Hershey's Take 5 300 & Daytona 500 NASCAR Busch Series & Other News - Inside Track

Chocolate Corvette Attack at 2005 Daytona 500
"Five" was the lucky number in the Hershey's "Take 5 Laps with Kevin Harvick at Daytona" promotion. Five winners were chosen to spend five days in Daytona Beach, Florida, take five laps around Daytona International Speedway with Kevin Harvick, and have a chance to win the official pace car used in the Hershey's Take 5 300 NASCAR Busch Series race held Saturday, February 19.

The five winners were:
Shelby Dawson, 54
Memphis, Tennessee;
Gail Joslin, 57
Nashville, Indiana;
Joanne Odom, 42
Shelby Township, Michigan;
Judy Sul, 69
Casa Grande, Arizona;
Mark Westover, 38
Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Randomly chosen from hundreds of thousands of entries, the winners and their guests received tickets to the Hershey's Take 5 300 and Daytona 500 NASCAR races. In addition, prior to the start of the Hershey's Take 5 300 race, the winners competed for a chance to win an official pace car. One lucky winner took home the official 2005 Chevrolet Corvette pace car used in the Hershey's Take 5 300 race.

The winner was Mark Westover. He was one of only two men in the contest, and had an experience of a lifetime, as this was his first time leaving Oregon. It was also his first NASCAR race, even though he's been a die-hard fan since his 20s. Mark thanked his wife and Hershey Foods for such a great experience.

All five winners experienced the thrill of a lifetime when they lapped around Daytona International Speedway with Kevin Harvick behind the wheel. Hershey Foods sponsored the Hershey's Take 5 300 NASCAR Busch Series race that featured a specially painted No. 21 Hershey's Take 5 Chevrolet fielded by Richard Childress Racing and driven by Kevin Harvick.

For more information, visit www.hersheys.com.

Corvette C6 Paces The Daytona 500
First debuting on the Fox & Friends TV show in New York with Dale Earnhardt Jr., the sixth-generation Corvette led the pack around the track at the Daytona 500 last February 20.

Distinguishing itself from the standard production model, the Daytona edition of the new C6 featured a gorgeous race-specific paint scheme of full-bodied Millennium Yellow highlighted with a single black racing stripe slicing through the middle of the hood, roof, and rear deck. Large Daytona 500 logos accented the doors with Chevrolet's tag line, "An American Revolution" across the rear spoiler, all of which was intended to rekindle some of Corvette's previous winning race cars.

"We are proud to once again have our good partners at Chevrolet pace the field at NASCAR's signature event," said Robin Braig, president of Daytona International Speedway. "We are looking forward to showing off the 2005 Corvette pace car on national television and in front of millions of fans."

Stemming from its outstanding winning record, 17 in total at the Daytona 500, Chevrolet also starts off the season as the defending Manufacturer's Champion, a feat it has pulled off 28 times before. This racing legacy, coupled with the new C6 and C6 Z06, makes Chevrolet a formidable adversary to the other manufacturers competing for the top of the food chain.

Chevrolet Boasts Twenty-Seven Billion Horsepower
GM celebrates 50 years of the small-block.Hitting the magical golden anniversary, General Motors has initiated a celebration commemorating 50 years of the famed small-block V-8. Over that time, 90 million engines have been produced, spanning a wide range of vehicles and applications, making the motor one of the most revered and dependable engines in American production.

Fighting the horsepower wars between the Big Three and the swelling body styles of the '50s, the fledgling 265 jumped to the 283; then up through the '60s from a 327 to the venerable 350. The '70s brought us the 400-inch small-block taking us through the new Gen III design of the '90s, and ending with today's brain-numbing 427 cubes thundering out 500 horses.

GM's plans for celebrating started at the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance on March 11, with personal appearances by Junior Johnson of NASCAR fame; Richard Childress, Racing NASCAR engine builder; Spenny Clendenen, GM Powertrain's vice president; Ed Koerner, retired director of GM Racing; Herb Fishel; and three-time F5000 race series champion Brian Redman.

