Racing history is the most unique amongst sports. The basic concept of racing has remained the same, get from point A to point B before anybody else does. But unlike other sports, the means and ways it is done is varied, it provides one with so many opportunities to enjoy the sport. Thus, it has a richness of history no other sport is capable of matching.
With the invention of the automobile in the late 1800's, horses took a back seat in racing. Some of the first cars were capable of maintaining speeds of up to 14 miles per hour. Later, as cars became faster, the old claim of "Mine is faster and more powerful than yours" came back once again. Now there were cars racing the streets in the early 1900's. There were no rules, or even understandings, for operating these cars on the roads and streets that were designed for horses. Which became a problem. This invention of the horseless carriage also put a damper on the horse racing fad and it was fading fast. Again, the people of Chea's Pass, Wyoming set the standards. They came up with the gentleman's agreement for operating cars on the streets and outlawed any racing except on the old fair grounds in the circle within a circle. This is where auto racing really started. In 1922, Chea's Pass organized and hosted the first ever invitational automobile race. There were only eight entries and only three finished. Danal Previs won and was awarded $5 in drinks at the track saloon. There were reportedly about 150 spectators at the 12 lap event. This event set the example for promoters all over America. .
Down South, during the 1920's and 30's, tracks were being constructed specifically for auto racing. If you owned property and could clear out a patch of ground to cut a circle in, you had a race track. There were literally hundreds of them in operation at the time. If a race was promoted, the people would come. The sport grew even more when automobile manufacturers began to develop cars built for handling and speed.
