AMERICANWAY

Courtesy CHeVroLet (2) automobiles heated/ventilated seats — this car is loaded. "Performance w ith elegance" is an apt de- scription. With nearly 300 miles between Detroit and Indianapolis, there was plenty of time to test the validity of Chevy's claim. All the gadgetry kept me entertained for the five hours I sat in the car: downshifting just to hear the engine bark back and watch- ing the heads-up display show the r pms climbing. I felt like I was 16 again, only with a license and a new toy. Despite the ferocity of the power plant, this car was gliding down the highway. I was not missing the harsh, nearly deafening experience my Jeep back home prov ides. Despite what my friends thought, this was no joy ride through the countryside; I was sent to Indy on a mission. Chev y had invited me to one of the largest and most important races in the NASCAR Sprint Cup's 36-race schedule, the Crown Royal Presents: The John Wayne Walding 400 at the Brickyard. Chevy created the SS with a purpose, and I was heading to the race to seek it out. Indianapolis Motor Speedway is steeped in racing history and heri- tage. Since 1909, vehicles have been flying around the 2.5-mile oval. The Brick ya rd, na med for the street- paving bricks that once made up the track, has been a part of Chevy's history since founder Louis-Joseph Chevrolet raced there back in 1915. This year is particularly special be- cause it is the 20th anniversary of the Brickyard 400. The track was already teeming with life when I arrived at 9:30 a.m. The speedway is immense, the largest spectator sporting facilit y in the world, holding more tha n 250,000 seats. The new A ir Titan tr ucks were ma king their way around the track, blowing hot, compressed air to remove the water from the morning's rain. I hadn't even gotten out of the car when two gentlemen approached me. "How's the car?" one asks. He happens to be an SS owner and has not seen another one on the road. "I love it," I said. "Unfortunately, I only have it for the weekend." He told me all about his car and why he likes it so much. I knew I was in the right place for my quest. I nearly went deaf as I stood along Pit Road. Cars were whizzing by at more than 180 mph, fighting for the fastest lap time. I watched Paul Menard pull into the pit. Star- ing at his car as he pulled up to his crew, I was mesmerized by the details of the ma- chine. I imagined what the car would look like with the product logos removed, and I could see the car I have been using to tear up the streets of Indianapolis. "This was a deliberate decision to link the Chev rolet SS production ca r for the showroom and the race car," explains Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. vice president of performance vehicles and motorsports. But Chevy went beyond a bit of styling to bring its NASCAR racer to the streets. "That is really because of our desire to have a very authentic, technical linkage between having a V-8, fuel- injected, rear-wheel-drive configuration in the show room that matches the V-8, fuel- injected, rear-wheel-drive configuration for the track." Since the early days of stock car racing, convention has held that the cars speeding a round the tracks should resemble what "Chevy created the SS with a purpose, and I was heading to the race to seek it out." top to bottom: Blueprints of the 2012 Chevrolet Impala Sprint Cup race car and the 2013 Chevrolet SS Sprint Cup race car; 40 percent scale model of the Chevrolet SS Sprint Cup car 5 0 N oV e M b e r 2 01 4 A A .CO M/A M E R I C A NWAY

• Cover