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The Vettes for Vets All Corvette Show is November 5th

Sacramento, CA — The California Automobile Museum will host a special display of Vettes for Vets 2011 “America’s Sports Car,” the Corvette, leading up to the annual “Vettes for Vets” all-Corvette car show on Saturday, November 5th from 10:00am to 3:00pm.

At the Museum, there will be unique examples of Corvettes from October 29 through December 3. The public is invited to come to the Museum during normal business hours and see the display, which will include six generations of Corvettes and is sure to thrill guests of all ages!

On November 5, the Corvettes on display at the Museum will be joined by many other Corvettes at the all-Corvette car show honoring all veterans. This car show will benefit veteran’s groups as well as the California Automobile Museum. Military (retired and active duty) and spectators are encouraged to come and enjoy the day both at the car show and at the Museum where, with their military identification card, they will receive free admission for the day (and on Veteran’s Day, November 11).

The car show will be located just south of the Museum at 2400 Front Street beginning at 10:00 a.m., where spectators can enjoy (for free admission) the sights and sounds of vendors, food, veteran displays, raffle prizes, and trophies for the cars.

Corvette owners can join hundreds of their sister Corvettes for the all-Corvette car show by either pre-registering ($10) at www.CalAutoMuseum.org or at 9:00 a.m. at the gate on November 5 for $15. Registration for the car show includes two free Museum admission passes. This event is located on a paved and partially covered lot and will be held rain or shine. The “Vettes for Vets” car show is sponsored by Performance Chevrolet and Corvette Care.

The Museum is a non-profit organization whose mission is to preserve, exhibit, and teach, the story of the automobile and its influence on our lives. The Museum’s collection of more than 150 cars gives visitors the chance to witness first-hand the evolution of the automobile from its invention to today’s alternative-fueled experiments that will someday be tomorrow’s cars.

The Museum is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., taking the last admission at 5:00 p.m. and stays open until 9:00 p.m. every third Thursday of the month.

J.R. Hildebrand Starts 15th in Las Vegas, Racing for Rookie of the Year

LAS VEGAS, NV (October 16th, 2011) – IZOD IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year hopeful JR Hildebrand will start Sunday’s IZOD IndyCar World Championships at Las Vegas in the 15th position, while teammate Buddy Rice will have to start 33rd after his qualification attempt was nullified because Rice went below the white line during his run.

J.R. Hildebrand of Sausalito with teammate Buddy Rice.

Hildebrand posted a combined two-lap average of 220.639 mph and will start just one position behind James Hinchcliffe, who leads the Rookie of the Year battle by just six points going into Sunday’s 200-lap race. Rice made a qualification run in the Fuzzy’s Vodka entry, completing a two-lap average of 220.392, but IndyCar officials penalized Rice for driving below the white line during his run and he was sent the rear of the field.

The Kentucky Indy 300 will be broadcast live on Versus on Sunday, October 2nd at 2:00pm with additional coverageprovided by the IMS Radio Network, XM channel 94 and Sirius channel 212.

JR Hildebrand, No. 4 National Guard Dallara Honda:

“This is actually faster than we were expecting to go, but it’s really close up there. Practice has been side by side, ten rows deep so I think it’s really going to be about what kind of racecar you’ve got and what you and your team can do in the pits. We feel pretty good about where we’re at right now. The kind of side-by-side racing her in Las Vegas has been crazy. I think we have got tohave to run mistake free, and it looks like James (Hinchcliffe) and I right now are going to be right next to one another. We’re really stoked to be where we’re at right now, and it really comes down these guys, they give me great equipment every race and we just fight to the end every time. And that is most certainly our plan this weekend.”

Buddy Rice, No. 44 Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka Dallara Honda:

“I think the Fuzzy’s Vodka car is pretty good, I just missed out a little in qualifying. We were a little slower than we were in practice; I thought we would have picked up a little time in qualifying. We’ll be ok, the car is really racy and will be pretty good. We’ll just have to work a little harder come Sunday to get this car up front. I don’t think the car count is going to be that much of a deal. I think it’s going to go back to pack racing like it did 3 or 4 years ago. Some guys have run that way and some haven’t, so we’ll just see how it plays out. It’s just going to be a big chess match, so you have to make sure you have no mistakes.”

www.JRHildebrandRacing.com – www.pantherracing.com – www.NationalGuard.com.

– Panther Racing, Press Release

J.R. Hildebrand Flys An F-16 With The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds

LAS VEGAS, Nevada (October 12, 2011) – National Guard Panther Racing driver JR Hildebrand knew he was in for the ride of his life at Nellis Air Force Base on Tuesday, where the United States Air Force Thunderbirds gave the 23-year-old rookie the opportunity to fly in one of their F-16 fighter jets. What he didn’t realize, however, was that nearly as soon as they’d taken off that Captain Nick Holmes, fittingly the Thunderbirds pilot No. 4, was going to allow the reining Indy 500 Rookie of the Year to fly the plane himself.

“It seemed like soon as we got up on the air, the pilot says, ‘Hey man, you wanna fly the plane?” Hildebrand said. “I was thinking, ‘Are you kidding me?’”

IndyCar Rookie J.R. Hildebrand from Sausalito, CA with the Air Force Thunderbirds.

While Hildebrand was allowed to maneuver the jet during the ride, the real flying was done by Capt. Holmes, who took JR on a ride that included barrel rolls, a full loop, aileron rolls, flying inverted (upside down), a mock bombing run and pulling a 9-G turn – a move that earned Hildebrand a 9-G pin, a commemorative pin for the few who have pulled 9 Gs in an aircraft. The flight average roughly 500 mph while they reached a speed just under Mach One flying over the picturesque Sierra Nevada mountains.

“I was freaking out when we pulled nine Gs; you feel like your eyes are popping out of your head,” Hildebrand explained. “This what just an unbelievable experience that far exceeded my expectations. And what was cool about this too was being able to fly in the No. 4 jet, we’re proud of that number and it’s pretty cool to see the other side of that here with Captain Holmes and all these guys with the Thunderbirds who work so hard on all this equipment.”

Capt. Holmes, who is referred to simply as “Number Four” around Nellis Air Force Base, is the Slot in the Thunderbirds lineup, meaning his flies in the position directly behind Pilot Number One, who is the lead – or point – of the Thunderbirds historic diamond formation.

The F-16 Fighter Jets of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds

“He did an awesome job,” Capt. Holmes said of Hildebrand afterward. “It was such a thrill to show the other Number Four how our team works. It’s always an honor to be able to showcase the pride, professionalism and teamwork embodied by America’s Airmen every day.”

It was the thrill of a lifetime for Hildebrand, the self-described “adrenaline junkie”, who told Panther officials at the time of his signing last December that two things he wanted to do this season was fly in an F-16 and jump out of a plane. He marked the first off the list on Tuesday and National Guard officials have already agreed to arrange for him to jump out of a plane after he recovers from ACL knee surgery which is scheduled shortly after the season concludes this Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Many of the Thunderbirds were quick to inform Hildebrand that when NASCAR driver Carl Edwards flew with them earlier this year, he won the race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway that weekend and gave them the trophy to put on display at Nellis.

“So no pressure, right?” Hildebrand joked with the pilots and crew. “I’d be happy to take Rookie of the Year this weekend, for sure. I’m just not sure I’ll get the same adrenaline rush standing up there with the trophy as I got from these guys.”

www.JRHildebrandRacing.com – www.pantherracing.com – www.NationalGuard.com