Posted on Thu, May. 08, 2008

THAT'S RACIN': GM exec knows how vital racing is to Chevy's legacy

If you are one of the 1,200 second-shift production workers who, as members of UAW Local 276, are dealing with another week of layoffs at the General Motors assembly plant in Arlington, you have real-world priorities.

That said, you probably are not overly concerned that NASCAR superstars and Chevrolet drivers Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. remain winless through 10 Sprint Cup Series starts apiece this season.

That puzzling dilemma, and related racing issues, fall into the laptop of Brent Dewar, GM North America's vice president of field sales, service and parts. Dewar will shed that long-winded title for another effective June 1, when he assumes duties as GM Europe vice president, sales, marketing and after sales.

As such, Dewar's fingerprints are all over GM Racing, which, like the new car market, has gone global.

"Racing's part of our DNA here, so I'm going to have a great team to continue the efforts at Chevrolet," Dewar said in a recent interview. "We race Corvettes at Le Mans. That'll be my home ground... which is a pretty good gig."

GM's reason for racing the Chevrolet Impala SS in NASCAR is obvious -- the brand/marketing exposure afforded by the most popular form of motorsport in North America is undeniable. Similarly, GM's factory-backed American Le Mans Series program, highlighted by the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France, is about validating the 'Vette as a world-class sports car.

Decisions on what series GM should compete in, Dewar said, are made by the company's racing council. Consider, for example, the idea that GM needs to compete against Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Honda and Toyota in Formula One.

"We evaluate all sports on three things," Dewar said. "If you're going to race, you've got to race to win. That's the fun part. We think we have the technology to win in any of the race [series] around the world.

"The second thing, you only go racing if it matters to somebody -- that there's a fan base that matters.

"And the third thing is ROI [return on investment]. All three have to be balanced. Some series have a good fan base, but the ROI doesn't make sense. This is a business. It has to meet those criteria to race."

With those guidelines, here are some motorsports topics The General is dealing with in these not-so-kind domestic economic times:

The return of Tony Stewart to the GM family: This rumor took on legs last month after Stewart began looking for a way out of Joe Gibbs Racing and its Toyota Camry lineup before his contract expires at the end of the 2009 season.

"We love Tony," Dewar said. "Tony is our partner on [World of Outlaws] Sprint Cars and Tony Stewart Racing. In the [USAC National] Midget class and Sprints, we're with him as a team owner. We stay in touch with Tony... you never know what the future brings."

GM's plans for the reunited IndyCar Series: Chevrolet last supplied engines/tech support to the Indy Racing League in 2005. "That was a tough decision to leave it," Dewar said. "At this point we don't have any current plans, but we will be in Indianapolis for the Indy 500, and I'm sure there'll be opportunities to continue talks with them."

Alternative fuels in big-time racing: Dewar said most forms of major motorsports could make the switch from unleaded to alternative fuels in "less than two or three years."

"We're pushing hard," Dewar said. "We believe in green racing. Our C6.Rs (Corvette in the ALMS) is racing on cellulosic ethanol made from biodegradable waste products. We're going to have Emerson Fittipaldi pace the Indy 500 in a Concept Corvette E85 vehicle. The next few years, we're going to build 50 percent of GM vehicles to be Flex Fuel -- to run on either biofuel or unleaded gas.

"We have to reduce our dependency on petroleum products. Economically, we have to do it. And we're willing to do it."

PIT STOPS

Kyle Busch wins quarterly vote: In voting concluded three days before Saturday night's infamous "tap heard 'round the world" with Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Richmond International Raceway, Kyle Busch has emerged as first-quarter winner for Driver of the Year. Busch won a combined seven races in NASCAR's Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Craftsman Truck series to earn 14 first-place votes from a panel of 17 motorsports journalists, including this writer, and 142 points. Cup rival Carl Edwards earned one first-place vote and 72 points as runner-up. Danica Patrick, who scored her first IndyCar Series victory in Japan last month, received two first-place votes and 51 points for third. And rising Funny Car star Ashley Force, who posted her first career NHRA national event victory by beating father John Force at Atlanta Dragway, finished fourth with 49 points. A total of 17 drivers received votes for the award, now in its 42nd year.

Stewart reaffirms 'Bowtie' ties: Two-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart reaffirmed his ties to General Motors on Wednesday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he helped unveil Chevrolet's all-new Midget racing engine. Designed by GM Racing for the U.S. Auto Club National Midget Car Series, the purpose-built 4-cylinder Chevy engine initially will power Tony Stewart Racing drivers Tracy Hines and Levi Jones later this season.

Cup teams wrap up LMS test: Nearly 50 Sprint Cup teams participated in a special, two-day test of NASCAR's Car of Today at Lowe's Motor Speedway on Monday and Tuesday, with Elliott Sadler topping the overall chart in his No. 19 Dodge Charger at 186.245 mph Monday evening. The test was added after several drivers complained about poor handling characteristics, and inability to pass or race side-by-side, during the Samsung 500 at the sister 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway last month. TMS president Eddie Gossage continues to lobby NASCAR for a similar test in Fort Worth before the Dickies 500 Chase weekend in November.

WHO'S HOT

Andrew Hines. The three-time National Hot Rod Association Pro Stock Motorcycle champion turned in his 16th consecutive run in the 6-second range en route to his second straight victory Sunday at Gateway International Raceway. Hines, rider of the Screamin' Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson, defeated Matt Smith at 6.882 seconds and 194.13 mph. Hines, who used the same V-Rod engine to win the previous event at Atlanta Dragway, has recorded three final-round appearances in four Pro Stock Bike events in 2008.

WHO'S NOT

Kurt Busch. Get this man a Miller Lite. While brother Kyle barged his way back into the NASCAR Sprint Cup points lead Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway, Kurt finished 42nd after getting swept up in a wreck involving rookie Patrick Carpentier. Kurt now is 24th, 555 points behind Kyle after 10 events. For comparison, Kyle has one pole, two wins, six top fives, seven top 10s and zero DNF (did not finish) results. Kurt has no poles, no wins, one top five, one top 10 and three DNFs. Actually, make it a case of Miller Lite.

BY THE NUMBERS

1,000 Round victories by NHRA Funny Car icon John Force, a milestone accomplished on his 59th birthday Sunday against Ron Capps at Gateway International Raceway.

ON THE GRID

NASCAR Sprint Cup

Dodge Challenger 500

Site: Darlington, S.C., Darlington Raceway (egg-shaped oval, 1.366 miles, 25 degrees banking in turns 1-2, 23 degrees in turns 3-4)

TV schedule: Friday, qualifying (Speed Channel, 4 p.m.); Saturday, race (KDFW/Ch. 4, 6 p.m.)

Race distance: 501.322 miles/367 laps

2007 winner: Jeff Gordon

NASCAR Nationwide

Diamond Hill Plywood 200

Site: Darlington, S.C., Darlington Raceway (egg-shaped oval, 1.366 miles, 25 degrees banking in turns 1-2, 23 degrees in turns 3-4)

TV schedule: Friday, qualifying (Speed Channel, 2 p.m.), race (ESPN2, 6 p.m.)

Race distance: 200 miles/147 laps

2007 winner: Denny Hamlin

Formula One

Turkish Grand Prix

Site: Istanbul Park (road course, 3.342 miles, 14 turns)

TV schedule: Saturday, qualifying (Speed Channel, 6 a.m.); Sunday, race (Speed Channel, 7 a.m.)

Race distance: 193.836 miles, 58 laps

2007 winner: Felipe Massa