Custom Search

Chevy Rock & Roll 400 - Chevrolet Teams with Gretchen Wilson, Nickelback, Green Day and More to Entertain Fans

Chevrolet is mixing the red carpet with black asphalt announcing today that more stars and cars than ever will be part of the popular Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway on Saturday, September 10. NASCAR drivers Kevin Harvick, Scott Riggs and Brian Vickers helped Chevrolet General Manager Ed Peper unveil their musical artist-themed Chevy Monte Carlo racecars for the event. Chevrolet also will host a pre-race concert with Nickelback performing and Gretchen Wilson singing the national anthem.

Grammy Award winner Gretchen Wilson will participate in the event just prior to the release of her upcoming CD "All Jacked Up." Wilson’s "Redneck Woman" spent a record six weeks at No. 1 and helped her wrap up 2004 as the top selling debut artist of any genre. After developing a tremendous following in Canada, Nickelback broke into the U.S. market with the release of the CD "Silver Side Up" and the first single "How You Remind Me," which made it to No. 1 on both the Canadian and U.S. rock charts. Grammy Award-winning Green Day—whose album "American Idiot" debuted at No. 1 around the world and whose current tour continues to sell out concert venues—will be featured on Vickers’ No. 25 GMAC Chevy Monte Carlo.

Three of the specially themed cars that will compete in the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 were revealed:

• Kevin Harvick’s #29 GM Goodwrench Chevy Monte Carlo will feature Gretchen Wilson.
• Brian Vickers’ #25 GMAC Chevy Monte Carlo will feature Green Day.
• Scott Riggs’ #10 Valvoline Chevy Monte Carlo will feature Nickelback.

To view these cars, click here.

"Chevrolet’s American Revolution races on with new products such as the 391-hp TrailBlazer SS, the stylish HHR small vehicle with loads of utility and the newly redesigned Impala and Monte Carlo, and the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 allows us to bring awareness of these new vehicles in a fun way that reflects Chevy’s musical heritage," said Ed Peper, Chevrolet General Manager. "Music is part of Chevrolet´s DNA. Chevy vehicles have inspired lyrics in more than 200 songs. From ‘American Pie’ to ‘Little Red Corvette,’ no other brand has so inspired popular culture, and we’re eager to have talent such as Gretchen Wilson, Nickelback and Green Day to help showcase our new vehicles."

"Cruising around in the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 with Nickelback on my car will be pretty cool," said Scott Riggs. "Richmond International Raceway is an awesome place to be behind the wheel of a racecar and having a band that I´m already a fan of riding along with me will be fun. The only thing that could make it better would be taking the Nickelback/Valvoline Chevrolet to victory lane that week."

"I always look forward to the Chevy Rock & Roll 400," said Kevin Harvick. "We have met some really great musicians in the past and to see their excitement with what we do is really cool. This year we have Gretchen Wilson on the GM Goodwrench Chevrolet. I think the fans will get a kick out of seeing a ‘Redneck Woman’ on the car."

This is the sixth consecutive year that Chevrolet will be the title sponsor of the fall race at Richmond International Raceway. With more than 107,000 fans attending, the race will mark the 28th consecutive sell-out of a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series event at the track and will be broadcast live during primetime. The Chevy Rock & Roll 400 is the 26th race of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series season and will determine the participants in the "Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Championship."

"The Chevy Rock & Roll 400 is one of the most prestigious races on the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series schedule," said Doug Fritz, Richmond International Raceway president. "The Rock & Roll concept, along with the drama of it being the 26th race, will again show why Richmond International Raceway is America’s premier short track."

Action Performance Companies Inc., a leader in licensed motorsports merchandise, designed many of the Chevrolet stock cars that will be part of the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 event. Action also will create die-cast replicas of the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 racecars. The collectibles will be available through Action’s standard distribution channels. To locate an Action Racing Collectables distributor, call 1-800-411-8404. The Racing Collectables Club of America can be reached at 1-800-952-0708 or www.goracing.com. To find an ARC products dealer, use the locator tool at www.action-performance.com.

"The September race at Richmond always is a popular event on the NASCAR schedule. When Chevrolet injected rock ’n’ roll energy to the event with the Chevy Rock & Roll 400, it got even better," said Fred W. Wagenhals, Chairman, President and CEO of Action Performance Companies. "Because of what the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 race represents, I feel fortunate that Action Performance is working with Chevrolet on this year’s rock-and-racing event. Fans will love the music, the paint schemes and the match ups. And, they will love collecting the authentic die-cast replicas of the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 cars that they cheered for on the track."

Today´s announcement is the first of many musical pairings to be announced prior to the Chevy Rock & Roll 400. Additional vehicles that will be participating in the event will be announced later.

About the Chevy Rock & Roll 400
A collaboration among Chevrolet, Richmond International Raceway and Action Performance Companies Inc., the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 unites pop and rock musicians with elite drivers in NASCAR for this unique industry-first program. The Chevy Rock & Roll 400 is the headlining event of the September NASCAR race weekend, Sept. 8-10, 2005, at Richmond International Raceway in Virginia and features Chevy Monte Carlo race cars adorned with paint schemes showcasing music artists. The Chevy Rock & Roll 400 race weekend also marks the first time that many of these popular artists have been directly linked to the NASCAR racing experience.

Source: Action Performance Companies Inc.
Date: May 13, 2005

All hobby headlines...