With regards to the ZR1, it is what it is. Maybe the engineers recognized a good possibility of being embarrassed, so pulled the car. Run what you brung, GM.
I just wish that mags would have the cajones to call it like it is. Currently, the ZR1 can do no wrong according to all the popular mags (gracing the front cover of pretty much all of them right now), but no one, I mean no one, will bad mouth them since GM evidently still pays decent advertising dollars. I just want one popular mag to say "You're better off buying a naturally aspirated Viper ACR, and you'll save a few bucks at it, and be King of the Hill (or Ring)". Just give credit where it's due is all I'm saying. Yet these same rags currently rate the ACR as 'unrealistic as a street car' and 'too beastly' to win comparo's, even though it's dominated on more and more tracks.