Chevy Rock and Roll 400 Returns to Richmond
Chevy Rock and Roll 400 Returns to Richmond Chevrolet unveils plans for its first Rock and Roll paint scheme with legendary rock band KISS RICHMOND, Va. - Today Chevrolet announced the popular Chevy Rock and Roll 400 will revisit Richmond International Raceway during this NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season. The unique Rock and Roll inspired race, which features musical artist themed Chevrolets, will take place on Saturday, September 11. The first vehicle in a series of race cars to compete in the Chevy Rock and Roll 400 will feature a KISS paint scheme on the No. 29 GM Goodwrench Monte Carlo driven by Kevin Harvick. The KISS car will come to life through a joint program between Chevrolet, GM Service and Parts Operations, the rock band KISS and Action Performance Inc. "We're in the midst of our most aggressive product renaissance in history with 10 new products in 20 months, and the Chevy Rock and Roll 400 allows us to bring awareness of these new vehicles to the public," said Mac Whisner, director, Chevrolet promotions and sponsorships. "By showcasing our new vehicles at the Richmond Fan Fest during the race weekend, we are able to offer unprecedented access to Chevy products and race cars in a festival atmosphere with family oriented games, entertainment and music." This is the fifth consecutive year that Chevrolet will be the title sponsor of the fall race at Richmond International Raceway. With over 110,000 fans attending, the race will mark the 26th consecutive sell-out of a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series event at the track and will be broadcast live during primetime. The Chevy Rock and Roll 400 is the final race of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series determining the participants in the "Chase for the Championship." "Chevrolet always creates a top notch racing experience when they come to our track and this year should be no different," said Doug Fritz, track president. "The Rock and Roll concept is great for all parties involved and will only create more excitement for the race leading up to the championship run." Today's announcement is the first of many musical pairings to be announced prior to the Chevy Rock and Roll 400. KISS Rocks on Three Chevrolets Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of the rock band KISS were at the track today to help unveil three Chevrolets featuring a KISS paint scheme. In addition to the KISS themed Monte Carlo to be driven by Kevin Harvick, two other NASCAR drivers will carry a similar paint scheme leading up to the Chevy Rock and Roll 400. Ron Hornaday will compete in the No. 2 ACDelco Monte Carlo during the Emerson 250 Busch race on Sept. 10 and Matt Crafton will drive the No. 6 GM Goodwrench Silverado during the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series 200 on Sept. 9. All three of the vehicles are sponsored by GM Service and Parts Operations. GM Service and Parts Operations began its relationship with the rock band in 2002 when the KISS logo appeared on the hood of Kurt Johnson's ACDelco Cavalier during a Las Vegas National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) event. The relationship has continued to evolve and expanded to GM Goodwrench this year with its three distinct sponsorships in each of NASCAR's touring series. "Our past experiences in working with KISS for racing initiatives has been a positive one," said Sue Seaglund, manager event marketing, GM Service and Parts Operations. "We are glad to be continuing our relationship with the group and expanding our affiliation with KISS to include the Chevy Rock and Roll 400." All three of the specially painted KISS Chevrolets were designed by renowned motorsport artist Sam Bass. Bass is well known for his dramatic paint schemes in both the NASCAR and NHRA circuits. A devoted member of the KISS Army, Bass relished the opportunity to design these three exciting vehicles for the Chevy Rock and Roll 400. A Rock and Roll Monte Carlo to Pace at Richmond One additional Chevrolet that will appear on the track is a specially designed 2005 Monte Carlo pace car. The Chevy pace vehicle features a vibrant paint scheme of red, blue and yellow complimented with racing flames and a large guitar graphic featuring the Chevy Rock and Roll 400 logo. The race name stretches across the hood of the vehicle while the Chevy bowtie covers the trunk lid. The Chevy Rock and Roll 400 pace car is distinctly similar to Monte Carlo production models. The vehicle is powered by a supercharged V6 engine, the same engine available in the supercharged Monte Carlo in dealer showrooms. The 3.8 liter engine develops 240 horsepower at 5,200 rpm. The pace car is complete with 17-inch wheels and Goodyear performance tires. Chevrolet is the Official Pace Vehicle for NASCAR NEXTEL Cup. During the 2004 race season Chevrolet will pace 57 national NASCAR events (26 Nextel Cup, 18 Busch, and 13 Craftsman Truck races). General Motors Corp. , the world's largest vehicle manufacturer, employs about 342,000 people globally. 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 192 countries. In 2003, GM sold nearly 8.6 million cars and trucks, about 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. ### NOTE: For more information, including images related to this news release, please visit http://media.gm.com. Contacts: Dan Reid GM Racing Communications 313.665.2445 Dan.e.reid@gm.com Bob Tripolsky Chevrolet Communications 313.378.6251 robert.r.tripolsky@gm.com