[VIDEO] The National Corvette Museum Inducts Four New Members to the Corvette Hall of Fame

Sep 9, 2026

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[VIDEO] The National Corvette Museum Inducts Four New Members to the Corvette Hall of Fame

Photo Credits: Keith Cornett

The National Corvette Museum welcomed four new members to its Corvette Hall of Fame during the NCM’s 32nd Anniversary Celebration held last weekend. The newest members are Kirk Bennion and Harlan Charles, John Middlebrook, and the late James Schefter.

The ceremony was held on Saturday evening in downtown Bowling Green at the SKY PAC theater. On stage were three Corvettes to represent each of the three categories that define the Hall of Fame. Kirk and Harlan fall under the GM/Chevrolet banner, while former Chevrolet president John Middlebrook was elevated due to his work with getting Corvette racing off the ground. And finally, James Schefter – author of All Corvettes Are Red, joined under the Enthusiast banner.

Each category had an intro video showcasing the talents and deeds of these truly remarkable individuals and their contributions to America’s Favorite Sports Car. This week, the National Corvette Museum posted the three intro videos for the 2026 induction ceremony and we have them here for you.

Kirk Bennion and Harlan Charles

The two most recognizable faces and names are Kirk Bennion and Harlan Charles. Kirk served as the Corvette’s Exterior Design Manager while Harlan was the Corvette’s Product Marketing Manager. Kirk Bennion’s design skills helped to shape the look of the Corvette for three decades while Harlan Charles championed new features and options and became the de facto voice of Corvette owners within General Motors.

Kirk and Harlan were introduced by Corvette Hall of Fame member Tadge Juechter who was clearly proud to have his former teammates join him as members of this elite group of individuals.

John Middlebrook

John Middlebrook’s career at GM spanned nearly 50 years where he served with Oldsmobile, Pontiac and eventually General Manager at Chevrolet which he began in 1996. During this time, Middlebrook was pitched on creating a factory-backed racing team for Corvette by Herb Fishel and Doug Fehan. John threw his support (and $$) behind the program to give them the time and money needed to get off the ground. Today, Corvette Racing is one of the most successful racing programs in the world. Middlebrook is also credited with securing Chevrolet’s sponsorship of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway which led to the Corvette being featured exclusively as the Indy 500’s official pace car.

John was introduced by Corvette Hall of Fame member Doug Fehan during the ceremony. If not for moments like this, Corvette Racing fans might not have ever known about Middlebrook’s contributions to help get the racing program off the ground.

James Schefter

James Schefter first gained attention as a writer with his coverage of NASA’s Apollo space missions for Time and Life magazines, and his book “The Race: The Uncensored Story of How America Beat Russia to the Moon” detailed many behind-the-scenes stories that occurred during the Cold War’s race to the moon. One of those stories had to do with how most of the astronauts were driving Corvettes, and that story may have been the catalyst for his next insider’s book that focused on the automobile production and specifically the Chevrolet Corvette’s launch of the C5 Corvette. After eight years of full access to General Motors, his book “All Corvettes Are Red: Inside the Rebirth of an American Legend.” was published.

James Schefter passed away in 2001, and his family was unable to attend the ceremony. That being said, James had built a friendship with Corvette Hall of Fame member Mike Yager of Mid America Motorworks, and Mike accepted the award on behalf of the Schefter family.

Corvette Hall of Fame Roundtable

Congratulations to these four new members of the Corvette Hall of Fame, who were selected and voted on by Corvette enthusiasts during a multi-stage elections process. While we wait for the National Corvette Museum to make the video of the full Hall of Fame ceremony public, we thought you might also enjoy this Corvette Hall of Fame roundtable in which Kirk, Harlan, and John participated in a discussion led by the NCM’s Director of Curatorial Affairs & Education, Robert Maxhimer.