Ron Fellows: From broke racer to Corvette legend

Ron Fellows joins Racers Unchained host Paul Tracy for a wide-ranging conversation about an incredible racing career that took him from struggling to make a living in open-wheel racing to becoming a three-time IMSA champion, two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner, Daytona 24 winner, 12 Hours of Sebring winner and one of the most successful road-course racers in NASCAR.

Fellows looks back at his early days in Canada, working construction while paying down racing debt, racing in the Players GM series and eventually getting his opportunity with Jack Roush in Trans Am. He also tells the story of the Belle Isle victory that put him on Chevrolet’s radar and ultimately changed the direction of his career.

Fellows talks about the golden era of Trans Am, his transition from Ford to Chevrolet, the development of the Corvette C5-R program, and what made those early Corvette race cars so special. He shares stories from racing NASCAR road courses with some of the sport’s biggest names, including Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr., and explains why oval racing was such a different challenge for a road racer.

The conversation also covers the origins and growth of the Corvette High Performance Driving School at Spring Mountain, his involvement in karting, and the next generation of Fellows racers. It’s a candid look at the career, relationships and opportunities that shaped one of North America’s most accomplished road racers.