A Brief Review of "Dayton, Ohio, Race Town!"

Hi folks -- I picked up this book, written by Bill Holder and Rich Patterson, at my local Centerville Library quite by accident while browsing the shelves. And while I have only glanced at it, the book impressed me for its breadth of content. It is organized into 16 chapters: Introduction; Tracks; Engine Builders; Stock Cars; Open Wheel Cars; Motorcycles; Indy Cars; Road Racing; Drag Cars; Land Speed; Race Boats; Off Road; Corporate Connections; Sponsorship;Vintage Ownership; Miscellaneous.

You can follow your own interests in focusing on the chapters closest to your passions or personal connections.  The authors tried hard to be inclusive, and thus time-consuming research is very much a part of this work. There are also many photographs spread throughout the ages.

 I was very much interested in the chapter on tracks, which covered a 50 mile radius of Dayton. There is so much to be done with the history of the many tracks, some quite important, others no more than bull rings that typically proliferated in the Midwest quite early on in the 20th century. The narrative on the many tracks was excellent, and each site is given GPS coordinates just in case you want to follow though with a visit. Besides the Fairgrounds not very far from the University of Dayton and now in an initial phase of development, the Dayton Speedway was a major competition site to the early 1980s. But I was far more fascinated by the minor tracks, "ghosts" from the past, like Airway Speedway, Argonnes Forest (now Possum Creek Park, a place I went for a picnic last May), the Miami Thimbledrome-Miami Shores Race Bowl and Cincinnati-Hamilton Speedway (1929-1941). What history took place at the Cincinnati Speedway (1916-19)!  

I could go on and on just dealing with the chapter on tracks, but won't. In sum, thanks to all who contributed to this volume. It will take me sometime to digest all of this, but in the meantime please get a copy of this wonderful local history resource.