Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Atlanta Advance

ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY / MID-OHIO SPORT CAR COURSEOn the brink of another tripleheader race weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is set to take on the 1.54-mile Atlanta Motor Speedway, while the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) returns to the 2.258-mile, 13-turn Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Chevrolet will look to perform its fifth tripleheader sweep of 2023 – a feat no other manufacturer has been able to accomplish this season. This weekend’s trip to Atlanta Motor Speedway will mark the series’ first repeat visit to a track this season. The Bowtie brand will look to extend its series-leading win count at the Georgia venue in both of NASCAR’s top series with the manufacturer heading into the weekend with 43 NCS wins and 19 NXS wins. For only the second time this season, the NCTS will make left- and right-hand turns as the series makes only its second-ever appearance at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Chevrolet will return to the challenging natural-terrain course as the circuit’s defending winners after Parker Kligerman and the No. 75 Henderson Racing Silverado RST team stole the victory from series’ champion Zane Smith last season.

HOME SWEET HOMEChevrolet is the reigning NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series winners in the summer Atlanta Motor Speedway race – courtesy of Georgia natives Chase Elliott (No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1) and Austin Hill (No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Camaro SS).

STYLIN’ ON SUPERSPEEDWAYSWhile classified as an intermediate-sized oval, Atlanta Motor Speedway’s complete reprofiling now produces superspeedway-style racing. Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron’s win at the Georgia venue in March 2022 started a dominant run for Chevrolet in superspeedway competition – with six drivers from four different Chevrolet teams collecting a combined seven wins in the series’ past eight superspeedway-style races:

Atlanta Motor Speedway (Mar. 20, 2022) – William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1Talladega Superspeedway (Apr. 24, 2022) – Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1Atlanta Motor Speedway (July 10, 2022) – Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1Daytona International Speedway (Aug. 29, 2022) – Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1Talladega Superspeedway (Oct. 2, 2022) – Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1Daytona International Speedway (Feb. 19, 2023) – Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Camaro ZL1Talladega Superspeedway (Apr. 23, 2023) – Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1

PLAYOFF PICTUREWith eight races remaining in the NASCAR Cup Series’ regular season, the Bowtie brand continues to pace the field across a variety of statistical categories. Shane van Gisbergen’s history-making victory in the Chicago Street Race brought Chevrolet to its 11th points-paying victory of the 2023 season – a number more than its manufacturer competitors combined. Team Chevy drivers have also powered the manufacturer to a series-leading six poles, 43 top-fives, 80 top-10s, 17 Stage wins and 2,195 laps led. The series’ winningest manufacturer has also maintained the top position in the manufacturer points standings throughout the entire season – extending its lead to 56 points following the sport’s street race debut.

CONTINUING A HOT STREAKFresh from an off-weekend, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will be faced with a trio of very different race track configurations to close out the series’ regular-season. The next opportunity for drivers to secure a playoff berth comes in Saturday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 150 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The series’ defending winner at the Ohio circuit, Chevrolet, is heading into the race weekend with extra momentum – taking the win in five of the series’ past six races.
With the final push to the playoffs, the series’ standings sees five drivers from five different Chevrolet teams sit above the cutline including GMS Racing’s Grant Enfinger (third), McAnally-Hilgemann Racing’s Christian Eckes (sixth) and Niece Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar (seventh) – all of which have secured a playoff berth by virtue of a win. Rackley WAR’s Matt DiBenedetto sits in the eighth position and 14-points above the cutline, while Rev Racing’s Nick Sanchez holds onto the 10th position and six-points above the cutline.

