The National Corvette Museum’s NCM Motorsports Park introduced its “King of the Heap” winter racing series a year ago and the first-Saturday-of-the-month program again is underway.
Although the participating cars must meet certain safety requirements, they also cannot have cost more than $1,000, and there’s a claiming program in place to keep things honest.
Each entry involves a four-person team with each team member driving the car in an autocross, an autocross relay, a 1/8-mile drag race and on the NCM racing circuit.
The series began December 8 with the next event scheduled for January 5.
For more information, visit the track website.
The NCM Motorsports Park also has signed a contract to host the Sports Car Club of America’s Tire Rack Time Trials Nationals for 10 years, starting in September 2019.
VW electric racer joins Petersen museum display
The Volkswagen I.D. R Pikes Peak electric racing car will be on display through February 1, 2019, at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. The record-setting EV will help promote the museum’s upcoming “Driving Toward Tomorrow” exhibit designed to showcase the auto industry’s efforts in design, engineering and infrastructure for our future transportation needs.
“As we head toward an electric future, we are proud to be at the forefront of the discussion,” Terry Karges, the Petersen’s executive director, is quoted in a news release from Volkswagen. “Through our collaborations with Volkswagen, we are able to showcase one of the most impressive electric cars in the world, inspiring our audience to be curious about the future of mobility and the implications it has on the automotive industry as a whole.”
Students become statues at ACD Museum
On December 8, for the second year in a row, 40 DeKalb High School students became living statues as the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum in northeastern Indiana hosted the Cedar Creek Anthology, bringing to life the stories of people who had contributed to the area’s history and culture.
Members of the school’s New Tech Media Lit class served as wax-figure sculptures that came to life to share the stories of people including August Duesenberg and Martha of Martha’s Popcorn, a local institution since 1940.
Special events this weekend
Muscle Car City in Punta Gorda, Florida, hosts its monthly car show Saturday from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.
Through December 30, America On Wheels museum in Allentown, Pennsylvania, offers its holiday train exhibit.
Autobooks-Aerobooks in Burbank, California, hosts a book signing December 15 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. with Ed Justice Jr., co-author of Legacy of Justice: An American Family Story.
Mark your calendar
Stahl’s Auto Collection museum in Chesterfield, Michigan, hosts its annual Wayne Funk Christmas party benefiting Vietnam Veterans Chapter 154 and the Marines Toys for Tots Foundation on December 19 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Visitors are encouraged to bring a new and unwrapped toy or non-perishable food item to the party.
The NASCAR Hall of Fame museum in Charlotte, North Carolina, will host a special Fireside Chat at 11 a.m. December 19 with Richard Childress about the 50th anniversary of Richard Childress Racing.
The Saratoga Automobile Museum in upstate New York will host a “Trim the Trunk” contest from 2 to 4 p.m. on December 21. The museum invites visitors to turn the trunks (or pickup beds) of their vehicles into holiday displays with lights and holiday decorations.
On December 22, America On Wheels museum in Allentown, Pennsylvania, offers “ice Cream with Santa” from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.
On December 22 and 23, the NASCAR Hall of Fame museum in Charlotte, North Carolina, hosts “Breakfast with Santa” from 8:30 until 10:30 a.m.
On December 29, America On Wheels museum in Allentown, Pennsylvania, stages a “Big Dipper Family & Friends New Year’s Eve Party” from noon until 3 p.m.
On January 12, the British Motor Museum hosts the Historic Rally Car Register Open Day and a celebration of the 60th anniversary of the British Motor Corp. Mini. The special event runs from 9:30 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Another “Legends of Racing History” event is scheduled January 17, 2019, at the Automobile Driving Museum in El Segundo, California, where a reception from 11 a.m. until 1 pm. will celebrate the display of the 1954 Sutton Jaguar.
“The Goodwood Story” will be presented February 2, 2019, as part of the speaker series at the Blackhawk Museum in Danville, California, where Harry Sherrard, who was involved in the revival of racing at the Goodwood Estate, will discuss Goodwood’s history, from the founding of the Dukedom of Richmond in 1982 by King Charles II to the estate’s history with the Royal Air Ford and the current Goodwood Revival and Festival of Speed.
In conjunction with the February 16-24 school holiday in England, the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu will host a Hands-on Half-Term event featuring its Chitty Chitty Bang Bang 50 Years exhibit with students invited to make like Caractacus Potts and create their own balloon cars and then see how fast they’ll go.
On August 3, 2019, the British Motor Museum will be the site of the Classic Mini Mosaic world-record attempt that is expected to draw more than 600 classic Minis. The following day the museum will be the site of the National Metro & Mini Show.
The National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, has opened registration of its Museum In Motion trip to the 24 hours of Le Mans race in 2019. The dates are June 6-17, 2019, and the trip includes four nights in London and three nights in Paris.
Does your local car museum have special events or exhibitions planned? Let us know. Email [email protected].