Chevy Bullet Points: Kansas IRL

Bowtie Bullet Points:  Chevrolet Notes for the Kansas Indy 300

Kansas Indy 300
Kansas Speedway
Round 8 of 16, Indy Racing League IndyCar Series
Sunday, July 6, 2003 

* Racing Around
    While Chevrolet's IndyCar contingent celebrates the Fourth of July
weekend at Kansas Speedway, the Bowtie brigade is also racing to reach
another motorsports milestone at Daytona International Speedway. Chevy can
tally its 400th NASCAR Winston Cup victory in the Pepsi 400 on Saturday
night. Chevy swept the top three qualifying spots for the Pepsi 400, with
RCR teammates Steve Park and Kevin Harvick starting on the front row and
Jeff Gordon the third fastest qualifier. Michael Waltrip is gunning for his
third straight victory in Daytona Beach with his DEI-prepared Chevy.

    Chevy is most successful manufacturer and the Monte Carlo is
the winningest nameplate in Winston Cup competition since NASCAR's modern
era began in 1972.

    Chevy's Cavalier was in the winner's circle last weekend at
Gateway International Raceway near St. Louis when Ron Krisher won Pro Stock
at the NHRA Sears Craftsman Nationals. Krisher notched Chevrolet's 115th
NHRA Pro Stock victory. The Corvette Racing team won the GTS division in
the Chevy Grand Prix of Atlanta on last Sunday at Road Atlanta. The victory
coincided with Corvette's 50th Anniversary celebration and maintained
Corvette Racing's undefeated streak in the American Le Mans Series.

    Chevrolet is the only manufacturer currently competing in the IRL,
NASCAR Winston Cup, NHRA and American Le Mans Series.

* Beating the Heat
    The Kansas Indy 300 is traditionally one of the hottest races on the
IRL tour, but even a 90-degree day in the heartland pales alongside the
extreme temperatures inside a Chevy Indy V8 racing engine. The heat of
combustion can exceed 2,000 degrees Centigrade - a temperature hot enough
to melt metal. Managing this heat is a top priority for GM Racing engineers
and IRL engine builders at Kansas Speedway.

    One gallon of methanol, the fuel of choice for IndyCar teams,
contains 57,000 British Thermal Units (BTUs) of heating value, enough
energy to raise the temperature of 570 pounds of water by 100 degrees.
Roughly 25 percent of the fuel's energy is converted to useful work, 5
percent is used to overcome the engine's internal friction and 5 percent is
radiated directly into the air. The largest portion, about 35 percent, goes
out the tailpipes as exhaust heat. The remaining 30 percent is heat that
must be dissipated by the engine's cooling system.

    IndyCar teams will open up the radiator exits in their cars' sidepods
to get more air through the coolers. Opening these radiator exits
reduces downforce, but the cooling requirements of the engine take
priority. Surprisingly, the engine is most vulnerable to overheating while
running at low speeds during caution periods because Indy cars do not have
cooling fans. Instead, they rely on the forward speed of the car to move
air through the coolers.

* The $6 Million Man
    When Sam Hornish Jr. finished fourth in the preceding race in
Richmond, Va., he finished ahead of the six Honda-powered entries in the
event and earned seven points for Chevrolet in the IRL Manufacturer's
Championship. He also added $63,400 to his career earnings, pushing his
total IRL prize money to more than $6 million. Buddy Lazier is the top
money winner in IRL history with $8,649,159, while 1998 Indianapolis 500
winner Eddie Cheever Jr. is second with $6,265,893. Hornish is third with
$6,053,455.

* The Long Run
    Chevy Indy V8 racing engines have won a total of 100 Indy car races
to date. The first-generation 2.65-liter turbocharged Chevy Indy V8 won 86
times and claimed 80 poles in CART and USAC-sanctioned events in 1987-93.
Chevy returned to open-wheel racing in 2002 with the 3.5-liter naturally
aspirated Chevy Indy V8 that won 14 out of 15 races and nine poles in IRL
competition last season.

* About GM
    General Motors Corp. , the world's largest vehicle
manufacturer, employs 342,000 people globally in its core automotive
business and subsidiaries. Founded in 1908, GM has been the global
automotive sales leader since 1931. GM today has manufacturing operations
in 32 countries and its vehicles are sold in more than 190 countries. In
2002, GM sold more than 8.6 million cars and trucks, nearly 15 percent of
the global vehicle market. GM's global headquarters is at the GM
Renaissance Center in Detroit. More information on GM and its products can
be found on the company's consumer website at www.gm.com.