Chevy clinches NASCAR's Sprint Cup Manufacturers' Championship

DETROIT, Mich. – Jimmie Johnson’s victory of the Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway clinched the 2008 Manufacturers’ Championship for Chevrolet in NASCAR’s premier division. With one race left in the season, Chevrolet has collected its 32nd Manufacturers’ crown since the award’s inception in 1950.

Four different Impala SS drivers have contributed to the 11 victories thus far this year to bring Chevrolet this honor. Chevy drivers who posted wins during the season included Jimmie Johnson (seven), Jeff Burton (two), Clint Bowyer (one) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (one).

This marks Team Chevy’s sixth consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Manufacturers’ title for the Bowtie Brigade. The 2008 Manufacturers’ Championship continues Chevrolet’s dominance of North America’s most popular racing series.

"Winning the 2008 Manufacturers' Championship in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is a remarkable achievement for GM Racing and our outstanding Chevrolet teams and drivers,” said Mark Kent, director of GM Racing. “The competition this season has been as intense as any time in the history of the sport. Many men and women spent countless hours maximizing the performance of every aspect of the Impala SS race car, including the Chevrolet R07 engine which competed in its first full season of competition in 2008. Their efforts paid off when it counted the most.”