Gibbs Racing to Chevy – it’s official – may run some in 2002: Joe Gibbs made official Sunday his intention to move his two Winston Cup teams [#18 and #20] from Pontiac and Chevrolet next season. Gibbs said his teams would also test both Pontiacs and Chevrolets the remainder of this season and would utilize Chevrolets in some races later this year if the Chevrolets tested better, perhaps as early as the Brickyard 400. “Pontiac has been a great partner for us,” said Gibbs. “We’ve been in Chevrolet before. I don’t think Pontiac could have done anything more for us. We feel like starting next year we will be in a better position as a race team where we can benchmark our cars against a lot of other good cars. It’s just sheer numbers for us.” Gibbs’ organization played a large role in the development of the 2003 Pontiac Grand Prix, which was recently approved for competition by NASCAR, and has also built several Chevrolets. The 2003 Chevrolet Monte Carlo is still being tested and has not yet been approved for competition by NASCAR. Tony Stewart, driver of Gibbs’ #20 Pontiac, echoed Gibbs’ statements. “I just want what everyone else has. I don’t want to be beat by a rules package,” Stewart said. “If I’m going to get beat, I want it to be by another driver. And I think being in a larger group, where Joe (Gibbs) can go into the NASCAR hauler and plead our case if it needs pleading, will help, because it won’t just be Joe, it’ll be Richard Childress, Rick Hendrick and Dale Earnhardt Inc.” Pontiac officials said Sunday they still plan to field entries in NASCAR. “Pontiac will be racing in 2003. We’re very excited about the new car,” said Doug Duchhardt, NASCAR Group Manager for General Motors Racing. “We’re working on some new teams. We’re in negotiations with some teams. We’re quite confident we’ll have a good lineup next year to campaign for the Pontiacs.”(ThatsRacin.com). Stewart will test a Pontiac and Chevy at Indy on Tues and Wed. Doug Duchardt, NASCAR group manager of GM Racing, and Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), announced today that Gibbs’ two NASCAR Winston Cup Series teams of Tony Stewart and Bobby Labonte would switch from Pontiac to Chevrolet for the 2003 Winston Cup season. JGR fielded a Chevrolet from its inception in 1992 through the 1996 Winston Cup season with Dale Jarrett and then Bobby Labonte as its drivers. It started running a Pontiac in 1997 with Labonte, and then two Pontiacs in 1999 when Stewart joined the organization as a rookie. Of the 35 Winston Cup victories and the 26 Winston Cup pole positions earned by JGR in its 10-year history, 29 wins and 20 poles have been won with a Pontiac.(Edleman PR)(7-14-2002)
