Pontiac Pace Car to lead the field

Pontiac Grand Prix to be Official Pace Car of NASCAR in 2003.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Feb. 12 -- For the 32nd time in the history of NASCAR, Pontiac will serve as the "Official Pace Car of NASCAR" and assume its position at the head of the field.

The 2003 season, which includes 36 championship events, marks the 15th year that the Pontiac Grand Prix GTP has served in that capacity.

The announcement was made Wednesday at Daytona International Speedway by Bob Kraut, marketing director for Pontiac Grand Prix and Bonneville.

"The Grand Prix brings precision handling and total performance to both the race track and the street, and our association with NASCAR affords us a great showcase for those attributes," said Kraut. "Pontiac has a strong racing heritage and it's exciting to add another year to that heritage in 2003."

The 2003 Grand Prix GTP pace car features a 3.8-liter 3800 Supercharged Series II fuel-injected V6 engine and a four-speed, electronically controlled automatic transmission. The car is equipped with a Ram Air System and 18-inch aluminum wheels with Goodyear F1 tires.

The Grand Prix that will pace the 2003 Daytona 500 will feature a paint scheme designed by a fan who entered the Pontiac Grand Prix NASCAR Pace Car Promotion. From a total of more than 32,000 entries, five fan-designed pace cars were selected as finalists, with the winner to be unveiled on Feb. 16 prior to the start of the 45th annual edition of "The Great American Race."

The winner will be announced in a special pre-race ceremony and will receive a special victory lap around the speedway driven by Vin Diesel, star of last summer's smash action movie, "xXx."

General Motors (NYSE: GM), the world's largest vehicle manufacturer, designs, builds and markets cars and trucks worldwide, and has been the global automotive sales leader since 1931. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.

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