We all know Chevrolet makes a great family vehicle, and those Camaro fans can talk your ear off about their favorite muscle car, but Chevrolet is a major part of motorsports across the United States and the world.
In 2015, Chevrolet netted 11 championships across major motorsports organizations including NASCAR and the NHRA. Jim Campbell, Chevrolet’s vice president of performance vehicles and motorsports, said winning these major races are always a yearly goal.
“What we learn on the race track helps us build better vehicles and powertrains for the showroom,” Campbell said. “Winning races and championships helps elevate brand opinion and image. Consumers are more likely to place our cars and trucks on their shopping list.”
What Chevrolet can do on the racetrack definitely is translated into vehicles such as the Camaro and Corvette, but the spirit and ingenuity of the Chevrolet racing division trickles down to the Cruzes and Malibus.
So how did Chevrolet do this year on the track? Here’s just a few of the team’s accomplishments:
—In the IndyCar realm, Chevrolet road its 2.2-liter twin-turbo V6 to victories including Juan Pablo Montoya’s first-place finish in the Indianapolis 500. Scott Dixon also won the Driver Championship, and Chevrolet as a whole won the Manufacturer Championship for the fourth straight year.
—NASCAR saw the Chevrolet team go round and round, and the trophies started coming around as well. For the 13th consecutive season, Chevrolet won the NASCAR Manufacturer Championship, making it 39 overall for the bowtie brand. Chevy recorded 15 wins, one being Kevin Harvick’s victory in Dover, Del., in October. This was significant because it was Chevrolet’s 750th all-time win in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series, the first brand to reach this mark.
In the NHRA, Chevrolet won the Manufacturer Bowl which is awarded to the make whose current model year cars earn the most points. Chevrolet also scored 29 national event victories.
Around the world, Corvettes scored victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans GTE Pro Class. With all these victories, it’s no wonder all the Chevrolets from the Spark to the Silverado to the Cruze and everything in between are fun, functional and have the racing spirit.
To learn more about new Chevrolets near Knoxville, contact West Chevrolet online or give us a call at 865-970-9378!
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