The Corvette added another chapter to its storied history with a return to road racing earlier this year. After leading more than half of the 24-hour marathon at Daytona, the C5-R driven by Ron Fellows, Chris Kneifel and John Paul Jr. garnered a podium finish in its debut. Team Corvette also competed in the ALMS's season-opening 12 Hours at Sebring. "The Corvette Racing program is helpful in aiding the development of existing components in the production C5 Corvette," says Jim Campbell, brand manager for Corvette and Camaro. "Expanding the race schedule just helps us accelerate that development."

The #3 GM Goodwrench C5-R Corvette will make up the one-car entry for Team Corvette in the GTS class with road-racing veteran Ron Fellows and former CART driver Chris Kneifel handling the driving duties. Fellows has kept busy during the break in his schedule by posting a win in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Watkins Glen, as well as driving Joe Nemechek's #87 BellSouth Monte Carlo to a second-place finish in a NASCAR Busch Series race, also at The Glen. "Sears Point doesn't have a lot of long straightaways, so handling is very important there," Fellows says. "The C5-R's handling has definitely been one of its strengths, so hopefully it'll be a good track for us.

"This Corvette is a terrific race car. I wish my car had been this good back in my Trans Am days - I'm sure I would've added to my victory total." Continuing their support of the C5-R are sponsorship partners UAW-GM, General Motors Acceptance Corporation (GMAC), Mobil Oil and its Mobil 1 brand, Action Performance Companies, Mid America Designs, and Cutter & Buck. The Grand Prix of Sonoma can be seen live on NBC starting at 400 p.m. EDT on Sunday, July 25, as well as heard live on the Radio Le Mans Web at www.americanlemans.com .