Circle Track Showdown: C8 vs. C7 ZR1

Cleetus McFarlane’s home track offers a unique chance to settle the score.

We’ve come to terms with  the fact that the C7 vs. C8 debates will continue for the rest of our lives, if not longer. Thanks to this video, one side of the fight will have some ammunition to use against the other.

YouTuber Cleetus McFarland runs the Freedom Factory, formerly the DeSoto Speedway. It’s a small oval race track in Bradenton, Florida. In this video,  RearWheelDrive, another YouTuber, goes to the track to try his hand at the spectator drags.

For the uninitiated, these small tracks often run one-lap, head-to-head races between street cars. On this particular day, RearWheelDrive brings his C8 Corvette to the track to participate. Roughly 60 cars show up for the event. After a parade lap, the racing starts.

Going in Circles

The races are run single elimination style. It doesn’t take long for the C8 Corvette to start racing up wins, eventually finding itself in the finals. Unsurprisingly, the final two cars are both Corvettes.

This race provides RearWheelDrive with a unique opportunity to face off against a C7 ZR1. Despite the fact that the C7 ZR1 has the inside lane, the C8 launches hard and gets the holeshot, pulling ahead easily.

The C8 keeps it composure, while we see the C7 ZR1 nearly lose control trying to make up lost ground. The C8 wins the first race handily. Now the cars switch, with the C8 in the inside lane and the C7 ZR1 on the outside.

If the C8 wins, it’s curtains for the ZR1. As the cars line up, we can faintly hear “The Final Countdown” playing over the track speakers. How appropriate.

The Corvettes start off quite evenly, but by Turn 1, the C8 takes an easy lead. There you have it – the C8 Corvette beat the best C7 money can buy, twice in a row.

Obviously, driver skill plays a role in how things turned out. However, C8 Corvette fans just got some additional bragging rights. Both drivers should be proud, though – they beat a field of sports cars and even a couple of Teslas. If you’re going to lose a race in your Corvette, it’s not so bad to lose to another Corvette.

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