General Motors will continue the year's celebration with a road show at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in Chichester, UK; Monterey Historic Races in Monterey, California; and Concours d'Elegance at Cranbrook Concours in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

Breaking The Rev Limit
Engineers at GM have accomplished a feat many speculated wasn't achievable. The new '06 Z06 Corvette's fearsome LS7 7.0L OHV V-8 engine will not only hit 500 hp, but is capable of racing up to 7,100 rpm. The previous limit was 6,600 rpm in the 6.0L LS2. Dispelling any doubts by those in the automotive industry, GM's newest edition to the small-block heritage still retains its basic single-cam, overhead valve, pushrod design, though it's significantly improved and massaged in a wide array of areas.

With this new engine, GM is showing multi-valve overhead cam performance is achievable with a two-valve cam-in-block engine. For the new Z06, higher rpm allows the driver to remain in First gear to just over 60 mph, which contributes to a higher top speed and improves overall vehicle performance. The LS7 is one of the first OHV mass-production engines capable of handling over 7,000 rpm. The new Z06's phenomenal sub-4-second 0-60-mph time is achieved by the extended rpm range and the ability to remain in First gear up to 60 mph. The over-190 top speed of the Z06 is partially due to the capability of the engine. Since aerodynamic drag at higher speeds occurs, the ability to run at a higher rpm allows the transmission to be run in a lower gear, generating more torque at the rear wheels.

On The Block
Scottsdale, Arizona, was the site of the Barrett-Jackson special-interest and collector-car auction in our report this month.

Over 800 vehicles crossed the auction block, with all selling on a "no-reserve" basis. In attendance was a crowd of 200,000 car enthusiasts with over 4,200 bidding. The bidders represented all 50 states and 14 countries. Total sales for this event exceeded the $61-million mark.

As one would expect, the Corvette nameplate was well represented with 97 of America's finest sports car crossing the auction block. All were sold, since the auction was billed as no reserve.

Top sale of the Corvettes went to a black '58 retractable hardtop, the only one ever built. Named "Scotty" and restored to mint condition by ProTeam in Napoleon, Ohio, this collector Corvette sold for $340,200.

Of the 97 Corvettes sold, 30 went for over $100,000. Virtually all of these had special credentials, low mileage, and/or the optional high-performance motors.

The early models ('53-'62) were well represented with 31 Corvettes. Of these, 10 sold for more than $100,000. At the top of the sales list was the previously mentioned '58 retractable hardtop that sold for $340,200. Close behind was the sale of a '53, VIN 243, along with an '03 Roadster, VIN 243, white with red interior to match the '53. They sold for a combined price of $594,000. A '62 custom roadster with a 350 motor/blower sold for $162,000. A '57 roadster with a fuel-injected 283-283 motor and both tops sold for $143,500. A '58 roadster with a fuel-injected 283-283 motor sold for $136,500.

The mid-years ('63-'67) were hot, with 40 crossing the auction block and 18 selling for over $100,000. At the top of the mid-year list was a '66 coupe with the 427-425 motor and the rare 36-gallon fuel tank. Only 66 were built with this option. In addition, it had NCRS and Bloomington Gold documentation and sold for $189,000. A '67 roadster with the 427-435 motor led the '67 models at $163,000.

In the '68-'82 series, we listed 17 Corvettes. A '69 Baldwin Motion Phase III GT Coupe sold for $226,800. It was one of ten built and was powered by a 427 motor. A '68 T-top with the L89, 427-435 motor with aluminum heads changed owners for $102,600.

In the late-model category was a '90 Callaway Speedster with an LT5 turbo motor that commanded $210,600. Closing out the late-models was an '05 with a retractable hardtop that found a new home at $75,600.

Following are summary results of the auction. Note: These are not normal Corvette prices-average prices are currently considerably lower.