TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE Bristol Motor SpeedwayApril 10-12, 2026 |
| Fresh off its first off-weekend of the season, the NASCAR Cup Series will return to action for 16-straight weeks of competition, with the stretch kicking off Sunday at “The Last Great Colosseum” of Bristol Motor Speedway. | MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom |
| Chevrolet is the most recent manufacturer to make a trip to victory lane at NASCAR’s highest level, with Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott driving the new Camaro ZL1 racecar to its first win of the season at Martinsville Speedway two weeks ago. The Tennessee tripleheader will get underway Friday evening with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – an event that will see five Cup Series regulars – Daniel Suarez, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kyle Busch, Ross Chastain and Carson Hocevar -back behind the wheel of a Silverado RST. On Saturday, it will be the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series’ turn to hit the high-banked half-mile as Team Chevy looks to build onto its already stout early-season run in the second-level series. |
 LARSON LOOKS TO DEFEND A trip to Bristol Motor Speedway might just be what Kyle Larson and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team need to get back to victory lane. The Elk Grove, California, native knows his way around the high-banked half-mile – owning a combined five wins across NASCAR’s top-two divisions. His most recent victories came one year ago during the track’s spring date when the reigning champion attempted a tripleheader sweep – an effort that ended with a pair of near dominate triumphs in the Cup and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series events. Since joining Hendrick Motorsports, Larson’s Bristol statistics include three wins, six top-fives and 1,121 laps led. Two of his victories have come in the series’ past three visits to the track, with the triumphs accompanied by a sweep of the stages and over 400 laps led in each race. Larson will also have the opportunity to defend his crown in the track’s spring race for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, with the driver returning to the seat of the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet for Saturday’s race. This will mark Larson’s third start with the Mardy Lindley-led team this season – a partnership that has already seen a trip to victory lane at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and, most recently, a pole win and a fourth-place finish at Darlington Raceway. |
 VAN GISBERGEN BUILDING SHORT TRACK CONFIDENCETrackhouse Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen is carrying the confidence of a career-best short-track effort. At Martinsville Speedway two weeks ago, the Auckland, New Zealand, native put together a strong Saturday performance that led to his career-best oval qualifying effort of fifth. Van Gisbergen went on to score points in each stage en route to an 11th-place finish – marking his best result on a half-mile at NASCAR’s highest level. The Trackhouse Racing driver also kickstarted his sophomore campaign with an impressive run in the series’ preseason exhibition race at Bowman Gray Stadium. When precipitation overcame the quarter-mile track, it was Van Gisbergen that capitalized on the wet-weather tires to make a charge from 15th to the top position – going on to lead 15 laps and maintain a running position in the top-five for much of the second-half of the race. |
 RCR TEAMMATES READY FOR REDEMPTION The circuit’s short tracks have fit right into Austin Dillon’s wheelhouse in recent seasons. In six short track events last season, the Welcome, North Carolina, native collected one victory (Richmond Raceway), along with a pair of top-10 results, one of which came in the spring race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Dillon’s success at the Tennessee half-mile expands across the NASCAR national ranks, with the Richard Childress Racing driver picking up a win in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series in 2016. Dillon’s teammate, Kyle Busch, also shares a decorated history at Bristol, with the two-time champion leading the series’ active drivers in wins (eight), runner-up finishes (four), top-fives (14) and top-10s (19) at the track. |
 ALLGAIER AT THE TOP The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series points leader, Justin Allgaier, further solidified his position at the top of the standings at Rockingham Speedway last weekend – driving his No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet to his fifth-straight top-five finish. The veteran driver has been a points powerhouse already this season – standing tall as the only driver to earn points in every stage thus far. With a culmination of three wins, six top-fives, seven top-10s and 120 stage points earned, Allgaier heads into the Bristol race weekend with a monstrous 126-point lead over the series’ reigning champion, Jesse Love. Allgaier’s tenure with JR Motorsports has produced a strong set of statistics at “The Last Great Colosseum”. In 16 career starts with the organization at the track, he’s earned one trip to victory lane (2023), nine top-fives and 12 top-10s. |
 DAY DIALING IN CONSISTENCY Corey Day is making a statement early in his NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series rookie campaign. The Clovis, California, turned in a career day at Rockingham Speedway last weekend. In his first appearance at the North Carolina venue, Day drove his No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to his first career pole win, a sweep of the stages and a career-high 118 laps led en route to a 10th-place finish. The result marked Day’s seventh-consecutive top-10 finish of the season – a feat that also leads the series. Day was the only driver in the top-10 of the points standings to make a move up the ranks, with the rookie taking over the fifth position heading into the Bristol race weekend. |
