Anyone who knows anything about Chip Miller is aware that he loves Corvettesand has owned quite a few of them over the years. You have to know the Carlisle Productions co-owner a little better, though, to know that hes also a racing fanatic. His personal collection includes nine Corvette racers, five of them Corvette Challenge cars.
Chip got hooked on Corvettes when he was just barely a teenager, and owned his first (a 60) by the time he was 19. His love of Corvettes is probably a major factor in the success of the annual Corvettes at Carlisle event, which has been a sellout these past couple of years.
Chip indulges a competitive streak on the trackand he doesnt just bring up the rear, either. In the Oct. 97 issue of CF we reported his success with his No. 7 Shawn Hendricks Corvette Challenge race car at Sebring that year. He tells us, though, that the No. 17 Challenge car featured here is his favorite. While its not my most pristine car, I find I can take it out at speed. If I wreck it, it can be fixed. Its like a driver, he told us. A historic race car to run with no stress attached. Wow.
This 89 has quite a history, too. In the 89 Corvette Challenge series, it went into the last race, at St. Petersburg, Florida, in Fourth Place for the championship. It won that race, after a pit stop and restarting dead last. It finished in Third Place in that series, bouncing the No. 7 Shawn Hendricks car from Third to Fourth. Chip has since retired the No. 7 car from vintage racing, and runs only No. 17.
Chips other Corvette Challenge race cars include the winner of that 89 series, the No. 3 Bill Cooper car; the 88 No. 33 car driven by Mark Dismore (it won the inaugural race at Dallas); and an 89 Challenge car that has never been raced. He refers to the No. 33 and the No. 17 cars as Bookends: No. 33 won the first race of the series, and No. 17 won the last.
A truly impressive collection. And its in good hands.