Catchfence

TEAM CHEVY IMPALA SS INSIDE THE GARAGE AT LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY – PAT SUHY, GM RACING NASCAR GROUP MANAGER:  “Here we come to the first mile and a half track of 2009.  It will be interesting to see how things go, given the testing ban.  Without the traditional Las Vegas/California test sessions it should be interesting.  

“There are no real options for non-NASCAR 1.5 mile tracks to go test at, so the teams will rely on what they learned last season at these tracks, plus what they’ve been able to learn on the new “test track”….their engineering groups.  Not just the engineers, but the tools they use to simulate car behavior outside of the track environment as well.  Between GM Racing and our Chevy teams outstanding engineers and testing resources, I believe that there is no group of racers better prepared for that challenge.  

“I’m looking forward to strong performances by all of our Team Chevy teams, and will hopefully be there to greet one of them in Victory Lane on Sunday afternoon.”

IMPALA SS ON THE TRACK: LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY:  

• Chevrolet has won four (4) of the 11 previous NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS)

o        Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s Impala SS/KOBALT Tools Impala SS, has three wins (’05, ’06, ’07), more than any other driver
o        Jeff Gordon, No. 24 DuPont Impala SS, won in ’01 and is tied for most top-five finishes (5)

• Other Team Chevy drivers with victories at LVMS

o        Mark Martin, No. 5 Pop Tarts/CARQUEST Impala SS, ’98, is tied for most top-five finishes (5) and has most top-10 finishes (9)
o        Jeff Burton, No. 31 Caterpillar Impala SS, ’99, ‘00
o        Sterling Marlin , ’02 – will drive the No. 09 Miccosukee Indian Gaming Impala SS at LVMS

• Additions to Impala SS roster at LVMS

o        Brad Keselowski, No. 25 GoDaddy.com Impala SS
o        John Andretti, No. 34 Window World Impala SS
o        David Gilliland, No. 71 TRG Impala SS

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Jeff Gordon was the involved in an accident coming off turn two at LVMS and slammed in to the inside retaining wall – “I can’t wait to get to Las Vegas. To be honest, I never noticed that area of the track before last year. The first time I noticed it was when I was about to slam into it. I heard the track installed a SAFER barrier there. I’m sure at some point during the weekend I’ll glance over at the new wall when I’m driving down the backstretch.”

DID YOU KNOW ABOUT GENERAL MOTORS?

• Chevrolet offers select models of Aveo Sedan, Aveo5, Cobalt, HHR and Malibu that all fall into the 30 MPG highway or better club.

• GM dominated the R.L. Polk Loyalty awards, named best manufacturer for the ninth consecutive year… and Chevrolet led with four wins – full-size pickups (Silverado), full-size utilities (Suburban), full-size cars (Impala) and Luxury Sports Cars (Corvette)

• In the recently released Insurance Institute of Highway Safety Side Impact Test results, our 2009 Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra meet or exceed all federal safety standards.  In fact, our pickups received NHTSA’s highest 5-star rating in frontal and side impact tests, which confirms a safe environment for occupants.  Vehicle structure and safety systems in GM cars and trucks are developed to perform in a range of tests and real-world conditions.

Drivers Championships
        Total (1949 – 2008): 25
        First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)
        Highest number of consecutive titles: 6 (1993 – 98)

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, 2007, 2008

Manufacturers Championships
        Total (1949 – 2008): 32
        First title for Chevrolet: 1958
        Highest number of consecutive titles: 9 (1983 – 91)

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, 2007, 2008

Event Victories
        Total Chevrolet race wins (1949 – 2008): 633
2008 Race Wins: 11
        Previous record for total race wins: 26 (2007 – 13 Impala SS,13 Monte Carlo SS)
               
Total NASCAR Cup wins by Corporation, 1949 – To Date 2008
        GM: 968
        Chevrolet: 633
        Pontiac: 155
        Oldsmobile: 115
        Buick: 65

        Ford: 694
        Ford: 594
        Mercury: 96
        Lincoln: 4

        Chrysler: 450
        Dodge: 202
        Plymouth: 189
        Chrysler: 59 
        Toyota: 10

General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), one of the world’s largest automakers, was founded in 1908, and today manufactures cars and trucks in 34 countries.  With its global headquarters in Detroit, GM employs 244,500 people in every major region of the world, and sells and services vehicles in some 140 countries.  In 2008, GM sold 8.35 million cars and trucks globally under the following brands:  Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, Hummer, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn, Vauxhall and Wuling.  GM’s largest national market is the United States, followed by China, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Canada, Russia and Germany.  GM’s OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services.  More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.

GM Racing Communications, Press Release