Catchfence

Team Chevy - GM Racing

• Chevrolet has clinched the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Manufacturers’ Cup champions after 29 races
• Team Chevy drivers have won 15 races in ’09, more than any other manufacturer
• Team Chevy drivers have lead the most laps in ’09 – 4,411 of 8,303 (53.1% of all laps raced)
• Team Chevy drivers have had more top-five (5) finished in ’09 – 71 – more than any other manufacturer
• Team Chevy drivers have had more top-10 finishes than any other manufacturer in ’09 – 141

TEAM CHEVY IN THE CHASE FOR THE NASCAR SPRINT CUP:

Team Chevy has six drivers in the 2009 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, more than any other manufacturer. With seven (7) races remaining, Team Chevy drivers rank as follows:
>Mark Martin, No. 5 Kellogg’s/ CARQUEST/ Impala SS, is the Chase standings leader with five (5) wins to-date in 2009
>>In 16 previous Auto Club Speedway (ACS) starts, Martin has one (1) win, four (4) top-five and seven (7) top-10 finished
>Jimmie Johnson, No 48 Lowe’s/Jimmie Johnson Foundation Impala SS, is second (2nd) in points with four (4) wins to-date in 2009
>>In 13 ACS starts, Johnson has three (3) wins, eight (8) top-five, nine (9) top-10 finishes and one (1) pole
>Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 42 Target Impala SS, is third (3rd) in the standings after three (3) Chase races
>>Has five (5) previous starts at ACS
>Tony Stewart, No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Impala SS is fourth (4th) in the Chase points order with four (4) wins to-date in 2009
>>In 16 ACS starts, Stewart has three (3) top-five and eight (8) top-10 finishes
>Jeff Gordon, No. 24 DuPont Impala SS, is currently seventh (7th) in the Chase standings with one (1) win to date in 2009
>>In 18 starts at ACS, Gordon has three (3) wins, nine (9) top-5 and nine (9) top-10 finishes with two (2) poles
>Ryan Newman, No. 39 Haas Automation/U.S. Army Impala SS, is ninth (9th) in the 2009 Chase standings
>>In 13 ACS starts, Newman has two (2) top-five and four (4) top-10 finishes and one pole

IMPALA SS ON THE TRACK: AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY:

Chevrolet has won seven (7) of the 18 previous NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) races at Auto Club Speedway (ACS)
Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s/Jimmie Johnson Foundation Impala SS, has three ACS victories (’02, ’07 and ’08)
o Johnson is the only driver to win from the pole (2008)
Jeff Gordon, No. 24 DuPont/Pepsi Impala SS has three wins at ACS (’97, ’99 and ’04)
Mark Martin, No. 5 Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Impala SS, won at ACS in ‘98

TEAM CHEVY WINS 2009 NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES MANUFACTURERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP:
BRENT DEWAR, VICE PRESIDENT, CHEVROLET GLOBAL: “Chevrolet is extremely proud of our teams and drivers for bringing home the 2009 Manufacturers’ Championship in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. This is the 33rd Manufacturers’ title for Chevrolet and our seventh consecutive year as the leading nameplate in the sport.

“This award is exceptionally gratifying for everyone at Chevrolet and GM, especially in this challenging economic environment. We salute our Chevy teams, owners, and drivers for all their hard work and dedication in achieving this exceptional recognition”.

“The level of the NASCAR Sprint Cup on-track competition is second to none. We are very proud of the 15 victories so far this year and the overall on-track success by our Impala SS drivers that put Team Chevy on top. Chevrolet is here to stay, and we look forward to using our award winning engines and vehicles to win races and championships for many years to come.”

MARK KENT, MANAGER, GM RACING: “Winning the 2009 Manufacturers’ Championship in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is a remarkable achievement for GM Racing and our outstanding Chevrolet teams and drivers.

“The competition this season has been as intense as any time in the history of the sport. Many men and women have spent countless hours maximizing the performance of every aspect of the Impala SS race car. Their efforts have paid off with this special honor, and will continue to net excellent results as we move toward the end of the season. With seven races yet to go in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, we are working hard to capture the Driver and Owner championships.

“It is no secret these are stressful and turbulent times at General Motors. To be able to celebrate the success of a goal met – winning our 33rd overall and seventh consecutive Manufacturers’ title – is a reward well deserved and ranks as one of the most special in the racing history of GM and Chevrolet.

“Congratulations to all of our Team Chevy organizations, drivers, crews, GM Racing and to everyone at General Motors who contributed to this championship effort for this much deserved accomplishment.”

