Gordon's current Hendrick Motorsports team-mate and defending NASCAR Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson, meanwhile, has rocketed to 33 career wins, all behind the wheel of a Chevrolet.

“One of the neater things I have done is go to the Monte Carlo assembly plant and see the whole process,” the 2007 NEXTEL Cup champion-elect commented. “That was actually really cool. I got to go up in the testing bay and go through all the cycles, then got the green light and the sticker and drove it off the assembly floor.

“On-track, [the best memory] would be my first win in NEXTEL Cup (California Speedway, Spring 2002) in a Monte Carlo. I have been a GM/Chevy guy my whole career, so I am very proud to say I have only raced bow-ties, and I don't think there are many guys in the garage that can say that.”

“Probably my best memory with a Chevy Monte Carlo is what is still my favourite racing memory,” added two-time Cup Series champion Tony Stewart. “[It was] winning the Brickyard 400 for the first time (2005). Everyone knows how badly I wanted to win at Indy, and when I finally did it was the best feeling I ever had.

“You dream about something for so long, you become consumed by it. When I was in USAC trying to make a living as a race car driver, I drove a tow truck for a guy I raced sprint cars against. I would drive down Georgetown toward 16th Street, parallel with the front stretch, and wonder what it would be like 300ft to the left running at 200mph.

“I got a chance to do that and finally, after years of trying to win – be it in Indycars or stock cars – I got to know what it feels like to see that view coming down the front straight, seeing the chequered flag and knowing I was the first driver to cross the stripe. I wanted that moment for so long, and I finally got it. And it was a Chevy Monte Carlo that got me there.”