| |
A few months ago Michelle from Auto Club Speedway contacted Brent Hicks. She asked him to
assemble a group of 43 Corvette convertibles. She needed the Corvettes for the Sprint Cup
Auto Club 500 race just a few weeks away.
In the past Chevrolet allocated several Chevy trucks for the drivers’ parade. Four
or five Chevy trucks were allocated to several of the local dealers. The trucks were used
by Auto Club Speedway for the Sprint Cup race and returned to the dealers for sale. Well
due to the current economy, area Chevy dealers do not want any more vehicles on their lots.
They have enough problems selling what they have.
That brings us back to Michelle’s request for Brent’s help. She needed 43 Corvette convertibles,
and a few backups, for the NASCAR drivers’ parade on Sunday. Brent took on the challenge.
The first problem was Auto Club Speedway wanted the Corvette owners to pay for four general
admission tickets. Brent went back and negotiated with the speedway, pointing out that the
Corvettes they wanted for the parade only had TWO seats, so why would the corvette owners need
four tickets. After the talks Brent was able to offer the Corvette owners the privilege of
driving a true NASCAR Sprint Cup driver for the cost of just two general admission tickets.
The Corvette owners would also get access to the pit area, and infield parking or preferred
parking.
So Brent put out the word , first to fellow members at Pomona Valley Corvette Association,
and then to other clubs in the area and the Corvette forum. At first response was slow. Brent
and Michelle started to get concerned they were not going to find 43 Corvette convertibles in
such a short time period. So they opened it up to Corvette coupes with removable tops.
On the day of the Auto Club 500, Brent had all the Corvettes he needed. Mostly corvette
convertibles but there were a few coupes. The Auto Club speedway was so pleased with Brent’s
effort and the great response for the local Corvette community that Pomona Valley Corvette
association has been asked to coordinate another 43 Corvettes for the Auto Club 500 in October.
If you are interested in participating you better contact Brent now as several other clubs
are showing a strong interest. Corvettes of Temecula has already indicated that they can provide
20 plus convertibles.
Top left clockwise: Jay Stevens driving Detta's red 1996 with Kyle Bush, Kevin Hand in his 2008
, Brent Hicks in Marilyns' 2003 anniversary coupe with NASCAR driver Mark Martin.
Return to Article page
|
|
