Corvettes at Carlisle to Celebrate 100 Years of Le Mans with Chip’s Choice Display

Every year at Corvettes at Carlisle, the Chip’s Choice display is a must-see themed exhibit that always has special cars to share with attendees, and you can always count on a surprise or two showing up for the display. With this year being the 100th Anniversary of the first 24 Hours of Le Mans, organizers of Corvettes at Carlisle have put together a special collection for Chip’s Choice featuring Corvettes that have competed in or were prepped for the famous 24-hour race.

The Chip’s Choice exhibit is named for the late Chip Miller, who co-founded Corvettes at Carlisle with his friend Bill Miller. The special collection represents “the best of the best” in the Corvette hobby, and each year a different theme is chosen with vehicles hand-selected by Chip’s son Lance Miller. This year’s collection of Corvette Racers for the 100 Years of Le Mans will be on display during the week of Corvettes at Carlisle inside Building T.

“The largest, most prestigious race in the world is the 24 Hours of Le Mans,” noted Lance Miller of Carlisle Events. “With the 100-year anniversary upon us, we felt it was appropriate to feature various Corvettes of all generations that raced at Le Mans. We are looking forward to celebrating the 100th in true Corvette fashion; with a special display at Corvettes at Carlisle.”

Leading the group of racecars in the Chip’s Choice exhibit is the famous 1960 #3 Cunningham Corvette that was the first Corvette to ever win its class and it finished 8th overall in the 1960 24-hour race. Now owned by Irwin Kroiz, the Cunningham Corvette is a crowd favorite and will be making its first return to Carlisle since 2021. That car will be joined by the 1960 #1 Cunningham Corvette whose debut at Carlisle over 11 years ago was marred by questions of ownership. Now owned by the grandson of Briggs Cunningham, the #1 Cunningham Corvette has been fully restored and will be making its triumph return to Carlisle wearing its race livery from the 1960 race.


The Chip’s Choice display will also have three former Callaway Le Mans racers to showcase and it’s the first time they have all been shown together. These race cars were already scheduled to be part of the display, and their inclusion is even more poignant with the sudden passing of Reeves Callaway in July. The 1996 Callaway C7R designed by Paul Deutschman was entered at Le Mans but failed to qualify for the race. Callaway entered a 2001 C12R in the 2001 race which won the GT2 pole and even led its class during the race, but engine issues arose and the car failed to complete the full 24 hours. Finally, the most successful of the three racers is the 1994 Callaway LM #001 that earned pole position in GT2 but failed to finish. That car which was nicknamed “Freida” was entered again in 1995 and earned 2nd place in the GT2 class and finished 9th overall, making it the highest finishing Corvette at Le Mans since the 1960 Cunningham.


And then there was the C3 L88 Corvette masquerading as a Ferrari. The North American Racing Team (NART) was originally planning to enter their “Rebel” 1968 Corvette at Le Mans, but it didn’t meet the guidelines for entry. In 1973, Luigi Chinetti’s team was racing prototype Ferraris at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and NART was granted a reserve entry for the race under Chinetti’s banner. Sourcing a wrecked 1968 Corvette and an L88 engine, the car was rebuilt to meet racing specs, and it was painted Red with a white and blue stripe and a Ferrari emblem was added to the door. When the NART team arrived in Le Mans for the race, they discovered that Ferrari had pulled their entries, and so their reserve entry to Le Mans for the 1968 NART Corvette was guaranteed. Starting in 53rd position, drivers Dave Heinz and Bob Johnson would finish 15th overall and 7th in class.


Another C1 Le Mans Corvette Racer is also making its appearance in the Chip’s Choice display this year. It’s the white and blue 1962 Corvette wearing the number 1 and raced by Scuderia Scirocco Race Team from Moderna, Italy. Tony Settember and Jack Turner drove the car, which performed well until a shifting error at the 11-hour mark damaged the transmission. The engine ultimately expired after 14 hours.


While most of the cars listed above have all raced on the famous 8.467 mile track, a 1968 L88 DX Corvette that was prepped for the race by Don Yenko never made it to France despite winning at Sebring earlier in the year. The June 1968 race was postponed due to student protests in France, and during that delay, the DX Oil race team was sold to Roger Penske who opted to race Camaros instead. Penske sold off the 1968 L88 DX Corvette which was purchased by Quaker State Oil and campaigned through 1977 before it parked and forgotten. The Corvette racer was eventually found and restored to its 1968 Sebring livery, and it has been owned by collector Irwin Kroiz since 2005.


And finally, one of the most successful Corvette race cars of the C2 era is the 1963 “Gulf One” Corvette Z06 campaigned by Grady Davis’ Gulf Oil and featuring the driving talents of the Flying Dentist, Dr. Dick Thompson. The Z06 was one of two to be assigned to Yenko Chevrolet to be prepped for competition. Once on the track, this Z06 couldn’t be stopped as it picked up wins at the Puerto Rico Grand Prix, finished first in class and third overall at Daytona, and took first place wins at Marlboro, Danville, and Road America. Unfortunately, racing fans never got to see the 1963 Corvette Z06 at Le Mans as it was campaigned almost exclusively at North American SCCA events. The “Gulf One” ’63 Corvette Z06 is part of the John Justo collection.

The 2023 Corvettes at Carlisle Show

The Chip’s Choice display is just one of the must-see exhibits that will be displayed for the 2023 Corvettes at Carlisle car show. This year’s event celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the 1973 Corvette, as well as the 15th Anniversary of the Wil Cooksey 2008 Corvette Z06. The Corvette Flag will also return, and there are plenty of other things to do like shopping at the automotive swap meet, view the Corvettes for Sale corral, and watch several competitions including the King of the X autocross and the exhaust competition. Team Chevrolet is confirmed as is the ALL-NEW E-Ray. The three day event comes to a close on Saturday night with the Downtown parade and party on the streets of Carlisle.

Corvettes at Carlisle takes place at the Carlisle Fairgrounds on Aug. 24-26, 2023. Gates open each day at 7 AM. Register your Corvette or purchase discounted spectator tickets online. Kids 12 and under are free. Visit CarlisleEvents.com for ticket information or call 717-243-7855 today. Click here to download the 2023 Corvettes at Carlisle Official Event Guide.

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Corvettes at Carlisle