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Win A C8 Corvette

red Corvette convertible - like the one you can win at Watkins Glen.

Celebrate Summer and take a chance on winning a world class C8 Corvette!

And … (at the same time) help out a true world-class institution that’s dedicated to keeping the history of racing not only preserved, but available to scholars, researchers, teachers, historians, and journalists on an open basis.

By Doug Stokes

Mon, Jun 21, 2021 11:08 AM PST

The International Motor Racing Research Center in Watkins Glen, New York is the preeminent place for what I call “paper” my (very) broad term for items that are not hardware (like cars). Photos, journals, books, films and all manner of expression about cars and motorsports.

Their motto/mission statement is: “Preserving and sharing the history of motorsports” that seems pretty clear to me and I (personally) know it to be true.

OK, so here’s how THEY see their own work:

“The International Motor Racing Research Center collects, shares and preserves the history of motorsports. Spanning continents, eras and race series, the Center’s collection embodies the speed, drama and camaraderie of amateur and professional motor racing throughout the world. The Center welcomes serious researchers and the casual fans alike to share stories of race drivers, race series, and race cars captured on our shelves and walls, and brought to life through a regular calendar of public talks and special events.

The Center’s collection of documents related to the history of racing is kept alive in the more than 4000 books or 250 different motorsports magazines and newspapers titles; club and sanctioning body records; race results, programs and posters; papers of motorsports journalists and scholars; correspondence of race organizers; and still and moving images housed onsite and in our expanding offsite collections storage facilities.

Our knowledgeable research and archives staff assists hundreds of scholars, journalists, authors, documentary film makers, drivers and race car owners from all over the globe with inquiries about motorsports history every year.

The Center, a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization, also benefits from endowment and outright gifts. Fund-raising activities also include an annual car raffle.”

a flyer for Watkins Glen
Make sure to check out the sites while picking up you Corvette.

And here’s what you can do (besides buying a couple raffle ticks on a car that is even better than people say* it is (because it works so well, and can be serviced at any Chevy Dealer anywhere in the ‘States) to really help the cause:

1. Designate (and make sure that your family knows) the IMRRC as the place that all your motorsports books, papers, photos etc. should go when you check out.

2. Put your collector cars up for auction, but those paper goods should not be set out on the curb, awaiting the trash collectors. If they were THAT important to you and you’ve kept them for many many years, they can be part of the collection at Watkins Glen that keeps motorsports history alive and accessible.

The IMRRC Mission: “To collect, preserve and share the global history of motorsports... Our extensive collection includes thousands of hours of film and video, hundreds of thousands of photographs, as well as thousands of cubic feet of periodicals, newsletters, rare books, race results, race programs, artwork, trophies and much, much more. We are dedicated to preserving and sharing these priceless artifacts that might otherwise be lost to future generations.”  Pretty damn clear … they care about and for motorsports. 

So... when you can support that sort of work and maybe win a brand new (frankly breathtaking) Corvette C8 Stingray I suggest that you take a shot or two at it.

Get hold of a few raffle tickets and think about how cool it would be to visit Watkins Glen to pick up YOUR Corvette (an early Christmas present?) for an exciting and triumphant journey back home. What a victory lap!

*I was really trying very hard to not get too damn giggly in my recent review of the C8, but it really was every bit as good as I said.

About The Author

Doug Stokes's profile picture

Doug Stokes

Doug has a long and wide-ranging history in the motoring business. He served five years as the Executive Director of the International Kart Federation, and was the PR guy for the Mickey Thompson's Off-Road Championship Gran Prix. He worked racing PR for both Honda and Suzuki and was a senior PR person on the first Los Angeles (Vintage) Grand Prix. He was also the first PR Manager for Perris Auto Speedway, and spent over 20 years as the VP of Communications at Irwindale Speedway. Stokes is the recipient of the American Autowriters and Broadcaster’s 2005 Chapman Award for Excellence in Public Relations and was honored in 2015 by the Motor Press Guild with their Dean Batchelor Lifetime Achievement Award. “… I’ve also been reviewing automobiles and books for over 20 years, and really enjoy my LA Car assignments.” he added.

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