 ECKES EYING OPPORTUNITY With five races in the books, McAnally-Hilgemann Racing’s (MHR) Christian Eckes leads the Bowtie brigade in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series points standings, leaving “The Rock” in the seventh position. Returning to the division full-time this season, Eckes has a new voice from atop the pit box, with the No. 91 team under the leadership of series veteran, Dave Elenz. In the pair’s first race together at Daytona International Speedway, they scored their season-best finish of third, going on to match the result at Darlington Raceway two weeks ago. Finding their rhythm early in the season, they head to a track where Eckes already has a strong notebook with the Chevrolet organization. In his three Bristol starts behind the wheel of a MHR-prepared Chevrolet, Eckes has finished no worse than fourth, including a trip to victory lane (Mar. 2024). He’s also scored third-place or higher points in every stage and accumulated 294 laps led. |
| BOWTIE BULLETS:· Chevrolet will serve as the official pace vehicle for the tripleheader weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, with the Corvette Stingray pacing the NASCAR Cup and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and the Silverado RST pacing the Craftsman Truck Series. · Active Chevrolet drivers with a NASCAR Cup Series win at Bristol Motor Speedway: Kyle Busch: Eight wins (2019, ’18, ’17, ’11, ’10, ’09 sweep, ’07)Kyle Larson: Three wins (2025, 2024, ’21) · Chevrolet is the winningest manufacturer in both of NASCAR’s top-two divisions at Bristol Motor Speedway, heading into the weekend with 48 Cup Series wins and 38 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series wins. · With seven-straight victories to start the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season, Chevrolet set the record for the longest season-opening streak by a single manufacturer in the division’s history. · In 151 points-paying races in the NASCAR Cup Series Next Gen era, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 68 victories – a winning percentage of 45%. · Chevrolet is coming off its 29th all-time sweep of the NASCAR Cup Series championship titles – capturing its 34th driver championship and 44th, and fifth consecutive, manufacturer championship in 2025. · With its 44 NASCAR Cup Series manufacturer championships, 34 NASCAR Cup Series driver championships, and 882 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title as the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history. |
| TUNE-IN:NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500Sunday, Apr. 12, at 3 p.m. ETFS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts SeriesSuburban Propane 300Saturday, Apr. 11, at 7:30 p.m. ETCW, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90 NASCAR Craftsman Truck SeriesTennessee Army National Guard 250Friday, Apr. 10, at 7:30 p.m. ETFS1, NASCAR Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90 |
| QUOTABLE QUOTES:Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletWhat do you like about Bristol?“I love racing at Bristol which is why I always try and run more than one series there. It’s so fun to be on the track which is kind of down in a bowl with all of the fans right next to you. The atmosphere at Bristol is just so cool. Walking across the track down into the infield at the crossover gate is a neat experience. You get to feel how steep the banking is.” A little different paint scheme this weekend?“Yeah, I’m looking forward to getting back into the car after a weekend off. It was nice to have a few days to myself but I’m happy to be getting back to the track. Busch Light always does such a great job with the specialty schemes. I’m pumped to drive the Busch Light fishing car this weekend. The fans always love the specialty schemes and they’re very vocal about their thoughts which is always fun. It would look even better in victory lane at Bristol.” Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletWhat does Bristol mean to you?“When you come to Bristol, this place is like one of the eight wonders of the world. You walk in and it’s like a gladiator dome. It’s always a privilege to come race here and be a part of the big races that they’ve had here. Got to drive up to victory lane once, and we’d like to do it again this weekend.” What is your favorite RCR win at Bristol Motor Speedway? “Hard to choose, but my NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series win at Bristol Motor Speedway was pretty special to me, personally.” What is your favorite Bass Pro Shops paint scheme? “Oh man, it’s hard to choose a favorite Bass Pro Shops paint scheme. We’ve had so many patriotic paint schemes, and those ones mean a lot. I love the Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Long Beard XR paint scheme that we are running this year, too.” Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports ChevroletThis is your first double header with Spire Motorsports. How are you feeling about being back in a truck?“I’m really excited to get back to the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series—it’s been a few years. The last race I ran was the dirt race about five years ago, so it’s been a long time since I’ve competed on an oval. Honestly, the last time I did a true oval race was back in 2016, so this is definitely something I’ve been looking forward to. It’s also been nearly a year since I’ve been in a truck, so I’m excited to get back behind the wheel in the No. 71 Freeway Insurance Silverado RST. The last time I worked with this team and Bono, we were able to win a race, so hopefully we can have some fun first and, with a little luck, bring home another trophy.” Since 2014, winners at Bristol are awarded a sword, what would it mean to you to win this iconic trophy?