Big news is coming out of Bowling Green, Kentucky as the National Corvette Museum has welcomed an honest-to-goodness wheelman in the house. Andy Pilgrim has a history with Corvettes and racing in general, and has worked with and among the top-flite level of drivers during his racing career, including both Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Earnhardt Jr. during their works at the 24 Hours of Daytona and LeMans. He’s raced for the Corvette Racing team, IMSA, the SPEED World Challenge GT Series, and more. He’s also a strong proponent of safe driving habit encouragement through his Traffic Safety Education Foundation that strives to educate kids, adults and new drivers about the dangers of distracted driving. In short, if you want to know how you need to be behind the wheel, who better to teach you?
Pilgrim has already worked with NCM Motorsports Park as an instructor at high-performance drivers’ education (HPDE) events, but with his relocation to Bowling Green and his employment with the track, expect a broader assortment of programs to develop under his supervision. Read more from the NCM Motorsports Park press release below:
Race Driver Andy Pilgrim Joins NCM Motorsports Park Team
By Katie Ellison, Posted February 1, 2018)
With a mission of helping drivers of all ages and skill levels become more proficient behind the wheel, the NCM Motorsports Park is excited to welcome former IMSA racing champion and Corvette Hall of Fame inductee Andy Pilgrim to the team.
“We’re thrilled to have Andy and not only his more than 30 years of incredible racing skills, but also his expertise on distracted driving,” said NCM Motorsports Park General Manager Mitch Wright. “With Andy joining our team, we will be able to offer a number of programs in the coming months, from driving courses and one-on-one coaching by Andy, to speaking engagements on safe driving habits at schools.”
Pilgrim joined the Corvette Racing team in 1999 after a successful career in IMSA racing where he earned four championships in four consecutive years. Teamed with Ron Fellows, Pilgrim scored the team’s historic first victory at Texas Motor Speedway in September 2000. In 2001, Pilgrim finished second in GTS in the Sebring 12-Hour and Le Mans 24-Hour endurance races, and was on the winning team for the Petit Le Mans season finale at Road Atlanta.
In 2001 Pilgrim teamed with Dale Earnhardt and Dale Jr. in the 24 Hours of Daytona, finishing second in the GTS class. Pilgrim and Dale Sr. developed a strong bond as Dale Sr. asked Andy to mentor him on road course racing. Pilgrim left the Corvette program in 2004 but stayed with General Motors, driving for the winning team at the Daytona 24 in the Doran-Pontiac, and spent the rest of the season driving for the new Cadillac CTS-V factory team in the SPEED World Challenge GT Series. He won the driver’s championship in the CTS-V, and finished 3rdand 2nd in the series in 2006 and 2007.
Pilgrim made his NASCAR Busch Series debut in 2007, driving two road course races for Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s JR Motorsports team. In 2011 he joined former Corvette Racing teammate Johnny O’Connell in driving the factory Cadillac CTS-V Coupe in the World Challenge and made his Sprint Cup debut driving the 46 car for Whitney Motorsports, finishing 26th. Pilgrim has a long history of attending and serving as an instructor at NCM Motorsports Park high performance drivers education events.
Pilgrim has relocated to Bowling Green, KY. Stay tuned for announcements on specific programs and offerings utilizing Pilgrim’s talents by subscribing to the Motorsports Park’s email newsletter, Track Time online at motorsportspark.org/subscribe/.
