03-16-2007: Tampa Native and NASCAR Enthusiast to Live the Ultimate Fan Experience Shadowing Jeff Burton and the #31 Chevy Racing Team
Source: GM Media


Detroit -- From on-track marriages to naming their first born after their favorite driver, race fans are some of the most dedicated and diehard fans anywhere. Team Chevy and igotshotgun have been helping to feed race fans’ appetite for “insider information” by searching for a crew member to live the ultimate fan experience riding shotgun with Jeff Burton and the #31 Chevy Racing Team at the Kobalt Tools 500 in Atlanta this weekend.

That lucky crew member will be Elizabeth Somers, a 36-year-old Tampa native and NASCAR enthusiast. Elizabeth will shadow Team Chevy and experience a NASCAR race like few ever get to. She’ll join Jeff Burton’s pit crew during Sunday’s Nextel Cup series and participate in other behind-the-scenes activities leading up to it, including taking a few hot laps around the track of the Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS) and interviewing Team Chevy drivers. Her experience will be documented by igotshotgun, a consumer-driven Web experience that takes people behind-the-scenes of GM-sponsored entertainment, sports and pop culture events.

Somers responded to GM’s ongoing casting call for applicants interested in joining the igotshotgun crew. She created a short video showing off her NASCAR knowledge and on-camera skills and submitted it at www.igotshotgun.com for a chance to join Team Chevy in Atlanta.

“We selected Elizabeth from among all the other applicants because of her poise and confidence in front of the camera, her enthusiasm for racing and her strong desire to chronicle the Chevy Racing experience from behind the scenes,” says Ed Peper, Chevrolet General Manager. “igotshotgun is about the view most people never get to see. By taking a camera into the garage, the pit and an actual race car, Elizabeth will enable the rest of the world to see what she’s seeing. Through her video and written blogs, she’ll be able to share even more insight into what it’s like to be there among Team Chevy’s greats.”

Known as the fastest track on the circuit, AMS’ 1.5-mile track located southeast of Atlanta in Hampton, Georgia, always provides plenty of excitement for fans and drivers alike. In the 95 NASCAR Cup races held at Atlanta Motor Speedway since 1960, Chevrolet has amassed 33 victories – more than any other manufacturer. Of the Team Chevy line-up this weekend, six drivers on the roster have visited victory lane in Atlanta. Somers will be right there amid all the action capturing the experience in video and written blogs to be posted at www.igotshotgun.com throughout the weekend.

“I know how truly lucky I am to have this opportunity, and I can’t wait to share my experience with the world,” notes Somers.

In addition to firsthand perspective from pop culture fans selected to join the igotshotgun crew at events, the igotshotgun.com includes professionally produced video content and occasionally features celebrity hosts, such as Damien Fahey. To date, igotshotgun has sent crews to the Super Bowl, SONYBMG Grammy After Party, GM Style and GM TEN.To apply for a spot on the igotshotgun crew, interested candidates can visit www.igotshotgun.com and upload a video demonstrating why they have what it takes to ride shotgun with GM to the best in pop culture.