American Road Racing 1948–1950, The Sport Revived
by Joel E. Finn
“Some projects take a very long time. This book is one of them. I started working on a history of American road racing more than 40 years ago and wrote portions of this book then.”
This book follows on from American Road Racing–The 1930s (1995) which told the story of American road racing up to the start of World War II. This book (2007) continues in a similar vein for the postwar years of 1948 to 1950. The format of both books is the same: thick volumes, 12 x 9″, hardback, landscape format. Also: smallish type!
The quality starts with the front cover photo, a wonderful action shot of a red Cadillac-powered Allard J2 blasting away from the underpass at Watkins Glen.
Miles Collier in a Ford-Riley Special. Note the laurel wreath on the radiator—the caption says, “Many observers at the time rated his drive at Watkins Glen the most outstanding of his long and illustrious career.” That is not why we chose this spread but rather to remind the reader that the Colliers would to go on to do many outstanding things in the word, not least start and endow the Collier Museum in Naples, Florida whose Revs Institute became the home of the late Finn’s archive of photos, pennants, posters, periodicals, books, and memorabilia.
This book comprises 19 chapters, 12 of which cover major road races that were held in the 1948/50 period. In the other chapters, Finn provides information and comment on the growth and evolution of the sport of road racing in the US. In the Introduction, he explains that he started work on this book in the 1960s, presumably when he was researching the history of American road racing in general. The core of that research culminated in the publication that covers the 1930s period.
The 12 major events that have their own chapters are Watkins Glen (3), Bridgehampton (2), Linden, Palm Beach, Westhampton, Elkhart Lake, Pebble Beach, Le Mans, and Sebring. The development of road racing in California has its own chapter, which includes events at Santa Ana and Palm Springs. Although hill climbing doesn’t strictly fit within a definition of road racing, Finn has included a short chapter on the subject, primarily about the 1950 event at Mount Equinox in Vermont.
How thorough is Finn? He even directs our attention to the mechanic’s feet sticking out of the car on the left page. Would you have recognized the car? Bu-Merc, anyone? Built by that pivotal figure in American Grand Prix racing, Briggs Cunningham, this was one of the hottest American stock cars on the road at the time. And it is on display where? At the Revs Institute!
The informative text is well complemented by hundreds of quality photos and pictures of race programs, track layouts, club badges, club newsletters, and correspondence.
Finn (1938–2017) was an early computer industry pioneer and then entrepreneur which allowed him to build a fine collection of now highly prized cars, and he was a respectable racer and accomplished author. His road racing books will appeal to a range of people. Originally they were quite expensive for their time but nowadays can be found for less than half the price. Even autographed copies are still in circulation. After Finn died the original publisher’s (Garnet Hill) stock was acquired by Racemaker Press but they too are now shuttered.
For writers and historians these books provide an invaluable source of information (although there is no Index!); for motorsport book collectors, they are precious additions to a library; and for USA motorsport enthusiasts, they provide hours of “required” reading which, thankfully, is entertaining.
I cannot imagine the effort that went into producing this and the other books. I spent many happy hours dipping into the content, enjoying the hundreds of engaging photographs and the well-written text.
That distinctive layout can only be . . . Broward.
The review copy was provided by motorbookworld.com.au
Copyright 2026 Peter Hill (speedreaders.info)
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