Chevy Manufacturer NASCAR news and rumors
Some OFFICIAL Chevy:
Chevrolet
GM - General Motors
(not posting new unofficial sites anymore: too many have no updates, are old, driver bashing)
Past NASCAR news, rumors about Chevy
(note: some links will not work as sites have deleted stuff or moved them)
- Chevy pushing for alternative fuels in NASCAR: Chevrolet is continuing its effort to have NASCAR make alternative fuels a priority. “We’re pushing hard – we probably are the instigators a little bit,” Chevrolet Vice President Brett Dewar said during the Texas race weekend. “We believe in green racing, and we believe it is very appropriate to do that … We believe it’s time. We think racing can also be green, and we would like it to be biofuels.” NASCAR executives have indicated that alternative fuels are a priority. “They’re definitely receptive,” Dewar said about NASCAR. “They’ve got fuel providers, and it’s a transition, and I don’t want to mitigate the fact that some work has to get done. There’s modifications to the engines, but we do it to our vehicles today. … We have to reduce our dependency on petroleum products. We just have to. Economically we need to do it, and we’re willing to do it.” General Motors is building cars that can be run on alternative fuels as well as electric vehicles. Dewar said the chairman of General Motors has been among those who has talked with NASCAR officials about alternative fuels. Could that happen in two or three years? “It could be sooner if we all rode together and worked together,” Dewar said. “It’s just a matter of bringing each other [together]. We’re going to meet with them soon to see how their development is coming. but we’re invited to this party. We’re proud to be a member with them from the beginning, General Motors with NASCAR, and we’re very supportive of that. We have to make good decisions.”(SceneDaily)(4-17-2008) Comment here
- GM Sticking with NASCAR: Despite reporting a record $38.7 billion loss in 2007, General Motors said it had no plans to eliminate its support of NASCAR. General Motors has dominated the series in recent years, with Chevrolet drivers having won the last three championships. “Obviously, the last racing we would drop in the racing that we’re in would be NASCAR right now, cause it’s still go the best return for us,” said John Middlebrook, the vice president for global sales and marketing for General Motors.)New York Times)(2-18-2008) Comment here
- Chevy Monte Carlo ends era: The final Nextel Cup Series race of the 2007 season will mark the end of an era for the Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS - the winningest nameplate for the bow-tie brand in NASCAR competition. Since its NASCAR introduction in May 1971, the legendary Monte Carlo/Monte Carlo SS contributed to 24 of the 31 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturers' championship won by Chevrolet. Of the 23 NASCAR Cup driver's championships won by Chevrolet drivers, 16 of the champions powered their way to the top prize with the help of the Monte Carlo collecting 396 wins in the process. Chevy's key partners in NASCAR Cup competition are quick to recognize the contribution of the Monte Carlo/Monte Carlo SS to the success their organizations have enjoyed through the years. Jeff Gordon, four-time NASCAR Nextel Cup Series champion, has been an
exclusive Chevrolet driver throughout his remarkable career. With 81 wins, 233 top-five and 316 top-10 finishes on his Chevrolet Cup career resume, Gordon leads the distinguished list of drivers who have enjoyed success in the Monte Carlo/Monte Carlo SS. The Monte Carlo SS will be gone from NASCAR Sprint Cup series competition, replaced full-time in 2008 by another legend in the Chevrolet lineup, the Impala SS. However, the strong, winning tradition of Monte Carlo SS will continue in the NASCAR Nationwide Series starting at Daytona 2008.(GM Racing PR)(11-14-2007)
- Chevy hopes to get Stewart back in Cup: One of the top executives in the General Motors racing operation said the automaker will attempt to sign Tony Stewart to a contract with another Chevrolet team after his current deal with Joe Gibbs Racing expires. “We’d be interested in Tony staying with Chevy,” Brent Dewar, GM North America vice president of sales, service and parts, said Friday at Richmond International Raceway. “Most fans don’t realize that the drivers sign with the teams, and we all respect that. I understand he’s through 2009 currently with Gibbs. We’d love for him to continue with Chevrolet down the road. … “We’ve had a great relationship with Tony.” Dewar also said Chevrolet will continue to support Stewart’s hobby—sprint-car racing—despite his defection to Toyota next year along with the rest of the Gibbs drivers. “We’ve just got to sit down and see if it makes sense for all parties,” Dewar said. “We are starting to work with him and develop … he’s passionate about sprint cars, so we can see some avenues.” Stewart said during last week’s Toyota press conference that he is planning an aggressive round of contract negotiations with his team.(Ford Racing)(9-8-2007)