“It would be incredible to win the ceremonial Gladiator sword trophy—having one of my own would feel truly special. The level of detail in the design is amazing, and I’d love the opportunity to sit down with the person who created it and learn more about their process.” Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletThe track is a little bit Dr. Jekyll, being the normal, and Mr. Hyde, being the crazy with the tire wear. Which do you prefer? “I don’t mind the crazy. I feel like it lends itself into some unexpected results or things that may happen out of the ordinary. Guys that get flat tires because they chew up their tires quicker than others don’t benefit well from those races, so it can lend itself a little bit to guys that know what they are doing.” What makes Bristol so special for you? “I always love going there, it’s one of my favorite places to race. I grew up racing on the local short tracks across the country and racing in the tight confines of Bristol reminds me of my earlier days racing late models. There’s always action going from the bottom to the middle and the top of the racetrack. 500 laps at Bristol seems like a long time, but it goes by really fast. It’s a fun place to race.” Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing ChevroletHow important is Bristol to you?“I think anyone who says they are a NASCAR fan likes Bristol. I’ve loved the place since I was a kid, and I’ve loved racing there in the truck and (now O’Reilly Auto Parts Series). When I was a kid going there, for the longest time I thought that Food City store logo with the blue square and red FC was the Bristol logo!” What makes Bristol special to you?“Being at Bristol is a special tradition for our family. This is like a home race for us. This is one of the ones that always means so much. Just the tradition of NASCAR, you feel it so strongly when you come here to Bristol. It’s good to have a partner in Ohio Logistics join us in Bristol this weekend. They were on our car in Mexico last year. They are going to see something really cool this weekend.” AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet“Bristol will always kind of be good memories of our past there between the exciting finish of the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts race and obviously getting the (NASCAR Cup Series) pole last year was really special and cool for Kaulig Racing. It’s tricky with the last couple years, depending on what tire they bring and whether it’s tire conservation or kind of a flat-out race. So that’s something that we don’t really know until you get there. And even through practice, sometimes you don’t realize it, so very tricky, but it’s one of those places that I still drive into and kind of get a little bit of chills and goosebumps just knowing what that place is. Probably the most physical racetrack for me. So, you know, we’ve had success there. We’re definitely searching right now, trying to figure out what we need to do to be better, so hopefully it’s a racetrack that we can kind of get some momentum back. I think it’s good for the off week to have everybody reset and kind of go a different direction and figure out what we need to do to be better with whatever package that they bring. But overall, it’s going to be a tough race, physically and mentally, and hopefully we can go out there and have a good practice and qualifying. Track position is always critical there, especially early in the race and not going a lap down. So yeah, we’ll just go there and see what we got and give it our best.” Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet“Bristol is always a race I think all of us look forward to, with it being the Last Great Coliseum and being the crazy, wild place that it is with all of the banking and the huge grandstands. We will be beating and banging all night, so it is definitely a place everyone looks forward to and a place where everybody looks forward to try and win it. We are going to go out there and give HaasTooling.com and Gene the best chance that we can.” Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet“Bristol is one of my favorite tracks of the season, so it’s always exciting to get there. Having NOS Energy Drink back on the No. 47 this weekend makes it even better. Bristol is such a fast, intense place where things happen quick, so qualifying well and staying up front is really important. Our team has been working hard in the shop, and I think we’ll have a good shot to put together a strong weekend.” Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet“Bristol is 500 laps of chaos no matter if it’s on a sunny afternoon in April or under the lights on a Saturday night in September. To be able to walk out of Bristol with a good result is always very rewarding, because you know how hard it is to achieve. Even though the distance at Bristol is not very long – a little more than 266 miles – 500 laps there is a long time. The mental endurance it takes run at 110 percent and be on you’re A-game from start to finish is key. You have to be laser-focused on hitting your marks, but also ready to adapt. Bristol is not like a traditional short track where the bottom lane is dominant throughout the race. You’re going to see people racing the middle line and the high line, and the track conditions are going to play a big part in that. You need to be on the wheel and stay ahead of those changing track conditions, and really pay attention to tire wear and what you’re feeling during the course of a run.” Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet“Bristol is all about intensity, and it’s a place where I’ve had some good success recently with a couple of near top-10 finishes in the NextGen car. We had a few issues there last spring, but we have addressed them and feel good about those changes. We knew what needed to be fixed, and that gives me a lot of confidence going back. Spire had a ton of speed in the first Bristol race last year, so we have a strong notebook and feel like contenders. Bristol has a special energy, and I always tell fans that if they’ve never been to a race, or never been to Bristol, it’s a must. It’s one of the coolest events you can experience as both a fan and a driver. It’s a place that has been pretty good to me over the last few years, so it’s definitely a track we’ve circled to go back and capitalize on.” Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet You have been fast at Bristol, but the finishes don’t reflect that. How do you remain optimistic?“We’ve been fast at Bristol ever since my first Cup race there in 2023. We have just been very successful there. I really enjoy running there, and it is one of Luke’s (Lambert) favorite tracks. He has a lot of experience there and won races at every level. We are close, we just need everything to come together.” What about Bristol fits your driving style?“Bristol is super-fast and I think that suits me. You carry a lot of speed around there and you have to make decisions very quickly and pick between the top and bottom lanes depending on where the lap traffic is. It is almost like running on a dirt track.” Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletThis will be your first race at Bristol in the Cup car…“I really appreciate the support from everyone at Roto-Rooter and it’s so cool they are the primary sponsor for both the Cup and O’Reilly Series cars this weekend. Bristol is crazy. It’s one of those tracks that sometimes you forget which end of the track that you’re on. When you’re going around there so fast time flies and the laps fly by quickly. Everything happens really fast at Bristol. Bristol is a really cool track to go to. The entire facility is one of a kind and I’m excited for my first Cup race there. We finished top-five there in the O’Reilly race last fall. We had a really good day, won a stage, and led a lot of laps but ended up getting caught up in some late race strategy that took us out of contention for the win.” Do you have to remind yourself to breathe at Bristol?“You do have to voluntarily remember to breathe and keep yourself cool. Drivers always talk about this is the track where your heartrate gets the highest and it’s definitely the most intense racetrack that we go to because you don’t have time to relax. It’s not like you’re going to Las Vegas where the corners are really intense but then you have 10 seconds to relax down the straightaways. Bristol is very intense in the corners and you don’t have a lot of time to relax out of them.” How challenging is the communication between the crew chief and spotter at Bristol?“As long as you can multi-task a little bit and listen while you’re in the middle of the corner, it’s all right. Bristol is certainly one of those tracks where you have to multi-task and listen to your spotter give you advice while you’re in the middle of the corner. That’s just kind of the way it is. I’m curious to see what it’s like to go around there for 500 laps. I haven’t gone that far before so I’m excited for that challenge.” Did the off weekend come at a good time for you and the race team?“It was a little early. I would have liked a couple more weeks to continue to build on what we were doing but a weekend off is always a good way to completely reset your body and your mind. It’s always good to have a week off.” Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletThoughts on racing at Bristol Motor Speedway?“It’s pretty amazing. It’s such a unique place to race. It’s a really tough track for me, but I need to get better at it. I felt like I was reasonably competitive last time we ran there but just got on the wrong side of how the tires fell off. Hopefully I’ll have some progression this time around.” Do you find that you have more confidence on certain types of oval tracks?“On the shorter tracks, yeah I feel a bit more confident. You feel on top of the car, and I feel like I can drive it. Still on the bigger tracks, it’s always nerve-racking, I guess. Like the Vegas and Texas tracks, they are the tougher ones for me. In general, the more I go to them, the more comfortable I seem to get.” |
| Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series StatisticsManufacturer Championships:Total (1949-2025): 44First title for Chevrolet: 1958Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15)Most recent: 2025 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, 2023, 2024, 2025 Driver Championships:Total (1949-2025): 34First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)Most recent: Kyle Larson (2025)Driver and Manufacturer Championship Sweeps: 29 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, 2025 Event Victories:Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007) 2026 STATISTICS: Wins: 1Poles: 1Laps Led: 365Top-Fives: 13Top-10s: 23Stage Wins: 2 CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:Total Chevrolet race wins: 882 (1949 to date)Poles won to date: 767Laps led to date: 257,099Top-fives to date: 4,449Top-10s to date: 9,174 Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date: General Motors: 1,216 Chevrolet: 882 Pontiac: 154 Oldsmobile: 115 Buick: 65 Ford: 848 Ford: 748 Mercury: 96 Lincoln: 4 Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467 Dodge: 217 Plymouth: 191 Chrysler: 59 Toyota: 208 |
