Chevy Adds to Win Tally in '99
22 December 1999
DETROIT, Mich. (December. 22, 1999): Chevrolet, the winningest
manufacturer in motorsports history, continued its North American dominance
in 1999, adding to its tally of victories in more than 74 racing series.
Conventional archives indicate some 11,000-plus victories since the 1955
introduction of Chevy's small-block engine, which include a total of 573
wins in 1999.
If results from the hundreds of individual short tracks and
dragstrips across the country were included, the Chevrolet victory count
would soar even higher.
Leading the way in the high-profile professional series in 1999 was
the Monte Carlo, Chevrolet's flagship brand in the NASCAR Winston Cup
series. The Chevy Monte Carlo won 12 of 34 races, with Jeff Gordon
claiming seven of those, more than any other driver.
In the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series, the Monte Carlo captured
24 of 32 possible race wins to earn Chevrolet its seventh Bill France
Performance (Manufacturer) Cup award and a second straight driver's title
for Dale Earnhardt Jr.
The Monte Carlo also earned wins and manufacturer's championships
in ASA, ARCA, Winston West and the Southwest Tour.
The Chevy S-10 Pickup brand dominated the second season of the Pro
Stock Truck category of the NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series, winning each
of the 14 events and the inaugural Manufacturer's Cup. Chevy S-10 drivers
swept the top five in championship points, led by Bob Panella Jr.
The Camaro Z28 scored a total of six title wins in the NHRA Funny
Car and Pro Stock classes. Including wins in the Sportsman classes, Chevy
NHRA victories since 1955 climbed to over 900 after the 1999 season.
One new Chevy product and one classic Chevy model made racing news
in 1999.
The Chevy Silverado full-size pickup was introduced to the NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series, then captured nine victories and a second driver's
championship for Jack Sprague.
The Silverado also won the Pro-4 title with Walker Evans, two
manufacturer's awards, and the Governor's Cup for Jack Flannery in the
CORR/EXXON Superflo Series.
The Corvette C5-R returned to endurance racing in '99 in a GM
factory-engineered program, finishing on the podium at the prestigious 24
Hours of Daytona and twice more in a limited American Le Mans Series'
season.
Chevrolet products have demonstrated their reliability,
dependability and performance in every form of motorsports and on every
kind of race track in 1999. Here are the 1999 results:
NASCAR WINSTON CUP SERIES
* Chevrolet Monte Carlo wins 12 races and 13 poles
* Jeff Gordon claims seven wins, more than any driver
Chevrolet NASCAR Winston Cup teams won 12 races and 13 poles in
1999 but failed to capture the driver's championship and manufacturer's
title for only the second and fourth times, respectively, in the decade.
Three-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion Jeff Gordon led the way for
Team Monte Carlo with seven poles, seven victories and seven DNFs in '99.
The 28-year-old California native finished sixth in the final driver
standings.
Crew chief Ray Evernham left the team with seven races left in the
season and five members of the Rainbow Warriors, Gordon's over-the-wall pit
crew, announced they would not return next year.
Still, Gordon and his No. 24 DuPont Automotive Finishes Monte Carlo
led the circuit in victories, regular-season money winnings and finished in
the top 10 in the standings for the sixth straight season.
Seven-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt finished
seventh in the 1999 Winston Cup standings, his seventh straight season in
the top 10.
The driver of Richard Childress' infamous black No. 3 GM Goodwrench
Service Plus Monte Carlo won three races in 1999 and now ranks sixth on
NASCAR's all-time win list with 74 career victories.
Mike Skinner drove his No. 31 Lowes Monte Carlo to 10th place in
the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup standings. He won a pole, recorded five
top-five finishes and won more than $2 million.
Terry Labonte, driver of the No. 5 Kellogg's Monte Carlo, and Joe
Nemechek, who drove the No. 42 BellSouth Monte Carlo, won the other two
races for Team Monte Carlo in 1999. Nemechek also won three poles.
Chevrolet will welcome the 2000 Monte Carlo to the Winston Cup
circuit next season, along with the much anticipated arrival of two-time
NASCAR Busch Grand National champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. The 25-year-old,
third-generation driver will pilot the No. 8 Budweiser Monte Carlo for Dale
Earnhardt Inc.