- Chevy Continues Partnership with Hendrick Motorsports: Chevrolet, the winningest nameplate in NASCAR, will continue its partnership with championship team Hendrick Motorsports in NASCAR competition in 2008 and beyond. In 23 years (1984-2006) of NASCAR competition, Hendrick Motorsports has garnered six Nextel Cup Series (formerly Winston Cup) championships, three Craftsman Truck Series titles and one Busch Series crown, making it one of stock-car racing's premier organizations. Rick Hendrick is the only team owner in NASCAR's modern era to earn more than 150 Cup Series victories and is currently at 160 Cup wins - all of them coming in Chevrolets. Hendrick Motorsports' win at the first "Car
of Tomorrow" race at Bristol earlier this year also earned Chevrolet its first Impala SS win and Chevy's 600th win in NASCAR Cup competition. The four full-time NASCAR Cup teams of Hendrick Motorsports slated to run in 2008 include four-time champion Jeff Gordon in the #24 DuPont Chevy; Jimmie Johnson in the #48 Lowe's Chevy; Casey Mears in the #5 Kellogg's/CARQUEST Chevy; and new addition Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who has only driven Chevrolets in his NASCAR career.(GM Racing PR)(9-7-2007)
- GM Statement of JGR moving to Toyota: Statement from Brent Dewar; General Motors North America Vice President of Vehicle Sales, Service and Parts Regarding Joe Gibbs Racing's decision to sign with another manufacturer: "General Motors has been associated with Joe Gibbs Racing for 16 years working together winning races and championships. While we understand the business nature of racing, we are disappointed in J.D.'s decision and announcement today. With our long-standing relationship and record
of winning with them, we hoped they would remain with Chevrolet. We will continue to support our JGR drivers in this year's Chase for the Championship. We wish JGR well as they go forward, and Chevrolet will compete against them on the track next year to defend its title as the winningest name in racing."(GM Racing PR)(9-5-2007)
- Chevy and RCR continue partnership: Chevrolet, the winningest nameplate in NASCAR, will continue its partnership in NASCAR competition in 2008 with one of racing's elite organizations, Richard Childress Racing (RCR). "2008 marks Richard Childress's 39th year as a team owner and his cars proudly carry the Chevy bowtie," said Ed Peper, Chevrolet general manager. "At Chevrolet and GM Racing, we are very excited to continue a long and successful relationship with one of the best racing organizations in NASCAR, both on and off the track." RCR's lineup includes #29-Kevin Harvick, #31-Jeff Burton and #07-Clint Bowyer in the Cup Series and Harvick and Tim McCreadie in the #21, Burton and Scott Wimmer in the #29 and #2-Bowyer in the Buscg Series.(GM Racing PR)(8-18-2007)
- Chevy and RCR continue partnership: Chevrolet, the winningest nameplate in NASCAR, will continue its partnership in NASCAR competition in 2008 with one of racing's elite organizations, Richard Childress Racing (RCR). "2008 marks Richard Childress's 39th year as a team owner and his cars proudly carry the Chevy bowtie," said Ed Peper, Chevrolet general manager. "At Chevrolet and GM Racing, we are very excited to continue a long and successful relationship with one of the best racing organizations in NASCAR, both on and off the track." RCR's lineup includes #29-Kevin Harvick, #31-Jeff Burton and #07-Clint Bowyer in the Cup Series and Harvick and Tim McCreadie in the #21, Burton and Scott Wimmer in the #29 and #2-Bowyer in the Buscg Series.(GM Racing PR)(8-18-2007)
- Hendrick re-signs with GM: Hendrick Motorsports has verbally agreed to a five-year contract with General Motors, keeping HMS in Chevrolets through 2012. "We're done," team owner Rick Hendrick said after Sunday's Nextel Cup race at Watkins Glen International. "We haven't signed it, but we've verbally agreed." GM is in the last year of all of its contracts with teams in the Nextel Cup series. Re-signing HMS was key, particularly with speculation that Joe Gibbs Racing may be leaving for Toyota. Richard Childress Racing and Dale Earnhardt Inc., GM's other top teams, remain in negotiations but are expected to re-sign. Two of the top three owners in Chevrolet expect Joe Gibbs Racing to move to Toyota in 2008. "I'd say they're gone," said Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick, who has agreed to a five-year deal with General Motors. Richard Childress Racing owner Richard Childress said there are enough signs to believe that JGR will make the jump, which he says will take Toyota to another level. "It's pretty well written in stone," he said on Sunday at Watkins Glen International. Childress is so convinced JGR will bolt that he questions whether the organization should be included in Thursday's key partners' meeting at GM's headquarters in Detroit. "No, I wouldn't feel comfortable with them there," he said. "If the [other Chevrolet] teams have a feeling they're going to be there, we're not going to discuss openly with them in a room things we normally would discuss openly. You're sitting there working on stuff for next year and you don't want them to take that and help out the competition."(ESPN.com)(8-13-2007)
