Are you sure about this?" I'd already asked the question a couple of times, and couldn't help but ask it again as I moved to the head of the line, about to take Ginny Smith's Millennium Yellow C5 coupe out onto the track at Texas Motor Speedway. "Of course," Ginny replied. "That's what we're here for." Impressed that Texas hospitality extended that far, I turned my attention to the task at hand. The tires chirped just a bit as I pulled out behind the pace car, and we quickly gained speed as we headed into the banking.
My adrenaline was already building as we came up on the first turn, wind blasting through the open top at close to 100 mph. The exhilaration increased as the track began to bank, and the g-forces kicked in, sticking the car to the track surface. I got right up on the pace car's tail, hoping the driver would speed up. That plan failing, and still lusting for speed, I considered passing him, but had just enough sense left to keep from ruining the fun for everyone else.
It's that kind of hands-on, pedal-down experience that brought Corvette enthusiasts out to the 12th Annual Lone Star Corvette Classic. There are several events throughout the weekend, but the long lines of Vettes waiting in the infield for a go at the banking left little doubt as to what most of the attendees were there for. This year's schedule reflected the popularity of the driving events, with the festivities getting started on Friday with an all-day "Funkhana" autocross. Nick Cole, son of Ed (former GM president) and Dollie (Chairwoman of the National Corvette Museum) once again designed the course, a challenging combination of tight turns and a high-speed straight. The requirement that drivers stop "in the box" at the end of the course added to the difficulty and made for some interesting runs. In the end, Kevin Courtney had managed a 58.575-second run in his C5, which gave him fast-lap honors.
While the early arrivers were out dodging cones, others were just arriving in town, many of who made it to the host Marriott Solana hotel in time for Friday night's reception, which came complete with live music and a trio of Hooter's girls serving up the repast. Saturday was show day, and the area underneath the bleachers at Texas Motor Speedway was full of Vettes of all vintages. There was also a host of vendors, hawking everything from models and T-shirts to polish and parts. Saturday night's awards ceremony was highlighted by guest speakers Dollie Cole and Dick Guldstrand, both of whom were, as always, entertaining.
What many were looking forward to, however, was Sunday's track time.
Eager drivers showed up at the speedway early to line up for laps on the main track, and the lines were full all day. All years and styles were represented, from a solid-axle sporting old-school "bigs and littles," to a pair of spilt-window coupes, to a big-block LS6-powered, Hooker side pipe-sporting Shark that could be heard all the way around the track. Many exited the main track and got right in line for a new feature, hot laps on the infield road course. Things got intense there, with sideways driving, smoking brakes, and at least one off-course excursion all happening throughout the day.
The Lone Star Corvette Classic attracted 300 cars, most of which were driven as well as displayed, and 2,000 visitors to see the show. It may be a cliche to say that Texans like to do things in grand style, but with all the cool cars, enthusiastic fans, and just about all the driving action that anyone could want, it's a cliche that fits.