BOWTIE BULLETS:·       NASCAR Cup Series victories by active Chevrolet drivers at Atlanta Motor Speedway: Kyle Busch – two (2013, 2008)William Byron – one (March 2022)Chase Elliott – one (July 2022)
·       In 118 NASCAR Cup Series races held at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Chevrolet has recorded a series-leading 43 victories – most recently one year ago by Chase Elliott and the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 team.
·       Chevrolet has won seven of the past eight superspeedway-style races in NASCAR’s top series – recorded by six drivers from four different Chevrolet teams.
·       Chevrolet is the only manufacturer to record a sweep of the weekend’s wins when all three NASCAR national series are in competition on the same weekend. The feat was most recently accomplished at Nashville Superspeedway – marking the manufacturer’s fourth tripleheader sweep of the season.
·       Only four drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series are repeat winners this season – three of which come from Team Chevy (William Byron – Las Vegas, Phoenix & Darlington; Kyle Larson – Richmond & Martinsville; Kyle Busch – Auto Club and Talladega). Byron and Busch are tied atop the leaderboard with three wins each.
·       In 18 points-paying NASCAR Cup Series race this season, Chevrolet continues to lead the series in wins (11), top-fives (43), top-10s (80), stage wins (17) and laps led (2,195).
·       Chevrolet leads the series in wins across all three NASCAR national series this season with 11 victories in 18 NASCAR Cup Series races, nine victories in 16 NASCAR Xfinity Series races and eight wins in 13 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races – all with a win percentage of more than 50%.
·       With Grant Enfinger’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win at World Wide Technology Raceway, GMS Racing is now the winningest Chevrolet organization in NCTS’ history with 44 all-time wins in the series.
·       With William Byron’s win at Darlington Raceway, Hendrick Motorsports now sits at 296 all-time NASCAR Cup Series victories – all recorded with Chevrolet.
·       Chevrolet’s series-leading 11 NASCAR Cup Series wins this season have been recorded by drivers from four different Chevrolet teams: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (JTG Daugherty Racing), Kyle Busch (Richard Childress Racing), William Byron and Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports) and Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen (Trackhouse Racing).
·       Chevrolet drivers have recorded 17 of the 36 NASCAR Cup Series stage wins this season: William Byron (seven; series-leading), Ross Chastain (five), Kyle Larson (two), Kyle Busch (two) and Chase Elliott (one).
·       Chevrolet continues to sit atop the manufacturer points standings in all three NASCAR national series, leading by 56 points in the NASCAR Cup Series, 55 points in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and 38 points in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
·       With its 41 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer’s Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver’s Championships, and 844 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title of winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.

FOR THE FANS· Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway at Atlanta Motor Speedway. · Chevrolet will pace the field at Atlanta Motor Speedway – with the Camaro SS 1LE leading the NASCAR Xfinity Series in Saturday’s Alsco Uniforms 250 and the Camaro ZL1 leading the NASCAR Cup Series in Sunday’s Quaker State 400. Team Chevy Driver Appearances at the Display: Saturday, July 8· Blaine Perkins: 1:30 p.m.· Jeremy Clements: 1:45 p.m.· Parker Kligerman: 2 p.m. · Sheldon Creed: 2:15 p.m.· Chandler Smith: 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 9· Corey LaJoie: 1 p.m.· Austin Hill: 3:25 p.m.· Justin Haley: 4:30 p.m. Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation: Saturday, July 8: 12 p.m. – 8 p.m. Sunday, July 9: 12 p.m. – 7 p.m.

TUNE IN: NASCAR Cup Series: Quaker State 400Atlanta Motor Speedway Sunday, July 9, at 7 p.m. ET(USA Network, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

NASCAR Xfinity Series: Alsco Uniforms 250 Atlanta Motor SpeedwaySaturday, July 8, at 5 p.m. ET(USA Network, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: O’Reilly Auto Parts 150Mid-Ohio Sports Car CourseSaturday, July 8, at 1:30 p.m. ET(FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

QUOTABLE QUOTES:ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 WORLDWIDE EXPRESS CAMARO ZL1Last year you had runner up finishes at Atlanta, does that give you confidence going into this weekend, especially with the streak Trackhouse Racing is on with wins right now?“Well, I’ve been pretty close to winning at Atlanta the last few times. Just a little bit more and we’ll be there. For whatever reason with this version of the car, I’ve been pretty strong at Atlanta. I have full confidence in my crew chief Phil Surgen and our engineers that we’ll have another great opportunity to go to victory lane this weekend.”
How good does it feel to have that first win under your belt this season?“Having a win is great for everyone at Trackhouse Racing and our partners, but we can’t let up. It’s important for us to get as many points as we can each week because those are so valuable in the playoffs. So as much as a win is nice, we still want to put our best foot forward when it comes to the playoffs and going for a championship.”

