The new mid-engine Corvette comes out of the gate at Daytona.

The first production Corvettes built for the streets of America, 67 years ago, were preceded by the unveiling of a Corvette “show car” that unleashed the demand.

Now, seven generations later in Corvette’s timeline, history is kinda-sorta repeating itself, for different reasons.

Mass production of Chevrolet’s eighth-generation Corvette, the C8, was delayed by a General Motors labor strike late last year. Therefore, the public ‘s first look at Chevrolet’s new Vette will come at the race track. The racing version of the new Corvette — the C8.R — debuts this weekend at Daytona’s Rolex 24 with two of the seven cars in the GT Le Mans class. Ferrari, Porsche and BMW make up the rest of GTLM.

[READ MORE: Rolex 24 ready to kick off 2020 racing season]

[READ MORE: 2 GM engineers arrested after 100-mph Kentucky joyride in new Corvettes]

As happens at this event, which seems equal parts auto show and auto race, the C8 street car also debuts, at least in showroom form. For the Rolex weekend, Daytona’s infield includes a large midway area where international automobile manufacturers set up mini-showrooms to show off their new passenger cars. GM’s Corvette display figures to be swarmed throughout the weekend.

GM’s Chevrolet Experience center, located near Daytona’s Victory Lane, will also showcase the new machinery, as will the Chevrolet Injector, one of the Speedway’s five main stadium entrances on the north side of the property.

Why all the fuss?

For starters, any new generation of sports-car will draw the avid and merely curious fans alike. But this particular Corvette has sent shock waves across the automotive landscape due to a geographical shift of machinery: The Corvette’s V8 engine moves from under that lengthy, familiar snout to a spot just behind the driver.

On the street, the 490 horsepower motor has grabbed headlines with its sub-3-second giddy-up from zero to 60. But the new engine placement now puts Corvette in the same mid-engine company of some high-priced international competition — Audi, Lamborghini, McLaren, etc. — in terms of all-important weight distribution, which often makes or breaks a car’s highly engineered handling ability.

In the auto world, this is very big stuff, and Chevrolet will take advantage of this opportunity to show off the new baby.

Michael Stouffer, marketing manager for Chevrolet Motorsports, says his organization aims to give fans “the ultimate experience” this weekend.

“At display locations both inside and outside the track, fans will have the opportunity to look at all the great vehicles in the 2020 Chevrolet lineup, including the all-new 2020 mid-engine Corvette,” Stouffer said. “It will be a great weekend full of fast action, and Chevrolet will be working to give fans every opportunity to maximize their visit to Daytona International Speedway.”

Of course, what happens on the track can play a huge role in a manufacturer’s marketing efforts.

Corvette established its factory-backed race team in 1999 and has collected some heavy hardware in the two-plus decades since. There were 10 championships in the American Le Mans Series, which would later merge with Daytona Beach-based Grand Am to form the new IMSA. Corvette has eight class wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, two at the Rolex (including the 2001 overall win), and nine at the 12 Hours of Sebring.

Through offseason testing and the early-January Daytona shakedown, the two-team effort with the new mid-engine Corvette was drawing solid reviews where it matters most — from the cockpit — but entirely new cars come with a learning curve and no one is raising expectations too high.

“Each day that has gone by we have gotten the car a little bit better for each of us to drive and a little bit faster,” said driver Tommy Milner. “Most of all, just really happy with how the Corvette felt.”

Whatever happens on the track this weekend, the Daytona debut culminates a long effort by many Chevy insiders and enthusiasts alike to convince Chevy to evolve the Corvette into a more modern sports-car that — especially given its $60,000 entry level — competes and compares favorably to its splashy competition.

“We have looked forward to racing a production-based mid-engine Corvette for a long time,” says Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. vice president of Performance and Motorsports. “As Corvette Racing enters its third decade of competition, we’re excited to begin the next chapter starting at the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

“The C8.R is much more than just a race-tuned version of the 2020 Corvette Stingray. It’s a culmination of many years of testing and development.”

Judging from the crowds it’s attracting in the garage as well as the temporary showrooms, Corvette has everyone’s attention. The game plan now is to keep it, build upon it and, maybe, win a race or two along the way.