to get that done and go out there and deliver for them.” Chevrolet has now recorded wins in 14 of the last 15 NCS road course races, including a streak of the past 10. That string of victories, which dates back to Chevrolet’s milestone 800th NCS win at Circuit of The Americas in May 2021, has been accomplished with wins recorded by six drivers from four different Chevrolet teams:Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet:(Circuit of The Americas; May 2021)(Road America; July 2021) Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet:(Sonoma; June 2021)(Watkins Glen; August 2021)(Charlotte ROVAL; October 2021) AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet:(Indianapolis Road Course; August 2021) Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet:(Circuit of The Americas; March 2022) Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet:(Sonoma Raceway; June 2022) Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet:(Road America; July 2022)(Indianapolis Road Course; July 2022) “Tyler, Crew Chief Randall Burnett and the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1 team put together a strong weekend, clinching the pole on Saturday and racing hard and smart to bring home the win at the Brickyard,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. Vice President, Performance and Motorsports. “Tyler has been putting in a lot of work preparing for these road courses, and it has paid off.” |
TEAM CHEVY NCS SCORECARD: FOUR TO GOLeaving Chevrolet’s “home away from home” of Indianapolis, the bowtie brand is now standing at 13 wins of the 22 NASCAR Cup Series races completed, including six of the last seven races. With just four races remaining in the series’ regular season, Chevrolet’s series-leading win count gives the manufacturer a winning percentage of 59%. Notching another win, Chevrolet extended its lead in the NCS manufacturer points standings to 86 points over its manufacturer competitors. Chevrolet’s Chase Elliott, who drove his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 to two top-five stage finishes in Indianapolis, remains atop the NCS driver points standings, while also increasing his lead to 125-points over second. Elliott continues to prove to be a championship contender, leading the series in wins (four), playoff points (25), top-10 finishes (15) and laps led (658). HILL TO MAKE CUP DEBUTAustin Hill will be making his first-ever start in the NASCAR Cup Series this weekend at Michigan International Speedway, piloting the No. 33 Bennett Transportation Camaro ZL1, a third entry fielded by Richard Childress Racing. Hill moved up the ranks from the NCWTS to the NXS at the beginning of the 2022 season, competing full-time in the NXS behind the wheel of the No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro SS for Richard Childress Racing. In the Georgia native’s rookie season, Hill has already notched two victories and secured his spot into the 2022 NXS playoff field. Hill has already experienced success at Michigan International Speedway, recording a NCWTS win at the track in 2019. |
KING OF THE ROADKnown for his mastery on road course circuits, AJ Allmendinger continued his dominance in turning left and right, taking the victory in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Pennzoil 150 at the Brickyard on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course. Leading the field from the pole position, Allmendinger was forced to give up the lead after difficulties on a pit stop on lap 16. Powering his way back up the field, the 40-year-old California native went on to lead a race-high 42 of the 62-lap race to secure his series-leading ninth career NXS road course victory. |
Allmendinger led a stout performance by the bowtie brigade, with Chevrolet drivers sweeping the top-four spots in the final running order with Alex Bowman (2nd), Justin Allgaier (3rd) and Ross Chastain (4th). The stage wins were also taken by Chevrolet drivers, with JR Motorsports teammates Noah Gragson and Josh Berry taking the Stage One and Two wins, respectively. With 20 NXS races complete: · Chevrolet has now recorded 14 victories, giving the bowtie brand a winning percentage of 70%. · Following his third win of the season, AJ Allmendinger continues to lead in the NXS driver points standings, with a 17-point lead over second-place Justin Allgaier. · Looking to captures its six consecutive NXS Manufacturer Championship title, Chevrolet remained on top of the NXS manufacturer standings, extending its lead to 94-points over second. The NXS first made an appearance at Michigan International Speedway in August 1992, with Todd Bodine driving Chevrolet to victory lane in the inaugural event. The 2-mile Michigan venue has hosted the NXS 29 times, with Chevrolet scoring a manufacturer-leading 17 of those wins, including the last three (Austin Dillon – June 2018; Tyler Reddick – June 2019; AJ Allmendinger – August 2021). |
ENFINGER ONTO ROUND OF EIGHTGrant Enfinger and the No. 23 GMS Racing Silverado RST team started out the 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) playoffs exactly how they had hoped. In the series’ return to the Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, Enfinger swept the stage wins and went on to battle through an overtime finish to capture his first win of the season and an automatic advancement to the second round of the playoffs. When a caution flew at lap 191, crew chief Jeff Hensley called Enfinger down pit road for a fresh set of tires. |
