The big Challenge Car reunion is confirmed for Corvettes at Carlisle and in addition to the great series cars planned for display, we're excited to announce a great mix of original drivers from the series too.
The big Challenge Car reunion is confirmed for Corvettes at Carlisle and in addition to the great series cars planned for display, we're excited to announce a great mix of original drivers from the series too. Below, we'll share some background on confirmed drivers so you have a better feel for who they are and their accomplishments. Each driver will be part of a racers round table during the event, be available for Q&A sessions, photos, and autographs too.
Bill Cooper: Cooper was a steady driver during the 1988 season and series champion in 1989. During the '88 season, Cooper managed four top-5 starting spots, including a pole at Riverside. Starting good is one thing, but being consistent and finishing good is even better. He parlayed those starting grid spots into five top-5's, including three top-3's spanning consecutive weeks. During the '89 championship season, he only finished one race out of the top-5 and did so because the car broke down. Otherwise, he finished no worse than fourth. Expect to see the '89 championship car he drove on display in August at Carlisle.
Peter Cunningham: Cunningham is a Milwaukee, Wisconsin native who has nearly 100 wins under his belt dating back to 1990. His racing portfolio is diverse, having raced in a variety of series, but the Corvettes at Carlisle spotlight shines on him due to his Challenge Car resume. During the 1988 season, Cunningham earned eight top-10 finishes, including a podium spot at Road America. In addition to his success at Road America in the Challenge Car Series, he’s seen success on tracks like Sebring, Daytona, Watkins Glenn, and more.
Robert Carradine: Maybe you have never seen Robert Carradine drive, but there’s a good chance you’ve heard him laugh. Carradine comes from a long line of actors and is famous for his role as Lewis Skolnick in the Revenge of the Nerds comedy films, but according to him, his first love is auto racing. It’s this passion that drove him to the Corvette Challenge series in the 1980s. In fact, in 1988, Carradine drove Challenge Car #97, logging two top-fives (Dallas and Sears Point), while earning the pole at Brainerd. He also raced the #65 car in 1989. During that season, Carradine is credited with six top-10 finishes, including a season-best fourth at Sears Point. He’s logged countless laps on tracks around the country, including at the famed Daytona International Speedway and the Rolex 24 in 2000. Still active as an actor, Carradine was part of a 2024 film called The Night They Came Home, and is attached to a few more projects, all currently listed in pre-production.
Stu Hayner: Stu Hayner was a force to be reckoned with during the 1988 and 1989 Challenge Car seasons. During the 1988 season Hayner was the series champion in the #98 car, and in 1989, raced in the rebranded #1 car. During the ’88 season, he notched nine top-10 finishes, including a victory, two second-place finishes, and a third-place finish. The Yorba Linda, California native not only won the Challenge Series title in 1988, he also captured the SCCA Endurance Championship too. Hayner has the distinction of being the first driver to win races in two different series, in two different types of race cars, in two different countries, within a single 24-hour period. Things will be a little more low-key in August at Carlisle, but as he sits amongst his Challenge Car brethren, expect the competitive blood to still be flowing through his veins.
Kenny Wallace Sr. and Kenny Wallace Jr.: The Wallace name is famous in racing for a variety of reasons. For NASCAR fans, they know Rusty and his brother Kenny, but for Corvette Challenge Car fans, these Kenny Wallaces aren’t related to those Wallaces, though both have a tie-in to going fast. Kenny Wallace Sr. and Kenny Wallace Jr. each played a role in the series, with Sr. owning Valley Chevrolet of Wilkes-Barre, PA, a dealership that helped secure ALL of the Challenge Cars, while, Jr. was a driver in the series.
Shawn Hendricks: Shawn Hendricks of Piedmont, South Carolina was part of the ’88 and ’89 series. The ’89 year saw Hendricks pilot the #7 Valley Chevrolet car and along the way, logged six top-5 finishes, eight top-10 finishes, and three poles. When running, the car was so dominant that it completed 92% percent of its laps. There were only two races in 1989 where the #7 had issues, crashing out at the Des Moines, Iowa race, and having differential issues at Road America course in Wisconsin.
Peter Lockhart: Peter Lockhart is a Canadian Motorsports Hall of Famer who piloted the #11 Sony car, taking 2nd in 1989. His success in 1989 only scratches the surface of his career accomplishments. Lockhart has competed in and won in a variety of race cars and series, including SCCA Formula Ford, Firestone Firehawk Endurance Championship, along with the aforementioned Challenge Car Series just to name a few. From short, sprint type races to longer, endurance based ones, Lockhart has done it all. A team owner and operator as well, Lockhart worked in tandem with major companies such as Esso, Sony, Sunoco, and Magna.
Lou Gigliotti: Driver of the #12 car in 1988 and #2 car in 1989, Gigliotti earned four top-10s in ’88, with seven more in ’89. Of those seven, three were top-5s, including a 2nd place finish at Mosport. An educator and racer’s racer, Gigliotti has run all types of cars on all types of tracks. It was in 1988 when his passion for driving and work truly blended. In a 2014 interview with LSX Magazine, he explained how that series started and how it was such a great fit for him, that there were so many great drivers and when he got his car, truck, and trailer, he needed a shop. That’s where LG Motorsports was born. So, in addition to being a teacher and driver, Gigliotti is a businessman; a very successful one at that.
*Please note, information is intended to be as accurate as possible. If you note an error, or have information you'd like to add to a driver's profile,
please send those via e-mail and we'll review/update accordingly.