“Corvette Racing is on a roll this season with the C8.R, and we are excited for iRacing fans to experience the exhilarating mid-engine performance of this car in the virtual world,” said Jim Campbell, GM U.S. vice president of Performance and Motorsports.

“We’re excited to continue our long-standing relationship with Chevrolet as we welcome the Corvette C8.R to iRacing,” said Steve Myers, iRacing executive vice president and executive producer. “The C8.R has already proven to be incredibly popular in the real world, and our users have been requesting it ever since it made its public debut last year. We’d like to thank General Motors, Pratt & Miller and Corvette Racing for their support in bringing the C8.R to the virtual world, and we look forward to iRacers getting their hands on it for the first time this week!”

The 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray made history as the first-ever mid-engine car to carry the Corvette name, and the Corvette C8.R was designed to live up to that legacy. There is a deeper level of technology transfer between the race car and production Corvette than ever before, which helps contribute to many of its advancements. The C8.R produces approximately 500 horsepower from a 5.5-liter V-8 engine and made its racing debut in the 2020 Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Dominant out of the box, the new entry took a victory in just its third race with drivers Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor, launching Corvette Racing into a three-race winning streak that included back-to-back 1-2 finishes at Sebring International Raceway and Road America. Within iRacing, the C8.R joins a diverse fleet of Chevrolets available to users, from both current and vintage NASCAR cars and trucks to past Corvette sports cars that have won iconic events at Daytona, Sebring and Le Mans.

The world leader in the online racing simulation and gaming market, iRacing was founded in 2004 by Dave Kaemmer and John Henry. Kaemmer was co-founder of Papyrus Design Group, developer of award-winning racing simulations, including Grand Prix Legends and NASCAR Racing 2003 Season. Henry is principal owner of the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool Football Club, as well as co-owner of NASCAR’s Roush Fenway Racing. iRacing has developed dozens of formal partnerships in the motorsport industry to help create the most authentic racing simulation in the world, and stages dozens of championships each year across multiple racing disciplines. The Corvette C8.R will be available for use in multiple series open to the public, including the IMSA iRacing Online SportsCar Championship.

Corvette Racing and the Chevrolet Corvette C8.R continue the quest for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Sept. 25-27 with a visit to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Visit the Chevrolet Racing news page for more information about Corvette Racing and the Chevrolet Corvette C8.R.

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“The Performance Gallery is one space in the Museum that has been around since the building’s grand opening over 25 years ago,” said Derek E. Moore, Director of Collections / Curator for the Museum. “In the early days an elevated ‘racetrack’ was in place to give display cars a feeling of motion and being on the grid, but due to difficulties changing out the vehicles, was later removed. The space has housed an interactive pit crew challenge, educational driving simulator and various artifacts through the years, but now needs more than a refresh. It’s time for an overhaul!”

In 2018 the Museum met with an exhibit company to get ideas and renderings on what the new space could look like. “We wanted not only a clean look, but also a space that would lend itself to showcasing historic racing videos and stories about each car on display. The concept is to have projection with each car, as well as digital labels that allow visitors to learn more through an interactive experience,” said Moore. “Rather than remove or paint over the existing racing mural, we will install a secondary wall that keeps it protected and intact behind the scenes.”

Funding for the exhibit was garnered through a private donation.

“It’s America’s Sports Car. In terms of car and performance for the money, in large measure, the Corvette street car can hold its own against the top sports car manufacturers around the world. It’s always something the common man can get into. My love of Corvettes carried over from my father. As soon as I could get one, I got one. We have a place that is celebrating the brand, celebrating the marquee, and the huge history of it. Having known there was a time that there was a prospect that the program was going to shut down – it’s almost unfathomable that we are now to the C8. We are to Zora’s dream of having a mid-engine and I’m ecstatic. I hope it will do what GM has been hoping for a long time and that is to bring in younger customers. I think’s it’s really cool we are doing this renovation to the Museum to have something more interactive, to have something the younger people will appreciate and be able to learn how unique Corvette is, and frankly sports car history.”

The new exhibit is planned to open in late March, 2020 – with an official ribbon cutting slated to take place during the Michelin NCM Bash April 23-25.

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April 13, 1941 – April 2, 2020

Tommy Morrison

If there was a Mount Rushmore for Corvette Racing, Tommy Morrison’s face might be on it–carved in stone and wearing dark sunglasses with a confident smile. In the early 1980s when he teamed up with the late Jim Cook to found Morrison-Cook Motorsports, his Corvette race cars began dominating in showroom stock racing and making Corvette history along the way. He set out to prove that Mobil 1 and Corvette were a nearly unbeatable combination racking up more 24-hour endurance wins than any team before them–thus starting a sponsorship relationship that is still winning to this day.