- Chevy hopes to keep teams: Chevrolet officials remain hopeful that Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports will remain a part of the General Motors program in 2008. GM is in the process of renewing all of its deals, with JGR and HMS being the crown jewels of their program. Toyota has been linked with JGR in several news reports despite comments from team president J.D. Gibbs that re-signing with GM is his top priority. Rick Hendrick, the owner of HMS, also has ties to Toyota through his dealership business. Ed Peper, the general manager of Chevrolet Racing, said during a Thursday press conference at Indianapolis Motor Speedway that he is very confident in negotiations to re-sign all teams currently under the Chevrolet banner. Terry Dolan, the marketing director for Chevrolet Racing, would not comment on specific organizations.
"I am confident we will have strong teams continuing to represent Chevrolet, not only because we've got a pretty good track record of performance but because we've been dedicated to this sport for a long time," he said of the company that has won 15 of 19 Nextel Cup races this season with 12 of the wins coming from JGR and HMS. "We have some of the tools and assets they need to succeed in their business."(ESPN.com)(7-28-2007)
- Chevy Dominates First Half of Season: Chevy teams have dominated the opening segment of the Nextel Cup Series, winning 15 of the 19 races heading into the final break of the year. With seven races to go before the Chase For The Nextel Cup, 10 of the 12 drivers in the field at this point are driving Chevys. The manufacturer has been as dominant in the car of tomorrow as in the so-called traditional car, winning seven of eight COT races and eight of 11 in the current car. That's a winning percentage of 79%.(SceneDaily.com)(7-22-2007)
- Chevy to unveil paint schemes to commemorate 50 Years of the '57 Chevy: Chevrolet driver #48-Jimmie Johnson will be on hand when Chevrolet and Motorsports Authentics announce several classic paint schemes to celebrate the 50th anniversary of one
of the most recognizable cars in American history - the 1957 Chevy. Johnson will help unveil the '57 Chevy paint scheme his Monte Carlo SS will sport during the 3M Performance 400 on August 18. Many other commemorative paint schemes celebrating the '57 Chevy will
also be announced Saturday at 9:00am/et at victory lane of the Michigan International Speedway.(GM Racing PR)(6-13-2007)
- Seven cars to run new Chevy engine: Seven cars will run the new Chevy R07 engine in today's race: #20-Tony Stewart, #11- Denny, #18-J.J. Yeley, #31-Jeff Burton, #29-Kevin Harvick, #07-Clint Bowyer and #96-Tony Raines.(GM Racing PR)(6-3-2007)
- Chevy Wants NASCAR to Use Ethanol: One of NASCAR's top sponsors plans to file a formal petition asking that it join other racing leagues and start using ethanol to power its racecars. The recommendation by General Motors Corp., planned for later this year, comes as NASCAR adjusts to using unleaded gasoline, decades behind the commercial marketplace. GM sponsors 22 NASCAR vehicles under its Chevy nameplate, about half the vehicles that start any given race. It's been promoting more environmentally friendly fuel for months, and now it plans to proceed with an official presentation to NASCAR ownership.(McClatchy News)(5-5-2007)
- Chevy happy with R07 engine: Chevy engineers are happy with the way the new R07 engines looked after racing last weekend at Texas. Five cars had the new engine, with #11-Denny Hamlin's ninth-place finish the best among them. One Hendrick Motorsports engine and four Joe Gibbs Racing engines were in cars for the event. None of them had a failure nor the fuel pump issues that had stymied some teams working with the new pump configuration. "Everything looked really good," said GM Racing's Jim Covey, who oversees the Chevy NASCAR engine development and has been in contact with the teams this week after they have examined the engines. Covey expects some teams to compete with the new engine at Richmond in a couple of weeks and expects several more to use it in the Nextel All-Star Challenge later in May. There is no specific date for all of the teams to use the new engine, which is expected to have more durability and slightly more horsepower.(SceneDaily.com)(4-22-2007)
