The Corvette Challenge Series for 1988 and 1989 provided loads of fun for the Corvette enthusiast when Canadian John Powell teamed with Chevrolet, Exxon, Goodyear, and Mid-America Designs, Inc. to create a racing series for true and equal Corvettes.

In 1988, the inaugural year for the series, 56 Corvettes were factory built and modified to Challenge Specifications. Upon completion of assembly at Bowling Green, the Corvette was forwarded to Protofab Engineering in Wixom, Michigan for installation of the "Challenge Package." The special package included rollbar, halon fire system, special brake and exhaust modifications, Dymag wheels and shaved Goodyear Gatorback tires. Once out of the Protofab shop, the Corvette was ready for the racetrack!!!

The #98 Corvette was invoiced on March 22, 1988 and delivered to Hardy Chevrolet in Dallas, Texas. The original invoice for the #98 Corvette carried a window sticker price of $33,043.00 with a $15,000 addition for Protofab Engineering. All Challenge Corvettes were optioned with Z-51 MM4 4speed, plus various other options, and noted "CORVETTE CHALLENGE" directly on the dealer invoice with shipping of $475.00 to Protofab.

Tom Bell Chevrolet in Redlands, California, along with Mobil Oil and Autosport, sponsored this Corvette as one of the two-car teams for the 1988 series. The #98 car was driven by Stuart Hayner of Yorba Linda, California, and the sister car, #97, was driven by Bobby Carradine.

Hayner won the 10 race series for 1988 with a total of 795 points over Juan Manuel Fangio III (with 778 points). The #98 Corvette earned one victory, two seconds, and a third, with 9 top ten finishes in the 10 race series. THE 1988 SERIES CHAMPION!!!!

The Challenge Series #98 as you see in these April 2011 pictures is shown in race-ready, as off the track condition from the final 1988 series race, with only 3,606 "Sunday Driven" Miles.

May the "Heartbeat of America" live on with these modern Corvette Racers!!!!