Team Monte Carlo drivers will help Chevrolet build on its modern
era record of 356 NASCAR Winston Cup victories in 842 starts (.423 winning
percentage) since 1972 when the circuit was cut to 31 races per season.
Ford is a distant second with 217 wins in 842 starts (.258 winning
percentage).
Earnhardt, Gordon and Labonte combined for eight drivers'
championships in the '90s, and Chevrolet teams won the NASCAR Winston Cup
manufacturer's championship six times in the decade.
NASCAR BUSCH SERIES GRAND NATIONAL DIVISION
* Dale Earnhardt Jr. wins 1999 driver's championship in Monte Carlo
* Tony Raines named Rookie of the Year
* Seventh Bill France Performance (Manufacturer) Cup for Chevrolet
In an encore performance, Team Monte Carlo's Dale Earnhardt Jr.
collected his second straight
Busch championship while giving Chevrolet its eighth consecutive driver's
championship.
At the wheel of the No. 3 ACDelco Monte Carlo owned by Theresa
Earnhardt, the 25-year-old driver known as "Little E" claimed his
championship on the strength of six wins, 18 top-five and 22 top-10
finishes in 32 races.
Chevrolet captured 24 of 32 possible race wins in 1999 to earn its
seventh Bill France Performance (Manufacturer) Cup award.
The red bowtie dominance was further shown by the Tony Raines, who
walked away with the 1999 Rookie of the Year title behind the wheel of the
No. 74 BACE Motorsports Chevrolet Monte Carlo.
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES
* Silverado completes successful "rookie" season
* Sprague takes second driver's championship
* Silverado drivers lead 40.45% of all race laps
* Silverado captures nine wins
The new Silverado full-sized pickup truck, an unqualified showroom
success, proved to be just as successful on the track during the 1999
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Jack Sprague and his Hendrick Motorsports
No. 24 GMAC Financial Silverado combined three wins, 16 top fives and bonus
points from leading 15 races to claim his second championship in the
five-year-old series. Solid performances by Jay Sauter, Ron Hornaday and
Andy Houston gave Silverado four positions in the year-end top 10.
Chevrolet has been an active participant in the truck series since
Mike Skinner won the first points race at Phoenix in the No. 3 GM
Goodwrench Chevy. In the 122 races held in the series' short history,
Chevrolet C/Ks and Silverados have won 72 or 60.6 win percentage. All five
NASCAR driver champions (Skinner '95 - Hornaday '96 and '98 - Sprague '97
and '99) have driven Chevrolets.
NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION (NHRA) WINSTON DRAG RACING SERIES
* Chevy S-10 wins inaugural Pro Stock Truck Manufacturer's Cup
* Bob Panella Jr. wins Pro Stock Truck driver's championship in Chevy
S-10
* Chevy S-10s win all 14 events
* All-New '99 Camaro Funny Car body huge success
The Chevy S-10 Pickup dominated the second year of NHRA's Pro Stock
Truck category, with Bob Panella Jr. claiming his first professional
driver's championship. Panella, of Stockton, Calif., captured three titles
this season, inching out Brad Jeter, also in a Chevy S-10, for the crown.
Jeter matched Panella's three event wins, but lost by 121 points.
Chevy S-10 drivers ruled the series, claiming eight of the top 10
positions in the point standings.
No one driver dominated the season, but Chevy S-10s won each of the
14 events, led by Panella (3), Jeter (3), Mark Osborne (2), Randy Daniels
(2), Mike Coughlin (2), John Coughlin (1), Steve Johns (1).
GM NHRA Program Manager Alba Colon accepted the inaugural Pro Stock
Truck Manufacturer's Cup at the year-end awards ceremony.
In Funny Car competition, the all-new 1999 Camaro Funny Car body
was introduced by Etchells Racing and driver Whit Bazemore mid-season and
proved to be a dominating force. Bazemore, of Indianapolis, immediately
reached four final rounds in the Kendall Oil/Superwinch-sponsored entry,
winning one title. He placed third in points at season's end.