- Six teams to run new Chevy engine at Texas: The Chevrolet R07 engine development has progressed to the point where up to six teams are expected to run the engine at this weekend’s race. Cars anticipated to debut the new Chevy engine are: Hendrick Motorsports teammates #25-Casey Mears and #5-Kyle Busch; #20-Tony Stewart and his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates #11-Denny Hamlin and #18-J.J. Yeley as well as a fourth Richard Childress Racing entry, #33-Scott Wimmer. After more than 50 years of successful race development of the Chevy small-block engine, GM Racing has developed its first (for NASCAR competition) purpose-built small-block race engine, the R07. The engine will debut Sunday at the Samsung 500 Nextel Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway. A brief presentation by Director of GM Racing Mark Kent, followed by a Q&A period with Jim Covey, NASCAR engine program manager, is scheduled for Saturday, April 14 at Texas Motor Speedway.(GM Racing PR)(4-12-2007)
- Chevy Aims for 600th NASCAR Cup Series Win: Chevrolet will have the opportunity to achieve several historic milestones at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend. With Jimmie Johnson's back-to-back wins in Las Vegas and Atlanta, Chevrolet has 599 NASCAR Cup wins as Team Chevy heads to Bristol, Tenn. where the Impala nameplate will make its return to NASCAR racing. If a Chevy driver wins in Bristol this weekend, it would be the 600th all-time victory for Chevrolet and the 61st win for Impala. This weekend's Food City 500 in Bristol is the first event featuring NASCAR's next generation of race cars including the Chevy Impala SS. Forty-eight years after the nameplate was introduced to NASCAR racing, Impala returns to NASCAR competition in 16 Nextel Cup events this season. When it takes the track at Bristol, Impala will have already achieved consecutive NASCAR titles in 1960 and 1961 as well 60 race wins including the inaugural Impala race in 1959 at Daytona International Speedway. In addition to Impala's success, Chevrolet's history of NASCAR racing accolades includes 23 driver titles, 30 manufacturer championships and 599 victories. Chevrolet's closest competitor for all-time NASCAR victories trails by the equivalent of a full-season of race wins (22).
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)
(GM Racing PR)(3-23-2007)
- New Chevy engine tested at Darlington: #24-Jeff Gordon completed 500 miles in one of the new Chevrolet R07 engine last week in a tire test at Darlington Raceway. "The thing looked real nice, very good," Hendrick engine assembly director Jeff Andrews said Sunday. "We were real pleased with the performance of the engine. Jeff said the engine felt real good. It wasn't a marketable difference in power. It was really just a reliability test of parts and castings. The encouraging thing is we've taken something that is virtually brand new and we've come out of the box with it very equal and close to that power-wise." Chevrolet officials had hoped that teams would see RCR use the engine for a full race weekend and put it in their main cars in the next few weeks. That probably won't happen. Wimmer likely will attempt the April 15 race at Texas with the new engine for another race simulation try. RCR engine builder Danny Lawrence speculated that RCR's three fulltime teams could use the engine for the Nextel All-Star Challenge, a non-points event, before using the engine for a points-paying race weekend.(SceneDaily.com)(3-20-2007)
- Chevy to scrap Monte Carlo...again: Inside Line has confirmed with supplier sources that production of the Chevrolet Monte Carlo will cease at the end of the 2007 model year. That means the last Monte Carlo will roll off the line sometime this summer. In recent years, the Monte Carlo has been one of General Motors' biggest successes on the NASCAR stock-car racing circuit. But the two-door companion to the Chevrolet Impala sedan has not resonated with the buying public.(Edmunds.com), it was announced in October 2006 that Chevy would be going to the Impala for Car of Tomorrow [COT] races.(3-8-2007)
- GM to buy Chrysler? General Motors Corp. is in talks to buy the Chrysler Group in its entirety, Automotive News reported Friday, citing unnamed sources in Germany and the United States. The automotive trade publication reported on its Web site that high-level talks were talking place between GM and Chrysler Group parent DaimlerChrysler AG. The potential deal between the two automakers could go beyond cooperation on joint development of a large sport utility vehicle, the magazine said. A General Motors Corp. spokesman said the company routinely has discussions with other automakers but declined to comment on the Automotive News report. "We often have discussions with automakers routinely. We don't comment on speculation regarding discussions," GM spokesman Tony Cervone said. Meanwhile, various newspapers reported earlier Friday that Chrysler and GM have held discussions for about six months about a possible alliance related to large sport utility vehicles.(MSNBC)(2-16-2007)
