BOWTIE BULLET POINTS: CHEVROLET NOTES FOR THE IRL FIRESTONE INDY 200 -Chevy Notes for Nashville IRL

Nashville Superspeedway, Nashville, Tenn.
Round 8 of 16, Indy Racing League IndyCar Series
Saturday, July 17, 7 p.m. EDT
TV: ESPN (live), 7 p.m. EDT

* Now for Something Completely Different

    The IRL IndyCar Series will hold its final night race of the season
on Saturday under the lights at Nashville Superspeedway. The Firestone Indy
200 is the last of three night races on the 2004 schedule, and the only
event on the IRL tour that is contested on a concrete oval.

    "With a 1.33-mile lap length, Nashville Superspeedway is the
shortest track the IndyCar Series races on with a speedway aero package,"
said GM Racing aero/chassis specialist Kevin Bayless. "Although Nashville
is considered a speedway, it requires the high aerodynamic downforce
usually associated with a much shorter track.

    "The aero configuration will be very similar to what was used at
the preceding race at Kansas Speedway, with the required rear wing angle
increased from 12 to 20 degrees," Bayless explained. "Even with the steeper
rear wing angle, teams will be seeking maximum downforce, especially for
their race setups.

    "The concrete surface presents a challenge because it typically has
less grip than asphalt. The track is usually 'green' at the start of
practice, with very little rubber, so the drivers and engineers will have
to adapt to changing track conditions throughout the two-day event. It can
take time for an outside groove to develop, so passing can be a problem
until enough rubber is put down to widen the racing line. Adjusting shock
absorber and springs to minimize the effects of bumps will be a top
priority.

    "A concrete track is typically not as sensitive to temperature changes
as an asphalt track because its surface reflects some of the sunlight,"
Bayless noted. "Consequently there shouldn't be a dramatic change in track
conditions from the start of the race in daylight to the finish after
dark."

* This Is Only a Test

    GM Racing conducted a one-day manufacturer's test at
Michigan International Speedway on Tuesday in preparation for the upcoming
Michigan Indy 400 on August 1. Panther Racing, Red Bull Cheever Racing,
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and Patrick Racing participated in the closed test
with their Chevrolet-powered Dallaras.

    "The testing went very well and the speeds were encouraging, but
without having our competitors on the same track it's difficult to judge
the relative performance," said GM Powertrain IRL program manager Dennis
Weglarz. "Conditions were hot and humid during the test, which is what you
expect at this time of year in the Midwest."

    Development of the 3.0-liter version of the Chevy Indy V-8 is
continuing during the intense summer stretch with eight races in ten weeks.

    "Under the strict IRL rules, engine development comes down to tuning
the induction and exhaust systems for different venues, from short tracks
to speedways," Weglarz noted. "We tune the induction and exhaust systems
to optimize the power band that our simulation programs predict we'll need
at each track."

* Barron Is the King of Nashville

    Red Bull Cheever Racing driver Alex Barron has finished in the top five
in each of his two IRL races at Nashville Superspeedway. Barron scored his
first IRL victory at the track in 2002 with Blair Racing's
Chevrolet-powered entry, taking command on a restart with 11 laps
remaining. He finished fifth last season.

    "Nashville Superspeedway is special for me because it's where I won
my first IndyCar Series race," Barron said. "Since the track is concrete,
the grip and setup are really different from the rest of the tracks we run
on. The track surface is quite bumpy because the concrete is laid in
sections, so your car bounces around the track a lot, which can be
challenging. Nashville is one of the best tracks for restarts. You'll see a
lot of overtakes because you're headed slightly downhill going into Turn 1.
Even better, the race winner gets a one-off, hand-painted Gibson guitar."

* Music City Rewind

    GM engines have won two of the three IRL races contested at
Nashville Superspeedway. Buddy Lazier won the inaugural event in 2001 with
an IRL Aurora V-8, setting the race speed record at 144.809 mph, a mark
that still stands. Barron won in 2002 with a Chevy Indy V-8. Panther Racing
driver Sam Hornish Jr. set the track record for the fastest race lap last
year at 203.757 mph with the soon-to-be-retired Gen III version of Chevy's
IndyCar Series engine.

* Chevrolet Drivers on Nashville

ED CARPENTER, Red Bull Cheever Racing Chevrolet Dallara:
    "Compared to Kansas and Texas, you have a lot more to gain at
Nashville from car handling than from speed. It's the only concrete track
we race on, so it presents a new challenge for everyone. I've raced there
twice in the Menards Infiniti Pro Series, so I have a good idea of what to
expect. Driving in a night race in an IndyCar will be different I'm sure,
but I'm working really well with my engineering group, and I think it will
be a good track for us."

FELIPE GIAFFONE, Team Purex Dreyer & Reinbold Chevrolet Dallara:
    "I wasn't there last year, but it's a fun track. Because of the
concrete, it's a little bumpy, and you always have to look for the best
part of the track. The car has to be working well over those bumps. It's
the only track I remember which is 1.3 miles, in between our more standard
distances, so the car has to be handling really well. I'm looking forward
to going back."

TOWNSEND BELL, Panther Racing Menards/Johns Manville Chevrolet Dallara:
    "I'm looking forward to getting to Nashville and having a chance
to experience the race track there. This weekend will be easier for the
Panther Racing guys because we've already developed a chemistry and now the
focus is just on racing. We tested in Michigan, so we're way ahead of where
we were at Kansas Speedway."

* Racing Across America

    Chevrolet is aiming to continue its standing as the most
successful manufacturer in motorsports by competing in events across
America this weekend. Chevy is racing this weekend in the IRL IndyCar
Series in Nashville, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in St. Louis, the
NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series in Denver and the NHRA Summit Sport
Compact Series in Las Vegas. While the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series has a rare
open weekend, Monte Carlo driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. will join the
all-conquering Corvette Racing team with co-driver Boris Said in the
American Le Mans Series race in Sonoma, Calif. Chevy races to win across
the spectrum of motorsports, and is the only manufacturer that currently
competes in America's premier stock car, open-wheel, drag racing and road
racing series.

* About GM

    General Motors Corp. , the world's largest vehicle
manufacturer, employs about 325,000 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.

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  E-mail from: Rick Voegelin, 15-Jul-2004