Chevy Sweeps Gatorade 150's at Daytona

Chevrolet Sweeps Gatorade 150 Races at Daytona

Three wins in three races for Chevy at Speedweeks

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. February 17, 2005- Chevrolet's NASCAR NEXTEL Cup teams swept the two Gatorade 150 qualifying races on Thursday at Daytona International Speedway. The twin 70-lap heat races determined the remaining spots on the grid for Sunday's legendary Daytona 500 race. Michael Waltrip won the first event in his #15 NAPA Chevrolet, narrowly edging Dale Earnhardt, Jr. to the checkered flag. In the second race, Tony Stewart captured the victory in his #20 Home Dept Chevy, just ahead of Jeff Burton. Chevrolet Monte Carlo race cars will occupy five of the top six positions for Sunday's race.

 

"We couldn't have had a better day than to have the two winning drivers in Chevrolets," said Alba Colon, program manager for Chevrolet's NASCAR NEXTEL Cup program.  "We were very happy to see the DEI cars back on top of their game and it was great to see Jeff Burton finish second, which we think will provide a great boost to the RCR team this weekend. We have momentum now and we look forward to carrying that momentum into Sunday when everything counts."

 

The 150-mile qualifying races provided the opportunity for a few fast drivers to capture two additional positions. New rules for 2005 dictated that the top 35 teams in car owner points from 2004 held starting spots on the grid. Four more drivers made their entry to the Daytona 500 on speed and the final four positions were available Thursday, with two in each race. Three Chevrolet drivers made the grid on speed, including Boris Said, Jason Leffler and Mike Wallace. In total, 20 Chevrolets will start Sunday's Daytona 500 out of the 43 cars on the grid, more than any other manufacturer. 

 



NEXTEL Cup teams will return for practice once on Friday and once on Saturday. 

 

2005 Daytona 500 Starting Lineup (Top 10)

Pos.     No.       Car                                          Driver

1          88        UPS Ford                                Jarrett

2          48        Lowe's Chevrolet                 Johnson

3          15        NAPA Chevrolet                    Waltrip

4          20        Home Depot Chevrolet       Stewart

5          8          Budweiser Chevrolet          Earnhardt, Jr.

6          31        Cingular Chevrolet              Burton

7          23        Bill Davis Racing Dodge         Skinner

8          37        Patron Dodge                          Lepage

9          12        ALLTELL Dodge                     Newman

10        1          Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Truex, Jr.

 

 

General Motors Corp. , the world's largest automaker, has been the global industry sales leader since 1931. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 324,000 people around the world. It has manufacturing operations in 32 countries and its vehicles are sold in 200 countries. In 2004, GM sold nearly 9 million cars and trucks globally, up 4 percent and the second-highest total in the company's history. GM's global headquarters are at the GM Renaissance Center in Detroit. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.