Chevy Notes for Nazareth IRL

Bowtie Bullet Points: Chevrolet Notes for the IRL Firestone Indy 225

Nazareth Speedway
Round 13 of 16, Indy Racing League IndyCar Series
Sunday, Aug. 24, 3 p.m. EDT 

* Gen IV Chevy Indy V8 Takes on Final Short Track on IRL Schedule

    Sunday's Firestone Indy 225 at Nazareth Speedway will be the first
and only short-track event in 2003 with all five Chevrolet teams and six
Chevrolet drivers using the new Gen IV Chevy Indy V8. The Nazareth race
also marks the end of a grueling stretch of three races in 15 days and
seven events in nine weeks.

    Nominally a 1-mile oval, the Nazareth track has an irregular shape
with kinks, doglegs and an elevation change of 34 feet. The track demands a
wide torque curve and quick acceleration from the engine. Engine speeds
will range from approximately 8,000 rpm in the slow corners to the
IRL-mandated maximum of 10,300 rpm. Drivers will have the option to shift
gears on this challenging track.

    Buddy Rice, driver of Red Bull Cheever Racing's Chevrolet Dallara, is
the only driver who has previously raced with the Gen IV Chevy Indy V8 on a
short track. Under the phased introduction plan prescribed by IRL officials
when the new Chevrolet engine was approved, Rice tested the Gen IV in
racing conditions on Aug. 10 at the Emerson Indy 250 at Gateway
International Raceway near St. Louis. The Gen IV Chevy lineup at Nazareth
Speedway includes Sam Hornish Jr. (Panther Racing), Buddy Rice (Red Bull
Cheever Racing), Jaques Lazier (Team Menard), Buddy Lazier (Hemelgarn
Racing), Robbie Buhl (Dreyer & Reinbold Racing), and Sarah Fisher (Dreyer &
Reinbold Racing).

* 101 Chevy Indy V8 Victories

    Sam Hornish Jr.'s victory in last weekend's Belterra Casino Indy 300
at Kentucky Speedway marked the 101st victory by a Chevy Indy V8 engine.
The 2.65-liter turbocharged Chevy Indy V8 (produced in three versions
designated "A," "B," and "C") 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 3.5-liter naturally aspirated Gen I and Gen II Chevy Indy V8s
that won 14 out of 15 races and nine poles in IRL competition last season.
The Gen III engine that began the 2003 season was superceded by the Gen IV
Chevy Indy V8 that propelled Hornish to the winner's circle.

* On the Record

    Hornish's victory at Kentucky Speedway was the ninth of his career,
a record for the most wins by an IRL driver. Hornish has driven GM-powered
cars exclusively in the IndyCar Series, highlighted by back-to-back
IRL championships in 2001-2002.

    Hornish's other IRL records include:

    Most laps led: 1,767
    Consecutive top-10 starts: 25
    Consecutive top-10 finishes: 12
    Consecutive running at finish: 18
    Consecutive top-five finishes: 7 (tied with Helio Castroneves)
    Consecutive races led: 10 (tied with Tony Stewart)

* Racing Around

    Chevrolet will be represented in three major motorsports series
this weekend: Chevy Indy V8s at Nazareth Speedway, Monte Carlo with NASCAR
in Bristol, Tenn., and the Corvette Racing team in the American Le Mans
Series in Elkhart Lake, Wis. Chevrolet is the only manufacturer currently
competing in the IRL, NASCAR Winston Cup, NHRA and American Le Mans Series.

* 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.