Everything is bigger in Texas, and racing is no exception. Twice a year in southwest Texas, the Big Bend Open Road Race is held on a 59-mile stretch of highway U.S. 285 from Fort Stockton to Sanderson and back for a total of 118 miles. There are several different speed classes that run, but this past weekend in the unlimited class, a new BBORR speed record was set by John Anhalt in the Tint World 2019 ZR1 Corvette with the battle scars to prove it.

The Big Bend Open Road Race

The BBORR event began in 1998 and is held twice a year, once in the spring and again in the fall. The 59-mile stretch of highway just outside of the Big Bend National Park is closed down for the weekend-long racing events. There are average speed classes from just 85 mph to 160 mph and beyond to the unlimited class. John Anhalt set the new average speed record in the unlimited class in his 2019 ZR1 Corvette with an average speed across the 118-mile run of 173.004 mph, beating the previous record of 172.249 mph set in 2013 by Tom Whalen in his 2002 Z06 Corvette.

During this run, John also hit a top speed of 213 miles per hour, but the ZR1 earned a new battle scar on its backside from the record run. The extreme heat coming from the supercharged LT5’s exhaust roasted the rear fascia. The run lasted almost 41 minutes total, with the ZR1 exhaling fire out of the four exhaust tips. But the event isn’t just for GM-powered cars; everything from stock everyday cars and trucks to high-performance pro-touring classics and exotics.

Toasty, But Worth It

Carly Blackburn Bates of RaceCarly posted a Reel to the Big Bend Open Road Race Facebook page showing off the 2019 ZR1’s new post BBORR speed record look, which she coined as “Toasted Marshmallow”, and it’s hard to disagree with that. But John giving his white Z7 ZR1 the toasted marshmallow look after setting a new speed record isn’t a bad thing; it’s a badge of honor.