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW SALUTES VETERANS CAMARO ZL1What are you anticipating in the Atlanta Motor Speedway race on Sunday?“Atlanta Motor Speedway has that superspeedway feeling to it, so you know what you’ll get. Guys are bump drafting, racing two and three wide through the whole field. Pack racing is going to be tough so you will need to have your car handling well to make passes in the draft. Track position seemed very important in the last race, as well. Atlanta Motor Speedway is a fun race for sure. It’s a tight speedway.”
Atlanta Motor Speedway is an intermediate track designed to race like a superspeedway. Do you prepare differently than you would at Talladega and Daytona?“Atlanta Motor Speedway and Daytona International Speedway share similarities with me the most. The biggest difference is that you’ll be drafting during the entire race since Atlanta is a smaller speedway than what we’re used to, so it is important to put your car in a good position. There is a lot of drafting occurring at Atlanta Motor Speedway, so you have to be aggressive. Pit road can be very difficult to navigate, especially if you have a green flag stop. Atlanta Motor Speedway is an opportunity for our No. 3 Dow Chevrolet team to win a race. We will be aggressive like many other drivers and will be getting closer to making the playoffs.”
How mentally draining is the race at Atlanta Motor Speedway?“I think it’s a lot like the superspeedway racing we do on the larger tracks, except that since the track is smaller, we have to be on the defensive a lot more because runs happen a lot faster, so we have to be more careful when running on that tight track. The workout routine I follow is the same as if I were heading to Daytona International Speedway or Talladega Superspeedway to race. Speedway racing is something that I enjoy a lot, which is why I’m looking forward to a night race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and I think the fans are going to enjoy seeing it as well.”

KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 CHEDDAR’S SCRATCH KITCHEN CAMARO ZL1What are your expectations entering Atlanta this weekend? “The first time around at Atlanta we had a good race and we had decent speed. Nobody could really compete with the Fords; they were super-fast. Just going back there this time and trying to re-evaluate where we stood the first time around and make some improvement and make some gains on setup stuff and the car being faster will allow us to hold a front spot better. The spring race we kind of set up more for handling and I felt like that was a good idea even though it cost us a little bit of speed. I think the same thing will be said for this weekend.”
What is more important: a better handling car or one with more speed?“Even though it’s under the lights I think it’s still going to be important to have good handling over outright speed. Any time you get higher track temperatures there’s always going to be a concern for grip and what that grip level is and how fast the grip level is deteriorating from the repave down at Atlanta. We’ll have to see when we get there in the race because we only get one lap of qualifying before going into the big show.”

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA / CHILDREN’S CAMARO ZL1Elliott on returning to Atlanta as the defending July race winner: “That was a really nice weekend. Obviously, it’s a little different than having a dominant performance at a track that’s not a (super) speedway, but we were really solid. It’s not like you’re getting out to a four- or five-second lead. We just had a car that had the ability to be on offense all day. When you’re on offense and you can be that guy to make lanes move forward and make a difference and pushing somebody to the front, it just puts you in a different league. It puts you in a really nice position to have a good day. We’ve certainly been on both sides of that fence. I missed Atlanta the first time this year, but hopefully we can go back and have a good run again like we did last year. I know a lot of the people around home are super excited about it being a night race, and getting under the lights down there I think is a really big deal. So I’m looking forward to that.”
Elliott on this year’s DESI9N TO DRIVE program taking place at Atlanta: “I’m excited for the return of the DESI9N TO DRIVE program to my home track since it really shines a light on the positive impact Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta has on the region. With the race being run at night, I hope it creates an even greater atmosphere than years past. I can’t wait for everyone to see these summer nights-themed designs come to life at the racetrack.”

AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 FARMSMART CAMARO ZL1“Our superspeedway program has been pretty good. There’s just a different way you race at Atlanta now with the aero package that we run. Track position is really critical; it’s really tight so it’s hard to maneuver around. It’s very important to stay up front and I think handling will be a key because it’ll be hot and the track will be really slick. I felt like we learned some stuff at the first race there this year so we can come back and be better for this race.”

JUSTIN HALEY, NO. 31 LEAFFILTER GUTTER PROTECTION CAMARO ZL1“We’re going into Atlanta with some confidence as a team after having an opportunity to go for a win on Sunday in Chicago. Atlanta has always been one of my favorites in both the Xfinity and the Cup Series. With it being a speedway track, it has been one we have adapted well to at Kaulig Racing. It’s such a fun and unique track with high speeds and shorter distance. I’m super excited to log some more laps in the Xfinity Series as well this weekend!”

