Racing used to be taboo at General Motors, once banned by a corporate edict. Not that things didn't happen under the table. But things have changed over the past 50 years, with Corvette Racing and other teams going full-bore. Now Chevrolet is jumping back into the IndyCar game with a purpose-built V-6 to power Team Penske cars.

Rules changes for 2012 are what opened the door. Previously the series was dominated by Honda power, but Chevrolet is not without experience: it built V-8 engines for "Indy-style" racing from 1986-1993 and 2002-2005. The new aluminum-block-and-heads V-6 engine will displace 2.4 liters and perform double duty as a stressed member of the chassis.

Chevy will provide the engine to any teams that wish to purchase it, though Team Penske is already signed up. The engines will slot into the new-for-2012 Dallara chassis.

But why is Chevy getting into Indy? "Re-entering IndyCar racing will help us take our advanced engine technology to the upper bounds of what's possible. And it will also provide a dynamic training ground for engineers, who'll transfer the technologies we develop for racing to the products we sell to our customers," said Tom Stephens, vice chairman of global product operations for GM.

In other words, win on Sunday, sell on Monday.

For an official history lesson on Chevrolet's previous success in CART and IRL racing, check out page two.

[GM]

Chevrolet’s roots in open-wheel racing run deep. Louis Chevrolet, co-founder and namesake of the Chevrolet Motor Co., competed at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1909. A gifted engineer and talented race car driver, the Swiss-born Chevrolet organized the car company that bore his name with partner William Durant in 1911. Louis Chevrolet raced in the Indianapolis 500 four times, with a best finish of seventh in 1919. He prepared the cars driven to victory by his brother Gaston in 1920 and by Tommy Milton in 1921.

As an engine manufacturer, Chevrolet has competed in major open-wheel racing series in two eras. In 1986 through 1993, Chevy participated in CART and USAC-sanctioned events with turbocharged 2.65-liter Chevy Indy V-8 engines. Chevrolet returned to open-wheel competition in the IRL IndyCar Series in 2002 with a naturally aspirated 3.5-liter powerplant. Chevy Indy V-8 engines have won a total of 104 CART and IRL races, including seven Indianapolis 500 victories.

Chevy was well represented in Indy-style racing by independent teams that campaigned stock-block V-8 and V-6 engines in the ’70s and ’80s. On Oct. 15, 1984, Chevy officially became a force in open-wheel racing with the announcement of a new, purpose-built Chevrolet Indy racing engine.

The first Chevy Indy V-8 was a 2.65-liter turbocharged, methanol-burning V-8 with dual overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder. The Chevy Indy V-8 made its competition debut in Phoenix on April 6, 1986. It subsequently became the dominant powerplant in Indy car competition, powering 11 drivers to a total of 86 victories in 1987-93. Chevrolet powered the winning driver in the Indianapolis 500 six straight years, and Chevrolet drivers won the PPG Indy Car World Series championship five consecutive seasons. Chevy enjoyed perfect seasons in 1990 and 1991, winning every race on the Indy car circuit. Eleven drivers won a total of 86 races with Chevy Indy V-8 engines from 1987-93, led by Emerson Fittipaldi with 18 victories.

Having achieved its engineering and marketing objectives, Chevy concluded its Indy car program at the end of the 1993 season. Paul Tracy put an exclamation point on the Chevrolet era with a victory in the season finale in Monterey, Calif., on Oct. 3, 1993.

Chevrolet returned to open-wheel racing in 2002 as Chevrolet power swept the manufacturers, drivers and team championships and Chevy drivers celebrated victories in 14 of 15 events on the Indy Racing League schedule. While this dominating performance duplicated the success of Chevy’s previous open-wheel racing program, there were significant differences between the Chevy Indy V-8 racing engines.

In 1997 the IRL introduced a naturally aspirated engine formula with 4.0-liter production-based powerplants, supplanting the turbocharged 2.65-liter engines used previously. In 2000 the maximum displacement was reduced to 3.5 liters to rein in escalating speeds and purpose-built racing engines were allowed, enabling more manufacturers to participate in the IRL series. The engine formula was significantly revised for the 2003 season to allow a smaller, lighter engine package. The maximum displacement was subsequently reduced to 3.0 liters, effective at the 2004 Indianapolis 500.

Sam Hornish Jr. won the first pole and led the first lap with the new Chevy Indy V-8 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 2, 2002. Seven months and 3,100 laps later, Hornish clinched his second championship by inches in the Chevy 500 season finale at Texas Motor Speedway. Between these bookends to the 2002 season, eight Chevy drivers stood in the winner’s circle at tracks ranging from .75-mile bullrings to 2.5-mile superspeedways: Hornish (5 victories), Helio Castroneves (2), Gil de Ferran (2), Alex Barron (1), Airton Dare (1), Felipe Giaffone (1), Scott Sharp (1) and Jeff Ward (1). Hornish was Chevy’s most successful driver in 2003, scoring three victories and finishing fifth in the IndyCar Series drivers championship.

Chevy Indy V-8 Milestones

Chevrolet drivers have won six Indy-style championships, including five consecutive titles in the PPG Indy Car World Series in 1988-92. A decade later, Sam Hornish Jr. became the first Chevrolet champion in the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series:

  • 1988    Danny Sullivan
  • 1989    Emerson Fittipaldi
  • 1990    Al Unser Jr.
  • 1991    Michael Andretti
  • 1992    Bobby Rahal
  • 2002    Sam Hornish Jr.

Chevrolet has powered the winning driver in the Indianapolis 500 seven times, including six consecutive victories in 1988-93:

  • 1988    Rick Mears
  • 1989    Emerson Fittipaldi
  • 1990    Arie Luyendyk
  • 1991    Rick Mears
  • 1992    Al Unser Jr.
  • 1993    Emerson Fittipaldi
  • 2002    Helio Castroneves

 

CHEVY INDY V-8 RECORD

Year

Series

Races

Wins

Indy 500 Winner

Series Champion

1986

CART

17

0

 

 

1987

CART

15

5

 

 

1988

CART

15

14

Rick Mears

Danny Sullivan

1989

CART

15

13

Emerson Fittipaldi

Emerson Fittipaldi

1990

CART

16

16

Arie Luyendyk

Al Unser Jr.

1991

CART

17

17

Rick Mears

Michael Andretti

1992

CART

16

11

Al Unser Jr.

Bobby Rahal

1993

CART

16

10

Emerson Fittipaldi

 

2002

IRL

15

14

Helio Castroneves

Sam Hornish Jr.

2003

IRL

16

3

 

 

2004

IRL

16

0

 

 

2005

IRL

17

1

 

 

Totals

 

191

104