Opening a package from Racemaker Press is always exciting. I hope you read my review of Caribbean Capers in the March 2011 issue of the Automotive Chronicles. Having extensive interest in the subject, I was elated to see that Joel Finn had created a work that had a reflection of his vast knowledge and writing skills. The book was magnificent and thoroughly enjoyable.

This time, a quick review showed how much I did not know about American road racing in the 1930s. I think it is safe to say that with the exception of John Rueter's rare 1963 book American Road Racing, little has been written about the road racing experience by Americans in the 1930s. Finn opens the doors for you to absorb and be mesmerized by a rich racing history. As if the captivating details of the cars, drivers and courses were not enough, Finn has included over 600 original photographs of the action and events! And if you think I am overly impressed or just trying to sell these books, keep in mind, I do not get paid for my reviews, and I just review books that I like.

In American Road Racing: The 1930s, Joel Finn concentrates on the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) and the George Vanderbilt Cup Races. These were the major racing events during the 1930s in the United States with the exception of the Indianapolis 500. To quote Finn, "What made this book possible was the generous encouragement and cooperation I received from all the surviving ARCA members and their families. Scrapbooks, photos, newspaper clippings, ARCA publications, documents and correspondence kept appearing that continually fleshed out the bare details of the organization and its history. Members' personal recollections and the trove of surviving club papers all assisted in filling in the gaps in the formal record." Add to that Finn's access to John Rueter's SCCA articles and the original manuscript of American Road Racing along with his own records.

Racing in America prior to the creation of the ARCA in 1933, was regulated by the AAA. Races were normally run as professional events on oval dirt or wooden tracks and not on roads. The ARCA breathed life into racing, bringing amateurs onto the roads in an organized fashion. Races were held in New York, New England and down to Florida. Names you may recognize are the Collier brothers – Sam and Miles, the Quimby brothers – Allen and Langdon, Briggs Cunningham, Thomas Dewart and George Rand. Cars varied in make and type – from sports cars like MG, Austin and Bentley to sprint cars – modified or highly modified cars like Auburn, Willys, Whippet and Ford, to race against cars like Maserati, Alfa Romeo and Bugatti. The idea was, "bring what you have and let's race!"

From 1933 through 1941, Finn documents the events from year to year. After the first couple of years, the cars and drivers were sorted out and the crop of underpowered sports cars, rough specials and gutless foreign models were nearing the end of their competitive lives. This pervasive feeling led to the general upgrading of cars for the 1935 season. It seemed that almost everyone either acquired a new machine or extensively modified what they already owned. Membership, both in size and makeup changed markedly in 1936. The rough dirt circuits were abandoned and fewer high-quality events became the norm.

The George Vanderbilt Cup Races had all the ingredients to be a tremendous success – sufficient financing, a potentially successful course layout, international support, the involvement of the biggest names in American racing, the opportunity for spectators to see all the action and enormous coverage in the popular press. The races ran in 1936 and 1937 at Roosevelt Raceway in New York. Attention grabbing personalities from Europe were Tazio Nuvolari, Giuseppe Farina, Earl Howe, Richard Seaman, Bernd Rosemeyer and Rudolf Caracciola. Also involved were Indy 500 stars like Wild Bill Cummings, Ted Horn, Wilbur Shaw, Elbert Stapp, Lou Meyer, Rex Mays and Billy Winn. It was a sight to see Mercedes-Benz, Alfa Romeo, Auto Union, Maserati, E.R.A and Bugatti mixing it up with Indy 500 specials on the track!

ARCA races continued throughout the east coast of America in an upgraded mode inspired by the Vanderbilt Cup Races. Through a combination of events, 1939 would prove to be the pivotal year in the club's transformation from a Collier-dominated group, to an organization with enough momentum and maturity not only to survive on its own merits but also to continue to grow and move forward. But the war situation, even in 1940, was already impacting the membership and operations in many ways – all negative. Every race in 1941 was cancelled due to gasoline shortages. After the war, the ARCA members became SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) members and the next chapter of amateur racing began.

An exceptional book and highly recommended.