TEAM CHEVY ADVANCEBristol Motor SpeedwayApril 10-12, 2026 |
| Fresh off its first off-weekend of the season, the NASCAR Cup Series will return to action for 16-straight weeks of competition, with the stretch kicking off Sunday at “The Last Great Colosseum” of Bristol Motor Speedway. | MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom |
| Chevrolet is the most recent manufacturer to make a trip to victory lane at NASCAR’s highest level, with Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott driving the new Camaro ZL1 racecar to its first win of the season at Martinsville Speedway two weeks ago. The Tennessee tripleheader will get underway Friday evening with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – an event that will see five Cup Series regulars – Daniel Suarez, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kyle Busch, Ross Chastain and Carson Hocevar -back behind the wheel of a Silverado RST. On Saturday, it will be the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series’ turn to hit the high-banked half-mile as Team Chevy looks to build onto its already stout early-season run in the second-level series. |
| LARSON LOOKS TO DEFEND A trip to Bristol Motor Speedway might just be what Kyle Larson and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team need to get back to victory lane. The Elk Grove, California, native knows his way around the high-banked half-mile – owning a combined five wins across NASCAR’s top-two divisions. His most recent victories came one year ago during the track’s spring date when the reigning champion attempted a tripleheader sweep – an effort that ended with a pair of near dominate triumphs in the Cup and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series events. Since joining Hendrick Motorsports, Larson’s Bristol statistics include three wins, six top-fives and 1,121 laps led. Two of his victories have come in the series’ past three visits to the track, with the triumphs accompanied by a sweep of the stages and over 400 laps led in each race. Larson will also have the opportunity to defend his crown in the track’s spring race for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, with the driver returning to the seat of the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet for Saturday’s race. This will mark Larson’s third start with the Mardy Lindley-led team this season – a partnership that has already seen a trip to victory lane at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and, most recently, a pole win and a fourth-place finish at Darlington Raceway. |
| VAN GISBERGEN BUILDING SHORT TRACK CONFIDENCETrackhouse Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen is carrying the confidence of a career-best short-track effort. At Martinsville Speedway two weeks ago, the Auckland, New Zealand, native put together a strong Saturday performance that led to his career-best oval qualifying effort of fifth. Van Gisbergen went on to score points in each stage en route to an 11th-place finish – marking his best result on a half-mile at NASCAR’s highest level. The Trackhouse Racing driver also kickstarted his sophomore campaign with an impressive run in the series’ preseason exhibition race at Bowman Gray Stadium. When precipitation overcame the quarter-mile track, it was Van Gisbergen that capitalized on the wet-weather tires to make a charge from 15th to the top position – going on to lead 15 laps and maintain a running position in the top-five for much of the second-half of the race. |
| RCR TEAMMATES READY FOR REDEMPTION The circuit’s short tracks have fit right into Austin Dillon’s wheelhouse in recent seasons. In six short track events last season, the Welcome, North Carolina, native collected one victory (Richmond Raceway), along with a pair of top-10 results, one of which came in the spring race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Dillon’s success at the Tennessee half-mile expands across the NASCAR national ranks, with the Richard Childress Racing driver picking up a win in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series in 2016. Dillon’s teammate, Kyle Busch, also shares a decorated history at Bristol, with the two-time champion leading the series’ active drivers in wins (eight), runner-up finishes (four), top-fives (14) and top-10s (19) at the track. |
| ALLGAIER AT THE TOP The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series points leader, Justin Allgaier, further solidified his position at the top of the standings at Rockingham Speedway last weekend – driving his No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet to his fifth-straight top-five finish. The veteran driver has been a points powerhouse already this season – standing tall as the only driver to earn points in every stage thus far. With a culmination of three wins, six top-fives, seven top-10s and 120 stage points earned, Allgaier heads into the Bristol race weekend with a monstrous 126-point lead over the series’ reigning champion, Jesse Love. Allgaier’s tenure with JR Motorsports has produced a strong set of statistics at “The Last Great Colosseum”. In 16 career starts with the organization at the track, he’s earned one trip to victory lane (2023), nine top-fives and 12 top-10s. |
| DAY DIALING IN CONSISTENCY Corey Day is making a statement early in his NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series rookie campaign. The Clovis, California, turned in a career day at Rockingham Speedway last weekend. In his first appearance at the North Carolina venue, Day drove his No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to his first career pole win, a sweep of the stages and a career-high 118 laps led en route to a 10th-place finish. The result marked Day’s seventh-consecutive top-10 finish of the season – a feat that also leads the series. Day was the only driver in the top-10 of the points standings to make a move up the ranks, with the rookie taking over the fifth position heading into the Bristol race weekend. |
