CHEVROLET AIMS FOR 600TH NASCAR CUP WIN AT THE SHORT BRISTOL SPEEDWAY

By Marty Bernstein
The Auto Channel

NASCAR is a numbers requisite sport – inches, feet, miles, laps, seconds, mille-seconds, hours, rpms and other data, including dollars and cents are standard racing terms.

Chevrolet this weekend will not only introduce the new Chevy Impala SS racecar (a palindrome by the way) but if all goes well for one of its teams and wins the race at the short Bris-tol Motor Speedway, it will reach the 600 wins pinnacle. A record to be envied by the other racing brands – Dodge, Ford and now Toyota.

"We are extremely proud of Chevrolet's successful heritage in NASCAR," said Ed Peper, Chevrolet general manager. "To score Chevrolet's 600th victory would be very special considering how tough the competition has been over the years. But it would also be even more significant to accomplish this milestone during the first race with the new Impala SS race car."

This weekend's Food City 500 in Bristol is the first event featuring NASCAR's next generation of race cars, often referred to as the car of tomorrow. This includes the Chevy Impala SS. Forty-eight years after the nameplate was introduced to NASCAR racing, Impala returns to competition in 16 Nextel Cup events this season.

CHEVROLET NUMBERS IN THE NASCAR CUP SERIES

Drivers Championships:
All-time (1949 - 2006) = 23
First title for Chevrolet = Buck Baker in 1957
Highest number of consecutive titles = 6 (1993 - 1998)
Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 
1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006
Manufacturers Championships:
All-time (1949 - 2006) = 30
First title for Chevrolet = 1958
Highest number of consecutive titles = 9 (1983 - 1991)
Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980,  
1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 
2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
Event Victories:
2007 Race Wins = 3
2006 Race Wins = 23
All-time Race Wins (1949 - present) = 599
Best years for All-time race wins = 25 (1958)
Total All-time NASCAR Cup Wins (by corporation): 1949-present
General Motors Corporation = 933
(Chevy: 599 + Pontiac: 154 + Olds: 115 + Buick: 65)
Ford Motor Company = 676
(Ford: 577 + Mercury: 95 + Lincoln: 4)
Chrysler Corporation = 444
(Dodge: 194 + Plymouth: 191 + Chrysler: 59)