BOWTIE BULLET POINTS: Chevrolet Notes for the Menards A.J. Foyt Indy 225

The Milwaukee Mile
Round 9 of 16, Indy Racing League IndyCar Series
Sunday, July 25, 3:30 p.m. EDT
TV: ABC (live), 3:30 p.m. EDT

* The Miracle Mile

    The second half of the IRL season begins at a track that is both new
and old. The Menards A.J. Foyt Indy 225 is the Indy Racing League's first
event at The Milwaukee Mile, the world's oldest operating speedway. The
fairgrounds facility has hosted motor races since 1903, predating even the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This venerable venue has a rich heritage of
open-wheel racing that began with turn-of-the-century "speed contests" and
now embraces the winged warriors of the IndyCar Series.

    Chevrolet has had a presence at the Milwaukee Mile for decades,
beginning with the stock-block Chevy engines that offered aspiring racers
an economical entry into open-wheel racing during the USAC era. With the
arrival of purpose-built racing powerplants, turbocharged 2.65-liter Chevy
Indy V-8 engines won four consecutive years in CART-sanctioned events in
Milwaukee: Rick Mears drove Penske Chevrolets to victory in 1988 and 1989,
and Al Unser Jr. and Michael Andretti won with Chevy-powered Lolas in 1990
and 1991 respectively. Since then, Chevrolet has visited the Milwaukee
winner's circle in numerous NASCAR events with production-based cars and
trucks. Sunday's inaugural IRL event will mark the first appearance by a
naturally aspirated Chevy Indy V-8 on the legendary 1-mile oval.

* A Matter of Degree

    With 9-degree banking in its sweeping turns and a width of 70 feet,
the Milwaukee Mile is flat and fast. This wide-open track rewards
consistent handling and a tenacious chassis setup.

    "In Milwaukee the cars will use a short-oval aero package that's
similar to the one used in Richmond," explained GM Racing aero/chassis
specialist Kevin Bayless. "The relatively low banking in the corners
doesn't provide a big gain in mechanical grip, so the teams will maximize
aerodynamic downforce, especially for the race. The challenge in qualifying
will be to see how much the car can be trimmed out while still running
flat. For the race, however, the crews will put back as much downforce as
possible, particularly if the driver wants to use the outside line for
passing.

    "The IRL open test in Milwaukee was shortened to one day by rain, but
the teams that tested there have a good starting point for their setups.
Although many of the drivers and crews have raced there previously in other
series, this will be their first event with the IRL aero and chassis
package, so it will be a challenge to adjust to the track as conditions
change during the weekend. The IRL cars will share the track with USAC
cars, so they will also have to contend with the differences in the rubber
put down by the various series.

    "Milwaukee's turns are wide and sweeping, so traction control
will probably not be crucial," Bayless noted. "However, at the end of a
long run when the tires are worn and the fuel load is light, traction
control could become significant."

* Chevrolet Drivers on The Milwaukee Mile

ALEX BARRON, Red Bull Cheever Racing Chevrolet Dallara:
    "I am looking forward to going back to Milwaukee. I've raced there four
or five times, and I think there's always good racing there because it's so
flat. It seems like there's a lot of passing going on because it's really
wide, and some of the cars go off quite quickly. We have some experience
there in the IndyCar Series. We did a test there, and it went quite well. A
lot of the guys who are here with the team have experience there, as well.
I think we have a good background and a good car setup. We'll just build on
that when we get there for the first practice session."

TOWNSEND BELL, Panther Racing Menards/Johns Manville Chevrolet Dallara:
    "I won there at Milwaukee in Indy Lights in 2001, then in CART, I
raced there as well. I don't think the track's changed a whole lot. It's a
fun place to go. We run maximum downforce there with the IRL package, so
that makes it a lot of fun, too, because the speeds are pretty high, and
you're driving the car quite a bit."

ED CARPENTER, Red Bull Cheever Racing Chevrolet Dallara:
    "I'm looking forward to racing on another short track. I felt
comfortable at Richmond, which is another short track. I didn't have an
opportunity to test there due to rain, but I'm really looking forward to
the challenge of racing at The Milwaukee Mile."

FELIPE GIAFFONE, Team Purex Dreyer & Reinbold Chevrolet Dallara:
    "It's a nice, flat 1-mile track and different from most of the ones
we visit. You have to be spot-on with the setup because there's not a lot
of grip, so a good setup makes a world of difference. I always loved racing
Indy Lights there. It's a great town and track to come back to."

TOMAS SCHECKTER, Panther Racing Pennzoil Chevrolet Dallara:
    "I enjoyed both times we tested in Milwaukee. It's an interesting
track, there's a lot of history there, and we look forward to being a part
of it. The Panther guys are ready for a good result, and we feel like all
the work from the people at Chevrolet is going to pay off. There were some
struggles in the first half of the season, but we expect things to turn
around for us starting this weekend."

* Racing Across America

    The Bowtie Brigade is racing from coast to coast this weekend as
Chevy competes in five major motorsports series. Chevy is represented in
the IRL IndyCar Series in Milwaukee, the NASCAR Nextel Cup and Busch Series
races in Loudon, N.H., the NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series in Seattle and
the American Le Mans Series in Portland, Ore. Chevrolet is the only
manufacturer that currently competes in America's premier stock car,
open-wheel, drag racing and road racing series.