DETROIT ? The 2003 Pontiac Grand Prix race car has been approved by NASCAR.

Pontiac’s G-Force, under development since August 2001, passed a battery of wind tunnel and track tests this spring and was approved last week by the stock car sanctioning body. The car will debut in the season-opening Daytona 500 on Feb. 16, 2003.

The Grand Prix will adopt many of the aerodynamic underpinnings established by NASCAR as a competitive baseline for new cars.