NCM C5-R Exhibit: When Dale Earnhardt Sr. & Junior Teamed Up With Corvette Racing

I’m a bit embarrassed to write that I had almost forgotten about the time when the stars aligned for these legendary drivers to jump in a C5-R Corvette race car and become a part of racing history–and how perfect was it that the dominant record-setting C5-R was assigned the No. 3? I know that just the mention of Dale Sr. and the No. 3 elicits both fond and painful memories for racing fans and enthusiasts alike, as tragedy hit Earnhardt Sr. at NASCAR’s Daytona 500 just 13 days after racing the C5-R to 4th overall at the 2001 24 Hours of Daytona. [Author’s Note: This article is FREE and not behind a paywall. If/when any pop-ups occur, please click to make them disappear and continue enjoying the article. One may require two steps–first, the arrow on the left, then the x on the top right.]

As I started to dig through CorvSport’s vast catalog of Corvette content, I was soon reminded that this remarkable collaboration dated back well beyond our 2010 founding, and what turned out to be a once-in-a-lifetime event almost predated even the earliest Corvette Forum, which launched in 1999. Now, nearly a quarter-century later, the National Corvette Museum has launched a creative new exhibit covering this epic collaboration, with the highlight being personal letters that Dale Sr. wrote to Andy Pilgrim.

As the story goes, after Andy Pilgrim pulled off an impressive move (later coined the Pilgrim Pass) to secure the win for Corvette Racing during the 2000 Petit Le Mans, Dale Sr. was so impressed he reached out, with a method that is almost unheard of today–a personal letter sent via snail mail. In that late October 2000 letter (featured in its entirety below), Dale Sr. remarked to Andy that the “drive and determination” it took to win the Petit Le Mans is “exactly why I want you for a teammate in the 24 hours of Daytona.” Dale Sr. went on to exclaim, “That last lap looked like something we do at Bristol.” It became official two weeks later–Earnhardt and his son, Dale Jr., would team up with Pilgrim and Kelly Collins in a Corvette C5-R. You may recall that while not built on the same chassis as the C5, the C5-R used the same layout, except lengthened and widened, with a monstrous 7.0L LS1.R V8 up front roaring out 610 HP. Developed and built by GM partners Pratt & Miller, the C5-R would make its debut at the 1999 24 Hours of Daytona.

What’s Inside Today’s CorvSport Coverage:

1. A quick glimpse at the No. 3 C5-R and its drivers
2. The NCM post that started it all
3. Both letters from Dale Sr. to Andy Pilgrim
4. A full photo gallery from the “Speed Captured” exhibit
5. Resources for deeper dives

1) A Quick Glimpse at the C5-R Corvette and Its Drivers

2) The NCM Post That Got Enthusiasts Talking & Sharing!

You can click on the “f” in the top right corner of the Facebook post below to join other enthusiasts.