On the final restart at lap 206 for an overtime finish, chaos among the leaders gave Enfinger the opportunity to make the winning pass and he never looked back. Taking the checkered flag for the seventh time in his NCWTS career, Enfinger’s win gave Chevrolet its fourth NCWTS win this season. While an on-track incident late in the race resulted in a 21st-place finish for playoff contender Carson Hocevar, the driver of the No. 42 Niece Motorsports Silverado RST remains above the playoff cutline by seven points. The NCWTS will be back in action at Richmond Raceway for the Worldwide Express 250 for Carrier Appreciation on Saturday, August 13. The 250-lap race at the .75-mile Virginia oval will mark the second of three races in the NCWTS Round of 10. BOWTIE BULLETS· Active NASCAR Cup Series Chevrolet drivers that have won at Michigan International Speedway: Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 (3 victories) · Kyle Larson is one of only two drivers in the series’ history to post their first career NASCAR Cup Series win at Michigan International Speedway (August 2016). Larson went on to make it three-in-a-row at MIS, sweeping both race wins in 2017. · Chevrolet has recorded 26 wins, 27 poles, 183 top-fives and 377 top-10s at Michigan International Speedway. · Chase Elliott leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in average finishing position at Michigan International Speedway (7.727). · Current NASCAR Cup Series points leader, Chase Elliott, leads the series in a variety of statistical measures, including: race wins (4), laps led (658), average finish (10.2), top-10 finishes (15) and playoff points (25). · For the second time this season, Chevrolet swept the wins across all three NASCAR national series.. the only manufacturer to accomplish this feat during race weekends that all three NASCAR national series are in competition on the same weekend. NASCAR Cup Series: Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1NASCAR Xfinity Series: AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Camaro SSNASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Grant Enfinger, No. 23 GMS Racing Silverado RST · With Tyler Reddick’s win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, Chevrolet has now won 14 of the past 15 NASCAR Cup Series road course races, including a streak of the past 10. In that timespan, six drivers from four different Chevrolet teams have contributed to those wins. · Chevrolet heads into the Michigan International Speedway race weekend with a manufacturer-leading 13 NASCAR Cup Series wins in 22 points-paying races. The bowtie brand also continues to lead its manufacturer competitors in NCS top-fives (54), top-10s (99), laps led (2,739) and stage wins (20). · Seven Team Chevy drivers have combined 20 NASCAR Cup Series stage wins: Tyler Reddick 2 – Fontana x2Alex Bowman 1 – Las VegasRoss Chastain 4 – Las Vegas, Darlington, Charlotte, PoconoWilliam Byron 3 – Phoenix, Atlanta, TalladegaDaniel Suarez 2 – COTA, CharlotteChase Elliott 3 – Martinsville x2, Charlotte, Atlanta x2 Kyle Larson 3 – Bristol, Sonoma, Pocono · Chevrolet leads the driver points standing in both the NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Chase Elliott remains in the top position in the NCS standings with a 125-point lead over second; and AJ Allmendinger continues to lead the NXS standings by 17 points. Chevrolet also remains atop both the NCS and NXS manufacturer points standings. · With its 40 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championships, and 827 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title of winningest brand in NASCAR. FOR THE FANS· Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway at Michigan International Speedway. · Fans can check out an assortment of Chevrolet vehicles including: Silverado ZR2, Silverado 1500 Trailboss, 70th Anniversary Corvette Z06, Camaro ZL1, Colorado, Tahoe, Trailblazer. · Also making a special appearance in the Team Chevy Racing Display this weekend at Michigan International Speedway will be the first-ever, all-electric Chevrolet Blazer. · At the Chevrolet Display, fans can also view Kyle Larson’s No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 show car. TEAM CHEVY QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSIONS AT THE DISPLAY:Saturday, August 6· Noah Gragson: 11:15 a.m. · Myatt Snider: 11:30 a.m. · Justin Allgaier: 1:15 p.m. · Josh Berry and Sam Mayer: 1:30 p.m. · Rajah Caruth and Nick Sanchez: 1:45 p.m. Sunday, August 7· Daniel Suarez: 11:15 a.m. · Corey LaJoie: 11:30 a.m. · Erik Jones: 11:55 a.m. · William Byron: 12:30 p.m. Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation: Saturday, August 6: 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. Sunday, August 7: 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. TUNE INUSA Network will broadcast the NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 7. Live coverage can also be found on the NBCSports Gold App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. USA Network will broadcast the NASCAR Xfinity Series New Holland 250 at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 6. Live coverage can also be found on the NBCSports Gold App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. QUOTABLE QUOTESROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 ADVENT HEALTH CAMARO ZL1How do you think Michigan will be this weekend with this style of car? “I think it will be similar to how we have seen racing at Michigan in the past. It’ll be similar to what we saw at Auto Club this year with lifting off of the gas going in the corners and using different lanes.” AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW MOBILITYSCIENCE CAMARO ZL1What are your thoughts on Michigan International Speedway?“We had a strong Chevy at Michigan International Speedway last year, and I expect the same this year. I’m really looking forward to the race. Michigan is a place we’ve run well at in the past, and it’s a place we’ve circled to try and win and lock ourselves into the NASCAR Playoffs.” KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1Larson on if racing will be similar to Auto Club Speedway earlier this year:“I feel like the runs haven’t been quite as big as they were earlier in the year. I’m sure we will be able to draft, but the runs were huge at California. I don’t know if they’ll be quite that big at Michigan, and there will be less lane options when you get to the corner this weekend (compared to Auto Club Speedway).” CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1Daniels on what he is expecting at Michigan International Speedway: “I think this weekend’s race has potential to go a couple different ways. Passing could be difficult – we’ll see what the resin does on the track. Certainly, we’ve come a long way as a sport since California. Michigan (International Speedway) tends to lean toward more straight forward racing, but the runs and the draft could be impactful.” CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 UNIFIRST CAMARO ZL1Elliott on the team’s outlook as we get closer to the playoffs: “You have to be at the top of your game heading into the playoffs. We can’t let setbacks like last week get to us. We have to keep focusing on what we can control and having good execution and just keep improving. I need to make sure I’m doing my job inside the car. Those are the things we’re focusing on to make sure we’re peaking at the right time.” ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 9 UNIFIRST CAMARO ZL1Gustafson on how to finish the regular season off on a high note and looking ahead to Michigan: “I try not to attach that to the finishing position. You’ve got to say ‘Hey, how did we do in preparation for the race? How did the car run? How did we execute the race? How did we execute the pit stops?’ You can do all that really well and finish bad because you get crashed or something happens. So, I’d say after Nashville (Superspeedway), knowing with two wins we were going to be in the playoffs, from then on we just tried to set out some goals to try to be prepared for the playoffs. Developing things on the pit crew side and trying to improve the cars and making sure we’re in as good of shape as possible is really what we’re doing. I don’t think that Michigan (International Speedway) is one where we’re going to really use the setup in the playoffs, but I certainly think we can learn and apply some things. Texas (Motor Speedway) comes to mind a little bit. But really, we’re just trying to be the best we can be when it matters.” WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1Byron on wanting to rewrite history at Michigan: “Michigan (International Speedway) is a tricky track. You have to manage drafting on the straightaways but also the feeling that you’re always on the limit of grip. It’s almost like Daytona (International Superspeedway) but with characteristics of a mile-and-a-half track. It’s basically a hybrid track. Timing passes is also a major factor as well as it’s a very momentum-heavy track. Last year, we were leading on the last restart, but I blocked the run coming from the high lane and lost momentum and that took us out of contention with how few laps were left. I’ve been really close to winning a few times at Michigan (International Speedway). I’m trying to rewrite history this weekend and hopefully be able to finally pull out the win with how close I’ve been before. This is also an important track for manufacturers, and I would take a lot of pride to be able to go out there and get the win for Chevrolet.” RUDY FUGLE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1Fugle on why he loves racing at Michigan: “I really enjoy racing at Michigan (International Speedway). I feel like the whole weekend is just good, hard racing. It helps that there is usually always such a good fan showing, especially with the always packed infield of campers. I think the more fans in attendance, the more excitement it brings on race day and that’s a situation we thrive in. The racing isn’t quite pack racing, but there are some drafting elements, especially when it comes to making passes. You still need to have your car handling well, though, to make up any track position. It’s not extremely easy to pass, so you usually tend to see big moves made, especially on the restarts. It’s a race that tends to have pit