Chevrolet Press Release:
Corvette Z06 to Pace the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
Chevrolet Continues Brickyard Pace Car Tradition for 14th Consecutive Year; All Past Chevrolet Pace Vehicles to be Featured at Chevy Racing Display
INDIANAPOLIS - A Chevrolet Corvette Z06 will pace the field for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard on July 29, marking the 14th consecutive year that a Chevrolet will perform pace car duties for this historic and highly-anticipated NASCAR event. To celebrate Chevrolet's pace car tradition, each of the past 13 Chevy pace
vehicles will be featured at the Chevy Racing display at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
"The fact that a Chevrolet has paced every NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway since the inception of this event says a lot for our vehicles," said Ed Peper, general manager of Chevrolet. "Pace cars must be safe, reliable and capable of leading a field of race cars. We're proud to have our Corvette Z06 pacing this race and look forward to sharing that heritage with a special Chevy pace car display."
The Corvette Z06, designed using extensive race car technology, is the fastest vehicle ever offered by Chevrolet and General Motors. With 505 horsepower and 470-lb.ft. of torque, the Corvette Z06 leaps from zero to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds and has a top speed of 198 mph. The Corvette Z06 pacing the field is nearly identical to the 2007 model available in dealer showrooms with the only major modifications being the addition of strobe lights, racing safety belts and a unique paint scheme.
The paint scheme for this year's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard pace vehicle will go back to basics
with an American red, white and blue design featuring a geometric pattern that plays off the checkers of the legendary bricks found at the Indianapolis track.
"The last few Corvette pace vehicles featured a free-flowing design, so this year we thought it would be fun to return to a more straightforward paint scheme," said Kip Wasenko, GM director of design, specialty vehicles. "The blend of the three colors we selected represent the metaphor of America's favorite sports car pacing the field at the 'big house' of American racing."
Race fans across the country can check out the Corvette Z06 leading the field by tuning in to the live ESPN broadcast of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. Drivers will take the checkered flag at 2 p.m. (ET) with a live, one-hour pre-race show beginning at 1 p.m.
Individuals already attending the race weekend are invited to visit Chevy's pace car collection at the Chevy Racing display located next to the Hall of Fame Museum throughout the race weekend. Previous Chevy pace vehicles featured include the Monte Carlo (1994, 1997-2004), a C-1500 Full-Size Pickup (1995), the Camaro (1996), the SSR (2005) and a Corvette Z06 (2006). The display will be open from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday, July 27, 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, July 28 and 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday, July 29.
General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world's largest automaker, has been the annual global industry sales leader for 76 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 280,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 33 countries. In 2006, nearly 9.1 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn and Vauxhall. 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.
