from Richard Ranville:
Gibson "Gib" Hufstader, long time Waterford racer and Corvette legend dies at age 94
May 4, 2025
Road racing began at Waterford Hills in 1958 and the first rental, the day after the opening competitions, was by the Corvette Club. Corvettes and Corvette drivers have been key features ever since and Gib Hufstader brought his love of road racing and Corvettes to Waterford Hills. He was an auto industry guy, like so many founders and members down through the years.
Gib, like so many Waterford members, moved to Michigan to attend General Motors Institute (GMI) in 1950 and was involved in the motorsports culture there, participating in what would later be called gymkhanas. He went to work at General Motors (GM) and was eventually assigned at the GM proving grounds. There he met engineers involved in a new car club, Waterford Hills, and joined just after the track was paved.
Ready to go racing, another GM/GMI relationship became instrumental. A classmate and good friend Dick Loynd owned a 1958 Austin Healey that had been set up from new for racing; Loynd was anxious to acquire a newer Healey. Gib owned a 1955 Chevrolet hard top that Dick admired and a trade was arranged.
Gib campaigned the car at "just about every Waterford Hills event in the early 1960s" and throughout the Midwest. Regionally historic sites included Greenacres Goodrich, and Harewood (Airport), Ontario; Mid-Ohio, Grayling Airport and Elkhart Lake in 1964, 1965 and 1966, taking a first place in E Production. Other venues yield a view of the richness of sports car racing in those times: Wilmot Hills (Chicago area), Chrysler Proving Grounds with the MG Club; Claremont, Indiana and the Haven Hill Climb.
In the '60s Gib moved into the Corvette group in Chevrolet as a powertrain engineer, and became involved in supporting Corvette racing and other Chevrolet supported racing programs. He bought parts and built an A Production 1966 Corvette. The Healey was loaned out to good friend Don Burry, a Waterford Hills stalwart, who drove some races at Waterford Hills in the car. Gib’s blue number 7 Corvette had been a fixture at Waterford Vintage races for many years. Gib’s restored E Production Austin Healey was exhibited at the Autorama show, in the Waterford display in 2018, and entered the 60th Waterford Vintage Races in that year. A technical issue resulted in minor damage to the car, which had to be withdrawn.
Gib. Left, with good friend Don Burry (in the shade of the Don Burry Tower) at a recent Vintage meet.
Gib Hufstader is best known away from Waterford Hills for his years in the Corvette and GM racing programs (official and unofficial), eventually becoming the "right hand man" of legendary Corvette master Zora Arkus-Duntov. He participated as the "go to" engineer in performance matters and supported Corvette racing activities, sometimes in clandestine roles during the Big 3 'no racing’ years. He was instrumental in the development of the legendary L-88 big block v-8. He supported races at LeMans, at Nassau, and drove at Sebring in 1969 for an "independent" dealer team and finishing third in the GT class, with a co-driver. He supported numerous well known road racing programs and even supported some NASCAR efforts of Chevrolet teams. He was known as the traveling man with really heavy luggage.
In later years he supported his famous boss in retirement, working on a special Duntov designed motor as Duntov pursued a new interest, flying The family counted on Gib to manage a layer of safety for the aging legend.
Gib is a member of the National Corvette Hall of Fame.