MONTE CARLO, JAY LENO GEAR UP TO PACE INDY 500

Chevrolet hosted a press conference at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to celebrate the all-new 2000 Monte Carlo pace car and its celebrity driver, Jay Leno. The host of "The Tonight Show" will drive the pace car for the Indianapolis 500 on May 30. Leno had a pace car practice session, tutored by none other than racing great/pace car driver Parnelli Jones and Jon Moss, manager of GM Specialty Vehicles. The practice session was followed by several interviews with Leno and a press conference that included comments by Leno; Don Parkinson, Monte Carlo brand manager; and Tom Pyden, Chevy's director of communications.

"I've had a lot of thrilling experiences in my lifetime, but I can't wait to drive the Chevrolet Monte Carlo around the track for the 83rd running of the Indy 500," says Leno. "I'm thankful to Chevrolet and IMS for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

This will be the 12th time the bowtie has paced the Indy 500 since 1948 -- a record among all manufacturers. "This year's pace car will be seen on the track before our customers can buy the production version of the 2000 Monte Carlo at our showrooms this September," says Parkinson. "Many times, a car will be chosen to pace a race simply because it's the newest in a lineup, and other than that there is no direct tie-in. Well, Monte Carlo follows a much different attitude because Monte Carlo has been born and bred to race. It's the winningest nameplate in NASCAR history. In fact, its winning percentage is 70 percent better than the next nearest competitor."