At the races and on test tracks, Tommy’s teams provided GM engineers with valuable test data that went back to the engineers designing the cars. His efforts also gave Chevrolet’s marketing department a series of wins that created massive opportunities for promoting the Corvette. Perhaps the greatest example of this was the 1990 24-Hour Speed Endurance World Record Run, where he and his team took a stock ZR-1 Corvette and drove it 24 hours straight, averaging 175.885 miles per hour. This became a PR boost that GM would use in a series of commercials and print ads to further establish Corvette’s reputation as a high-performance icon. So important was this achievement that the National Corvette Museum has a long-term exhibit on display with the actual record run car, and plaster casts of Tommy, Jim Minneker and John Heinricy surrounding it. One of Tommy’s other race cars is part of the Smithsonian Institute collection.

While Tommy would quickly attribute his success to his teammates and the “good Lord above,” his determination, courage, and leadership were also key to his victories, and to his induction into the 2017 Corvette Hall of Fame.

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November9, 1947 –

Corvette Hall of Fame Inductee John Heinricy’s influence on the car and hobby can be seen by visitors of the National Corvette Museum in the 1989 Corvette ZR-1 “Record Run” display featuring not only the car, but also the statues of those involved – a display that pays homage to the team that set 12 international world time / distance speed records in a ZR-1 and L98 Corvette, averaging as high as 175.885mph over a 24-hour period. Heinricy has won 11 SCCA national championships driving a Corvette, was intimately involved in developing the Corvette showroom stock racing program that won 19 consecutive races between 1985 and 1987, and was a key member of the Corvette Racing C5R effort in 1999.

Heinricy worked for decades behind the scenes to create the kind of finely tuned driving dynamics that allowed modern Corvettes to compete with and beat the best sports cars in the world. He has also logged more racing miles and hot laps in Corvettes than any other. Heinricy served for many years as the manager of the Corvette Development Group at the GM Proving Grounds at Milford, Michigan and in 1990 was named Corvette Assistant Chief Engineer responsible for the C4 through 1996, including the 1995 Corvette Pace Car, 1996 Grand Sport and Collector’s Edition. Most recently, “Heinrocket” set multiple lap records in a Cadillac CTS-V at tracks in China and the Middle East and continues to do engineering, consulting and automotive work as president of his own company.

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July 23, 1936 – May 30, 1964

Corvette Hall of Fame Inductee Dave MacDonald was recognized by Zora Duntov as one of the two best Corvette drivers in the world, sharing pilot duties with Dick Thompson in the 1963 Stingray being filmed by GM for “Biography of a Sports Car,” a national ad campaign for the car. As a driver during the glory days of Corvette Racing, MacDonald had a better win percentage than any other Corvette racer with 47 victories and 69 top three finishes in 110 career starts. In 1963 he achieved his dream of becoming a professional race car driver, driving the Ford Cobra for Carroll Shelby professionally – but continuing to drive his beloved 1963 Stingray Corvette personally – even to work each day at the Cobra speed shop! It was Corvette that left MacDonald and not MacDonald who left Corvette, as General Motors pulled out of factory supported racing at that time. He ran 33 races on the SCCA, USAC and USRRC circuits and won 15 times, including the LA Times Grand Prix at Riverside and the Monterey Pacific Grand Prix at Laguna Seca.

By then end of 1963 MacDonald was considered one of America’s elite drivers, attracting the attention of team owners from all types of racing. Dave managed to squeeze in two late season runs on the NASCAR circuit; a 2nd place finish at the Golden State 400 driving the Woods Brothers #21 car and 2nd again at the August 510 driving for Holman & Moody. In 1964 MacDonald remained committed to Shelby America to run the major races in the US while also signing an Indy 500 contract with Mickey Thompson and a 21-race NASCAR contract with Bill Stroppe. He scored three major wins on the USRRC circuit and finished 10th in the Daytona 500, but sadly his racing career and life were cut short in an accident at the Indy 500.

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1908 – September 29, 1995

Corvette Hall of Fame Inductee Grady Davis graduated from both the University of Texas and Harvard University, gaining employment with Gulf Research and Development Company where he spent the first 20 years in Venezuela. During his 44 year career with the company, Davis created the country’s first corporate sponsored private race team, around Don Yenko and Dr. Dick Thompson, as a dynamic test lab for Gulf Oil Company’s lubricants and fuels. With Corvette being his first love, Davis began a racing program around it that started in earnest in 1961, and continued until 1966. The Davis program successfully competed regionally, nationally and even internationally, earning the Corvette marque legions of fans that exist to this day.

