Catchfence

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE

PRICE CHOPPER 400 PRESENTED BY KRAFT FOODS
KANSAS SPEEDWAY
KANSAS CITY, KS
OCTOBER 3, 2010

DID YOU KNOW? The car on the block at last weekend’s Barrett-Jackson Auction was the Camaro Convertible Concept that has traveled the world’s auto shows. It served as a proxy for the second production model to be built next year. The first production model will be used for historical purposes. The promise of the Chevrolet Camaro Convertible raised $205,000, 100% of the proceeds for a local Nevada charity, YMCA of Southern Nevada. Chevrolet partnered with Greg Heinrich, owner of Fairway Chevrolet in Las Vegas for the cause. The production version will make its debut later this fall, prior to start of production in early 2011.

CHEVY RACING AT KANSAS SPEEDWAY – JEFF CHEW, MARKETING MANAGER, NASCAR, CHEVY RACING: “We are looking forward to bringing the Team Chevy Racing Tour to Kansas Speedway for the very first time. Thousands of race fans have visited us trackside so far this year at races across the country, and the feedback has been tremendous. Kansas Speedway will provide an opportunity for the fans to see Chevy’s full lineup of award-winning cars and trucks, take a test drive of several of our most popular models, and join in when Clint Bowyer and Ryan Newman take the stage for question-and-answer sessions.”

• There will be TWO great Team Chevy Racing displays at Kansas Speedway in the Fan Midway
• The Main Display will be directly behind the main grandstand in the track Fan Midway. Fans can see great Chevrolet models including: Cruze, Camaro 2SS; Cruze LTZ; Malibu 2LT; Silverado 15001LT; Corvette 3LT; Traverse LTZ; Equinox 1LT $ Avalanche LTZ
• At a Team Chevy Racing Satellite Display also in the Fan Midway, closer to the outside of entry to turn one, the all new Silverado HD will be featured for fans to see and gather information
• The Team Chevy Test Drive will be on site for fans to drive their favorite Chevrolet model including Malibu, Cruze, Equinox, Traverse and Silverado HD and then be able to drive a Camaro or Corvette Grand Sport. The Test Drive will run Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  For participating, fans will get a Camaro T-Shirt. To pre-register, log on to www.teamchevytestdrive.com
• Interactive activities at the Main Display will include: a Victory Lane “green screen” photo taken at the Team Chevy Winner’s Circle Photo Trailer; the Chevy Display Kid Zone with games and prizes and other fan-oriented information and activities
• Cell Phones for Soldiers will be featured prominently in the display. Fans are encouraged to bring old cell phones to Chevy Display and donate in drop box for Cell Phones for Soldiers program
• Fans can gather information on the “Chevrolet Salutes America’s Heroes” program. Additional information is available at www.youreverydayhero.com,
• SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS ON RACE DAY:
• At the Main Display Kansas native Clint Bowyer will do a Q & A with fans at 9:00 a.m.
• Also at the Main Display, the over-the-wall pit crew for the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet driven by Kevin Harvick will sign autographs for fans at 9:30 a.m.
• In the Satellite Display Ryan Newman will do a fan Q&A at 9:15 a.m.
• Also at the Satellite Display, the over-the-wall pit crew for the No. 42 Target Chevrolet driven by Juan Pablo Montoya will sign autographs for fans at 10:15 a.m.
• Hours of operation for both the Main Display and the Satellite Display are: 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. on Friday; 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. on Saturday and 7 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. on Sunday

TEAM CHEVY AT KANSAS SPEEDWAY – PAT SUHY, GM RACING NASCAR GROUP MANAGER: “Team Chevy had a great weekend last week with victories at both Dover in the Sprint Cup race and in Las Vegas in the Camping World Truck Series.  Congratulations to Jimmie Johnson and Austin Dillon for their wins!  It’s always nice to see a Chevy in victory lane, and two wins in one weekend is twice as nice.

“Heading into round three of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup at Kansas, I’m looking for another strong performance from our teams.  It’s the first of four mile and a half, or intermediate tracks included in this year’s final ten race shootout, and is quite a change from the last two weekend’s one-mile venues.

