Chevrolet drivers have high hopes for Talladega

The final race in the ‘Contender’ round portion of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup will take place this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, the sixth race in the final 10-race run for the series title. The 188-lap contest at the 2.66-mile track, the longest on the NASCAR tour, is famous for its unique nature, its close racing quarters and uncertainties of the draft.  This weekend’s race could be the most intense one yet in this season’s new NASCAR Sprint Cup series playoff format.  

Chevrolet has a long history of success at Talladega Superspeedway, where the Bowtie brand has won 40 of 91 Cup races.   The key to victory here will not only be in avoiding the elusive ‘Big One’, but in being in the right place at the right time in the draft during the final laps of the race.  

Last weekend, Chevrolet SS driver Kevin Harvick (in photo) locked himself into the ‘Eliminator’ round with a victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway.   Team Chevy is hopeful that this weekend the remaining five of six current Chevrolet Chasers can avoid potential mayhem, navigate the nuances of the draft, and remain in the hunt for the 2014 championship. 

Along with Harvick, Team Chevy Chase contenders Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and Jimmie Johnson are no strangers to Victory Lane in Alabama. Gordon only needs to finish 16th or better to move on to the next round in the Chase. Earnhardt, Jr. and Johnson are both in a ‘must win situation’ and need to rekindle the magic of past years and claim victory at Talladega. Kasey Kahne also needs to control his own destiny with a win this weekend; while Ryan Newman must finish 19th or better in order to advance.

Pink pace car 

At Talladega the 43-car field will be led to the green flag by a Pink Chevrolet SS pace car. This year, Chevrolet has again partnered with the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer (MSABC) initiative to help raise awareness. Since 2011, Chevrolet has contributed over $3 million to the cause. Each lap the Chevrolet SS pace car leads under caution during the 188-lap race, a donation will be made to the campaign.  The Pink Chevy SS pace car program kicked-off three weeks ago at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where a total of $14,000 was raised during that event.  The effort will continue at next weekend’s race at Martinsville Speedway. 

While fans await all the breath-taking on-track exploits, they can take a trip through the Team Chevy display located in the midway area of the superspeedway.  Fans can get an up-close look at a wide array of production Chevrolet vehicles and ask questions of product specialist on site.  Chevrolet Camaro, Equinox, Cruze, Malibu and the all-new Chevrolet Colorado are just a few of the many vehicles fans can learn more about while on site.  There will also be numerous opportunities for spectators to see and ask questions of their favorite Team Chevy drivers.  Jeff Gordon, Jimmy Weller, Paul Menard, Joey Coulter, Spencer Gallagher, Reed Sorenson, Danica Patrick, Ryan Newman, Michael Annett, Martin Truex, Jr. and Kasey Kahne will all make appearances at the Team Chevy stage throughout the race weekend at Talladega.  

The GEICO 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup race is scheduled to begin Sunday October 19th at 2:00 p.m. ET. Live coverage will be available on ESPN, MRN, Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 90 and NASCAR.com.

Chevrolet