With the extraordinary results of Davis’ initial venture into the racing business, the program earned four national championships, two runners-up, three regional championships and the awarding of more than 214 trophies. “His efforts established the Corvette as a genuine competition sports car, and set the bar that others would shoot for,” said Carroll Shelby, veteran automotive designer and racing driver. Donna Mae Mims, champion race car driver, credits Davis with her being the first woman driver to win a national race championship. She added “Grady lived and breathed Corvette. Grady sold the Corvette to the world.” Davis passed away September 29, 1995 at the age of 87 in Boca Raton, FL.

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Most racing fans recognize the De Lorenzo / Thompson names as the drivers of the Owens – Corning Fiberglass (OC) Corvettes in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. The two were the most successful duet in FIA and SCCA A-Production racing, winning 22 straight races from 1969 to 1971.

Tony attended SCCA’s drivers’ school in Watkins Glenn, NY in 1964 and a year later began racing an A-Sedan Corvair. Tony’s dad (General Motors Vice President of Public Relations) purchased a ‘64 Corvette Coupe and let Tony and his brother spec out the car. Their order caught the attention of Zora Arkus-Duntov himself who called them to make sure they were able to handle their car.

“Jer” landed a job as Engine Development Test Engineer at Chevrolet’s Engineering Center in Warren, MI in 1960, and a year later began racing a ‘56 Corvette at Detroit area tracks. During the ‘65 – ‘66 season Jer and Tony met, becoming friends and competitors.

In 1968 they received their first direct sponsorship, making Tony and Jer instrumental in putting Corvette racing on the map. Their OC racing record was unmatched by any other team. Today, both men are still involved with building and racing vintage Corvettes.

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Allan Barker: February 1935 –

Don Barker: August 9, 1933 – February 13, 2020

The National Corvette Museum is proud to induct Allan and Don Barker into the 2008 Corvette Hall of Fame, for these two racers exemplified amateur racing in the 1960s and 1970s. Their hard work, perseverance and “keep-it-simple” approach, at a time when Corvette racing was reaching its zenith, was a model for how to win races. The NCM is inducting two racers into this year’s Hall of Fame because the Barker brothers were a team — a team which probably would not have been as successful individually, and because their racing careers were coupled as only those of brothers could be.

Allan was the driver. He received the publicity. He stood by the race queen for the photos after the race. Don was the mechanic, the controller of vehicle preparation. He stayed in the background, and he cheered from the pits as his brother won race after race. A more symbiotic team you could not find.

The Barkers competed from 1957 through 1972, racing Corvettes for most of those years and compiling five Sports Car Club of America National Championships – four of which were claimed behind the wheel of B Production Corvettes.

The Barker brothers have left an impressive record in the annals of Corvette racing.

Don Barker passed away on February 13, 2020 in Louisville, Kentucky.

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Corvette Hall of Fame Inductee Doug Hooper began racing in 1959 behind the wheel of his 1957 Corvette. A regular participant at Cal Club and SCCA Events, Doug’s achievements note him as a world-class racer and one of the first drivers to have brought the Corvette to the international stage as a winning racing machine following his win in the “Times Grand Prix” in Riverside, California on October 13, 1962.

Chevrolet introduced the new Sting Ray Split Window Z06 racing option in October 1962 at Riverside Raceway. Dave MacDonald, Bob Bondurant, Jerry Grant and Doug all drove Z06 Split Window Corvettes. Billy Krause drove the first Shelby Cobra ever to race that day, but the Mickey Thompson sponsored Z0-6 driven by Hooper won the three hour race of 46 cars averaging 84.06 mph in front of 78,000 spectators.

In December 1962, at a special Z06 brake test session at Sebring, Zora Arkus-Duntov approached Doug and asked him to test his new secret project – the Grand Sport. After the test, Doug was scheduled to co-drive the Corvette Grand Sport with Billy Krause at Lemans in June 1963.

Doug drove at the 3 hour Continental at Daytona in mid February 1963, and after the race, the GM sponsored race program ended.

In the summer of 63, Doug raced all over the West and had many wins and opened “Doug’s Corvette Service” in North Hollywood, California and created one of the premier Corvette and Rochester Fuel Injection repair shops in the country.

In 1989 in addition to the shop and racing, he added to his busy life and became a Reserve Police officer for L.A.P.D.

In 1993, Doug continued to stay active in racing and was asked to prepare and tour the country in the original #001, 1963 Grand Sport – the same car he had tested at Sebring some 30 years earlier!

Under Roger Penske’s ownership in 1966, this Grand Sport, one of the original five, had a 427 L-88 big block motor installed and was previously driven by Corvette Hall of Fame legends, Dick Thompson and Dick Guldstrand at Sebring in 1966. Doug toured the USA Vintage Race events in the 1993 season with the car and raced it with great respect and admiration of the public.

Numerous books and magazine articles have been published acknowledging Doug’s winning career and accomplishments. Notably winning the SCCA Pacific Coast Championship five times.

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