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RCR’S NO. 31 CATERPILLAR CHEVY UNVEILED
Richard Childress Racing unveiled today at Chicagoland Speedway the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet Impala SS to be driven by Jeff Burton in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series beginning in 2009.
Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) and RCR announced June 18 that they had entered into a multi-year partnership for the No. 31 Chevrolet team and Burton. Next season marks Caterpillar’s 17th year of sponsorship involvement in NASCAR. It will also be Richard Childress’ 40th anniversary in the sport.
“Brand identity is a key element to the success of the partnership between a sponsor and a race team,” said Richard Childress, president and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. “Caterpillar kept the core of its established and very well-known paint scheme and, at the same time, made it unique to the RCR program by including a Cat product into the overall design.”
Burton, a 20-time winner in NSCS competition, is currently third in the 2008 point standings with one victory, four top-five and 10 top-10 finishes in the season’s first 18 races. The No. 31 team has made the Chase for the Championship the past two seasons, finishing seventh in 2006 and eighth last year.
“Fans tell us Caterpillar has one of the most recognizable cars in NASCAR,” said Jim Parker, vice president of Caterpillar’s North American Commercial Division. “RCR is one of the most familiar names in racing. Our new design—with Jeff Burton behind the wheel—combines these two distinct brands yet still adds a fresh new look for 2009.” [07/10/08]
CORVETTE TEAM WILL FACE REVAMPED LIME ROCK TRACK
Corvette Racing's drivers and team members have decades of experience at Lime Rock Park, but they will encounter something completely different in Saturday's American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix. With new corners and a freshly paved surface, the familiar track in rural Connecticut will be full of unknowns for America's premier production sports car team.
"The biggest challenge is that we have very limited data on the new Lime Rock track layout," said Ken Flory, chief engineer for the No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R driven by Johnny O'Connell and Jan Magnussen. "While we have maps of the new sections, they don’t show the elevations, banking, and specific details of the track. With new paving on the entire track, the grip level is a mystery as well."
At 1.51 miles in length, the track has lost a few yards of pavement, but the corner count has increased from eight to 10. Fortunately Chevrolet's factory road racing team has the analytical tools and technical resources to unlock the mysteries of the new Lime Rock Park quickly.
"We've run our computer simulations of the circuit using the data from previous events and taking into account the new corners and anticipated grip level," Flory explained. "It appears that there will be more speed differential between the fast and slow corners, and the drivers will be using second through sixth gears. I would characterize the old circuit as high-speed and bumpy, but with the new pavement, we anticipate a smoother track surface."
With only a pair of one-hour practice sessions before GT1 qualifying begins on Friday afternoon, the Corvette Racing engineering team will need to make quick decisions on setup for the two-hour, 45-minute race on Saturday. (file photo by Richard Prince/GM Racing Photo) [07/10/08]