NOAH GRAGSON, NO. 42 SUNSEEKER RESORTS CAMARO ZL1“We had a really fast car last time out in Atlanta – we passed so many cars, the pit crew was fast, it was one of our most well executed events. This race is so much like a plate race, and I had so much fun in the spring. It was one of those races you wanted just a few more laps to see what we could have done. I’m looking forward to it and it should be exciting under the lights.”

ERIK JONES, NO. 43 ALLEGIANT CAMARO ZL1“Atlanta has been good to us ever since they reconfigured last year. We had two strong performances the year before and earlier this year with an 8th place finish, so I am always looking forward to getting back there. I think our superspeedway package is always pretty strong, and Atlanta is a bit different in the fact that there is some handling that comes into play more than your typical Daytona or Talladega. I think it plays out well for us. I hope we have similar speed, I felt we needed a bit more in the spring, we made a good run to the finish and picked up a lot of spots. So, overall, I think we just need a little more speed, but I believe we will have a shot of performing really well.”

RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER / SLIM JIM CAMARO ZL1“This race will be exciting for NASCAR, and I think the cars will look better under the lights and any time we bottom out obviously sparks will show. For the fans, they will appreciate it being a night race because I’ve sat in the grandstands for a NASCAR Xfinity Series race, and the sun just beats down on the front straightaway grandstands for a long time. For the drivers, I’m sure the track will have more grip. So, we should be able to run closer together than we normally do. The summer race compared to the spring race is always a lot harder to get traction. So, I think the night race will help that.”

AUSTIN HILL, NO. 62 BENNETT TRANSPORTATION / BEARD CAMARO ZL1This will be your first time in a Cup Series car at your home track. How do you anticipate you’ll feel when you get into that Cup Series car at home? And what are your expectations for the race?“It’s a really cool opportunity to show up at my home track and compete in the top series of NASCAR. It’s special to be able to race against the best in the Cup Series, but especially at home. My expectation for Sunday is a little less than my expectation for the Xfinity side, where I expect nothing short of winning. On the Cup side, the goal is to race our way forward from wherever we start, make all the laps, contend, and be there at the end. If we can get inside the top-20 and get experience to see how Cup drivers race, it will go a long way. We struggled a little bit at Talladega with not getting right in the front or middle of the pack to race with others and see how the car reacts in comparison to the Xfinity car.
At the end of the Cup race, if we have competed, got inside the top-20, and been in contention, whatever happens at the end of the race happens. It’s a superspeedway-style race, so anything can happen when you get close to the checkered flag. Even if we run really well, get into the front half of the field, and end up wrecked at the end, I’m not going to be disappointed, simply because we showed speed and that we could run up front. I would be more disappointed if we ran in the back all day and finished the race but didn’t really get anything out of it. I’m trying to get as much experience as I can.”

DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 QUAKER STATE CAMARO ZL1Thoughts on Atlanta?“Obviously, you know what is going on off the track, so you know it is an important weekend for us. On the track we have lots of work to do. We have run well at Atlanta. I think both Trackhouse cars had finished in the top five until the March race. We were looking good but got caught up in a wreck. That’s the secret here, survival. Avoid the wrecks and we’ll have a good finish Sunday.”

GRANT ENFINGER, NO. 23 SUNSEEKER RESORTS SILVERADO RSTWhat are your thoughts and expectations heading into Mid-Ohio and the last few races before the playoffs?“I am excited to return to Mid-Ohio this weekend. Last year we learned a lot for our first time being on the track. The most important takeaway was being adaptable to different racing conditions. I feel like the track provided good racing. Hopefully we can take what we learned last year and use it to gain some more points towards the regular season championship and the playoffs. Our No. 23 team has worked hard this year and put in long hours lately to make sure we have a fast Chevrolet to compete with. Looking forward to making the awesome people at GMS Racing proud.”

RAJAH CARUTH, NO. 24 WENDELL SCOTT FOUNDATION SILVERADO RSTWhat have you done differently to prepare for the road course race at Mid-Ohio than you would for a typical oval track?“In preparation for Mid-Ohio this weekend, I can’t say I’ve done much different. I have just increased some things from my side from the amount of iRacing and the type of racing I do at home on my simulator to my preparation for the Chevrolet DiL simulator when I go with my crew chief and engineer. I’ve also been heavily reviewing the past few years’ races in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, ARCA Menards Series and even the NASCAR Xfinity Series. I’ll be relying on my experience in the ARCA car last year in both the rain and dry. I feel really good about this weekend; I think we have a really good shot with our Wendell Scott Foundation Silverado.”

