Chevy Wins Indy 500 Pole

INDIANAPOLIS, May 11, 2002 -- Bruno Junqueira had a target on his car, a
red Bowtie on his engine and a bull's eye on his back for seven long hours
of Pole Day qualifying today at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Twenty-three
drivers took shots at Junqueira, but none could knock him off the pole.

Junqueira, the first driver on the track when qualifying began
under threatening skies, posted a four-lap average speed of 231.432 mph in
Target Chip Ganassi Racing's Chevrolet G-Force. His speed was unsurpassed,
and the 25-year-old Brazilian will lead the field of 33 cars to the green
flag on May 26.

"That was the longest seven hours of my life," said Junqueira. "The car was
so good I just kept it flat-out all four laps. I was confident that speed
would give me a good position on the start but I didn't know if I would be
on the pole or not.

"I don't think being first on the track was a benefit," he explained. "I
had the chance to go out, and I'm happy I did."

Junqueira's first lap at 231.635 mph was the fastest of his four
circuits around the 2.5-mile speedway. He ran 231.506, 231.278 and 230.952
mph on his next three laps.

Junqueira's speed eclipsed the 226.037 mph track record for
naturally aspirated engines set last year by polesitter Scott Sharp with an
IRL Aurora V8 engine. All 24 first-day qualifiers bettered Sharp's
pole-winning speed.

Junqueira put a Chevrolet engine on the pole at the Indianapolis 500 for
the first time since Rick Mears won the pole and the race with a Chevy Indy
V8 in 1991. Chevrolet engines won the Indy 500 pole five consecutive years
in 1987-91. This was the sixth straight Indy 500 pole for GM engines as the
new Chevy Indy V8 succeeded the IRL Aurora V8 engine that powered every IRL
pole winner from 1997 through 2001.

"We are very pleased to have a Chevrolet engine on the pole for the
most prestigious race of the year," said GM Racing Group Manager Joe Negri.
"We anticipated that speeds would increase because the Chevy Indy V8 is
making more horsepower than its predecessor, but we were surprised at the
speeds recorded today."

Chevrolet powered four of the five fastest qualifiers and 18 of the 24
cars currently in the field.

"We focused on qualifying setups and that effort has borne fruit,"
Negri noted. "The level of competition between Chevrolet and Infiniti is
intense, and ultimately it comes down to the team and driver that does
everything perfectly in qualifying. We congratulate Bruno Junqueira, team
owner Chip Ganassi and Target Chip Ganassi Racing on an exceptional
performance today."

Veteran Raul Boesel will start Team Menard's Johns Manville Chevrolet
Dallara on the outside of the front row after posting the third fastest
speed at 230.613 mph. Boesel was a last-minute substitute for P.J. Jones,
who was sidelined by a crash during practice.

"If you told me three days ago that I would be in this position, I
wouldn't have believed it," said Boesel. "This team has come close so many
times and I've come close so many times, maybe this is the combination that
will achieve our dream of so many years.

"I always had confidence that I would be in this position with a good
car," Boesel continued. "It takes the right combination to get the car
running well, and Team Menard knows very well how to do it. Every day we
improved a little bit, and we left the best for last. Every engine they
have is good!"

IRL points leader Sam Hornish Jr. will start Pennzoil Panther
Racing's Chevrolet Dallara from the seventh spot on the grid after
averaging 229.585 mph over his ten-mile qualifying run.

"We knew we weren't going to be on the pole, but the Panther guys put me in
a comfortable race car for the qualifying run, and that's all I can ask
for," said Hornish. "We always focus on the race. We don't always qualify
well, but we usually find our way up front. Chevrolet has been helping us
out this year and we're happy to be in the race with them. I'd like to give
Chevy a victory in their return to Indy."

TOP TEN FIRST-DAY QUALIFIERS
Pos./Driver/Engine/Speed
1. Bruno Junqueira, Chevrolet, 231.342 mph
2. Robbie Buhl, Infiniti, 231.033 mph
3. Raul Boesel, Chevrolet, 230.613
4. Felipe Giaffone, Chevrolet, 230.326
5. Tony Kanaan, Chevrolet, 230.253
6. Eddie Cheever Jr., Infiniti, 229.786
7. Sam Hornish Jr., Chevrolet, 229.585
8. Scott Sharp, Chevrolet, 229.486
9. Sarah Fisher, Infiniti, 229.439
10. Tomas Scheckter, Infiniti, 229.210

SCHEDULE
Qualifying will continue on Sunday, May 12, from 1:00 to 7:00 p.m. EDT.
"Bump Day," the final day of qualifying, is Sunday, May 19. The 86th
running of the Indianapolis 500 will begin at 12:00 noon EDT (11:00 a.m.
local time) on Sunday, May 26. The 200-lap, 500-mile race will be televised
live on ABC and broadcast live on the Indy Racing Radio Network.