National Corvette Museum to Host Corvette Pace Car Reunion September 22-25, 2010

Without a doubt, this year’s Pace Car Reunion offers some of the most exciting activities in the history of the event. The National Corvette Museum’s Pace Car Reunion celebrates Corvette’s legendary showing as a ten-time pace car for the Indy 500. Owners of the highly valued 1978, 1986, 1995, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 Indy Pace Corvettes will be in attendance, as well as Parade Corvettes, Brickyard 400 Pace Cars, Daytona 500 Pace Cars and a multitude of others.

Event participants will begin gathering on Wednesday, September 22, kicking off with a private group tour of the Corvette Assembly Plant and a visit with new BGAP Manager Dave Tatman, an update on the Motorsports Park and a guided tour of the Museum. Shortly afterward a lunch and a gathering of the cars will be staged along the front drive in preparation for the caravan to Indianapolis, the spiritual home of Corvette Pace Cars.

Thursday morning brings a full day of activities in Indianapolis starting with a tour of the Chip Ganassi /Target Racing team garage, a garage which normally does not provide tours. This is followed by a trip to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Speedway Hall of Fame Museum, and the Ray Skillman Car Collection - a large private collection of all kinds of cars and automobile memorabilia. The day closes out with a visit and dinner at Andy Wolf’s Car Collection.

Saturday morning the tour participants will depart for Troy, Michigan with a special stop in Auburn, Indiana at the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum. The highlight of the trip is a caravan out to Milford, Michigan for a special access visit to General Motors’ top secret Milford Proving Ground to check out the famous high speed oval. Of course, a few laps and group photos will wrap up the visit.

Pratt & Miller welcomes the group for lunch and a tour of the engineering firm’s race facilities including the C6.R cars and the transporters. This is the heart and soul of Corvette Racing and participants will be able to meet some of the people critical to the team’s success. After Pratt & Miller is a trip to Sterling Heights and the opportunity to view a portion of GM’s Heritage Collection. The event draws to a close with a dinner in Troy joined by a number of VIP guests. The Tour bears the hallmark of NCM events… go where the public can’t go, do what the public can’t do and have fun doing it! The price for the entire package is $690 for the primary registrant and $290 for their guest.

“The Chevrolet Pace Car Registry is thrilled to have never-before features included in the Pace Care Reunion Tour,” said Pace Car Registry Public Relations Director Jim Egan. “The Registry members are excited that the Target/Chip Ganassi Racing Team shop and the very restricted GM Milford Proving Grounds are part of this year’s long awaited Tour which is held every other year.”

For more information on the Pace Car Reunion, visit our website at http://www.corvettemuseum.org or call (800) 538-3883. The National Corvette Museum is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the Corvette’s past, present and future. Open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT, the Museum is located at Exit 28 on I-65 in Bowling Green, KY.

National Corvette Museum Displays Rare Pace Car

The National Corvette Museum’s Skydome is home to not only rare Corvettes, but also a mini “Gasoline Alley” with a representation of every Corvette that ever paced the Indy 500. 1986 marked the return of the convertible to the Corvette line-up, and the return of the Corvette to Indianapolis. As with the first Corvette Pace Car in 1978, the 1986 Corvette needed no mechanical modifications to pace the race. In fact it was the first street-legal car to pace Indy since the previous Corvette. Test pilot and retired Air Force General Chuck Yeager was selected to drive the Indy Pace Car.

As with all Indy 500 Pace Cars, one is kept by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, one is presented to the winner of the Indy 500 Race, and one is given to the driver of the Pace Car. Displayed in the National Corvette Museum Skydome is the very car driven by General Chuck Yeager.

Current owner Bart Riebe of Grass Valley, CA acquired this Corvette from General Yeager himself. Yeager’s daughter, Susie, worked for Bart, and at the time Yeager was presented the Corvette at the Indy race, he already had a Corvette. He told Bart if he would buy him two Chevy pickup trucks, they could trade. After some negotiation with GM, Bart was able to get the Pace Car. Due to some modifications the track made to the car, it is not street legal and has only been driven in parades. According to Bart, very few, if any, real Pace Cars are ever released for private individuals to own.

See Chuck Yeager’s Pace Car now through April 2011. The National Corvette Museum is located at I-65 exit 28 in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It is open daily, 8am until 5pm central time. Regular admission prices are $10.00 for adults, $8.00 for seniors, $5.00 for youth age 6-16 and children 5 and under are free. For information call 800-53-VETTE (83883) or visit the Museum online at www.corvettemuseum.org.

National Corvette Museum Offers Buy One, Get One Free Admission with School Supply Donation

The National Corvette Museum is offering Buy One, Get One Free Admission now through Sunday, July 25 to any visitor who brings a donation of school supplies to the Museum. A Corvette will be “crammed” with the donated supplies, and then caravanned to the Tony Rose / Sam 100.7 “Stuff the Bus” on Monday, July 26. Sam 100.7 distributes the donated items to the many schools in South Central Kentucky.

“Last year visitors to the Museum and Museum employees donated six large boxes of school supplies,” said Katie Frassinelli, Marketing and Communications Manager. “We hope to top that this year, and the Corvette caravan over to the bus is always a fun way to wrap up the Sam 100.7 Stuff the Bus campaign.”

Anyone with a Corvette is welcome to join the caravan to the bus on Monday, July 26. The caravan will depart the Museum around 8:15am.

The National Corvette Museum is open daily, 8am until 5pm. Regular admission prices are $10.00 for adults, $5.00 for youth age 6-16 and children 5 and under are free. For information call 800-53-VETTE (83883) or visit the Museum online at www.corvettemuseum.org.

National Corvette Museum's Anniversary Celebration to Showcase Corvette Racing's Past and Future

Display Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Le Mans Participation

This year's 24 Hours of Le Mans marked the 50th anniversary of Corvette's first participation in the world's most celebrated sports car race. And this year’s NCM Anniversary Celebration will re-unite Briggs Cunningham’s No. 3 Corvette with the 2011 Special Z06 created as a modern version of the 1960 racer.

"When you look at the Corvettes that raced at Le Mans 50 years ago, it's impossible not to be impressed by the passion, the immense courage, and the physical stamina that was required to race for 24 hours in those vehicles," said Corvette Racing program Doug Fehan. "It was an astounding feat, and the men who drove them have my respect. Regardless of what Corvette Racing may have accomplished in the past or what we may accomplish in the future, we will always work in the shadow of these racers."

Briggs Cunningham's No. 3 Corvette was purchased by the late Chip Miller who went through great lengths to restore the car. His son, Lance, has carried on the passion by shipping the car to this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans race… a race where it finished first in the large displacement GT category and eighth overall at Le Mans in 1960.

Driver Johnny O'Connell enjoyed the rare opportunity to drive the No. 3 1960 Corvette during a photo shoot at Le Mans. "The race cars and technology have changed greatly over the years, but Chevrolet's approach to racing has been consistent," O'Connell said. "The Corvettes that raced at Le Mans in 1960 were very nearly stock vehicles, and to this day, Corvette Racing is still a tool to improve the breed. The relationship that the race team has with the production engineers definitely benefits Chevrolet customers.”

Lance will travel to Bowling Green, Kentucky September 2-4 with the Cunningham Corvette, and conduct a seminar as part of the National Corvette Museum’s weekend activities. His Corvette will be displayed side-by-side with the 2011 Special Z06.

The 2011 Special Z06 was created by Chevrolet as a one-off production Corvette Z06, the first 2011 Corvette manufactured with VIN 001. GM Design Center created a modern version of the famous white and blue stripe 1960 Le Mans winner, adding many special features. Event attendees will get the chance to photograph both cars together at the Museum.