[PICS] The 29th Annual Lone Star Corvette Classic

May 24, 2018

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[PICS] The 29th Annual Lone Star Corvette Classic

Everything’s bigger in Texas, and the 29th Annual Lone Star Corvette Classic was no exception!

Every year, on the third weekend in May, the Lone Star Corvette Club hosts a three-day Corvette extravaganza at the Texas Motor Speedway in the northernmost part of Fort Worth, Texas. With a Club roster of over 1,000 members, the Lone Star Corvette Club has the membership force to put on a world class Corvette event, and that’s exactly what they do year after year.

Over 200 LSCC members led the charge this year to provide a fun and exciting weekend with the goal of raising a Texas-sized pot of gold for three charities: Speedway Children’s Charities, YMCA Camp Grady Spruce, and The National Corvette Museum. Celebrity guests in attendance this year were Doug Fehan, Corvette Racing Program Manager, Wil and Liz Cooksey, 15-year Bowling Green Assembly Plant Manager, and Lou Gigliotti, LG Motorsports founder and internationally known race car driver.

The annual three-day event kicked off at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, May 18, with autocross in one of Texas Motor Speedway’s parking lots. Fifty drivers in a wide variety of Corvettes from every generation participated in a spirited competition for best time bragging rights. A short five-minute drive from TMS, other Corvette enthusiasts participated in “Roaming Roanoke.” Roanoke is a bustling community with small-town charm and an abundance of fine restaurants and shopping. Those who signed up for “Roaming Roanoke” were given a bag full of tokens to deposit in containers around town in restaurants and shops that had donated items to be won in drawings during Friday night dinner festivities.

Friday evening at the Lone Star Corvette Classic is always a real treat, especially so for those who have never experienced driving on the track at Texas Motor Speedway or being in a parade cruise with hundreds of other Corvettes. This year, nearly 200 Corvettes gathered in the TMS infield before being escorted around the track and then on to the Fort Worth Stockyards for a Texas BBQ dinner for 400!

The Classic’s Corvette show takes place on Saturday with four main shows under the TMS grandstands: Non-Member Show N Shine, Non-Member Judged, Member Show N Shine, and Member Judged. This year, 285 Corvettes competed for awards in the four shows. Doug Fehan and Wil and Liz Cooksey spent the day signing autographs and visiting with everyone at the show. And for those who like to shop, a host of vendors were also on hand including: Allen’s Custom Car Design, C-Magic, Corvette Mods, Daniel King Fine Art, Drive Auto Appearance, Duntov Motor Company, Endurance Synthetics/AMSOIL, Garage Living of DFW, HorsePower-Research/GSpeed, Ken’s Pens, Mid America Motorworks, M&K Creations, The National Corvette Museum Insurance Agency, The National Corvette Museum Store, Origami Owl, Parker Snaps, Pro-Tect Mobile, Showboards, Ultimate Show Stoppers, WindRestrictor, and Zoom Apparel.

The host hotel for the weekend is the Dallas/Fort Worth Marriott Hotel & Golf Club at Champions Circle. A Happy Hour got the party started, followed by a plated dinner in the Marriot’s Ballroom. Doug Fehan entertained and inspired the crowd of nearly 400 with Corvette Racing stories and Texas Auctioneer Extraordinaire and Corvette owner, Weldon Floyd, continued the fun with a lively auction of donated items. In total, approximately $25,000 was raised for charity through the event’s Silent and Live Auctions! Presentation of show awards concluded the formal activities of the evening, but the party was just getting started for many as Corvette enthusiasts continued to celebrate.

While Sunday’s planned schedule was for 250 registered Corvettes to participate in “Track Day” on the Texas Motor Speedway oval and infield road course, unanticipated thunderstorms that morning were responsible for the first track day cancellation in the last 20 years. This was a definite disappointment for many, but it didn’t put too much of a damper on what had already been a true Corvette extravaganza of Texas-sized proportions! If you have never had the chance to attend the Lone Star Corvette Classic, put it on your calendar for the third weekend in May 2019. It’s definitely the place to be!

Here is just a sampling of the Corvettes on display at the 2018 Lone Star Corvette Classic: