Martin Rudow

This book does exactly what it claims to do and does it very well. Seventeen former courses are covered. Each course is given a chapter, starting with a course map and summary information, including lengths and turns, affiliations, and current status. The text itself gives a detailed, in some cases year-by-year, walkthrough of the history of each track from a background of its inception and construction, through changes in the track and major events, and finally the circumstances under which it was shuttered. Each chapter is nicely illustrated with some great historical photographs, showing the construction of tracks, the cars that drove on them, as well as photographs and aerial images of the tracks' current state, many taken by the author himself. I'm not knowledgeable enough of the subject matter to comment on the accuracy of the histories, but I didn't notice any errors. Overall, a fascinating read.… (más)

I was a teenager and into my early 20's when these tracks were up and running. I read about the races held in these places in news papers and in magazines, even visited Meadowdale with racer once, who was racing there. But, in many cases I was unaware of what happened to them; why no more races? Now I know and in a way that brings back the romance of that era. Takes the sting(in a way) out of their demise and knowing their current status is somehow comforting. Being able to see the old and new of the track site is also very satisfying, if a bit sad when thinking of "the good old days" and, maybe, of what might have been. For race fans who also want to relive the excitement of the racing tradition of the 50's and 60's, this is a must have.… (más)