Chuck's Big Adventure in Kentucky: National Corvette Museum, NCM Motorsports Park

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — For 30 years, it has celebrated the engineering, the look and the cool of "America's sports car" — the Corvette. 

National Corvette Museum

Located near the Corvette factory in Bowling Green, Kentucky, the National Corvette Museum has highlighted the unique place in history the Corvette has created.

Whether it's the innovation, speed or unique appeal of this car, literally millions of visitors have traveled to south Kentucky to take a peek and make some memories.

Ryan Eichler promotes the museum and this wonderful car.

"Well, it's 'America's sports car' — 71 years of innovation performance being ingrained in our pop culture. You know, when you put all that together with an incredible community of Corvette owners, it really is a car like none other," Eichler said. "Many Corvette owners say they're living the dream when they get their Corvette. It's a bucket list for them, but also, at the same time, a way to get out enjoy, you know, you put the top down on a beautiful summer or fall day. I mean, is there anything better than that? A giant American built V8 engine roaring. It is something that I don't think you can experience anywhere else."

And it has been that way by design. Chevrolet wanted a luxury sports car, just as sought after as Porsche or Ferrari but without that incredible price tag. With every generation of the Corvette, comes a new innovation and a new reason to love these cars. 

"We're in the eighth generation now. This is a third generation, fifth generation, fourth generation. You're still going to see that kind of wedge shape, kind of carried through the fender, bulging of the fenders, and that really kind of high-performance look," Eichler said. "I mean, significant changes all throughout, you know, when you look at the history, that jump from C7, so the seventh generation ended in 2019 to the eighth generation that we're in right now. That's when they moved it to a mid-engine, went from a front engine to a mid-engine, which does give you a far better weight balance. And that was probably the most significant change that they've done to Corvette."

So many Corvettes and so many eras. They are all here, from the very beginning when the Corvette Stingray caused headshakes in the car community to the modern E-Ray, which is already having a permanent impact on the modern sports car community. Fans can delight in claiming their favorite model year, and people new to this car can wonder in the influence it has had on American culture. 

Back in February 2014, a sinkhole opened under the floor of the Skydome area of the museum. Eight rare Corvettes dropped into the hole. The event is marked here with a special display showing what happened, and you can even see through a peering hole into the remnant of the sinkhole. Now, 10 years later, that space is actually celebrated. 

"In honor of that 10-year anniversary, you are in 'Ground to Sky: The Sinkhole Reimagined.' This is a limited engagement exhibit that we have that runs until Sept. 15 that really tells the story of that moment, but then the 10 years since because this is really a story of the phoenix rising from the ashes," Eichler said. "Since that sinkhole, of course, we're able to rebuild. We have had some of our most successful years, opened up a new restaurant, the Stingray Grill. Delivery program continues, new exhibits, new education centers. So much has happened in those 10 years. We really wanted to kind of give a timeline of that, but then also take a moment to really kind of stop and recognize what happened by bringing out some of the sinkhole-damaged cars. These are not on display permanently, so (we) wanted to make sure to kind of give folks a sense of 'this is what it looked like when they pulled it out.'"

The delivery program is part of the National Corvette Museum as well. New Corvette owners can pre-order their car from the Bowling Green plant and have it delivered right on the floor of the National Corvette Museum. For these people, it is a bucket-list event.

NCM Motorsports Park

Nearby, just across Interstate 65, is the NCM Motorsports Park. It's a place of research, development, competition and, for me, a chance to drive a 2024 E-Ray at breakneck speed. Zack Rackovan operates the track and says it is a dream come true to ride in a Corvette on this famous asphalt track. 

"We hear on a regular basis stories of 'My dad worked for Corvette,' or 'H always wanted a Corvette,' or 'He had one,' and whether it's homage or it's an opportunity to get for a child to give back, or husbands, it's just really cool to see the family story that integrates with this car because it's been around since 1953, and almost everybody has a story where the first time they saw one, or the first time that they rode in one, and to be able to fulfill that for people, it's awesome. It makes it, makes it all worth it," Rackovan said. "They're here for the car, they're here for their memory and the honor or whatever they're here to achieve, but to have a small role in that, it's pretty empowering for us, and it's rewarding beyond pay, and the fact that we get to drive race cars for a living, it's a rewarding experience to be a part of somebody's memory and make it that much better by providing them with an exceptional experience."

As I was getting seat-belted in, ready to take my trip around the road course, Rackovan could sense my feeling that there is no other car quite like this car.

"That's a love affair – it has been since the day they created it, when, you know, and I'm tongue in cheek because that's the name of the museum's display on it – but it couldn't have been more appropriately named. America has been in love with this car since 1953, and it's a marriage and a love affair that just keeps growing and getting more and more intense. The car’s technology and where it's going, it's in rare air. There's nothing like it on the market," Rackovan said. "You take whatever this car costs new, you won't find anything that will compete with it at that price point – and sometimes double the price point – so the value that the car gives, it's striking to look at. That's why it's maintained 70 years of being 'America's sports car' because it is. It's America's only true sports car that's designed to compete with absolutely phenomenal vehicles made by Porsche and BMW, all these other companies that have excelled in designing sports cars. This is the only one giving a run for their money, and it's because it's so special."

I took a 2024 E-Ray out on the course and was shocked at the speed from 0-60. I also, as I got up near 100 mph speeds, felt amazed at the punch this hybrid maintained. Later, I jumped into the passenger seat as Rackovan brought us up to 160 mph on the main straightaways on the course.

Whether it is the museum or the motorsports park, the trip to Bowling Green really reinforces the importance of "America's sports car" in the lexicon of our country.

If you aren't a Corvette fan, you probably will be after a visit to this crown jewel of the Commonwealth.

More of Chuck's Big Adventure in Kentucky:

• Chuck's Big Adventure in Kentucky: Visiting fabled horse parks
• Chuck's Big Adventure in Kentucky: Finding giants at Bernheim Forest
• Chuck's Big Adventure in Kentucky: Cabins on the cliffs and in the trees
• Chuck's Big Adventure in Kentucky: Rail Explorers
• Chuck's Big Adventure in Kentucky: Red River Gorge underground kayaking
• Chuck's Big Adventure in Kentucky: Visiting the Woodsongs Radio Hour broadcast
• Chuck's Big Adventure in Kentucky: Touring the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum
• Chuck's Big Adventure in Kentucky: Rocking with Rick Faris
• Chuck's Big Adventure in Kentucky: Western Kentucky BBQ Trail
• Chuck's Big Adventure in Kentucky: Berea College
• Chuck's Big Adventure in Kentucky: Lake Cumberland — Houseboats