| ECKES EYING OPPORTUNITY With five races in the books, McAnally-Hilgemann Racing’s (MHR) Christian Eckes leads the Bowtie brigade in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series points standings, leaving “The Rock” in the seventh position. Returning to the division full-time this season, Eckes has a new voice from atop the pit box, with the No. 91 team under the leadership of series veteran, Dave Elenz. In the pair’s first race together at Daytona International Speedway, they scored their season-best finish of third, going on to match the result at Darlington Raceway two weeks ago. Finding their rhythm early in the season, they head to a track where Eckes already has a strong notebook with the Chevrolet organization. In his three Bristol starts behind the wheel of a MHR-prepared Chevrolet, Eckes has finished no worse than fourth, including a trip to victory lane (Mar. 2024). He’s also scored third-place or higher points in every stage and accumulated 294 laps led. |
| BOWTIE BULLETS:· Chevrolet will serve as the official pace vehicle for the tripleheader weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, with the Corvette Stingray pacing the NASCAR Cup and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and the Silverado RST pacing the Craftsman Truck Series. · Active Chevrolet drivers with a NASCAR Cup Series win at Bristol Motor Speedway: Kyle Busch: Eight wins (2019, ’18, ’17, ’11, ’10, ’09 sweep, ’07)Kyle Larson: Three wins (2025, 2024, ’21) · Chevrolet is the winningest manufacturer in both of NASCAR’s top-two divisions at Bristol Motor Speedway, heading into the weekend with 48 Cup Series wins and 38 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series wins. · With seven-straight victories to start the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season, Chevrolet set the record for the longest season-opening streak by a single manufacturer in the division’s history. · In 151 points-paying races in the NASCAR Cup Series Next Gen era, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 68 victories – a winning percentage of 45%. · Chevrolet is coming off its 29th all-time sweep of the NASCAR Cup Series championship titles – capturing its 34th driver championship and 44th, and fifth consecutive, manufacturer championship in 2025. · With its 44 NASCAR Cup Series manufacturer championships, 34 NASCAR Cup Series driver championships, and 882 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title as the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history. |
| TUNE-IN:NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500Sunday, Apr. 12, at 3 p.m. ETFS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts SeriesSuburban Propane 300Saturday, Apr. 11, at 7:30 p.m. ETCW, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90 NASCAR Craftsman Truck SeriesTennessee Army National Guard 250Friday, Apr. 10, at 7:30 p.m. ETFS1, NASCAR Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90 |
| QUOTABLE QUOTES:Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletWhat do you like about Bristol?“I love racing at Bristol which is why I always try and run more than one series there. It’s so fun to be on the track which is kind of down in a bowl with all of the fans right next to you. The atmosphere at Bristol is just so cool. Walking across the track down into the infield at the crossover gate is a neat experience. You get to feel how steep the banking is.” A little different paint scheme this weekend?“Yeah, I’m looking forward to getting back into the car after a weekend off. It was nice to have a few days to myself but I’m happy to be getting back to the track. Busch Light always does such a great job with the specialty schemes. I’m pumped to drive the Busch Light fishing car this weekend. The fans always love the specialty schemes and they’re very vocal about their thoughts which is always fun. It would look even better in victory lane at Bristol.” Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletWhat does Bristol mean to you?“When you come to Bristol, this place is like one of the eight wonders of the world. You walk in and it’s like a gladiator dome. It’s always a privilege to come race here and be a part of the big races that they’ve had here. Got to drive up to victory lane once, and we’d like to do it again this weekend.” What is your favorite RCR win at Bristol Motor Speedway? “Hard to choose, but my NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series win at Bristol Motor Speedway was pretty special to me, personally.” What is your favorite Bass Pro Shops paint scheme? “Oh man, it’s hard to choose a favorite Bass Pro Shops paint scheme. We’ve had so many patriotic paint schemes, and those ones mean a lot. I love the Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Long Beard XR paint scheme that we are running this year, too.” Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports ChevroletThis is your first double header with Spire Motorsports. How are you feeling about being back in a truck?“I’m really excited to get back to the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series—it’s been a few years. The last race I ran was the dirt race about five years ago, so it’s been a long time since I’ve competed on an oval. Honestly, the last time I did a true oval race was back in 2016, so this is definitely something I’ve been looking forward to. It’s also been nearly a year since I’ve been in a truck, so I’m excited to get back behind the wheel in the No. 71 Freeway Insurance Silverado RST. The last time I worked with this team and Bono, we were able to win a race, so hopefully we can have some fun first and, with a little luck, bring home another trophy.” Since 2014, winners at Bristol are awarded a sword, what would it mean to you to win this iconic trophy?