Shelby Mustang GT500 and C8 Corvette Get Lap-Compared on Track by Same Owner

Don’t get fooled by the tame Southern California looks of Austin Everett, the young host behind the Speed Phenom YouTube channel. If you’ve watched any of his previous racetrack work, you’ll know the socialite is not just a cool personality, but also a very skilled track enthusiast.

And he’s not running around collecting followers by using other people’s cars, because his own garage provides plenty of thrills – as in both the 2020 GT500 and C8 ‘Vette.

In case it’s you’re first encounter with the guy (great personality, by the way, he’s quite respectful and unimposing), we can tell you he’s owned the Chevy since March (and gathered some 13k miles since then), while the Shelby is a very new (and eagerly awaited) addition to his personal collection.

Because of that, don’t think he’s inexperienced with the Ford – his other pony is a Shelby GT350R that he’s been hooning quite often at the track. With that in mind, he’s been very enthusiast about finally putting the two American sports cars side by side as two of the best models on offer right now.

The setting is also great – the Willow Springs Raceway – a track which he’s familiar with, so we know from the get-go he’s going to give it his best. Of course, there’s a caveat – the racetrack is open for everybody, so his best times have been influenced by the ongoing traffic.

Seeing the two cars side by side, we already know the outright lap time winner – the GT500 has 760 hp against the C8’s Z51 pack 495 ponies, and the former is also in the greatest configuration possible, with the Carbon Fiber Track Pack.

Still, there are a few things to consider – Everett opted to have the exact same tires (Michelin Cup 2s) and quickly comments on the weight caliber of the GT500 versus the low-center of gravity mid-engine configuration of the Stingray.

Each car has its own moment to shine on the track. The C8 goes first from the 4:50 mark, with comments starting at 8:30, followed by the GT500 on-board POV (12:00) and what we’ve all been waiting for – the side-by-side cockpit point of view timed laps.

By the way, do check them both because it’s quite fun to watch – there's even some traffic overtaking, such as Civic Type R (easy-peasy) and another Shelby (friendly feud, but skill does prevail at 13:15).

In the end, the best times achieved did not come out as surprising, with the GT500 taking the reign (1:29:24) and the C8 coming up quite close at 1:31:11...