DANIEL DYE, NO. 43 GIUSEPPE’S STEEL CITY PIZZA SILVERADO RSTWhat did you learn about Mid-Ohio last year in the ARCA car that you can apply to this weekend?“So much about road course racing is being comfortable at that specific race track. Between the ARCA race last year and our training with the Chevrolet drivers earlier this year in street cars, I’ve had two weekends on the race track and I am looking forward to getting back to it. It is a really fun race track. I am looking forward to seeing what we can do with our No. 43 Giuseppe’s Steel Pizza team. I’m hoping the rain stays away and I hope we can get a couple of good finishes before the regular season ends.”

CHASE PURDY, NO. 4 BAMA BUGGIES SILVERADO RSTHow does Mid-Ohio compare to other road courses that you’ve raced at?“I like Mid-Ohio. In a weird sense it races kind of like a short track but it’s a road course – as weird as that sounds. It’s very hard on tires and there will be some beating and banging and sliding around, so it makes for great racing and a good show for the fans. It kind of gives you that short track feel with some bump and runs. It’s definitely my favorite of the road courses that we go to in the Truck Series.”
You were able to go to Mid-Ohio for a track day earlier this year. How beneficial will that be with limited practice time?“I think any time you can go and get laps, get an idea of the track layout and the feel of things, find certain patches and grooves before you go there for the real thing is always beneficial no matter what type of vehicle you are in. I’m not really a road course expert but having already been there is a big advantage. I ran decent there last year and hoping to do a lot better this year in KBM equipment.”

JACK WOOD, NO. 51 ROWDY MANUFACTURING SILVERADO RSTAre you looking forward to your first road course race in the Truck Series this year?“I’m looking forward to it. I’ve ran a couple road course races this year with the Lagasses (TeamSLR) and was able to win the Trans Am race back in April at Sonoma. I’m excited to try something different and the KBM road course package showed that it was strong at Circuit of the Americas with Kyle (Busch). Mid-Ohio is a fun road course and a place that I’ve put a lot of work into with different tests and what not. I’m running the ARCA race on Friday so that’ll get me some extra laps before the Truck Series race on Saturday as well.”
How different is a truck on a road course compared to the other vehicles you’ve driven this year?“It’s quite a bit different I would say, the center of gravity in the truck is so much higher than in the Trans Am car and even the ARCA car. I think you have to minimize mistakes even more because of that, but the things that you have to do to go fast on a road course apply across really any vehicle. I just have to be adaptable any pay attention to what we are going to need to do to make speed.”
How does Mid-Ohio compare to other road courses you’ve raced at?“There isn’t a lot of elevation change at Mid-Ohio, but there are some really heavy braking zones and other cool stuff. It’s got a little bit of everything but there isn’t a lot of room to race side by side, so qualifying is going to be really important especially with not having live pit stops. Our pit crew has been really good and usually helps us out with a couple spots every time down pit road and we’re not going to have that advantage this week. It’s going to be important to get 100 percent out of the vehicle every chance you get. I think we’ll have a good weekend!”

Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics Manufacturers Championships:Total (1949-2022): 41First 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, 2022 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) 2023 STATISTICS: Wins: 11Poles: 6Laps Led: 2,195Top-five finishes: 43Top-10 finishes: 80Stage wins: 17· Ross Chastain – 5 (Daytona), (Auto Club x2), (Dover), (Darlington)· William Byron – 7 (Las Vegas x2), (Phoenix), (COTA), (Richmond), (Dover), (Charlotte)· Kyle Larson – 2 (Phoenix), (Bristol Dirt)· Chase Elliott – 1 (Talladega)· Kyle Busch – 2 (WWTR), (Sonoma) CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:Total Chevrolet race wins: 844 (1949 to date)Poles won to date: 740Laps led to date: 247,739Top-five finishes to date: 4,264Top-10 finishes to date: 8,792 Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date: General Motors: 1,178 Chevrolet: 844 Pontiac: 154 Oldsmobile: 115 Buick: 65 Ford: 822 Ford: 722 Mercury: 96 Lincoln: 4 Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467 Dodge: 217 Plymouth: 191 Chrysler: 59 Toyota: 175

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