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Economic development: Better branding in Bowling Green

By wmadministrator

Realizing the opportunity Bowling Green’s distinct and unique heritage presents, local officials are enthusiastically behind the National Corvette Museum’s $22 million investment in the NCM Motorsports Park, soon to open just across Interstate 65 from its parent. The park will cater to enthusiast drivers with a custom-designed track whose asphalt is formulated for fast cars.

The NCM Motorsports Park opening in late September for driving enthusiasts can be configured for courses of 3.125 miles, 2.87 miles, 2 miles, 1.1 miles and a 1.97 mile-mile Corvette Race Loop with chicanes and features copied from the famed Le Mans track in France.
The NCM Motorsports Park opening in late September for driving enthusiasts can be configured for courses of 3.125 miles, 2.87 miles, 2 miles, 1.1 miles and a 1.97 mile-mile Corvette Race Loop with chicanes and features copied from the famed Le Mans track in France.

Bowling Green public, private and civic leaders plan to leverage their city’s Americana-infused reputation as a place that reveres the car not only to develop more tourism but market the community’s other assets.

The eye-catching National Corvette Museum recently had its 3 millionth visitor, and tens of thousands more potential contributors to the local economy stream past daily on I-65 – most of whom at least turn their heads for a glimpse of the charismatic Corvette, “America’s sport car,” which is made only in the GM’s Bowling Green Assembly Plant.

With its recent upgrade, the plant now enables Corvette buyers to help build their upscale sportscar’s engine.

Former plant general manager Dave Tatman was named the first executive director of the Automotive Industry Association
of Kentucky.

Holley Performance Products, another name synonymous with motorsports for generations, is based in Kentucky’s third largest city, as is the Beach Bend Raceway and Park, which has a 12,000-seat grandstand to accommodate drag race fans. Dozens of manufacturing operations in the region supply parts, systems and materials for GM’s Corvette plant and others within driving distance.

Holley will be name sponsor of the NCM Motorsports Park control tower overseeing custom asphalt routes configurable into the 3.15-mile Grand Full Course, the 2.87-mile Grand Mas Straight, the 1.97-mile Corvette Race Loop with features copied from Le Mans, and the East and West Circuits of 1.1 and 2 miles, respectively.

The park and track open Sept. 26 with a two-day high-performance driving event. It is booked already for more than 140 days in the coming year.