Chevy IRL Streak Ends at MIS

Giaffone Top Chevy Finisher in Michigan Indy 400

BROOKLYN, Mich., July 28, 2002 -- The Indy Racing League's inaugural race
at Michigan International Speedway was a tough day for the home team
as Chevrolet's 10-race winning streak came to an end. Felipe Giaffone
garnered a podium finish for the championship-winning Chevy Indy V8,
finishing third to Team Cheever drivers Tomas Scheckter and Buddy Rice.

"My car was really good for the race," said Giaffone, who finished
1.7388 seconds behind Scheckter, a first-time winner. "It seemed that at
the end we were missing just a little bit, but we're getting closer to a
win.

"We concentrated on the race since the first day we got here, working on
the race setup," Giaffone noted. "We weren't that worried about qualifying
because it was a 400-mile race. My car was just on the edge -- not a lot of
downforce. We were right there with the car.

Sam Hornish Jr. was in contention for his fourth win of the season, but he
was shuffled back to seventh in the closing laps.

"The Chevrolet horsepower was there all day long," said Hornish. "We
could pass people, but we were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"We lost fifth gear at the end," Hornish reported. "Fourth was too
short, sixth was too long, and fifth was what we wanted. We came back from
so many problems that we had, from a couple of stalls in the pits to having
to recycle the ECM so the engineers could read it again. Tomas and Buddy
were fast today; we could keep up with them and might have had something
for them at the end, but we just didn't have the right gear."

The field set a torrid pace in the closing laps when racing resumed on lap
174 after the final caution period. Cars raced three-wide as they jockeyed
for position. The race's 179.345 mph average speed was the second fastest
in IRL history.

"Chevrolet races to win, but we are realists and know that you can't win
them all," said Joe Negri, GM Racing group manager. "Winning is a tradition
for Chevrolet, but experience has shown that there are many variables in
getting a car into the winner's circle. Today's results strengthen our
resolve to build on the 10 victories we have already achieved this season,
and to continue to develop the next-generation Chevy Indy V8 into a
formidable powerplant to take on new competition in 2003."

The IRL season will enter the home stretch on Aug. 11 at the Belterra
Casino Indy 300 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Ky. The 200-lap race on the
1.5-mile oval will be televised live on ABC at 1:30 p.m. EDT.

RACE SUMMARY
Track: Michigan International Speedway, 2-mile oval
Winner: Tomas Scheckter, Team Cheever Infiniti Dallara
Margin of Victory: 1.7036 seconds
Average Speed: 179.044 mph
Pole: Tomas Scheckter/Infiniti, 221.868 mph
Fastest Lap: Tomas Scheckter/Infiniti, 221.081 mph

TOP FIVE FINISHERS
Pos./Driver/Engine/Laps
1. Tomas Scheckter/Infiniti, 200 laps
2. Buddy Rice/Infiniti, 200
3. Felipe Giaffone/Chevrolet, 200
4. Tony Renna/Chevrolet, 200
5. Gil de Ferran/Chevrolet, 200

MANUFACTURER RESULTS
Laps Led: Infiniti 141, Chevrolet 59
Starters: Chevrolet 17, Infiniti 8
Running at Finish: Chevrolet 15, Infiniti 6

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (after 11 of 15 events)
Driver/Engine/Points (victories in parentheses)
1. Gil de Ferran/Chevrolet, 377 (1)
2. Helio Castroneves/Chevrolet, 365 (2)
3. Sam Hornish Jr./Chevrolet, 359 (3)
4. Felipe Giaffone/Chevrolet, 330
5. Alex Barron/Chevrolet, 261 (1)

Manufacturer/Points (victories in parentheses)
1. Chevrolet, 107 (10) *clinched championship
2. Infiniti, 80 (1)

NEXT EVENT
Aug. 11, Belterra Casino Indy 300, Kentucky Speedway, Sparta, Ky.;
1.5-mile oval, 200 laps
TV: ABC, 1:30 p.m. Eastern