strategy take place too, especially late in the going, just to make up that ground that is hard to do during a long run. I think it’s just a well-rounded type of racing and I’ve come so close to winning there so many times that this is a race I’ve had circled for this year.” ERIK JONES, NO. 43 FOCUSFACTOR CAMARO ZL1Michigan is a home track for both you and crew chief Dave Elenz. How important would a win be to both of you? “You always want to run good when you go home and I think when we look at the remaining tracks, Michigan is one where we feel like we can win. So yea, multiple reasons it’s important to us. I feel like it’s going to be an opportunity for us to win and an opportunity to win at home as well. We want to take advantage of both of those things. Every time I go to Michigan, I just want to run well for friends, family, everybody there. Hopefully we’ll have a good showing.” RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER HEALTH / SWEETLEAF CAMARO ZL1“The crazy thing with Michigan is the speeds are so high. You want to take the shortest distance around, but the bottom of the racetrack is flat. It has less banking. The top groove is more banked. Now we’ve got some of the traction compound that they have sprayed down. So, it has more grip, but it’s a longer distance around. The draft is really big, but you don’t want to really be tucked up behind a car once you get into a corner because you need all the air to be on your car. So, it’s tricky, it’s fun, it’s fast and we are really looking forward to it.” ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1Bowman on his mindset heading to Michigan: “I feel like we have had our struggles recently getting the finishes we are capable of getting. Our team does a great job of putting in the work during the week and getting the little details right. We just keep getting caught in other people’s messes. Greg (Ives, crew chief) did a great job of putting me in a good position to make a late-race push for the front in Indy (Motor Speedway Road Course) and then we were taken out of the race, so it’s been frustrating because our car was better than where we finished. Our team has a lot of fight, and this weekend will be no different – we will put a good strategy together and try to be there at the end on Sunday.” GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1Ives on heading to his home track this Sunday in Michigan: “It’s always nice to go home and get to race in front of your family and friends. There is a little extra pressure having everyone there supporting you – you naturally want to perform on any given weekend but having your support system watching adds that extra bit but it makes the success you have feel that much better. Knowing that Ally and Chevy are based in Michigan sweetens the pot – we have a lot of reasons to go out there and put on a show and I know our team is capable of contending for a win.” DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 WORLDWIDE EXPRESS CAMARO ZL1What do you expect at Michigan this weekend?“I don’t think any of us really know what to expect. The new cars race good everywhere so I expect a good race. But Michigan is different than really everywhere else we have raced. It looks like Auto Club Speedway, but that track is bumpy where I expect Michigan will have more grip. It will be interesting.” Describe what it takes for success at Michigan?“Michigan is the kind of racetrack where you have to have a lot of straightaway speed and try to be as good as possible in the corners. You have to have a good downforce car in combination with drag to be able to go fast in the straightaways.” What is your favorite Michigan memory?“Michigan is where I got my first Xfinity win, so it’s special to me. You don’t forget moments like that. I just remember I didn’t have any words to describe how I was feeling at that moment. Nothing in Spanish or English.” Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics Manufacturers Championships:Total (1949-2021): 40First title for Chevrolet: 1958Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15) Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021 Drivers Championships:Total (1949-2021): 33First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)Most Recent: Kyle Larson (2021) Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021 Event Victories:Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007) 2022 STATISTICS: Wins: 13Poles: 5Laps Led: 2,739Top-five finishes: 54Top-10 finishes: 99Stage wins: 20Tyler Reddick (Fontanax2)Alex Bowman (Las Vegas)Ross Chastain (Las Vegas), (Darlington), (Charlotte), (Pocono)William Byron (Phoenix), (Atlanta), (Talladega)Daniel Suarez (COTA), (Charlotte)Chase Elliott (Martinsvillex2), (Charlotte), (Atlantax2)Kyle Larson (Bristol Dirt), (Sonoma), (Pocono) CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:Total Chevrolet race wins: 827 (1949 to date)Poles won to date: 728Laps led to date: 244,075Top-five finishes to date: 4,192Top-10 finishes to date: 8,654 Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date: General Motors: 1,161 Chevrolet: 827 Pontiac: 154 Oldsmobile: 115 Buick: 65 Ford: 815 Ford: 715 Mercury: 96 Lincoln: 4 Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467 Dodge: 217 Plymouth: 191 Chrysler: 59 Toyota: 167 |