World’s Greatest Drag Race 2020: C8 Corvette Smokes the GT500 (Again)

Corvette Stingray drag races against the best sports cars of 2020. Can you guess which model was the fastest to race into 2021?

2020 has been quite a challenging year, and it would seem that an epic drag race is a perfect way to kick off the New Year. Motortrend decided to do exactly that and lined up eight exciting models for the 10th installment of the World’s Greatest Drag Race series. The team managed to deliver one of the most unpredictable drag races with results that were surprising, to say the least.

The cars competed against one another at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, which diehard fans of the Bowling green sports car might remember as the natural stomping grounds of the C8.R Corvette racecar. This time around, the format of the drag race was a little different, “we are not going to run eight wide because the road simply isn’t wide enough instead, we are doing elimination-style drag racing.”

The contenders participated in three heats that comprised of 7 races. Interestingly enough, most of the cars in Motortrend’s roster, including the C8 Corvette Stingray, were also featured in Car and Driver’s 10 Best Cars and Trucks for 2021 list. Corvette C8 stepped up to the starting line after the 541 HP Cayenne Turbo Coupe obliterated the 702 HP Ram 1500 TRX pickup truck.

The presenter described the second race as, ”a classic, Ford vs. Chevy, but it is not a Camaro vs. a Mustang.” The mid-engine ‘Vette lined up against a 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, and this is when things started to get interesting. The team raced the C8 Stingray in its 3LT Z51 trim, which comes equipped with a 6.2-liter LT2 V8 motor that puts out 495 HP of power and 470 lb-ft of maximum torque. Even with 265 extra ponies, the Shelby GT500 could not keep up with Chevy’s mid-engine track monster.

In the past, we have described the C8 Corvette as an American Ferrari, and it was quite satisfying to watch our blue-collar sports car race against an Italian thoroughbred. The $85,860 C8 Corvette Stringray advanced to the next heat, which meant it was now going to race against the 2020 Ferrari F8 Tributo.

The F8 Tributo also has 216 horses more than the C8 Corvette, which is why it is not surprising that the prancing horse trotted away from our lauded Bowling Green sportscar. It is worth noting that Ferrari F8 Tributo went on to win the drag race championship by beating the 911 Turbo S, so we can at least find comfort in the fact that our beloved ‘Vette lost to the most capable contender in the championship.

Images: Motortrend

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