[PICS] The Corvette Challenge Car and Racers Reunions at Corvettes at Carlisle

Every 5 years Corvettes at Carlisle salutes Corvette’s racing heritage. They celebrate Corvette’s on-track prowess with the Challenge Car and Corvette Racers reunions. This year the 2 displays were located front and center on the fairgrounds between busy Gate 3 and the ZR1 and Grand Sport Registries.

The Corvette Challenge Series ran in 1988 and 1989. About 50 cars were built with all but a handful converted for track use. In the years since the series concluded Challenge Cars have steadied climbed in interest among collectors and are often found among the top Corvette collections.

For 2019 over a dozen of the original Challenge cars were displayed at Corvettes at Carlisle. Many with their on-track credentials on display and eager owners nearby ready to talk about their racers. In addition to the static display, show attendees were treated to a racers parade on Friday afternoon as the cars made their way over to the Carlisle Convention Center for the Chip Miller Amyloidosis dinner. Saturday afternoon, Lance Miller smoked out the crowd with his Challenge car during the annual burnout contest.

The Challenge Cars’ older siblings were parked nearby under a huge white tent. The roster of cars inside was a virtual greatest hits album of Corvette’s racing history. Significant cars shown included the LeMans winning 1960 #3 car, the Purple People Eater, and Gulf 1 among others. The “Band Aid Racer” was there along with your choice of 1957 airbox fuelies. A hill climbing 1965 sat next to Don Yenko’s 1963 Z06.

As you can see, Corvettes at Carlisle once again assembled a first-class roster of Corvette racers. We’re very fortunate to see them gather every few years and have already begun the countdown to the next racers reunion at Carlisle. Until then, check out our gallery of this year’s event below.

Source:
Photos by Steve Burns

Related:
[VIDEO] Corvette Racers on Parade at 2019’s Corvettes at Carlisle
[VIDEO] Lance Miller’s Burnout in a Corvette Challenge Racecar
[PICS] The Corvette Vanity Plates of Corvettes at Carlisle 2019