Don Prudhomme Racing and driver Ron Capps, of San Diego, introduced
their new Copenhagen Camaro Z28 body one race later. Capps, who had been
struggling for most of the season, claimed his second consecutive Big Bud
Shootout title at the prestigious U.S. Nationals, and began a comeback,
which resulted in a top-10 finish in the class.
Camaro Z28s won five titles in the Pro Stock category, with Kurt
Johnson leading the pack in his ACDelco Camaro by scoring three victories.
Mike Edwards had a less than stellar season as he worked with a new chassis
and Camaro body, but still impressed with his back-to-back wins in Topeka
and Memphis in his Dewco Performance-sponsored car. He was the first
driver in that category to win from No. 16 qualifying position,
accomplished in Topeka.
Kurt chased his dad Warren all season for the driver's
championship, but once again settled for third in points. Edwards ended up
in seventh.
PIKES PEAK INTERNATIONAL HILL CLIMB
* Chevy S-10 takes second consecutive Super Stock Truck class victory
Off-Road racing veteran Larry Ragland posted a record-breaking
divisional win behind the wheel of the GM Vortec Chevy S-10 Super Stock
Truck at the 77th running of the "Race to the Clouds" held on Pikes Peak
Highway near Colorado Springs.
Ragland, of Phoenix, Ariz., charged up the challenging 156-turn
groomed gravel road in his Herzog Motorsports Chevy S-10 with a fast time
of 11:24.36 - beating the old Super Stock Truck class record of 11:36.63
set in 1994 by Leonard Vahsholtz in a Ford Bronco.
In pre-race qualifications, Ragland also set a new course record
time of 4:56.70, eclipsing the former record of 5:06.45 posted in 1997. It
was his second consecutive divisional win, and third Pikes Peak career win
in as many years.
CHAMPIONSHIP OFF ROAD RACING (CORR)
* Walker Evans and Silverado capture Pro-4 title
* Two manufacturer's awards for Silverado
* Jack Flannery collects Governor's Cup for Silverado
The legendary Walker Evans closed his 30-year off-road racing
career by claiming the Pro-4
championship, the premier division of the 1999 CORR/EXXON Superflo Series,
in his 4WD Chevy Silverado truck.
In the annual showdown among professional off-road drivers in 4x4
and two-wheel-drive trucks, Jack Flannery outran the competition to collect
the prestigious 1999 Governor's Cup, which is named in
honor of the Governor of Wisconsin.
Chevy Silverado trucks, teams, and drivers also scored the highest
number of overall points in both the Pro-2 and Pro-4 divisions. This
impressive performance netted Chevrolet the manufacturer's championship in
both the two and four-wheel-drive classes.
SCORE INTERNATIONAL OFF-ROAD DESERT SERIES
* Chevrolet Silverado takes fifth overall Baja 1000 win
* Class 8 title to Silverado
In an ultimate display of durable power and raw talent, Larry
Ragland of Phoenix, Ariz., piloted his Vortec Chevy Silverado Trophy-Truck
to triumph at the 32nd Annual Tecate/SCORE Baja 1000 desert race. It was
Ragland's fifth overall win of the famed event and his fourth victory in
five years' running ('91, '95, '96, '97, & '99). Four of the five wins
were in the same Chevy truck.
Ragland collected the ultimate off-road racing prize by completing
the grueling 672.6-mile trek in 14 hours, 26 minutes, 36 seconds, with an
average speed of 46.57 miles per hour. He edged out Team MacPherson's
Larry Roeseler, of Hesperia, Calif., whose second-place time was 14:40:33
in a Chevy truck, and Ivan Stewart, Alpine, Calif., whose third-place time
was 14:49:48 in a Toyota.
The record books now show that Chevy trucks have more overall wins
in the Baja 1000 than any other truck manufacturer.
In addition, Brian Collins of Las Vegas, Nev., clinched the SCORE
Class 8 (two-wheel-drive trucks), title in his full-sized Chevy truck.
