Top Ten Moments in Chevrolet Motorsports

A Century of Racing Greatness

#10 Zora's Wild Ride

In 1956, to make the new '56 Chevy's V8 known, Zora-Arkus Duntov (the father of the Corvette) raced the yet to be revealed preproduction model at Pikes Peak Hill Climb. He set a new record and catapulted Chevy into the racing spotlight.

#9  | The Chaparral Can Ams

1964-1970: Jim Hall, with assistance from Chevrolet Research and Development forever changed the motorsports world. He dominated the Can Am circuit in a uniquely designed automobile that had high mounted wings, movable aero packages, underbody suction fans and more. After winning many races, race officials finally caught up to the Chaparral , putting and end to its program. It is remembered in the design of every Cruze Eco.

#8 | Victory is electric

 1197-1999: Larry Ragland made history driving a special Chevy S-10 to victory at the 1997 Pikes Peak Hill Climb, without using a single drop of gas. In doing so, he would lay the ground work for the Chevy Volt.

#7 | Cruze crushes WTCC

2010: Chevy departs from their large V8s and scored a devastating punch to the dominating BMWs at the time by winning Driver’s Championship and the Manufacturer’s Championship.

#6 | Dale Earnhardt Sr. wins the Daytona 500

1998: After 19 years of chasing the checkered flag at the beach, Dale Sr. finally conquered the Daytona 500, recording his first and only victory in the “Great American Race.” The scene that followed is widely considered to be one of the most touching moments in sports history, as crews and competitors alike lined Pit Road to shake his hand on the long, slow drive to Victory Lane.

#5 | Corvette versus the World

2008: Corvette slays the biggest rivalries, BMW, Ferrari, and Porsche, winning its 8th consecutive Manufacturer's Championship and making it the most successful team in American Le Mans Series history.

#4 | Jimmie Johnson takes Five

Jimmie Johnson rode Chevy V8 power to an unprecedented five consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Driver’s Championships − the first driver ever to do so. Leaving some to wonder, was it the man? Or the machine?

#3 | Impala meets Daytona

 1959: On February 20, the Impala took its first ever win in its first ever race.

#2 | Mr. Corvette goes to France

1960: Because of an unofficial ban on factory racing at the time, legendary sportsman Briggs Cunningham introduced Corvette to the continent. In its international debut, Corvette ruled the “Big Bore” GT category, scoring the first-ever Chevrolet victory at Le Mans − a winning tradition proudly continued today, most recently with a spectacular GTE Pro class trophy at the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race.

           #1 | The race that started it all   
                       
   1907: Legend has it that William “Billy” Durant, founder of General Motors, invited Louis Chevrolet and his younger brother Arthur to race for the honor of being his personal chauffeur. Louis, already an international racing sensation, easily blew away Arthur. Stunned by Louis’ seemingly complete disregard for personal safety, Billy handed the prized job to Arthur on the spot. Even so, Louis won in the long run. A few short years later, with Billy’s enthusiastic backing, the first Chevrolet was born. The rest, as they say, is history.   

Do you think that Chevrolet got it right?? 

2012 Chevrolet Centennial Edition Corvette

   Chevrolet, founded by a racing pioneer 100 years ago, celebrates its performance heritage with the 2012 Chevrolet Centennial Edition Corvette, which features a sleek black color scheme, unique design elements and Corvette's trademark sports car technology. Brought to you by Sports Car Illustrated.