Michael R. Argetsinger Symposium

Harry Hurst: The Penske Sunoco Ferrari 512M. Harry will present the complete story of how the idea came for Roger Penske to race a Ferrari in the 1971 World Sportscar Championship and the reasons for the disappointing results.(9:15 a.m.-10:00 a.m.)

Harry Hurst is Director of Programs for the Simeone Museum in Philadelphia, an institution he helped Dr. Frederick Simeone launch in 2008. Harry's interest in cars goes back to his first car, a 1953 MG TD that he still owns. Hurst was track photographer for the Sebring 12-Hour race in Florida while still in college. Hurst has published books on the 1965 and 1970 Sebring 12-Hour races, and another on the 1970 Road Atlanta Can-Am. His photos have appeared in numerous books and magazines. In 2013 and 2018, he had a showing of his photographs at the Quail Lodge, a Motorsports Gathering. Hurst founded the Facebook group "Glory Days of Racing," which currently has 200,000 members. He has written articles on motorsport history that have appeared in magazines worldwide, including Octane, Momentum, Magneto, and Cavallino.

Tim Miller: Working at Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. Tim will discuss his four-decade career working as an engineer at Goodyear                          (10:15 a.m. -11:00 a.m.)

Tim Miller grew up in a small town in northwestern Ohio.  His father was a “car guy” owning a used car dealership and attending the Indianapolis 500 nearly every year beginning in the late 1930s.  In 1961 dad took 9-year-old Tim to his first Indy 500.  Tim has only missed one Indy since.

Tim’s interest in motor racing expanded beyond Indianapolis into F1 and endurance racing.  After graduating from Ohio State with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1974, Tim began a 39-year career at the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company in Akron, Ohio.

When Tim began his first day at Goodyear, there was an opening in the Race Tire Engineering department.  Tim got the job.  Over the next 8 years, Tim was involved with the design of sports car, motorcycle, Indy car and Formula One racing tires.  Following his year in racing, Tim had positions in passenger and light truck tires engineering and commercial truck tire marketing.

 Keynote Speaker: David Hobbs (11:15 a.m.-12:00 p.m.)    

Hobbs brings decades of motorsports experience to this year’s symposium, having competed at the highest levels of motor racing. His extensive career behind the wheel included stints in Formula One, NASCAR, Can-Am, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the Indianapolis 500.

Following his retirement from full time racing, Hobbs transitioned into the broadcast booth, becoming one of the most recognizable voices in all of motorsports. From 1976 to 2017, Hobbs served as a motorsport’s television announcer for CBS, ESPN, and NBC, covering some of the sport’s largest series and events.

Alison Kreitzer: Board Tracks: Speed, Spectacle, and Risk in Early Auto Racing. This presentation examines the rise and decline of board track racing, exploring how engineering innovation, commercial entertainment, and public fascination with speed converged to create one of the most spectacular—and dangerous—periods in motorsports history.                                                             (1:00 p.m.-1:45 p.m.)

Alison Kreitzer is a public historian and museum professional who serves as Director of Collections at the Eastern Museum of Motor Racing (EMMR) in York Springs, Pennsylvania. In this role, she oversees the stewardship, documentation, preservation, and interpretation of EMMR’s extensive collection of motorsports artifacts, vehicles, photographs, and archival materials. She also contributes to the development of exhibitions and educational programming that connect racing’s technological and cultural history with contemporary audiences.

Alison earned her Ph.D. in the History of American Civilization from the University of Delaware in 2017. Her research focuses on grassroots automobile racing in the Mid-Atlantic, with particular interests in the intersections of motorsports, technology, and American culture. An avid race fan, she regularly attends sprint car races and has a personal connection to Central Pennsylvania dirt-track racing, where several members of her family have participated.

                                     Brian Kirby: Historical Engines in the Cornell Mechanical  Engineering Curriculum. Brian will describe some of the  activities in the Learning Studios in the Sibley School of    Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Cornell University.(2:00 p.m.-2:45 p.m.)

Brian J. Kirby is the Meinig Family Professor of Engineering in the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Cornell, where he directs the Cornell Micro/Nanofluidics Laboratory and develops healthcare diagnostics, mostly to inform surgical and medical decision-making for cancer patients. At Cornell, he has developed multiple Learning Studios which are used to teach Mechanical Engineering undergraduates in an experiential framework.  His interest in motor racing has been inspired by a drive to immerse undergraduate mechanical engineers in automotive and aeronautical technology, both historical and current.

Clio Reid: The Media Reaction to the Death of Canadian Formula One Driver Gilles Villeneuve in 1982. This presentation will examine the various reactions to Villeneuve’s death in the Francophone and English press, as well as the overall impact his death had on both French- and English-speaking cultures in Canada.

                                          (3:00 p.m. -3:45 p.m.)

Clio Reid is a graduate student dually enrolled in the Department of History at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario and the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University. Her research interests lie in the intersections of motorsport history, sensory history, and cultural studies. Clio is particularly interested in how engine sound influences motorsport fandom. For her Master’s thesis, she is researching Gilles Villeneuve and Quebec’s relationship to Formula One in the 1980s. Clio is also the Social Media Chair for the Society of Automotive Historians. Currently, she works in public libraries. Her interest in racing sprouted in early 2020, when a friend advised her to deal with the NHL’s shutdown by getting into Formula One. Clio currently resides in southern Maine with her cat, Max Purrstappen.

