VIDEO: A 120-Hour Texas to Alaska Driving Adventure in a C6 ZR1

The ZR1 had to dodge potholes, bears, and wildfires, but it still managed to win its class at the 2023 Alaska Speed Week.

If you own a C6 Corvette ZR1 and are the type of owner that parks it for the winter, and never takes it out in the rain, then this story might hurt you to read. But if you are the type of owner that bought a C6 ZR1 Corvette because you want to DRIVE a C6 ZR1 Corvette, then this story is going to warm your heart. It is about two men who decided to drive a 2010 ZR1 for thousands of harsh miles from Texas to Alaska for the 2023 Alaska Speed Week event. The drive took roughly 120 hours as for much of the trip the 638-horsepower sports car was limited to about 20 mph. Not because there was any issue with the car, but because the driving conditions were just so poor.

A video of the adventure was recently posted on the VINwiki YouTube channel. The incredible drive is explained by Chris Story who is one of the two men that decided that this insane trip was worth trying. Along the way the two men and their ZR1 had to navigate treacherous roads, wildlife, wildfires, and broken wheel after broken wheel. But they made it and even managed to win the stick shift class at Alaska Speed Week. It is a tale of human determination, but it also shows how much punishment this 14-year-old Corvette can take and still perform better than almost anything else out there.

Trip Prep

Phil Balmaceda is the owner of the Corvette, which just might be the dirtiest C6 ZR1 in the world. And it was he and Story that went on this epic adventure with a surprisingly light amount of preparation. Sure, they had some spare wheels and tires along with some tools. And they were towed along in a replica ZR1 cargo box that was sitting on top of a Harbor Freight trailer. But the two-man crew didn’t have much in the way of survival gear such as a satellite phone. But never mind that, this was going to be a road trip for the ages.

The Drive

Everything started off easy enough. There were no real issues until the men entered Montana. That is when they noticed the rear tire leaking thanks to a cracked rear wheel. Not surprising since the guys had left on the stock 20-inch wheels with low profile tires. They tried to patch it up but ended up having to replace it in a parking lot in British Columbia. Shortly thereafter they drove through a wildfire that filled the inside of the car with smoke and ash. From there the drive resembled a low-speed autocross run. They had to dodge bears, buffaloes, and potholes. They did pretty well until they entered Alaska and the passenger front wheel hit a huge pothole and cracked another wheel. But they managed to make it to their destination.

Alaska Speed Week

Alaska Speed Week is a drag-and-drive event with six different classes. But as beautiful as Alaska is, it does not attract the type of speed machines that you would find at say the Bonneville Salt Flats. So, while there were some quick cars up there, the C6 ZR1 had little true competition. The team really wanted to try to get into the 10-second quarter mile range. But the best they could manage was an 11.0 run. Still, it was good enough to win their class. They found a man at the track to repair the three wheels they cracked on the way up and left Alaska no worse for wear. But with one heck of a story to tell.

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