Greenlight 1:64 2019 Chevrolet Silverado: AMR Indycar Safety Team

The Chevrolet Silverado, and its mechanically identical cousin the GMC Sierra, are a series of full-size and heavy-duty pickup trucks manufactured by General Motors and introduced in 1998 as the successor to the long-running Chevrolet C/K line. The Silverado name was taken from a trim level previously used on its predecessor, the Chevrolet C/K pickup truck from 1975 through 1998. General Motors continues to offer a GMC-badged variant of the Chevrolet full-size pickup under the GMC Sierra name, first used in 1987 for its variant of the GMT400 platform trucks.

The heavy-duty trucks are informally referred to as "Silverado HD" (and Sierra HD), while the light-duty version is referred simply to as "Silverado" (and Sierra). Perennially one of the best-selling vehicles in the United States, almost 12 million Silverados have been sold since its introduction.

Although General Motors introduced its first pickup truck in 1930, the term "Silverado" was a designation used only to detail the trim for the Chevrolet C/K pickup trucks, Suburbans, and Tahoes from 1975 through 1999. GMC used a few variations of the "Sierra" name (e.g. Sierra, Sierra Classic, Sierra Grande, and High Sierra) as both model names and trim lines; however, Chevrolet still uses the CK and the CC in their current model codes.

The Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks have been essentially the same for their entire history. However, there are some trim and add-on option variations. Early models included variations in the engine and equipment, but the present differences are slight. The 1999 model year redesign included different grilles and interior trim, and certain features (e.g. Quadrasteer) were included at different times on the two trucks. The GMC Sierra has a luxury package known as "Denali" which adds additional creature comfort features and design changes. Chevrolet's equivalent to the Denali trim level is the High Country Silverado which was introduced for the 2014 model year. In 2018, at the NTEA Work Truck Show in Indianapolis, IN, another new Silverado will be released, being the 4500, 5500 and 6500 Medium Duty Chassis Cabs; these vehicles will be exclusive to Chevrolet, as GMC has no plans to offer an equivalent

INDYCAR and its AMR INDYCAR Safety Team are an industry leader in motorsports safety and has been instrumental in revolutionizing the sport.

Under the supervision of Dr. Geoffrey Billows, INDYCAR’s director of medical services, and Tim Baughman, INDYCAR’s director of track safety operations, the AMR INDYCAR Safety Team continually evaluates the latest equipment and its on-track procedures and protocols.

The AMR INDYCAR Safety Team consists of approximately 30 safety personnel with a minimum of 18 attending each event – a trauma physician, an orthopedic physician, two paramedics, 12 firefighters/EMTs and two registered nurses. Team personnel have an average of 20 years of experience in their respective fields.

“About 75 percent of our team is comprised of civil servants who are officers in their departments, such as captains, lieutenants or fire chief, which means they have vast amounts of experience managing people and managing ground scenes and incident command,” Baughman said. “Many have bachelor’s degrees in fire science and we also have people who have gone beyond the scope of their local fire departments by being involved with disaster task force teams.”

The team travels with four safety vehicles equipped with the most sophisticated Holmatro rescue equipment and state-of-the-art technology, including a 360-degree video camera in the windshield of each vehicle that provides real-time video via mobile network to AMR INDYCAR Safety Team members and race control.

The AMR INDYCAR Safety Team works in conjunction with and coordinates the safety personnel staffing at each venue, including firefighters, ambulance and tow-truck providers and track maintenance crews.