- Chevy engine approved: Chevrolet's new R07 NASCAR engine is now legal, but Pat Suhy, GM's NASCAR field director, said he doesn't expect to see any large changeover among stock car teams until March.(Winston Salen Journal)(1-25-2007)
- Chevy ties win record: Tony Stewart's win brings the total 2006 NNCS Chevy victories to 22, tying the most wins in a season by the Bowtie brand in the Modern Era. Chevrolet drivers took the checkered flag 22 times in 1980 and again in 2004.(GM Racing)(11-7-2006)
- Chevy to decrease Truck Series support: Although General Motors announced only a modest loss in the quarter just past, the knife has come to marketing and NASCAR. Chevrolet officials revealed that the company would end its direct sponsorship of teams in the Craftsman Truck series, where it had backed two teams this year -- Morgan-Dollar's #85 [Dennis Setzer] and #46 [many drivers] and the Xpress #16 [with Saturday's winner Mike Bliss]. Chevrolet will continue to support its Truck teams, under the Silverado name, with technical and parts support, so the brand will remain established in the series, which has become largely a works series.(SpeedTV.com)(10-29-2006)
- Dodge and Chevy to change models in 2007? UPDATE Impala for Chevy in 2007 COT races: Beginning in 2007, Dodge and Chevrolet will campaign new models in Nextel Cup competition, Yahoo! Sports has learned. Dodge will run the Avenger, while Chevrolet will run the Impala SS, according to sources with some of NASCAR's manufacturers. The change also was indicated in a technical bulletin distributed to all teams last week. Both Dodge and Chevy soon will announce that they have been given approval by NASCAR to change to the new models, with Chevy's announcement possibly coming as soon as this week. According to the sources, the stock car version has been approved for use by Dodge teams for both the current Nextel Cup car as well as the Car of Tomorrow version, starting next season. The switch from Monte Carlo to Impala could signal the end of the Monte Carlo name from the Chevrolet lineup, as its rear-drive design [NOTE: the Monte Carlo is front wheel driven - verified at the chevrolet.com site] is used on its model alone and at the present time, no replacement is on the drawing boards at GM. However, unlike its Dodge counterpart, the Impala SS will only be used by Chevrolet teams for their Car of Tomorrow, according to sources. Manufacturers and NASCAR also are continuing to move forward with plans to change all of the models used in the Busch Series, perhaps as soon as the 2010 season. That change would put smaller, sportier models into competition, like the retro-designed Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger – as well as the Toyota Solara.(Yahoo Sports)(10-24-2006)
UPDATE: After a decades-long hiatus from stock car racing, Chevy's legendary Impala nameplate - enhanced with the SS performance designation - will once again compete in NASCAR's Nextel Cup Series (NNCS) in select races of the 2007 NASCAR season. Chevy's Car of Tomorrow entry, slated to make its first run at Bristol in March of 2007, will be an Impala SS and will share the NNCS schedule next season with the current Monte Carlo SS. The Car of Tomorrow will share both the 2007 and 2008 racing seasons with the current race car design until its first full season in 2009. The new car is scheduled to race at sixteen events in 2007, consisting of those at tracks less than a mile and a half in length, the road courses and the second Talladega race. In 2008, all races at tracks two miles or more in length are expected to feature the new design. Chevrolet introduced the Impala in 1957 as a 1958 model (50 years ago next year) and drivers immediately took to the big car, racing it first on the beach at Daytona, then at Daytona International Speedway in 1959. Redesigned that year, Bob Welborn scored a victory with the new model for the qualifying race of the 1959 Daytona 500 - the first 500 at the Speedway. Success continued for Impala with consecutive NASCAR championship titles in 1960 (Rex White) and again in 1961 (Ned Jarrett). In 1963, stock-car legend Junior Johnson ran 32 races of the 55-race schedule in the famous white No. 3 Impala owned by Ray Fox and collected seven wins, 12 top-fives, 13 top-tens and nine poles.(GM Racing PR), images of the 2007 #48 Lowe's Chevy Impala on the 2007 #48 Team Schemes page.(10-27-2006)