“It would be incredible to win the ceremonial Gladiator sword trophy—having one of my own would feel truly special. The level of detail in the design is amazing, and I’d love the opportunity to sit down with the person who created it and learn more about their process.” Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletThe track is a little bit Dr. Jekyll, being the normal, and Mr. Hyde, being the crazy with the tire wear. Which do you prefer? “I don’t mind the crazy. I feel like it lends itself into some unexpected results or things that may happen out of the ordinary. Guys that get flat tires because they chew up their tires quicker than others don’t benefit well from those races, so it can lend itself a little bit to guys that know what they are doing.” What makes Bristol so special for you? “I always love going there, it’s one of my favorite places to race. I grew up racing on the local short tracks across the country and racing in the tight confines of Bristol reminds me of my earlier days racing late models. There’s always action going from the bottom to the middle and the top of the racetrack. 500 laps at Bristol seems like a long time, but it goes by really fast. It’s a fun place to race.” Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing ChevroletHow important is Bristol to you?“I think anyone who says they are a NASCAR fan likes Bristol. I’ve loved the place since I was a kid, and I’ve loved racing there in the truck and (now O’Reilly Auto Parts Series). When I was a kid going there, for the longest time I thought that Food City store logo with the blue square and red FC was the Bristol logo!” What makes Bristol special to you?“Being at Bristol is a special tradition for our family. This is like a home race for us. This is one of the ones that always means so much. Just the tradition of NASCAR, you feel it so strongly when you come here to Bristol. It’s good to have a partner in Ohio Logistics join us in Bristol this weekend. They were on our car in Mexico last year. They are going to see something really cool this weekend.” AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet“Bristol will always kind of be good memories of our past there between the exciting finish of the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts race and obviously getting the (NASCAR Cup Series) pole last year was really special and cool for Kaulig Racing. It’s tricky with the last couple years, depending on what tire they bring and whether it’s tire conservation or kind of a flat-out race. So that’s something that we don’t really know until you get there. And even through practice, sometimes you don’t realize it, so very tricky, but it’s one of those places that I still drive into and kind of get a little bit of chills and goosebumps just knowing what that place is. Probably the most physical racetrack for me. So, you know, we’ve had success there. We’re definitely searching right now, trying to figure out what we need to do to be better, so hopefully it’s a racetrack that we can kind of get some momentum back. I think it’s good for the off week to have everybody reset and kind of go a different direction and figure out what we need to do to be better with whatever package that they bring. But overall, it’s going to be a tough race, physically and mentally, and hopefully we can go out there and have a good practice and qualifying. Track position is always critical there, especially early in the race and not going a lap down. So yeah, we’ll just go there and see what we got and give it our best.” Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet“Bristol is always a race I think all of us look forward to, with it being the Last Great Coliseum and being the crazy, wild place that it is with all of the banking and the huge grandstands. We will be beating and banging all night, so it is definitely a place everyone looks forward to and a place where everybody looks forward to try and win it. We are going to go out there and give HaasTooling.com and Gene the best chance that we can.” Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet“Bristol is one of my favorite tracks of the season, so it’s always exciting to get there. Having NOS Energy Drink back on the No. 47 this weekend makes it even better. Bristol is such a fast, intense place where things happen quick, so qualifying well and staying up front is really important. Our team has been working hard in the shop, and I think we’ll have a good shot to put together a strong weekend.” Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet“Bristol is 500 laps of chaos no matter if it’s on a sunny afternoon in April or under the lights on a Saturday night in September. To be able to walk out of Bristol with a good result is always very rewarding, because you know how hard it is to achieve. Even though the distance at Bristol is not very long – a little more than 266 miles – 500 laps there is a long time. The mental endurance it takes run at 110 percent and be on you’re A-game from start to finish is key. You have to be laser-focused on hitting your marks, but also ready to adapt. Bristol is not like a traditional short track where the bottom lane is dominant throughout the race. You’re going to see people racing the middle line and the high line, and the track conditions are going to play a big part in that. You need to be on the wheel and stay ahead of those changing track conditions, and really pay attention to tire wear and what you’re feeling during the course of a run.” Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet“Bristol is all about intensity, and it’s a place where I’ve had some good success recently with a couple of near top-10 finishes in the NextGen car. We had a few issues there last spring, but we have addressed them and feel good about those changes. We knew what needed to be fixed, and that gives me a lot of confidence going back. Spire had a ton of speed in the first Bristol race last year, so we have a strong notebook and feel like contenders. Bristol has a special energy, and I always tell fans that if they’ve never been to a race, or never been to Bristol, it’s a must. It’s one of the coolest events you can experience as both a fan and a driver. It’s a place that has been pretty good to me over the last few years, so it’s definitely a track we’ve circled to go back and capitalize on.” Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet You have been fast at Bristol, but the finishes don’t reflect that. How do you remain optimistic?“We’ve been fast at Bristol ever since my first Cup race there in 2023. We have just been very successful there. I really enjoy running there, and it is one of Luke’s (Lambert) favorite tracks. He has a lot of experience there and won races at every level. We are close, we just need everything to come together.” What about Bristol fits your driving style?“Bristol is super-fast and I think that suits me. You carry a lot of speed around there and you have to make decisions very quickly and pick between the top and bottom lanes depending on where the lap traffic is. It is almost like running on a dirt track.” Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletThis will be your first race at Bristol in the Cup car…“I really appreciate the support from everyone at Roto-Rooter and it’s so cool they are the primary sponsor for both the Cup and O’Reilly Series cars this weekend. Bristol is crazy. It’s one of those tracks that sometimes you forget which end of the track that you’re on. When you’re going around there so fast time flies and the laps fly by quickly. Everything happens really fast at Bristol. Bristol is a really cool track to go to. The entire facility is one of a kind and I’m excited for my first Cup race there. We finished top-five there in the O’Reilly race last fall. We had a really good day, won a stage, and led a lot of laps but ended up getting caught up in some late race strategy that took us out of contention for the win.” Do you have to remind yourself to breathe at Bristol?“You do have to voluntarily remember to breathe and keep yourself cool. Drivers always talk about this is the track where your heartrate gets the highest and it’s definitely the most intense racetrack that we go to because you don’t have time to relax. It’s not like you’re going to Las Vegas where the corners are really intense but then you have 10 seconds to relax down the straightaways. Bristol is very intense in the corners and you don’t have a lot of time to relax out of them.” How challenging is the communication between the crew chief and spotter at Bristol?“As long as you can multi-task a little bit and listen while you’re in the middle of the corner, it’s all right. Bristol is certainly one of those tracks where you have to multi-task and listen to your spotter give you advice while you’re in the middle of the corner. That’s just kind of the way it is. I’m curious to see what it’s like to go around there for 500 laps. I haven’t gone that far before so I’m excited for that challenge.” Did the off weekend come at a good time for you and the race team?“It was a little early. I would have liked a couple more weeks to continue to build on what we were doing but a weekend off is always a good way to completely reset your body and your mind. It’s always good to have a week off.” Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletThoughts on racing at Bristol Motor Speedway?“It’s pretty amazing. It’s such a unique place to race. It’s a really tough track for me, but I need to get better at it. I felt like I was reasonably competitive last time we ran there but just got on the wrong side of how the tires fell off. Hopefully I’ll have some progression this time around.” Do you find that you have more confidence on certain types of oval tracks?“On the shorter tracks, yeah I feel a bit more confident. You feel on top of the car, and I feel like I can drive it. Still on the bigger tracks, it’s always nerve-racking, I guess. Like the Vegas and Texas tracks, they are the tougher ones for me. In general, the more I go to them, the more comfortable I seem to get.” |
| Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series StatisticsManufacturer Championships:Total (1949-2025): 44First title for Chevrolet: 1958Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15)Most recent: 2025 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, 2023, 2024, 2025 Driver Championships:Total (1949-2025): 34First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)Most recent: Kyle Larson (2025)Driver and Manufacturer Championship Sweeps: 29 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, 2025 Event Victories:Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007) 2026 STATISTICS: Wins: 1Poles: 1Laps Led: 365Top-Fives: 13Top-10s: 23Stage Wins: 2 CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:Total Chevrolet race wins: 882 (1949 to date)Poles won to date: 767Laps led to date: 257,099Top-fives to date: 4,449Top-10s to date: 9,174 Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date: General Motors: 1,216 Chevrolet: 882 Pontiac: 154 Oldsmobile: 115 Buick: 65 Ford: 848 Ford: 748 Mercury: 96 Lincoln: 4 Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467 Dodge: 217 Plymouth: 191 Chrysler: 59 Toyota: 208 |