1994 Corvette

Brickyard 400

HISTORY

ON AUGUST 6, 1994, THE INAUGURAL BRICKYARD 400 RACE WAS HELD AT THE WORLD-FAMOUS INDIANAPOLIS MOTORSPEEDWAY. THIS WAS THE FIRST NASCAR EVENT HELD AT THE INDIANAPOLIS AND IT DREW A RECORD CROWD OF OVER A QUARTER MILLION RACE FANS. IN PRIOR YEARS, INDY WAS THE HOST OF ONLY ONE ANNUAL RACE, THE INDIANAPOLIS 500.  THE ADDITION OF A SECOND MAJOR RACE AT INDY WAS AN HISTORIC EVENT AND DREW HUGE INTEREST.  THE HYPE SURROUNDING THE INAUGURAL 400 WAS EVEN ENOUGH TO LURE FOUR-TIME INDY 500 WINNER AJ FOYT OUT OF RETIREMENT FOR A CHANCE TO MAKE EVEN MORE HISTORY.

CHEVROLET SUPPLIED 137 SUPPORT VEHICLES FOR THE RACE, INCLUDING THE NEW-FOR-1994 MONTE CARLO THAT WOULD SERVE AS THE PACE CAR. TWENTY –FIVE 1994 CORVETTE CONVERTIBLES (13 RED, 12 BLACK) WERE USED AS PARADE OR FESTIVAL CARS.  THE CORVETTES WERE MAINLY USED TO INTRODUCE THE 43 NASCAR DRIVERS IN A PARADE LAP AROUND THE TRACK. MOST OF THEM CARRIED TWO DRIVERS, WHO SAT ON THE DECK-LIDS AND WAVED TO FANS IN THE GRANDSTANDS DURING THE PARADE LAP.  IN ANOTHER PART OF THE PRERACE FESTIVITIES, THE CORVETTES WOULD PARADE VIPS INCLUDING RICHARD PETTY, BOBBY ALLISON AND THE INDIANAPOLIS MAYOR PLUS MAJOR SPONSORS AROUND THE TRACK.

 THE CORVETTES WERE SHIPPED DIRECTLY FROM THE BOWLING GREEN ASSEMBLEY PLANT TO THE GM TECH CENTER IN WAREN MICHIGAN. IT HAS BEEN CONFIRMED THAT THE MONTE CARLOS WERE ALSO SENT TO THE TECH CENTER AND RECEIVED 30 HORSEPOWER BOOST OVER THE STANDARD MONTE CARLO.  NO FACTS WERE EVER OFFICALLY DISCLOSED ABOUT THE MODAFACTIONS MADE TO THE CORVETTES. HOWEVER RUMOR HAS IT THAT EXPERIMENTING WITH SOME MINOR TWEAKS WOULD GENERATE MORE HORSEPOWER FOR GMS NEW LT4 WHICH DID DEBUT IN THE 1996 CORVETTE. IT WAS CALLED THE GRAND SPORT. THE GRAND SPORT HAD A 30 HORSEPOWER GAIN OVER THE STANDARD CORVETTE.  TWO OF THE CORVETTES HAD THEIR BRICKYARD DECALS APPLIED AT THE TECH CENTER AND WERE EVALUATED BY CHEVROLETS EXECUTIVES, THEN TRANSPORTED TO INDIANAPLOLIS. THE REMAINING 23 HAD DECALS APPLIED AT CHEVROLET DEALERSHIPS IN THE INDIANAPOLIS AREA. 

ONCE THE CARS WERE AT THE TRACK, THEY WERE ASSIGNED INDIANAPLOIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY NUMBERS IN SOMEWHAT RANDOM FASHION. MOST OF THE NUMBERS RANGED IN THE 70’S AND 80’S.  A DECAL INDICATING THE NUMBER OF EACH CAR WAS APPLIED TO THE LOWER WINDSHIELD ON THE DRIVERS SIDE.

TWENTY-TWO CORVETTES PARADED THE DRIVERS ACCORDING TO STARTING POSTIONS. TWENTY-ONE OF THE CARS WERE GIVEN TWO NASCAR DRIVERS EACH, AND DECALS OF THEIR NAMES WERE APPLIED ON THE HOODS OF THAT PARTICULAR CAR. SINCE NASCAR STARTS AN ODD NUMBER OF CARS AT EACH RACE, ONE CAR WAS ASSIGNED A SINGLE NASCAR DRIVER.  THE REMAINING THREE {TWO RED, ONE BLACK} HAD NO NAMES BUT WERE USED IN THE VIP PARADE.

AFTER THE RACE, THE CARS WERE SENT BACK TO THE GM TECH CENTER FOR EVALUATION AND THEN DISTRIBUTED TO DEALERSHIPS FOR SALE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC.  SOME DEALERSSHIPS TO FACILITATE EASIER SALES, REMOVED THEIR BRICKYARD DECALS AND WERE SOLD AS ORDINARY 1994 CORVETTE MODELS.  IT MAY WELL BE THAT SOME OWNERS OF THESE CORVETTES HAVE NO IDEA OF THEIR UNIQUE HISTORY.

THERE ARE SEVERAL CLUES TO IDENTIFY A BRICKYARD 400 CORVETTE. ALL WERE CONVERTIBLES, EITHER RED WITH RED INTERIOR OR BLACK WITH BLACK INTERIOR WITH A BUILD DATE ON JUNE OF 1994. BUILD SHEETS OF MOST KNOW CARS HAVE A “CHARGE-TO” CODE OF 00-502 {NAO CVO-TECH. CENTER} AND A” SHIP-TO” CODE OF 70-847 {C-P-C GROUP C/O QUAL-EFFIC INC.}.  THE CARS ARE ALSO IDENTIFIABLE BY VIN THROUGH THE INDY MUSEUM HISTORIAN AS WELL AS BY THE COMPANY THAT SUPPLIED THE ORGINAL BRICKYARD GRAPHICS FOR THE CARS.