TRACKS: Chevrolet to sponsor IRL and NASCAR Truck races dat Texas Motor Speedway
Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
June 8, 2001FORT WORTH - They do things big in Texas, from cattle ranching to building race tracks. In keeping with the expansive spirit of the Lone Star state, Chevrolet will sponsor two events at Texas Motor Speedway in a single weekend: the Silverado 350 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race on Saturday, Sept. 15, and the Chevy 500 Indy Racing Northern Light Series event on Sunday, Sept. 16.
"As part of our recently announced return to open-wheel racing and the Indianapolis 500, Chevrolet is proud to take on this significant sponsorship role for these exciting events at Texas Motor Speedway," said Chevrolet general manager Kurt Ritter. "Chevrolet has a strong partnership with this great facility that every race fan can appreciate. We feel that the addition of the Silverado 350 and the Chevy 500 further solidifies our relationship with the fans, the track and the sanctioning organizations."
Chevrolet's sponsorship of the season finale of the 13-race Indy Racing Northern Light Series is a preview of things to come in open-wheel racing. In 2002, Chevrolet will step into the IRL arena as an engine manufacturer with a new Indy Racing engine wearing the famous red Bowtie.
Chevrolet has enjoyed a high profile at Texas Motor Speedway, the nation's second largest sports facility, since the track opened in 1997. Chevrolet is the Official Vehicle of TMS, and Chevrolet cars and trucks have raced on the high-banked 1.5-mile oval in the NASCAR Winston Cup, Busch Grand National and Craftsman Truck series.
"Chevrolet has been with Texas Motor Speedway since the first time engines roared to life on the track, and we're proud to be a part of Texas racing," said Jim Janowiak, regional marketing manager for Chevrolet. "The Chevy 500 and Silverado 350 will deliver a fantastic weekend of racing action and is further proof of Chevrolet's racing dominance in Texas."
"We look forward to these races with Chevy," commented speedway general manager Eddie Gossage. "We know from past experience that they are great promotional partners and I'm sure the fans will be excited about some of the promotions they'll be seeing tied into these events."
The Texas double-header will showcase two distinctive forms of GM's motorsports technology. The Chevy trucks that compete in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series are based on the production Silverado pickup -- a vehicle that enjoys celebrity status in Texas. The vast majority of the sleek open-wheeled Indy Racing cars are powered by engines based on the design of GM Powertrain's sophisticated Premium V engine family.
"Texas fans love their pickup trucks and represent some of our most loyal customers," noted Maria Rohrer, assistant brand manager - marketing for Silverado. "We're delighted to provide our support to another exciting round of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series."
Like the brand on a longhorn steer, the red Bowtie is the mark that identifies two major-league motorsports events coming to Texas Motor Speedway in September.
Text provided by Judy Stropus
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