- Dodge and Chevy to change models in 2007? Beginning in 2007, Dodge and Chevrolet will campaign new models in Nextel Cup competition, Yahoo! Sports has learned. Dodge will run the Avenger, while Chevrolet will run the Impala SS, according to sources with some of NASCAR's manufacturers. The change also was indicated in a technical bulletin distributed to all teams last week. Both Dodge and Chevy soon will announce that they have been given approval by NASCAR to change to the new models, with Chevy's announcement possibly coming as soon as this week. According to the sources, the stock car version has been approved for use by Dodge teams for both the current Nextel Cup car as well as the Car of Tomorrow version, starting next season. The switch from Monte Carlo to Impala could signal the end of the Monte Carlo name from the Chevrolet lineup, as its rear-drive design [NOTE: the Monte Carlo is front wheel driven - verified at the chevrolet.com site] is used on its model alone and at the present time, no replacement is on the drawing boards at GM. However, unlike its Dodge counterpart, the Impala SS will only be used by Chevrolet teams for their Car of Tomorrow, according to sources. Manufacturers and NASCAR also are continuing to move forward with plans to change all of the models used in the Busch Series, perhaps as soon as the 2010 season. That change would put smaller, sportier models into competition, like the retro-designed Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger – as well as the Toyota Solara.(Yahoo Sports)(10-24-2006)
- Final stage of the GM Racing Development at Nashville: The final stage of the three-stage GM Racing Development Driver Evaluation Program will take place Tuesday and Wednesday, October 10-11, 2006 at Nashville Superspeedway (NSS). The 10 drivers invited to participate will be driving Richard Childress Racing (RCR) NASCAR Busch Series cars. The GM Racing Development Driver Evaluation program was designed to provide opportunities for both the drivers and the teams to connect if an opening exists in someone's driver roster. All Chevrolet teams have been invited to attend and observe the drivers throughout the three stages. GM Racing engineers along with Pratt-Miller staff members have been charged with accurately gathering data for review by Chevy team representatives. Of the 16 original drivers invited to Stages I and II, Landon Cassill, Jeremy Clements, Marc Davis, Jeffrey Earnhardt, Drew Herring, Woody Howard, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Joey Lagano, Tim McCreadie and Jason Sarvis will be showcasing their talent before representatives of Chevy NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series teams.(GM Racing PR)(10-11-2006)
- GM Racing Driver Development Program completes stages 1&2: GM Racing is in the process of hosting a three-stage
Development Driver Evaluation Program. The purpose is to place a group of select young drivers in a controlled environment to give Chevy Nextel Cup, Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series racing teams the opportunity to meet the drivers and observe their on-track skills. All Chevrolet teams have been invited to attend and observe the drivers. GM Racing engineers along with Pratt-Miller staff members are in attendance at all three stages to accurately gather data for review by Chevy team representatives.
A total of 16 drivers with a wide variety of racing backgrounds were invited to participate in the first two stages of the program: Chase
Austin, Colin Braun, Landon Cassill, Jeremy Clements, Marc Davis, Jeffrey Earnhardt, Jay Gerst, Drew Herring, Woody Howard, Ryan
Hunter-Reay, Joey Lagano, Tim McCreadie, Chad McCumbee, Josh Richards, Jason Sarvis and Kody Swanson.
"We are excited to offer this unique opportunity to our NASCAR teams," said Pat Suhy, NASCAR program manger for GM Racing. "Continuing to build our NASCAR racing future with our Chevy team partners is critical to the continued growth and success of the Chevrolet nameplate on the track. Unlike other programs of this nature, there are no winners or losers. Our program provides opportunities for both the drivers and the teams to connect if an opening exists in someone's driver roster.
The first stage was held September 12-13, 2006 at Caraway Speedway, Asheboro NC and showcased the drivers in NASCAR Busch Series (NBS) cars. The cars were prepared and the trackside crew furnished by Richard Childress Racing (RCR). Two-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Ron Hornaday, Jr. set the baseline of the cars and remained available throughout the day's activities to answer questions and coach the drivers. Each driver was given a 20-minute test and tune session to work on the setup and get more comfortable in the car. After the crew did a final check of the car, the driver competed a 40-lap run of timed laps. The cars were equipped with data acquisition equipment to assist in evaluation of driver's performance. Approximately 1,400 laps were run with just four minor spins and no damage sustained to any of the cars; a strong testament to the talent of the drivers participating in the evaluation program.
