The National Corvette Museum’s 24th Anniversary Celebration

The National Corvette Museum’s 24th Anniversary Celebration and Hall of Fame Induction Weekend in Bowling Green, Kentucky, came to an end with great anticipation for the 25th Anniversary and Corvette Caravan that will take place in August of 2019. While some enjoy the mega Corvette Caravan pilgrimage and corresponding anniversary celebration that takes place every five years, the anniversary celebration events in-between are equally enjoyable and provide for a more intimate experience with fellow Corvette enthusiasts and VIPs from around the country. This year was no exception!

One of the highlights of each anniversary event is the fanfare that takes place surrounding the Hall of Fame Induction Banquet on Saturday night. NCM members can submit nominations throughout the year for candidates making significant contributions as Corvette Enthusiasts, General Motors Leadership, or Corvette Racing. A nominee is selected to represent each of the three categories culminating in the induction of the three individuals during the anniversary celebration. This year’s inductees were John & Burt Greenwood (Corvette racing history makers), Tom Wallace (Corvette’s Chief Engineer from 2005 to 2008), and Mike Yager (Founder of Mid-America Motorworks, FunFest, and current owner of 200 Corvettes). Burt, Tom, and Mike were also on hand through much of the weekend to visit with participants and to sign autographs.

A number of seminars were offered during the weekend. Engine builders from the Performance Build Center at the Bowling Green Assembly Plant demonstrated the build process of the new 755-hp LT5 ZR1 powerplant. Robb Holland told about his incredible Pikes Peak Hill Climb experience last June where, after turning a salvaged Z60 into an 850-hp, track ready racecar, he set the fastest Corvette Pikes Peak time of all time, finishing fourth in his class.

General Motor’s Corvette Team representatives, Tom Peters (Director of Exterior Design for Performance Vehicles), Kirk Bennion (Exterior Design Manager for Corvette), and Harlan Charles (Corvette & Camaro Product Marketing Manager), presented information about the 2019 Corvette, including rave reviews from numerous media sources on the 2019 Corvette ZR1. Several 2019 ZR1s were on site for participants to enjoy. Tom, Kirk, and Harlan also made themselves personally available to Corvette enthusiasts throughout the weekend, giving everyone opportunity to ask questions about current Corvette product offerings. And yes, I intentionally said “current” as any question about future product offerings was met with the standard “we are not at liberty to discuss future products.” But with so much discussion about the coming mid-engine Corvette, you can’t blame people for trying!

One of my favorite seminars this year was “Updates on Bowling Green Assembly Plant” given by Nora Roper (Bowling Green Assembly Assistant Plant Manager). The plant has been closed to public tours since June of 2017, so I was excited to hear any news about the new paint shop and general assembly line. Even better than that, Nora showed a number of videos taken from inside the plant that provided a glimpse into much of the assembly process.

The NCM typically offers something for Corvette Racing enthusiasts each year and this year’s focus was Corvette Racing history. Several Corvette Hall of Fame Inductees provided a panel discussion where they shared behind the scene stories of Corvette racing lore. Corvette Racing greats in attendance included Burt Greenwood, Dave McLellan, Herb Fishel, Gib Hufstader, Ralph Kramer, the Barker brothers, and Tony DeLorenzo.

In addition to these and other seminars, several Corvette excursions were also well attended. “Shifting and Shooting” provided participants with a scenic, back-road cruise to the 2000-acre Rockcastle Shooting Center where they could compete in a friendly shooting competition. Another excursion was the “Aviation Heritage Park & Chaney’s Dairy Barn” lunch cruise. Before lunch at Chaney’s Dairy Barn, participants drove to the Aviation Heritage Park to view a collection of historic aircraft where each was given an opportunity to have their Corvette photographed in front of one of the airplanes. For those interested in antique cars, a trip to the Swope Cars of Yesteryear Auto Museum was also offered featuring cars from the early 1900s to the 1960s of all makes and models.

The NCM Motorsports Park had a lot to offer during the event as well. The new karting track was open throughout the weekend and provided a fun activity for all to enjoy. Touring laps were also offered on Thursday around the Motorsports track. For $99, participants were given the opportunity to take as many touring laps throughout the day as their heart desired.

Other fun activities included the Celebrity Choice Car Show, a Ladies Oasis, and an autograph session with 20 plus Corvette VIPs participating. Wil Cooksey (15 year plant manager) and his wife Liz were available for autographing their books “No Time to Cry” and “That’s How Heartaches Are Made” (Liz Cooksey’s new book). Alan Sevadjian, author of “50 Years of the Corvette Grand Sport,” brought a 1963 “Continuation” Grand Sport Corvette built by Duntov Motor Company that was proudly displayed on Corvette Boulevard inside the NCM. Alan owned an drove Grand Sport 003 from 1965 to 1968 and has been racing, restoring, and working on Corvettes for more than 50 years now. And Kevin Mackay, restorer of some of the most significant Corvettes in the world, was also on site to autograph copies of his book, “The Corvette Hunter.”

The final scheduled activity of every Anniversary Celebration is a raffle drawing for a new Corvette. A 2019 Black Grand Sport Coupe was raffled on Friday and was won by John F. from Washington, Pennsylvania. The Saturday raffle was for a 2019 Torch Red Stingray Convertible and, I, having not purchased any of the $10 tickets for this raffle, was selected to draw the winning ticket. It was fun reaching into a hopper full of tickets and picking the raffle ticket purchased by Jeff E. from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I couldn’t think of a better way to wrap up a winning Corvette weekend at the National Corvette Museum!

The 24th NCM Anniversary Celebration is in the books, but there’s still plenty of time to make plans for the 25th Anniversary Celebration scheduled for August 29-31, 2019, as thousands of Corvettes from around the country participate in the Corvette Caravan to Bowling Green! Hope to see you there!

Source:
Photos by Jeremy Welborn

Related:
[VIDEO] Mike Yager’s Induction Video for the 2018 Corvette Hall of Fame
[VIDEO] NCM Seminar Presents Updates From the Bowling Green Assembly Plant
[VIDEO] The Corvette Museum’s Derek Moore Takes a Closer Look at the Mid-Engine Corvette Indy Concept