[h=2]RACER@25: Issue No. 138, Oct. 2003 - Road Not Taken[/h] By RACER Staff
Corvette's 50th anniversary took center stage as RACER celebrated some of the most iconic racing moments in the brand's history. But the cover story focused on the moment that could have been – Dale Earnhardt racing at Le Mans.

Famed Corvette photographer Richard Prince exposed the secret few knew: Following his expected retirement from Cup Racing, the Intimidator intended to run a full Corvette C5-R season to fulfill a quiet dream, testing his skills against the best sports car drivers in the world while seated in Chevrolet's factory Corvette squad. Enraptured by the Pratt & Miller-built GTS Corvette, Earnhardt – who was testing sub-two-minute laps at Sebring prior to the 2001 Rolex 24 at Daytona – and Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished fourth in GTS, a mix of disappointment and "the neatest thing he'd ever done."
Earnhardt's 2003 was supposed to include all American Le Mans Series events in North America and the Vingt-Quartres Heures du Mans. "It was stirring to say the least," Earnhardt's widow Teresa said. "After all of the plans he had made to retire at the end of 2002, he had changed his mind."
Corvette expert D. Randy Riggs took a break from his role as editor of Vintage Motorsport magazine and wrote the centerpiece for the Corvette 50th anniversary tribute section. From the hiring of Zora Arkus-Dunov in 1953 to the 12 Hours of Sebring GTS class win by Ron Fellows, Johnny O'Connell and Oliver Gavin, Riggs brought "The 50 Magic Moments in Corvette Racing History" to life, while RACER founding editor John Zimmermann profiled Corvette ace O'Connell, an open-wheel hopeful who found another road to the top and challenged Hurley Haywood as the United States' top active endurance racer.