Chevy Notes for Nashville IRL

Bowtie Bullet Points: Chevrolet Notes for the Firestone Indy 200

Nashville Superspeedway
Round 9 of 16, Indy Racing League IndyCar Series
Saturday, July 19, 2003 

* IRL Response to GM Racing Request
    On Wednesday, July 16, GM Racing formally requested that the Indy
Racing League approve a new Chevrolet racing engine, designated the Gen IV
Chevy Indy V8, for competition in the 2003 IRL IndyCar Series.

    Brian Barnhart, Indy Racing League senior vice president of
racing, responded to GM's request the following day: "At this time we are
reviewing GM's request to change engines as well as their process for
distributing the new engine packages to its teams. We anticipate a quick
response back to GM Racing as they have kept us abreast of their activities
throughout the process."

* Concrete Evidence
    Nashville Superspeedway, the site of Saturday night's Firestone Indy
200, is the only 1.33-mile oval on the IRL circuit and the only
all-concrete track on the IRL schedule. It's one of three concrete ovals in
the U.S. that host major motorsports events; the others are Dover Downs in
Dover, Del. (site of IRL races in 1998 and 1999) and Bristol Motor Speedway
in Bristol, Tenn.

    GM engines have won every IRL race contested on a concrete track to
date. Scott Sharp and Greg Ray won in Dover in 1998 and 1999 respectively,
and Buddy Lazier (2001) and Alex Barron (2002) posted victories at
Nashville Superspeedway.

    Nashville Superspeedway's abrasive concrete surface makes harsh demands
on the Firestone tires used by all IRL teams. GM will present its "Supplier
of the Year" award to Bridgestone/Firestone in a pre-race ceremony at
the Firestone-sponsored event.

    "We cannot put in words how honored we are to be receiving GM's
'Supplier of the Year' award for an incredible eighth straight time, and
that for the third year in a row GM officials have seen fit to present it
to us at this event," said Al Speyer, executive director of Firestone
Racing.

    While a concrete racing surface is rare on an oval track, GM racers in
the discipline of drag racing are very familiar with the material. Every
track on the NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series schedule has a concrete
launching pad that provides consistent traction for the Chevrolet Cavaliers
and Pontiac SC/T Grand Ams that compete in the Pro Stock class.

* Racing Around
    While Chevy IndyCar drivers will race under the lights in Nashville
on Saturday night, the Bowtie brigade is also competing in the NASCAR
Winston Cup race in Loudon, N.H., the NASCAR Craftsman Truck event in
Madison, Ill., and the NHRA drag races at mile-high Bandimere Speedway near
Denver. The drag racers will have to cope the same high-altitude conditions
encountered by IRL teams last month at Pikes Peak International Raceway.
    
    "You know you're in trouble when the air is so thin that even the
birds are walking," said six-time NHRA Pro Stock champion Warren Johnson,
driver of the GM Performance Parts Pontiac.

* 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.