ROLEX 24 OF DAYTONA/AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES
* Factory Corvette team returns to competition
* Corvette earns podium finish in 24-hour debut
* Corvette C5-Rs start first and second in class at Sebring 12-hour
* Corvette announces Le Mans assault for 2000
Chevrolet officially returned to sports-car racing in 1999 with the
introduction of the GM Goodwrench Service Plus-sponsored C5-R Corvette, a
GM-engineered GTS sports car based on the production C5.
The C5-R made its racing debut in the grueling 24-Hour race and,
driven by Ron Fellows, Chris Kneifel and John Paul Jr., started second in
class. It garnered a third-place finish after leading more than half the
race. The team also reached the podium twice more in 1999, at the Sears
Point (Calif.) and Laguna Seca (Calif.) events.
Using the 1999 season to cure early teething problems, the Corvette
will expand its sports-car racing program internationally with
participation in the historic 24 Hours of LeMans in 2000.
AMERICAN SPEED ASSOCIATION (ASA)
* Tim Sauter wins driver's championship in Monte Carlo
* Rick Johnson earns rookie honors and finishes 99.02% of all racing
laps (5743 out of 5800)
* ASA introduces spec Vortec engine for 2000
Tim Sauter, the third Sauter to win in ASA, won the 1999 ASA
Championship battle, the second closest point finish in 32 years with three
wins. Rick Johnson, multiple champion on two wheels, took his Monte Carlo
to "Rookie of the Year" honors and finished up an incredible 5743 of 5800
competition laps.
Following extensive testing, ASA officials said that the
fuel-injected GM Vortec engine would be the "spec" engine for the series in
2000 and beyond.
The Vortec is expected to significantly lower team costs while
improving competition.
AUTOMOBILE RACE CLUB OF AMERICA (ARCA)
* Monte Carlo wins 17 of 21 races
* Monte Carlo claims manufacturer's title
* Bill Baird is series champion with five wins
* Ron Cox named "Rookie of the Year"
The Chevrolet Monte Carlo once again took top honors in the
Automobile Racing Club of America racing series. Chevy drivers Bill Baird
and Frank Kimmel finished one-two in points with five and three wins each
respectively. Rookie of the Year and Chevy pilot Ron Cox finished eighth in
points with four top-10 finishes. Two-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Champion
Ron Hornaday drove Dale Earnhardt's Monte Carlo to a win in the final race
of the year in Atlanta.
NASCAR WINSTON WEST
* Monte Carlo wins manufacturer's championship with eight wins
* Consistency gives Sean Woodside driver's championship
* Jason Small is named "Rookie of the Year"
After twice finishing in the runner-up position, Sean Woodside used
two wins, five top-five and 10 top-10 finishes to claim the 1999 Winston
West title by 94 points in his Monte Carlo. It was the first NASCAR title
decided outside the United States as Woodside's fifth place finish
locked-up the title at the Twin Ring Motegi Circuit in Japan. Jason Small
was named "Rookie of the Year" in a Monte Carlo.
NASCAR SOUTHWEST TOUR
* Monte Carlo wins manufacturer's championship
* Kurt Busch claims driver's championship
* Scott Lynch named "Rookie of the Year"
Chevrolet teams and drivers continued to pile up wins in NASCAR's
Southwest Tour, adding 14
wins to bring the brand's total to 153 in the 241-race series' history.
Kurt Busch took the driver's title with six wins. Young Scott Lynch picked
up the "Rookie of the Year" award driving a Chevy Monte Carlo.
OTHER NASCAR CHAMPIONSHIPS
1999 SHORT TRACK SERIES NATIONAL CHAMPION
Tim Clark: NASCAR Pacific Coast Region, 1975 Chevrolet Camaro, Street
Stock
SHORT TRACK REGIONAL CHAMPIONS
Shane Hoffman: NASCAR Blue Ridge Region, Chevrolet Monte Carlo
Gary Webb: NASCAR Mid-America Region, Chevrolet Monte Carlo
Joe Kosiski: NASCAR Midwest Region, Chevrolet Monte Carlo (dirt)
Brandon Bendele: NASCAR Sunbelt Region, Chevrolet Monte Carlo
Richard Mitchell: NASCAR Northeast Region, Chevrolet Monte Carlo
Darren Shaw: NASCAR Great West Region, Chevrolet Monte Carlo
