NASCAR Cup

2003 Monte Carlo race car approved

2003 Monte Carlo race car approved by NASCAR. DETROIT, Mich., Aug. 24, 2002 - The all-new 2003 Chevrolet Monte Carlo race car has been given the green light by NASCAR. Officials with Chevrolet and GM Racing received the final approval this ...

Published: Aug 26, 2002, 7:48 AM

Copy link

Share on Viber

Add as a preferred source

2003 Monte Carlo race car approved by NASCAR.

DETROIT, Mich., Aug. 24, 2002 - The all-new 2003 Chevrolet Monte Carlo race car has been given the green light by NASCAR. Officials with Chevrolet and GM Racing received the final approval this week.

For the past six months, key representatives from GM Racing have been working diligently with NASCAR and Chevrolet Winston Cup drivers, team owners, and engineers to develop, build, and submit a brand new Monte Carlo for Winston Cup competition. Hendrick Motorsports (HMS), Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI), Richard Childress Racing (RCR), and Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) pooled their talents to design the new race car, which will make its official debut at Daytona Speedweeks in February 2003.

With valuable input from Joe Gibbs Racing, which was one of the teams leading an earlier 2003 Pontiac Grand Prix submission, GM Racing engineers were able to streamline their entire course of action and accomplish the task in a relatively short period of time. Each team played a significant role in the development of the new Monte Carlo. RCR built the downforce car, DEI built the superspeedway car, and HMS built the final submission car.

GM Racing concentrated on the challenge of building a car that not only conforms to the new aerodynamic platform established by NASCAR, but that also retains the styling characteristics of the street Monte Carlo.

When the fans see this new Monte Carlo racecar, they will easily recognize its distinct and sporty style. Among its familiar features are the sloping hood, front & rear fascias, rear quarter glass panels, short rear deck, and sleek overall shape.

No manufacturer has carried more drivers to more Winston Cup championships than Chevrolet, and Monte Carlo has won more NASCAR races than any car in history. The newly designed Monte Carlo promises to continue its winning record in '03 and beyond.

Chevrolet's Winston Cup teams are eager to obtain the new Monte Carlo templates from NASCAR, and will begin building the new Monte Carlo race cars as soon as possible.

Comments by Kurt Ritter, General Manager of Chevrolet: "Chevrolet and Team Monte Carlo are excited about the new racecar and anxious to see it in action. We are especially pleased that the design retains the same sporty styling cues that are distinctively Monte Carlo. With an unmatched lineage that reaches back three decades, we look for Chevrolet to maintain its successful domination in NASCAR Winston Cup racing. The development of this new model was facilitated by a talented group of owners, drivers, and teams; and we are very appreciative of the time and energy they put into this project. Everyone really worked together which made it a smooth process."

Comments by Doug Duchardt, GM Racing's Oval Track Group Manager: "Joe Gibbs Racing was a big help to us on this project and we learned a lot from their experience in building the 2003 Grand Prix. I'm really pleased about the way NASCAR worked with us to expedite the development and submission process. They also understood our goal of designing a Monte Carlo that maintained its brand character."

Comments by Terry Laise, GM Racing's Chassis & Aero Development Manager: "We didn't begin the '03 Monte Carlo project until last March. But we were able to use the lessons and technology applied to the development of the 2003 Grand Prix in creating a new and distinct Chevrolet Monte Carlo. For example, the nose, the front fascia, and the rear deck lid are definitely Monte Carlo. We had also broken ground with a new GM aero package, which enabled us to develop both the Pontiac and Monte Carlo iterations. The most important part of the development was to meet NASCAR's aero criteria, retain the lines and style of the Monte Carlo, and make it through the approval process within NASCAR's timing deadline. We were able to do it all."

-GM-

We want your opinion!

What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?

Take our 5 minute survey.

- The Motorsport.com Team

Read and post comments

Share Or Save This Story

Copy link

Share on Viber

Previous article Bristol II: Tony Stewart race summary

Next article Bristol II official results

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

View More & Comment

Latest news

Charles Leclerc penalised for Liam Lawson clash; Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman also punished after F1 Brazilian GP

Formula 1

F1 Formula 1

Sao Paulo GP

22 min

Charles Leclerc penalised for Liam Lawson clash; Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman also punished after F1 Brazilian GP

Max Verstappen "needs to understand what happened" after "night and day" F1 comeback in Brazilian GP

Formula 1

F1 Formula 1

Sao Paulo GP

23 min

Max Verstappen "needs to understand what happened" after "night and day" F1 comeback in Brazilian GP

LIVE: NASCAR Cup season finale at Homestead lap-by-lap updates

NASCAR Cup

NAS NASCAR Cup

Homestead-Miami

49 min

LIVE: NASCAR Cup season finale at Homestead lap-by-lap updates

Kyle Larson wins 2026 NASCAR Cup championship with Stage 1 clinch at Homestead

NASCAR Cup

NAS NASCAR Cup

Homestead-Miami

53 min

Kyle Larson wins 2026 NASCAR Cup championship with Stage 1 clinch at Homestead

Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.

From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.

You have 2 options:

Become a subscriber.
Disable your adblocker.

Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here

Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page

Manage Alerts