The idea of building a Motorsports Park to complete the Corvette Museum experience began in 2007. The success of our High-Performance Driving Events (HPDE) and feedback from enthusiasts who enjoyed exercising their cars got the attention of Museum Executive Director Wendell Strode. When an opportunity came up to obtain some property adjacent to the existing NCM campus, the suggestion was first made to use it for a track until it was decided that there wasn’t enough room to do it properly. Still, it seemed like a good idea worth pursuing later.
At that time, the Museum expansion was the priority, so the track plan went on the back burner. This changed when a property owner with 20 acres on the other side of the interstate contacted the Museum and offered to sell her land for future growth. An adjoining 50 acres also came available, adding up to 70 acres. Strode and the Museum Board of Directors agreed that the land should be purchased as it would be a good investment even if the track didn’t get the support it needed to build.
When the expansion was complete, the strong business case for a Motorsports Park prompted the NCM leadership to bring in track designer Alan Wilson (Miller Motorsports Park, NOLA Motorsports Park, Barber Motorsports Park, and others) as a consultant, along with others who determined that more property would be needed to make this the world-class facility it had the potential to be. A total of 184 acres were eventually purchased and as member support grew, so did the momentum and excitement. Track designer Steve Crawford (Thunder Hill, Ridge Motorsports Park) was hired to design the road course with input from Corvette Racing, resulting in a multiple, reconfigurable track layout with features from Le Mans, making the NCM Motorsports Park the track that every motorsports enthusiast would want to drive.
The vision for the Motorsports Park in Bowling Green is to create a safe and challenging environment where drivers of all ages, interests, and skill levels can become more proficient behind the wheel. Whether the goal is teen driver safety or the excitement of high-performance recreational driving, participants can learn through classroom instruction and on-track with a certified instructor, designed to help students increase their ability and build skills that can be applied to the track the real world.
With over 1.5 miles of frontage on Interstate 65 and located across from the National Corvette Museum (NCM) and the Corvette Assembly Plant, the Motorsports Park is one of the most centrally located and easily accessible driving facilities in the country. The Park is situated on 419 acres.
The National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, is a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit foundation and the sole owner of the NCM Motorsports Park. As the most prominent car museum in the world dedicated to a single model, the NCM is committed to preserving the Corvette’s past, present, and future.
Address: 505 Kimberlee A Fast Dr, Bowling Green, KY
Check out other attractions like Riverview at Hobson Cove