TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY (2.66-MILE OVAL)

TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY (2.66-MILE OVAL)
LOCATION: TALLADEGA, ALABAMA
EVENT: NASCAR CUP SERIES (RACE 10 OF 36)
TUNE IN: 2 P.M. ET, SUNDAY, APRIL 28 (FOX/MRN/SIRIUSXM)

Chase Elliott
No. 9 Mountain Dew/Little Caesars Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Driver Chase Elliott Hometown Dawsonville, Georgia
Age 23             Resides Dawsonville, Georgia

2019 Season                   Career                        Track Career
   10th in standings            122 starts                   6 starts
   9 starts                     3 wins                       0 wins
   0 wins                       5 pole positions             0 pole positions
   1 pole position              34 top-five finishes         2 top-five finishes
   1 top-five finish            61 top-10 finishes           2 top-10 finishes
   2 top-10 finishes            1,365 laps led               62 laps led
   122 laps led

PIZZA! PIZZA!: The No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will get a fresh orange, white
and black look for this weekend’s race at Talladega Superspeedway. Chase
Elliott’s Talladega ride was revealed via Little Caesars' social media last week.
Hendrick Motorsports later showcased Elliott’s Mountain Dew/Little Caesars
uniform on Instagram.

TALLADEGA STATS: This weekend, Elliott is set to make his seventh start at
Talladega Superspeedway. In his previous six starts, the Dawsonville, Georgia,
native has never started outside the top 10, including earning the pole award in
his first start at the track in May 2016. He currently holds the second-best all-
time average start at Talladega (4.17) with a minimum of two starts. Elliott has
garnered two top-five finishes and led 53 laps in his Cup Series starts at the
Alabama track. Elliott also has three starts at Talladega in the NASCAR Xfinity
Series, collecting one top-10 finish.

GUSTAFSON AT TALLADEGA: No. 9 team crew chief Alan Gustafson will call
his 29th Talladega Cup Series race from atop the pit box this weekend. In his
previous 28 races calling the shots for five different drivers (Elliott, Kyle Busch,
Casey Mears, Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon) at the superspeedway, he
collected six top-five finishes – one of which was a runner-up result – seven top-
10s, 165 laps led and five pole awards.

LOOKING AHEAD: Elliott looks to repeat the success and career-best finishes
that he has at the four upcoming tracks on the schedule – Talladega, Dover,
Kansas and Charlotte. In April 2018, Elliott collected a third-place finish at
Talladega – currently a career best at the 2.66-mile oval . During the most
recent visits to Dover and Kansas, the driver of the No. 9 captured wins that

secured his spot in the Round of 8 for the 2018 playoffs. Elliott has also
garnered a runner-up finish (career best at track) at Charlotte back in October
2017 after leading 12 laps.

THIS ONE’S ON CHASE: Elliott and Mountain Dew have partnered with Little
Caesars for a delicious deal. For a limited time only, order any pizza on the
Little Caesars app and receive a FREE 2-liter Pepsi-Cola product. Offer is only
available while supplies last. For more information, head over to
LittleCaesars.com.

William Byron
No. 24 Hertz Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Driver William Byron Hometown Charlotte, North Carolina
Age 21                  Resides Charlotte, North Carolina

2019 Season                   Career                      Track Career
   20th in standings            45 starts                  2 starts
   9 starts                     0 wins                     0 wins
   0 wins                       1 pole position            0 pole positions
   1 pole position              0 top-five finishes        0 top-five finishes

   0 top-five finishes         5 top-10 finishes             0 top-10 finishes
   1 top-10 finish             144 laps led                  19 laps led
   83 laps led

TAMING TALLADEGA: Returning to Talladega Superspeedway for the third
time in a NASCAR Cup Series car – but for the first time without yellow rookie
stripes – William Byron is optimistic about a strong run this weekend in the No.
24 Hertz Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. In both Cup races last year Byron had solid
runs, including leading 19 total laps – 14 laps in the spring and five laps in the
fall. Byron also has one NASCAR Xfinity Series start as well as one NASCAR
Truck Series start at Talladega, collecting a track-best finish of 10th in his debut
at the 2.66-mile superspeedway. Byron has one superspeedway race already
under his belt in 2019, the season opener at Daytona International Speedway,
where he sat on the pole, led 44 laps and was in contention for the win before a
late-race incident with two laps to go ended his night early.