“Kansas Speedway is one of the youngest tracks on the NASCAR circuit and a Chevrolet driver has won six of the nine past Sprint Cup races held there.  Compared to the rest of the intermediate tracks on the tour, Kansas bears the least resemblance to the others.  The turns have a relatively shallow 15° bank angle and the front and back stretches are likewise flatter than the norm.  That flatness means generally lower speeds and more reliance on mechanical grip. Engineers from both GM Racing and the teams work every day on things ranging from tire testing and analysis, to chassis simulation projects that provide critical information to make the right decisions during the race.  It’s no wonder we’ve enjoyed so much success at Kansas Speedway.

“Sunday’s race will definitely be exciting; and with a little luck to go with all the hard work that happens ahead of time, I wouldn’t be surprised to see another Chevrolet team celebrating in victory lane.”

TEAM CHEVY IN 2010 NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES (NSCS) COMPETITION:

• Race wins – 15 as of race 28 of 36
• Poles – 12 as of race 28 of 36
• Laps led – 4,296  (51.3% of possible 8,376)
• Top-five finishes – 74 (52.9% of possible)
• Top-10 finishes – 139 (49.6% of possible)
• Team Chevy has six (6) drivers in the 2010 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. After two of 10 races, the order is:

o   Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s/Johns Manville Chevrolet – is 2^nd in points

o   Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet 3 is 5th in the standings

o   Jeff Burton, No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet – is in 7^th in the points order

o   Jeff Gordon, No. 24 DuPont  Chevrolet – is 8^th in points o

o   Tony Stewart, No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice  Chevrolet – sits 10^th in the standings

o   Clint Bowyer, No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet – 12^th in points

CHEVROLET ON THE TRACK-KANSAS SPEEDWAY:

• Team Chevy drivers have won 6 of 9 previous NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) races at Kansas Speedway (Kansas)

• Chevy has 6 poles at Kansas

• Team Chevy drivers have scored 18 top-five finishes and  35 top-10 finishes at Kansas
• A Chevrolet has led 930 laps (39.6% of possible 2,346) at Kansas
• Jeff Gordon, No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet, has two (2) wins at Kansas
• Tony Stewart, No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet, has two (2) Kansas wins
• Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s/Johns Manville Chevrolet, has won once (1) at Kansas
• Mark Martin, No. 5 Go.Daddy.com Chevrolet, has one (1) win at Kansas
• Ryan Newman, No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet, has won once (1) at Kansas

TEAM CHEVY FROM THE DRIVER’S SEAT:

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S/JOHNS MANVILLE CHEVROLET – 2^ND IN STANDINGS:

“For a mile-and-a-half track, I think that Chicago and Kansas are pretty similar. In years past, mile-and-a-half tracks have been our bread and butter and have been really good for us. And Kansas has a really cool transition in and off the corners where you can run a second and third lane. It is pretty friendly and you can search around and try to find a line. The asphalt has aged pretty quickly there too, which has allowed us to run multiple lanes and move around. So in general, it is a track with options. For a mile-and-a-half race track, it has a lot of options and I have enjoyed racing there over the years and have been able to get a win there.”

KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 SHELL-PENNZOIL CHEVROLET – 5^TH IN STANDINGS:

“For us, I think we just have to keep doing the things that we did up until this point. We won a few races, had a lot of top-five and top-10 finishes. On the days where we really struggled, I felt like we, for the most part, made something out of those days.  It was good enough to lead the points in the first 26 (races), so there is really no reason for us to change our strategy.  I feel like the guys have done a great job of getting the cars prepared. We’ll see what happens. Whether we win or lose, I think everybody has done everything we can control. We’ll just go race now.”

