Tony DeLorenzo to be inducted into Bloomington Gold's Great Hall

Corvette racer Tony DeLorenzo and his 1967 L88 Corvette are being inducted into the Bloomington Gold Great Hall in St. Charles, Ill., on June 24.

It's part of Bloomington Gold's honoring the 50 people and 50 cars that played the biggest roles in Chevrolet Corvette racing lore. They are being selected for induction into the hall, 10 at a time, from 2010 to 2014.

Bloomington, considered by many to be the granddaddy of Corvette shows, is the longest-running continuous national Corvette show. Bloomington's 39th-annual show is being held at the Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, Ill., June 23-26.

DeLorenzo's early career got the proverbial shot in the arm when Hanley Dawson Jr. from Hanley Dawson Chevrolet in Detroit agreed to sponsor DeLorenzo in SCCA A-Production racing in 1967. Dawson ordered what turned out to be the first of just 20 production L88 Corvettes built that year.

DeLorenzo and his team raced the car for two years before selling it. He went on to become a Corvette racing legend and was inducted into the Corvette Hall of Fame in Bowling Green, Ky., in September 2009.

"I am stunned and amazed to receive this honor," DeLorenzo said. "I was following my dream of becoming a racing driver and had no idea that it would lead to all this. There are a lot of people who worked very hard to make this happen, and it is difficult to properly thank them."

CMP Fabrication in Waterford, Mich., is returning the L88 to its 1967 racing livery. Collector Charles Ungurean and Terry Michaelis from Pro Team Corvettes in Napoleon, Ohio, are behind the effort to preserve the car. It will make appearances at vintage races and shows throughout the Midwest this summer.

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