HERTZ IS HERE AGAIN: After its 2019 debut on the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro
ZL1 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March, the Hertz Corporation – one of the
world's largest vehicle rental companies – will be on board Byron's ride for the
second time this year at Talladega. The can’t-miss, Hertz-yellow Chevy will hit
the track this weekend and will be back again later in the season at Sonoma
Raceway and at ISM Raceway in the fall.

KNAUS’ KNACK: With a skill for superspeedway racing, crew chief Chad
Knaus is set to call his 37th NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega when the
No. 24 Hertz Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 hits the track this weekend. Racking up six
pole awards at the 2.66-mile superspeedway, including a streak of four in a row
in his first four races at the track as a Cup crew chief, Knaus also has two wins
at Talladega.

CLOSE TO HOME: Hailing from Pensacola, Florida, No. 24 team spotter Tab
Boyd claims Talladega Superspeedway as his home track. Growing up a few
hours away from the 2.66-mile superspeedway, Boyd has more than 20 years
of experience in NASCAR, serving as an Xfinity Series tire changer and holding
mechanical and fabrication positions before ultimately ending up in the spotter’s
stand. When Boyd has time outside of the NASCAR schedule, he is usually still
at the racetrack, but behind the steering wheel of his Street Stock in the Street
Stock Mid-Atlantic Series.

RICHMOND RECAP: After starting 13th two weeks ago at Richmond Raceway,
Byron had a solid run throughout the 400-lap event, running within the top 15 for
most of the night before coming home with a 13th-place finish heading into a
rare off-weekend. With his 13th-place finish, Byron has an average finish of
11.67 in the last three races, marking his second-best three-race run in his Cup
Series career.

Jimmie Johnson
No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Driver Jimmie Johnson Hometown El Cajon, California
Age 43                   Resides Charlotte, North Carolina

2019 Season                 Career                       Track Career
   13th in standings          624 starts                  34 starts
   9 starts                   83 wins                     2 wins
   0 wins                     36 pole positions           1 pole position
   1 pole position            225 top-five finishes       7 top-five finishes
   1 top-five finish          356 top-10 finishes         13 top-10 finishes
   4 top-10 finishes          18,767 laps led             470 laps led

   64 laps led

Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, will be
available to the media on Friday, April 26, at 2 p.m. local time in the drivers
meeting room at Talladega Superspeedway.

BOSTON IN THE REAR VIEW: The highly anticipated Boston Marathon is
finally behind Jimmie Johnson and his performance was impressive. The driver
crossed the finish line just nine minutes short of his personal goal of three
hours. The 43-year old, seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion completed
the storied 26.2 mile course in 3:09:07, which now qualifies him for the 2020
Boston Marathon.

COMPARATIVELY SPEAKING: Johnson’s average pace for the Boston
Marathon was a 7:13 minute per mile, or 8.57 mph. His average time per lap at
Richmond was 36.1 seconds per mile, or 99.852 mph. His estimated caloric
burn during the Boston Marathon was 2,990 calories and during the Richmond
race was 1,431. Johnson’s average heart rate during the marathon was 154
beats per minute and 114 for Richmond’s 300-mile race. The Richmond event
took 3:00:16 to complete and the marathon was 3:09:07. Once Johnson
crossed the finish line at the Boston Marathon, he had officially logged 819
miles on foot in 2019 in addition to his 3,461 miles raced in a car this season.

FINAL EPISODE: Johnson had a team documenting his journey to Boston
along with partner Gatorade Endurance. The final episode of “Jimmie Johnson:
Formulated for Boston” was released on April 16 – click here to watch it.

FRESH OFF A BYE WEEK: Johnson has 12 wins in his career after an off
week, most among active drivers. Six of those have come in the last 10 years,
which is tied for the most in that span. He has two career wins at Talladega
Superspeedway, the last of which came on April 17, 2011.

AGE IS JUST A NUMBER: April 28 marks the 17-year anniversary of
Johnson’s first Cup Series win. The win came in his 13th career start on April
28, 2002, at Auto Club Speedway in California. Johnson was a mere 26 years
old at the time, the fifth-youngest driver in the field. Speaking of age, Johnson is
expected to be the oldest driver competing at Talladega this weekend at age 43.

