C8 Corvette Hits 10s at Marion County Raceway in Ohio

C8 Corvette from Carlyle Racing went from the dealership to near-mid 10-second mark in less than a week.

Chevrolet has been delivering C8 Corvette Stingrays to dealerships and owners for right around two weeks, yet one of the new mid-engine sports cars is already running in the 10-second quarter mile range. Mark Carlyle, owner of Carlyle Racing, has only had his C8 for a week, but in that week, it was strapped to the dyno, lightly modified and tested at the drag strip. The result of that testing was the first C8 to run a 10-second quarter mile, which also effectively begins the chase to be the world’s quickest C8.

Right now, Mark Carlyle’s C8 is the world’s quickest, running a 10.65 at 130 miles per hour. Here is a look at how he got down into the 10s in less than a week’s time.

Carlyle’s Sebring Orange Corvette

Mark Carlyle picked up his 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 3LT in Sebring Orange on the afternoon of March 10. A few hours later, it was strapped to a Dynojet, where it made 440 horsepower and 408 lb-ft of torque at the rear wheels. That was with just 25 miles on the odometer.

The next day, the stock wheels of the C8 were removed and replaced with Forgeline GS1R wheels measuring 18×5-inch wheels up front and 18×11-inch wheels out back. The rear wheels are wrapped in 305/40/18 Mickey Thompson ET Street S/S drag radial while the fronts get 26×6-inch Mickey Thompson Sportsman SR skinnies.

Later on March 11, Carlyle’s team had a Nitrous Outlet dry kit installed with a 50-shot. They went with that small shot due to the fact that the LT2 engine computer system is still locked, so there was no tuning to go with the nitrous. To help protect the engine a bit, the team went with the small shot, but it still made a big difference.

At that point, just over 24 hours after taking delivery of the car, Carlyle was ready to hit the track with his C8. The problem was that the weather was gross on the weekend of March 14 and 15, so most tracks were closed. However, the crew at Marion County International Raceway agreed to open just for the testing of Carlyle’s Corvette. As a result, Marion County was the host of the first 10-second pass by a new C8 Corvette.

Breaking into the 10s

When Carlyle first hit the track at Marion County on March 15, he made a few easier runs to get a feel for the car. Even with a soft launch, he ran in the high-11s, but as the day went on and the launches grew more aggressive, he was able to cut down into the 11.0s without the nitrous oxide.

Once he engaged the nitrous system, the C8 Corvette quickly jumped into the 10s and after some practice on the bottle, Carlyle got down to a best time of 10.65 at 130 miles per hour. That is with a 50-shot and the drag pack wheel-and-tire setup.

While we expect that the record for the world’s quickest C8 of 10.65 will quickly be broken, Mark Carlyle will forever be the first person to put a mid-engine Corvette in the 10s.

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com