JEFF BURTON, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR CHEVROLET – 7^TH IN STANDINGS:

“I like the Kansas race track. It’s a fun place to go and I look forward to going there. I feel like this weekend will be our best chance to run well there. To be honest, I don’t even know what my stats are there. I don’t view Kansas as a place where we don’t run well. I view it as a place where we don’t have finishes. My focus when we go there is to be as prepared as we can be. Although it’s not new, it’s one of our newer tracks. Sometimes people adapt to things quicker than others. It may be a track that I just haven’t gotten the handle of, but I feel like this will be our best chance to run well there. You can be out of the Chase in three races. You can either be out of it or you can position yourself to win it. Where we’ll be, who knows. The reality is we’re going to go to Kansas and race the best we know how, no matter what the situation we’re in. We hope we’re in the position to win a championship. Ten races is a long time. If you’re not learning and applying from the first race to the fifth race to the tenth race, you’re doing something wrong. Every race is an opportunity for us to learn as a team and as a driver. Hopefully, we’re there learning something that we can apply to winning a championship. I think you take each race for what it is. You go and race that race and not make it any more important than any other race. There are 10 races and they all pay the same amount of points. You can have a bad race in the beginning, or a bad race at the end, and they still have the same amount of points. You can’t get caught up in the chess game of where I am now. It’s an accumulation of all those points. That’s not to say if you’re 12th, 300 points back, you can say that you’re going to win a championship. It’s not going to happen. You have to be in position.”

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DUPONT CHEVROLET – 8^TH IN STANDINGS:

“I like Kansas, I know that. I feel like our mile and a half program is really strong this year. When I look at the 10 races in the Chase, Kansas is one that stands out; one that we are looking forward to going to. We ran well at Chicago and it is probably the closest track to Kansas on the circuit. I just feel like other than Charlotte, we have been really good on the mile and a halves this year. We recognize that we have to get better at Charlotte, but I can’ wait to get to Kansas. It has always been a great track for us. I think we won the first two races there. With three top-fives recently, even when we aren’t at our best, it seems to be one of our good tracks. I think we are much better this year than we have been the last couple of years.”

TONY STEWART, NO. 14 OFFICE DEPOT/OLD SPICE CHEVROLET – 10^TH IN STANDINGS:

“Darian (Grubb, crew chief) made a great call getting two (tires), and the guys had an awesome stop (at last year’s Kansas race). That was really what it (the win) boiled down to. We got that track position at the end, and we had the luxury of being able to pick the inside or outside lane on the restart, and I kind of debated back and forth which side I needed to be on. But I kind of struggled when I was stuck on the bottom on restarts. So, I took a gamble and went to the top and got enough of a lead on Kasey (Kahne) to get down to the bottom that by the time we got to (turns) one and two, I was able to run my line. We got enough of a gap right off the bat that it gave me the flexibility to run my own line, run my own pace and let those guys have to worry about catching us. We just kind of ran our pace. When somebody starts running you down, it’s easy to over-drive your car trying to maintain a gap, and you end up making it worse on yourself. So even though I saw Jeff (Gordon) getting bigger in the mirror; I didn’t want to burn the tires off of it in case we got a caution and we got a green-white-checkered, so we just ran hard enough to not abuse the tires. It’s like he could get so close and then he couldn’t get any closer. When he got up there, he got tight, and he had to run pretty hard to get by Greg Biffle, and then to run us down. By then, he pretty much got the good off his tires and we got the luxury to kind of, on that restart, run our own pace and take care of it and make sure we made it last the whole way.”

CLINT BOWYER, NO. 33 CHEERIOS/HAMBURGER HELPER CHEVROLET – 12^TH IN STANDINGS:

“We’ve always run well during the race almost every time we go to Kansas. We had a flat tire last year, and ended up going a couple laps down, but we got one back. Last year was a struggle. But, I always look forward to going to Kansas. We always run well there. We ran awesome at Chicagoland, and that gives me a lot of confidence going into Kansas. The tracks are so similar. We’re bringing the same car we ran in Chicago to Kansas, and I think we have a great shot at winning. We ran in the top three all day at Chicago, and, at the end, Gordon beat us out of the pits, and ended up beating us. Kansas is going to be a good track for us. That’s just how loyal our fans are (in pulling for him). It’s like that for everyone when they go to their home track. They get that extra push from the local fans and, certainly, Kansas is mine.”

RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 39 U.S. ARMY CHEVROLET – 13^TH IN STANDINGS:

“We’re finding consistency and that’s always been a critical factor to attain success. Had we run with this type of consistency we would without question be in the Chase, but it makes no sense to look back — that’s history and we can’t change it. But what we can do with our U.S. Army Chevrolet is to keep on running up front and posting strong finishing results in the remaining eight races. Driving the Soldiers’ car to victory lane would be the ultimate prize. Regarding Kansas, we’ve been so-so on the mile-and-a-half and two-mile tracks this season and we look to change that this weekend. I know that Tony (Gibson, crew chief) and the guys are working hard to get everything we can out of the remaining races.”

JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 BASS PRO SHOPS/TRACKER BOATS CHEVROLET – 14^TH IN STANDINGS:

“Racing at Kansas Speedway is always a bit of a homecoming for me since it’s the closest track to my hometown of Joplin, Missouri. It’s always a great feeling to come to Kansas and know that we have so many supporters here supporting me and the Bass Pro Shops team  As a matter of fact, it is kind of a hometown track for Bass Pro Shops as well, since they are located in Springfield, Missouri.  As for racing, Kansas is very similar to racing at Chicagoland Speedway, except for the fact that the banking at Kansas isn’t quite as high. We still get pretty fast speeds off the turns and now that the track surface has begun to widen out, drivers now have the ability to pass and run a few different lines. I’d love to get a great finish in front of these Kansas fans.”

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET – 15^TH IN STANDINGS:

“We normally run pretty good on the 1.5-mile tracks. This is pretty close to Chicago and we had a decent race there earlier this year. You go into these tracks and wait to see just how good the car is. You never really know until you take those first few laps around in practice and then you go from there. The Target team is working towards winning another race and closing in on that 13^th position in the points standings for the remainder of this season so we’d really like a strong run at Kansas this weekend.”

MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET – 16^TH IN STANDINGS:

“I’m excited to get back to Kansas. I’ve always liked racing on the intermediate tracks. We haven’t had the best results on them this year, but this team really improved on things last week in Dover. The car was pretty good right off the truck and that’s what we need more of this year. I’ve said before that this team is working harder than they ever have before. We’re determined to turn our results around. Last weekend showed improvement and we need to keep building on that.”

DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP ENERGY CHEVROLET – 18^TH IN STANDINGS:

“We had a really good run there last year, and I know Lance and the guys are coming back with something similar. Kansas can be challenging to get the car to work at both ends, but it’s a pretty simple racetrack, I enjoy running there.”

Chevrolet NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Statistics

Manufacturers Championships

Total (1949 – 2009): 33

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, 2009

Drivers Championships

Total (1949 – 2009): 26

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, 2009

Event Victories

2010 Race Wins: 15

Total Chevrolet race wins: 666 (1949 – to date) (2,273 possible = 29.3%)

Record for total race wins in single season: 26 – 2007

Poles Won to Date: 606

Laps Lead to Date: 199,377

Top-Five Finishes to Date: 3,346

Top-10 Finishes to Date: 6,844

Total NASCAR Cup wins by Corporation, 1949 – To-Date

GM: 1,001

Chevrolet: 666

Pontiac: 155

Oldsmobile: 115

Buick: 65

Ford: 696

Ford: 596

Mercury: 96

Lincoln: 4

Chrysler: 456

Dodge: 207

Plymouth: 190

Chrysler: 59

Toyota: 31

About Chevrolet: Chevrolet is a global automotive brand, with annual sales of about 3.5 million vehicles in more than 130 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. In the U.S., the Chevrolet portfolio includes: iconic performance cars, such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long lasting pickups and SUVs, such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers, such as Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including the Cruze Eco and Volt, both arriving in late 2010. Cruze Eco will offer up to 40 mpg highway while the Chevrolet Volt will offer up to 40 miles of electric, gas-free driving and an additional 300 miles of extended range (based on GM testing; official EPA estimates not yet available). Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security, and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response, and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models, fuel solutions, and OnStar availability can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

- Team Chevy, Press Release