Chevy Sweeps Kentucky IRL

Chevy Powers Giaffone to Breakthrough Victory

SPARTA, Ky., August 11, 2002 -- In a state that is famous for horsepower
of the four-legged variety, Felipe Giaffone relied on his Chevy Indy
V8's horsepower and stamina to carry him to his first career IRL victory
today in the Belterra Casino Indy 300 at Kentucky Speedway. Giaffone
averaged 149.024 mph in Mo Nunn Racing's Hollywood Chevrolet G-Force and
finished .0932 seconds ahead of Sam Hornish Jr.

Chevrolet engines dominated the 300-mile contest on the 1.5-mile
speedway, sweeping the first seven finishing positions and leading 143 of
200 laps. Giaffone notched Chevy's 11th victory in 12 races.

Sam Hornish Jr.'s runner-up finish in Pennzoil Panther Racing's
Chevrolet Dallara vaulted him into the lead in the championship race by
four points (399-395) over Helio Castroneves. Buddy Lazier's bid for a
third straight victory at Kentucky Speedway came up .35-seconds short as he
finished third, his first podium finish of the season.

"The power was great," said Giaffone, who led five times for a total of
124 laps, the most of any driver. "I was surprised how fast I could go by
myself. I thought we had the gear ratios a little too short to run alone,
but when Sam and Buddy were behind me and struggling to get by, I said,
'Man, this engine is good!'"

Today's methanol-fueled Kentucky Derby turned into a two-horse race in
the final four laps as Hornish, running the outside line, applied
relentless pressure to Giaffone. Felipe held the bottom line tenaciously
and held off Hornish for the victory.

"We had a lot of power today with our Chevrolet," said Hornish. "We
passed almost everybody on the outside. I think we had enough for Felipe at
the end, but just ran out of time. We'll get him next time. Chevrolet has
done such a good job for us this year making sure we have the right
equipment to run up front and to win three times. Hopefully we'll continue
that."

Buddy Lazier displayed the form that carried him to the 2000 IRL
championship and back-to-back victories at Kentucky Speedway in 2000 and
2001. He took the lead for the first time this season on a Lap 103 restart,
and he raced wheel-to-wheel with Giaffone and Hornish througout the second
half of the race.

"It was a hot, humid day and the Chevy motor ran great," Lazier
reported. "From restarts to flat-out running, the engine had a lot of power
and endurance."

"Today's results showed that success in the Indy Racing League is measured
by more than one quick lap in qualifying," said Dick Amacher, GM Racing
project engineer. "To be successful over an entire season, you need an
engine package that is capable of running reliably at a very high level of
performance.

"Reliability has a been a focus of the Chevrolet engine program since
its inception, and that is reflected in the Chevy Indy V8's exceptional
finishing record and 11 victories," Amacher added. "Of course you need
performance to finish up front, but you also need dependability to be there
in the winner's circle at the end."

The race was slowed by seven caution periods for a total of 50 laps.
Driver Richie Hearn sustained a broken right foot in a crash on Lap 24, and
three Kelley Racing crew men were injured in a pit-lane accident. Jeff
Horton was examined and released, Rusty Hurford was transported by
ambulance complaining of back pain, and Bernie Hallisky suffered a broken
right leg.

Gil de Ferran, the points leader coming into this event, finished 21st
after his car was damaged in Hearn's accident. He fell to third in the
standings, 13 points behind Hornish and nine points behind his teammate
Helio Castroneves, who finished fifth today.

Consistency has been the hallmark of Giaffone's campaign as he posted
his tenth consecutive top-10 finish. After his qualifying run, Giaffone
had observed, "You can't win a championship without winning a race." Today
he took a giant step toward the title with his breakthrough victory in the
bluegrass hills of Kentucky.

With three races remaining, Chevrolet drivers hold the top 10 spots in
the drivers' championship standings. After a one-week break, the
championship chase will resume on Aug. 25 at the Gateway Indy 250 at
Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Ill. The 200-lap race on the
1.25-mile GIR oval will be televised live on ESPN at 3 p.m. EDT.

RACE SUMMARY
Track: Kentucky Speedway, 1.5-mile oval
Winner: Felipe Giaffone, Mo Nunn Racing Chevrolet G-Force
Margin of Victory: .0932 seconds
Average Speed: 149.024 mph
Pole: Sarah Fisher/Infiniti, 221.390 mph
Fastest Lap: Tomas Scheckter/Infiniti, 221.109 mph

TOP FIVE FINISHERS
Pos./Driver/Engine/Laps
1. Felipe Giaffone/Chevrolet, 200 laps
2. Sam Hornish Jr./Chevrolet, 200
3. Buddy Lazier/Chevrolet, 200
4. Scott Sharp/Chevrolet, 200
5. Helio Castroneves/Chevrolet, 200

MANUFACTURER RESULTS
Laps Led: Chevrolet 143, Infiniti 57
Starters: Chevrolet 17, Infiniti 8
Running at Finish: Chevrolet 14, Infiniti 6

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (after 12 of 15 events)
Driver/Engine/Points (victories in parentheses)
1. Sam Hornish Jr./Chevrolet, 399 (3)
2. Helio Castroneves/Chevrolet, 395 (2)
3. Gil de Ferran/Chevrolet, 386 (1)
4. Felipe Giaffone/Chevrolet, 382 (1)
5. Alex Barron/Chevrolet, 283 (1)

Manufacturer/Points (victories in parentheses)
1. Chevrolet, 117 (11) *clinched championship
2. Infiniti, 87 (1)

NEXT EVENT
Aug. 25, Gateway Indy 250, Gateway International Raceway, Madison,
Ill.; 1.25-mile oval, 200 laps
TV: ESPN, 3 p.m. Eastern

        

  E-mail from: Rick Voegelin, 11-Aug-2002