TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE: MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY

·       Chevrolet will pace the field in the tripleheader race weekend at Martinsville Speedway. The Silverado RST will lead the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in Friday’s Long John Silver’s 200; the Camaro SS will lead the NASCAR Xfinity Series in Saturday’s Dude Wipes 250; and the Camaro ZL1 will lead the NASCAR Cup Series in Sunday’s Cook Out 400.

·       With 18 races complete across NASCAR’s three national series this season, Chevrolet has a winning percentage of 61% with 11 victories (NASCAR Cup Series – four wins; NASCAR Xfinity Series – two wins; NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – four wins).

·       Active Chevrolet drivers with a NASCAR Cup Series win at Martinsville Speedway:

Kyle Busch – two wins (2016 & 2017)

Kyle Larson – one win (2023)

William Byron – one win (2022)

Chase Elliott – one win (2020)

·       In 150 NASCAR Cup Series races at Martinsville Speedway, Chevrolet has recorded 60 victories and 56 pole wins – both of which are series-leading records.

·       In the past eight points-paying races on tracks measuring less than one-mile, Larson has tallied finishes no worse than sixth in five of those events – most recently one week ago at Richmond Raceway with a third-place finish.

·       Within the first three points-paying races of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series races season, each Chevrolet organization had already recorded at least one top-10 finish.

·       With its 42 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championships, and 855 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title as the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.

ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 WORLDWIDE EXPRESS CAMARO ZL1

Do you think your name will always be associated with Martinsville because of the hail melon move?

“Absolutely. The goal now is to add a clock to our trophy case to offset it so it’s not just about the hail melon, but I am very proud of it.”

How big is qualifying at Martinsville?

“It’s big. I can attest that I went from the leader trying to lap me and pushing my back bumper to get by me, to lapping him later on when I had track position and he didn’t. It’s pretty cool how track position plays such a role there.”

Where does the grandfather clock rank on your wish list?

“It’s high. I have a tendency to be on time, so if I remember – I don’t even know if you have to wind those things or if they’re battery powered – maybe that will help me be a minute early to some things (laughs). It might help with my time management skills.”

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS CAMARO ZL1

“Martinsville Speedway has been a good track for our No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet team over the years. It’s a fun little paperclip and I love having a “home” race because a lot of family and friends are able to come out and support us. It’s going to be important to be aggressive for 500 laps when the time calls for it. Hoping we can get a good starting position and have a clean day on pit road.”

COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 GAINBRIDGE CAMARO ZL1

“Looking forward to rebounding at the paperclip. It’s always good going somewhere you’ve been to Victory Lane in the past. There is much more potential in this 7 team than what the past several weeks’ results have shown, so we’ll go execute like we know we’re capable of and get some points back.”

KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 LUCAS OIL CAMARO ZL1

The last three races at Martinsville have been tough for you. Why has it been so challenging?

“I would say Martinsville Speedway has become increasingly challenging with traffic and having a good car that doesn’t burn the tires off. You need to be able to push and go forward and drive past your competitors, but you also can’t blow the tires off.”

Since on track testing is so limited now, what are some tools that you can use to improve your performance without physically being on the track?

“The only tools to use are your notes, film study, and past history of what you know for certain makes you good at a particular track. Going on the simulator is a tool, but as we have found for short tracks, it doesn’t seem to correlate all the way and can lead you in the wrong direction.”

DANIEL HEMRIC, NO. 31 CIRKUL CAMARO ZL1

“The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of Martinsville, is being ‘busy’ inside the race car. You’re making multiple up-shifts and down-shifts per lap, at least with last year’s package. I’m curious to see how that evolves. I love this racetrack, and I love what it has to offer. If we get a little bit of warm weather, the racetrack really turns into a rubbered-up style of track, which allows you to move around, so if it gets to that point, the racing can be pretty good.”

ZANE SMITH, NO. 71 FOCUSED HEALTH CAMARO ZL1

After Richmond, what can you look forward to at Martinsville this weekend?

“We had a lot of positives at Richmond Sunday night. We are making progress. I think that will continue in Martinsville this weekend. My team never gives up and it works hard to give me a fast Focused Health Chevy Camaro each week. Our job is to focus on getting better and continue learning every day.”

CARSON HOCEVAR, NO. 77 DELAWARE LIFE CAMARO ZL1

You’ve raced at Martinsville five times in the past, four in the NCTS and last fall in the Cup Series. What have you learned from these previous starts and how do you, as a team, work toward better finishes?

“We had some back luck in my past races at Martinsville, so I feel hopeful about this weekend to put that behind me. I feel confident in myself, and the team feels confident in our program that we can just keep building our notebook.”

Martinsville can get heated on the track. How do you channel your competitive drive without getting caught up in incidents?

“I think we just try to stay patient and survive all 500 laps to have a competitive day. Staying on the lead lap always helps and putting our ourselves in a good spot higher up in the field helps even more to take us out of the equation if anything ends up happening.”

DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 FREEWAY INSURANCE CAMARO ZL1

What are your thoughts on Martinsville?

“We need a good finish Sunday. We have struggled the last three weeks getting those finishes. I feel like we have had good cars, but something has happened in those races that kept us from getting a better finish. We have qualified really well at Martinsville the last few races and it’s going to be important we do that again Saturday. On Sunday you have to run your own race, stay out of trouble and hope you have a shot at the end.”