Stage II of the program was held September 19-20, at Dale McDowell Dirt School located at North Georgia Speedway, Chatsworth, GA. Three different dirt track cars - crate-motor dirt late model stock car (approximately 450 hp); a spec-motor dirt late model stock car
(approximately 550 hp) and an open-motor dirt late model stock car (approximately 800 hp) -were setup and a baseline established by veteran dirt late model champion Dale McDowell. Again, with over 1,000 laps completed, there were no significant incidents on-track despite the wide variety of dirt track experience, ranging from none to full-time competitor.
The final stage is scheduled for October 10-11, 2006 at Nashville Superspeedway, Nashville TN. Drivers will again be showing their skills in RCR-prepared Busch Series cars.(GM Racing PR)(9-27-2006)
- Chevy holds their own 'Gong Show" At Caraway Speedway this week, General Motors officials set up cars in Chevy's version of the"Gong Show" [Rosuh Racing does it years running drivers to run a Truck team]. Drivers ran in a Ron Hornaday-prepared Busch car. Two days of testing at Caraway, with a platoon of engineers from Richard Childress' operation, under the watchful eyes of GM racing execs Pat Suhy and Alba Colon, then the group will go next month to a Georgia dirt track and then to Nashville's high-banked concrete track. The drivers being tested are: Jeff Earnhardt [Dale Sr's grandson via Kerry], Joey Logano, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Colin Braun, Chase Austin, Landon Cassill, Jeremy Clements, Marc Davis, Jay Gerst, Drew Herring, Woody Howard, Tim McCreadie, Chad McCumbee, Josh Richards, Jason Sarvis and Kody Swanson. One of last year's diversity drivers, Allison Duncan, is running this year for Childress at the same Virginia track at which Jeff Earnhardt is running. But there's no word yet on whether Childress plans to move Duncan up next season. Car owners Childress and Rick Hendrick were the most visible in this round of testing, but Kevin Harvick, who has his own NASCAR teams in addition to his day job with Childress on the Nextel Cup tour, is expected to have some input, too, along with several other Chevy teams.(in part from/see full story at the Winston Slaem Journal)(9-15-2006)
- GM, Renault and Nissan to team Up? Nissan Motor Co. on Monday approved opening talks with General Motors Corp. over a possible alliance, the Japanese automaker said. Nissan's board of directors met earlier in the day and decided the company "should proceed with exploratory discussions concerning a potential alliance with General Motors," Nissan said in a statement.
The talks will be conditional on GM endorsing a proposal by its major shareholder, Tracinda Corp., that GM join the alliance between Nissan and its partner, Renault SA, the statement said. The announcement came ahead of a Renault board meeting where executives were expected to discuss the purchase of a significant stake in General Motors with Nissan. Local media reports have said Renault and Nissan could buy up to 20% of outstanding shares in GM. Details of the possible investment plan surfaced after billionaire investor and major GM shareholder Kirk Kerkorian proposed on Friday that the troubled American carmaker join the Nissan-Renault alliance.(Associated Press), no word how or if this would effect Auto Racing/NASCAR, too early to know.(7-3-2006)
- Chevy engine to submit new engine: General Motors officials plan to submit their proposed new Cup engine to NASCAR executives for review in mid-August, ahead of the Sept. 1 deadline. GM hopes for a quick answer from NASCAR so that its teams can get started on the new engine if it's approved.(Winston Salem Journal)(6-26-2006)
- More on the possible Busch Series car change: The Busch Series eventually will have a new car, but not before NASCAR debuts the Nextel Cup "car of tomorrow." The car of tomorrow debuts next season with a 16-race schedule. Full implementation at all track is scheduled for 2009. Any plans for the Busch Series to have a new car won't be decided on until NASCAR evaluates the Cup car.