Alex Bowman
No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Driver Alex Bowman Hometown Tucson, Arizona
Age 25                    Resides Mooresville, North Carolina

2019 Season                    Career                     Track Career
   21st in standings            126 starts                 7 starts
   9 starts                     0 wins                     0 wins
   0 wins                       2 pole positions           0 pole positions
   0 pole positions             3 top-five finishes        0 top-five finish
   0 top-five finishes          14 top-10 finishes         0 top-10 finishes
   0 top-10 finishes            274 laps led               26 laps led
   0 laps led

BOWMAN AT 'DEGA: Alex Bowman will make his eighth start in the NASCAR
Cup Series at Talladega Superspeedway weekend. Last spring, the No. 88
Nationwide team finished eighth at the track after starting just outside the top 10

in 11th. The 25-year-old driver led 26 laps in the spring event last year at the
2.66-mile facility. The Tucson, Arizona, native has one start at the track in the
NASCAR Xfinity Series back in 2013, when he qualified 14th and finished 13th.
Bowman also ran an ARCA Series race at the Alabama-based track in 2012.

TESTING, TESTING: Following the Daytona 500 earlier this season, the No. 88
Nationwide team took part in a two-day Goodyear tire test at Daytona
International Speedway, testing the new superspeedway aero package.
Bowman was one of three drivers to participate in the test with the package that
will be on the track this weekend at Talladega. The 25-year-old driver
commented that it was a smooth test in his February diary piece on
Motorsport.com that can be viewed here.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: The driver of the No. 88 Chevy celebrates a birthday on
April 25. Bowman turns 26 on Friday at Talladega. He could be one of three
drivers to win at Talladega after having a birthday just days before the 500-mile
event. Bowman would join Neil Bonnett and Dale Earnhardt in the feat if he
were to visit Victory Lane on Sunday.

FIRST-TIME WINNER: Bowman is aging into the first-time winner sweet spot
after turning 26 on Friday. All-time, 81 percent of drivers scored their first career
win after turning 26 years old. There have been nine drivers to score their first
career Cup Series win while driving for Hendrick Motorsports, two of which
came at Talladega. The average age for the two drivers to win at the
superspeedway was 27.

IVES IN ALABAMA: Crew chief Greg Ives will call the shots for the ninth time
for the No. 88 team at Talladega this weekend. The Michigan native has one
win with Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2015, two top-five finishes and four top-10 results
at the track. Ives’ drivers have an average start of 6.5 at the track. The crew
chief’s resume includes one win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at the
superspeedway with Regan Smith in 2013. Ives was a race engineer for the No.
48 team at Hendrick Motorsports from 2006 until 2012. During that time, he was
a part of two wins, two pole awards and seven top-10 finishes at Talladega.

NATIONWIDE ON BOARD: The primary blue-and-white colors of Nationwide
will be featured on the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in 20 NASCAR Cup
Series events in 2019. Nationwide will adorn the hood of Bowman’s Chevrolet
for this weekend’s event at Talladega Superspeedway and again at Dover
International Speedway next month. Last August, Hendrick Motorsports and

Nationwide extended their primary partnership with Bowman and the No. 88
team for an additional two years beginning in 2019.

IN-CAR CAMERA: During Sunday’s race in Alabama, Bowman will have the
Nationwide in-car camera on board. The driver will also wear the visor cam
inside his Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.

HOME-TRACK FEELS: No. 88 team tire carrier Rowdy Harrell returns to his
home state of Alabama this weekend when the Cup Series visits Talladega
Superspeedway. Harrell grew up in the small town of Moundville, Alabama,
which is near Tuscaloosa. The Alabama native was a middle linebacker for the
University of Alabama under coach Nick Saban and was part of three NCAA
national championship wins with the team in 2009, 2011 and 2012.

Hendrick Motorsports

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS GC: Last month, Hendrick Motorsports drafted
two players who will compete in the first eNASCAR Heat Pro League season.
This week, the 12-time NASCAR Cup Series champions have launched the
team’s official gaming club that will chase the inaugural NHPL title. In 2019,
Hendrick Motorsports GC will field the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 driven by
Sam Morris on the Xbox One platform and the No. 25 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
driven by Nick Jobes on PlayStation 4. The two-car team will compete in the 16-
race Heat Pro League schedule that will kick off in May. Fans can follow along
via HendrickMotorsports.com, @HendrickGC on Twitter and
@hendrickmotorsportsgc on Instagram.

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT TALLADEGA: At Talladega Superspeedway,
Hendrick Motorsports holds multiple all-time records, including 12 poles, 13
runner-up results, 56 top-five finishes, 85 top-10s and 2,757 laps led. The
organization's 12 wins at the track are tied for the most all-time. Hendrick
Motorsports has the most different drivers to win at Talladega with six, with the
organization's most recent win at the venue coming in 2015 thanks to Dale

Earnhardt Jr.

