Northeast American Sports Car Races 1950-1959
By Terry O’Neil
With the postwar revival of societies around the world, came a renewed interest in automobile racing, and in the United States a fresh new direction for the sport arose as well, road racing for sports cars. Initially centered in the Northeast, this phenomenon eventually spread across the continent, but this book concentrates on those original beginnings in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, during the 1950s.
It does so by providing in great detail year-by-year accounts of the races, accompanied by extensive data, all illuminated by superb photography, much of it never published before. Also embellishing the experience are countless illustrations of program covers, race permits and maps of all the tracks.
Author O’Neill begins by telling us about the earliest circuits, many of which were of the cherished, but dangerous, open-road variety, although this was only a brief moment in time. Driven by a growing concern for the safety of participants and spectators alike, the scene soon shifted to airfields and ultimately to purpose-built circuits like Bridgehampton, Watkins Glen and Lime Rock. For anyone with an abiding interest in the foundations of road racing in America, this book is an invaluable resource. Available for £100 (US$160) from Veloce Publishing, www.veloce.co.uk.