"The main thing is that we take things we've learned from this car of tomorrow project, safety and things like that, and continue to integrate that into the other series," NASCAR Vice President for Pemberton%22">Competition Robin Pemberton said April 20. "But as far as a total tearup of chassis and bodies, we haven't come to a timeline on any of that." There has been talk about the Busch Series using totally different cars, such as Mustangs. "It's in the talking stages right now," Pemberton said April 21. "A couple of the manufacturers have come to us and expressed a desire to look at running maybe different makes in the Busch Series versus the Cup series. I think that's a pretty good idea and we're looking at it."(SceneDaily.com)(4-24-2006)
- Penske to lead GM? on Sunday's Wind Tunnel [Speed Channel on Sunday's at 9:00pm/et], Robin Miller said he heard from someone a little bit connected in Detroit [home of Chevy/Ford] that General Motors is thinking about pursuing Roger Penske to take over General Motors [Chevy]. Not much more to it and have to wonder since Dodge is signed with Penske Racing in NASCAR thru at least 2007.(4-25-2006)
- One of the Manufacturers pulling out of NASCAR? UPDATE 2 comments from all: an autoextremeist.com column is reporting that: It has come to our attention that serious discussions are taking place for the first time in the conference rooms of one domestic manufacturer in particular on a subject heretofore unthinkable in Detroit. The subject? Pulling out of NASCAR. Yes, it has been mentioned before, and I have predicted it for months now - ever since the announcement was made that Toyota would be buying its way into the France family circus - but we have confirmation that not only are the discussions taking place, they're so far down the road that a timetable for a pullout has been created, taking into account the end dates of existing contracts with individual racing teams currently aligned with this particular manufacturer. This Detroit manufacturer has decided that if it competes in motorsports in the future, it will only compete in three basic areas: 1. In production-based racing series that by rule and specification retain more than a passing resemblance to the cars they sell and the competitors they compete against in showrooms. 2. "Technical" efforts, in other words, engine programs for open-wheel and prototype racing series, but stopping short of Formula 1. And 3. Developing an effort to compete for the overall victory at Le Mans. Any other efforts, grass-roots racing, drag racing, etc., would be covered as the need and budget allow.(in part....see full article at autoextremeist.com, note: thr article doesn't say which manufacturer COULD be leaving [Chevy, Dodge, Ford] and this column will only be up a few days), Peter M. DeLorenzo, who owns and writes for the site has been on Speed Channel's Wind Tunnel a few times and tends to be controversal and a bit anti-NASCAR, however doesn't tend to just post stuff for the sake of posting it and has a lot of sources.(4-20-2006)
UPDATE: A report on the website www.autoextremist.com suggested this week that one of Detroit’s big three automakers could pull out of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series some time after NASCAR’s “Car of Tomorrow” debuts next year. Speculation has centered on Chevrolet, given the Draconian financial state of its parent company, General Motors, which lost $10.6 billion in 2005 and $323 million in the first quarter of ’06. Alba Colon, Chevrolet’s Nextel Cup program manager, said Thursday that if there have been discussions about GM leaving Nextel Cup, she hasn’t been part of them. “I will be honest with you, I just learned about that (the autoextremist.com report) last night,” Colon said Thursday morning at Phoenix International Raceway. “I have never been in a meeting where anything like that has ever been discussed, at least not with me or anyone in my office. We have a commitment with all our teams, a long-term commitment. I can’t comment on the contract we have with our teams, but it’s longer than a year, I can tell you that. It’s more than the end of this year, and it’s not GM’s philosophy to break contracts like that.”(Speed Channel)(4-21-2006)
UPDATE 2 - Comments from all 3: Reports that one of Detroit's Big Three auto manufacturersmay be considering dropping out of NASCAR racing swirled through the Cup garage, possibly stemming from the report that Ford's SVT (Special Vehicle Team) program may be shut down in October. But Ford's Kevin Kennedy, the company's public-affairs manager for racing, said that there are no plans to get out of NASCAR: "We've seen that story, and I can assure you Ford does not plan on getting out of NASCAR. Our racing program has support at the highest levels of the company, and our research and data has shown conclusively that there's a viable business case for us being involved in the sport in terms of our market share and purchase consideration among race fans. Racing is part of the Ford DNA and has been since Henry Ford raced back in 1901."
General Motors' Pat Suhy, the company's NASCAR director, said that GM isn't leaving, either: "We're here in NASCAR and we're here to stay. It makes good business sense for us to be here. We get a great return on our investment. We have a lot of activation around this around the country with our dealers and our regional dealer groups. And we have great sponsorship partners with our teams. So if there is any truth to that, I don't know about it, and it certainly isn't us."
Ray Evernham, owner of the season's winningest operation, which is sponsored by Dodge dealers, said: "I can't speak for Dodge, but I can tell you I know they're happy. If you look at their stock, it's up. And they're the only American manufacturer with an increase in market share. I've got a really long-term contract with them, and if I were a betting man, I'd bet it's not Daimler."(Winston Salem Journal)(4-22-2006)