TEAM CHEVY IMPALA SS – FROM THE DRIVER’S SEAT:

MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 KELLOGG’S/CARQUEST IMPALA SS: “Right now, there is no pressure. Everyone is talking about the Chase, and how each winner, each weekend is suddenly the top contender. I’ll say it again, ask me with four races to go. Last week this team could have succumbed to the pressure of not having a perfect race car, but we didn’t do it. I watched my guys dig and scratch and claw to the best finish we could possibly get. And it was enough. It wasn’t a great day, and I know there is not a guy on this team that was happy with a seventh-place finish. But for where we could have finished, it was great.”

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S/JIMMIE JOHNSON FOUNDATION IMPALA SS: “Last week and really the last couple of weeks we’ve been talking about our strategy and the tracks, directions with set-up, and things that we’re going to try, things for certain tracks and not other tracks. I feel very confident with the approach we have and the set-ups we’re going to be taking, the cars we’re going to be taking. We’re pretty well organized, so hopefully it pays off. I am hopeful that its helpful for us to have a track in the Chase that we are able to win at………being California. I think the season comes to us in a way. I know that we perform well in the Chase but I think the schedule is helpful for the No. 48 car. We have great results and it gives us a lot of hope going into these tracks but we still have to show up and get the job done. So we have a positive mindset looking forward to those tracks. It will make the week easier leading into those tracks but we still have to go in there and get to work. I’m excited for it.”

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 42 TARGET IMPALA SS: “I would rather have Atlanta to be honest. I always run really well at Atlanta. At the same time we ran pretty good there last time we were there. It was very early in the season and even then I think we had decent cars. Right now we’ve got much more competitive cars. Going to California it’s going to be exciting. You’ve got to be very open-minded. We’re bringing our best stuff every week and you’ve got to hope what you bring is good enough. Some weeks you’re good enough for a top-five and some weeks maybe good enough to win and some weeks you kind of look at yourself and you know finish 12th or 15th. Everybody is going to go through it right now.”

TONY STEWART, NO. 14 OFFICE DEPOT/OLD SPICE IMPALA SS: “We (Stewart and Darian Grubb, crew chief) were still just learning each other going into California in the spring. So going around this time, we obviously know each other better. We’ve had time to make mistakes and make decisions that worked for me, and we’ve learned the feel that I like together, and that’s something that will help us definitely for next week. So it’s a much more — I’m anticipating California a lot more this time than in the spring.”

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DUPONT/PEPSI IMPALA SS: “We’ve improved a lot on these types of tracks since last year. And we had a great run here earlier this year, but we feel like we let that one slip away. Hopefully, we can get that one back this weekend. It’s going to take strong runs like that and like the finish we had at Kansas each and every weekend in the final seven races. There are six guys ahead of us right now, so it’s highly unlikely that we’ll make up a 100-point deficit and pass all those guys in one race. But there’s still a lot of laps and races left to chip away. We can’t control what the other guys do and where they finish. We’ve got to focus on our team, our program and our finishes. “The competition is as even as I’ve ever seen it, so we must make the most of our bad days. And we definitely need to take advantage of tracks where we should be good. Like this weekend at Fontana.”

RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 39 HAAS AUTOMATION/US ARMY IMPALA SS: “Kansas was a rough day for us, but we are by no means out of the Chase. Kansas was not one of our best efforts in my opinion. We really battled all day because we didn’t have the track position that we needed and then we had some problems on pit road, so it was just a rough day all around, but that doesn’t mean that we’re counting ourselves out. We just regroup get our focus back and head to California and get back on track. Prior to Kansas, I think we had a string of top-10 finishes. And that’s what we need. Not only do we need top-10 finishes, but we need top-five finishes because to be where we want to be, which is leading the points, we’ve got to improve our game. I guess that the best way to say it. All year, this team has proved that they don’t give up, that they have a lot of fight, and I think we’re going to have to keep proving that each week of the Chase. There’s seven races to go. Yes, we have some ground to make up, but we can do it. I have faith in Tony Gibson, my team and in Stewart-Haas Racing. We just need to be better.”

Chevrolet NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Statistics

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
2009 Race Wins: 15
Total Chevrolet race wins (1949 – 2009): 648
Record for total race wins: 26 (2007 – 13 Impala SS, 13 Monte Carlo SS)

Total NASCAR Cup wins by Corporation, 1949 – To-Date
GM: 983
Chevrolet: 648
Pontiac: 155
Oldsmobile: 115
Buick: 65

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

Chrysler: 453
Dodge: 204
Plymouth: 190
Chrysler: 59

Toyota: 19

About General Motors: General Motors Company, one of the world’s largest automakers, traces its roots back to 1908. With its global headquarters in Detroit, GM employs 235,000 people in every major region of the world and does business in some 140 countries. GM and its strategic partners produce cars and trucks in 34 countries, and sell and service these vehicles through the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, Opel, 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. General Motors Company acquired operations from General Motors Corporation on July 10, 2009, and references to prior periods in this and other press materials refer to operations of the old General Motors Corporation. More information on the new General Motors Company can be found at www.gm.com.

- GM Racing Communications, Press Release