TALLADEGA MILESTONE: This Sunday will mark the 100th race at Talladega
Superspeedway. Hendrick Motorsports has won two previous 100th races at a
track – Jeff Gordon at Daytona in 1997 and Jimmie Johnson at Darlington in
2004.

SUPERSPEEDWAY SUCCESS: Hendrick Motorsports holds the record for the
most superspeedway wins all-time with 26, six ahead of Wood Brothers Racing
in second place. Hendrick Motorsports also holds the record for the most pole
positions at a superspeedway with 32. The next-closest team is Ranier Racing
with 18.

BYE WEEK BLISS: Hendrick Motorsports holds the all-time record for the most
wins following a bye week. The organization has 35 wins after an off weekend,
with Richard Childress Racing coming in second with 27 and Joe Gibbs Racing
and Roush Fenway Racing tied for third with 17. Hendrick Motorsports drivers
have won four of the last 10 races the week after Easter, most recently courtesy
of Johnson at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2017.

FIRST-TIME WINNERS: Hendrick Motorsports holds the record for the most
first-time Cup Series winners with nine. If William Byron or Alex Bowman win at
Talladega, it would extend the record to the 10th time a driver has recorded his
first career Cup Series win while driving for Hendrick Motorsports.

ALL-STAR FAN VOTING: Fan voting for the NASCAR All-Star Race is now
open with two teammates from Hendrick Motorsports on the ballot. Chase Elliott
and Johnson are locked into the race, and Byron and Bowman are in the fan
voting pool, providing one route to join their teammates in the All-Star Race field
on May 18. Fans can cast their vote here, and votes shared on Twitter and
Facebook count double.

ORGANIZATION STATS: To date, Hendrick Motorsports has totals of 12
championships, 252 race victories, 218 pole positions, 1,047 top-five finishes
and 1,794 top-10 finishes in points-paying NASCAR Cup Series competition. Its
teams have led more than 68,000 laps since 1984.

QUOTABLE /

Chase Elliott on racing at Talladega:
“Talladega is Talladega. Obviously, the package is going to be different for
there, too. Daytona was what we have had in the past. I don’t know what we
are going to see. I’m sure we will still see a bunch of wrecks and whatnot.
Hopefully, we are not involved.”

Elliott on how the Talladega race weekend will unfold:
“I’m sure you’ll see what we’ve seen the past handful of times, guys going
out with their manufacturers and running with them. So, we’ll definitely do
that, I’m sure. And we’ll get as big a group as we can to go practice with.
We’ve always been wanting to go run when there is a group. There’s just
never a big enough group to really learn what you see in the race.”
William Byron on racing at Talladega:
“Talladega is a wild card for sure, just like Daytona is. Last year we ran well
there, leading laps in both races, but the finishes don’t tell the whole story. I
think the rookie stripes made people hesitant to work with me, so hopefully
that’s not the case this time. I think our strong run in Daytona in February will
help as well. We were up front basically all race and I could really put my car
wherever I needed to on track to get back to the front. (No. 24 team crew
chief) Chad (Knaus) and the No. 24 team worked hard to build that car and
get us that speed, so I’m excited to see what our Hertz Chevy will have this
weekend at a similar track.”
Jimmie Johnson on racing at Talladega:
"Lots of unknowns as far as the package goes this weekend at Talladega. It
should make for some interesting racing for sure. Personally, I've enjoyed a
great vacation with my family after competing in the Boston Marathon and
I'm looking forward to this weekend."
Alex Bowman on comparing Talladega to Daytona:
“Daytona and Talladega are a little different, but not terribly different. I feel
like if you have an ill-handling race car but it’s fast at Daytona, you can get
away with it at Talladega. We had a pretty good car in Daytona in February,
we just got caught up in an incident on track late in the race. (No. 88 team
crew chief) Greg (Ives) and the guys have been working throughout the off
week to get this Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 dialed in and I know when we get on
track on Friday, we will have some fun.”

Bowman on what it takes to get a win this weekend:
“I think superspeedway racing is just something where you have to stay out
of trouble. Things can change on track quickly and you just have to be able

to stay out of harms way. We were strong in Daytona and our Nationwide
 Camaro ZL1 is usually pretty good on superspeedways. The new aero
 package that we tested in Daytona a few months ago should be interesting to
 run and I am definitely looking forward to how it does on track. I am ready to
 see how it does and get to the track.”

TRENDING /

  NEWS: @HendrickGC launches to compete in the #eNASCARHeat Pro
  League. Details: http://bit.ly/HendrickGC

  @TeamHendrick via Twitter