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C8 Corvette YouTuber Gets Out on the Track With Shelby GT500 and Famous Racer

With Dodge firmly setting its sights on the drag strip, Ford and Chevrolet are left holding the American banner when it comes to preparing sports cars for racing circuits. And both have a firm cult following, but also some cross-shopping enthusiasts. For instance, socialite Speed Phenom is the owner of both a Shelby GT350 and a C8 Chevrolet Corvette... and he is eagerly awaiting his new 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 with the Carbon Fiber Track Pack.
C8 Corvette owner meets Carbon Fiber Track Pack Shelby GT500 27 photos
Photo: Speed Phenom/YouTube
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Before actually taking ownership of his new, hand-built 5.2-liter aluminum alloy V8-toting snake, the young (but track proficient) Austin Everett (aka Speed Phenom) decided to drive to the remote location of the Chuckwalla Valley Raceway to hook up with two connoisseurs.

While the racetrack is a bit like from a western flick – in the middle of the desert, in no man’s land (even gas stations are at least 30 miles away), it has also just received a fresh coat of tarmac that will bode well with Austin’s very red track-prepped C8 Corvette and a matt-blue finished GT500 of the Carbon Track Pack variety.

The latter is the object of interest for the day, as his friend Joseph Gatt decided to lend the monster for a few laps. More so, Austin is not getting out on the track alone – and not just because the recent refurbish has made it very slippery. He is taking in the passenger seat none other than Billy Johnson, professional racing driver for the Ford Chip Ganassi Racing team (No. 66 Ford GT) and development testing guru for the Shelby GT500.

That’s certainly an interesting mix, but don’t get your hopes up too much for heart-stopping action. Speed Phenom is of the civilized YouTuber variety, taking loving care of his friend’s GT500. It is also his very first drive on both the track and in the Carbon Fiber Track Pack model. Combine that with the slippery surface (check out the tarmac gathered inside the carbon fiber wheels at the 20:16 mark) and you have a slow outing...

Just consider the fact that slow in a GT500 with the $18,500 carbon fiber track pack is definitely something else – Austin catches up to a white ‘Stang and also overtakes a lot of slow traffic (curiously made out of many older BMW’s, as far as we can tell). And there’s also the expert coaching from Billy, combined with the huge difference in handling confidence instilled by the Shelby – which he says is superior to his GT350R.

There's also a bonus at the end (check it out in the video below from the 14:10 mark), where the drivers switch up and Johnson casually showcases his track driving tips on the C8 Chevrolet Corvette.

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About the author: Aurel Niculescu
Aurel Niculescu profile photo

Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution.
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