McPherson, Belmont Abbey, and Alfred State Colleges: Motorsports Education Panel Discussion. Faculty from all three colleges will discuss their programs, students, and the future of motorsports education. Students will present posters at the symposium throughout the day and be available to answer questions

Quinn Beekwilder (College Panel)

Quinn Beekwilder is an Associate Professor and Coordinator of the Motorsport Management Program at Belmont Abbey College. He joined the college after a decade at Charlotte Motor Speedway, bringing industry experience into a curriculum grounded in motorsport history, business, and experiential learning. His teaching spans the world of motorsports, from corporate offices to grassroots tracks, connecting the sport’s historical development with its present-day management. He helped launch the college’s Master of Arts in Motorsport Management and developed a Motorsport Research Seminar in which students investigate historical questions and prepare research posters. Drawing on the motorsport library donated by motorsport historian Don Capps and other archival collections, the seminar introduces students to archival research and source evaluation. A returning presenter at the Argetsinger Symposium, Beekwilder emphasizes the role of historical research in preparing future motorsport professionals.

Luke Chennell (College Panel)

Luke Chennell is a Professor of Automotive Restoration at McPherson College in McPherson, Kansas. Over the course of more than two decades of teaching, Chennell has taught courses in both hands-on technical subjects such as chassis restoration, assembly, and materials science.  In addition, he currently teaches two history courses, Social History of the Automobile and Technical History of the Automobile.  His research interests include the history of car collecting and the history of restoration.

Andrew Smith (College Panel) 

Andrew Smith is an Assistant Professor and Curriculum Coordinator of Motorsports Technology at Alfred State College in Western New York. Andrew started in IMSA GT racing in 1978, working in crew, Crew Chief, and engineering roles. He served as Time Trial Chairman for EMRA, on the New York Region SCCA Rally Board of Directors, and as Chief Scrutineer at NASA Rally Sport for 20 years. He has been the Technical Director of the EVSR Electric Sports Racer program since 2014. Andrew is currently a member of the Glen Region SCCA and the AACA. He has been a driving instructor for AMG-Mercedes-Benz, Driving Dynamics, and various racing organizations. He currently is a technical advisor, test driver, and evaluator for the Winners Circle Project.

Caryl Koch (College Panel) 

Caryl Koch IV is the first year Motorsports Instructor at Alfred State College. Caryl has his bachelors degree in mechanical engineering and his associates degree in motorsports technology.  He has been heavily involved in the racing world working in IMSA, NASA, SRO, ARA Rally, SAE Baja, SVRA, SCCA Autocross, SCCA Rallycross, and competes in the Great Race. Caryl has taken on many roles with different race teams including Lead Mechanic, Second Mechanic, Tire Technician, Fueler, Tire Changer, Team Manager, and Crew Chief. He has also worked races like the Daytona 24hr, Sebring 12hr, and Motul Petit Le Mans with LMP3 cars. By working in many different motorsports series, it has given him the opportunity to teach his students about the multitude of different racing series that have opportunities for them to pursue their passion. The Alfred State Motorsports program focuses on getting students ready to be capable mechanics in whatever race series they are interested in and Caryl helps make that happen.

The Renaissance of Watkins Glen in the 1980s

Mr. O’Malley’s presentation will focus on how the dream of racing at the Glen was kept alive after the circuit shut down, and how Corning Enterprises managed to resurrect the ...circuit. Big challenges were faced in returning world class motorsports to the Glen, while banishing the ghosts of the infamous “bog” and rock concert from the mid-seventies.

J.J. O’Malley has been covering motorsports in many capacities since 1973. After graduating from King's College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, he was News Editor for Chris Economaki's National Speed Sport News in 1977. He then began a six-year stint as assistant sports editor for the Pocono Record in Stroudsburg, Pa. Since 1984, it’s been exclusively motorsports for O’Malley. He was media director for Watkins Glen International when the circuit reopened, and then joined Homestead-Miami Speedway as public relations director in 1998. O’Malley moved to ISC headquarters in 2001 as news editor for ISC Publications, and was involved with Grand-Am Road Racing since its debut in 2000. He joined the sanctioning body full time in 2008 as manager of communications, and remained through the merger of Grand-Am and the American Le Mans Series as manager of communications for IMSA until 2016.

Currently a Sunday Group Management content contributor, O’Malley has written 13 books on racing, including Daytona 24 Hours: the Definitive History of America’s Great Endurance Race, Volumes 1 and 2. O’Malley is an honorary member of the prestigious Road Racing Drivers Club.Show More

Now Playing

Mr. O’Malley’s presentation will focus on how the dream of racing at the Glen was kept alive after the circuit shut down, and how Corning Enterprises managed to resurrect the ...circuit. Big challenges were faced in returning world class motorsports to the Glen, while banishing the ghosts of the infamous “bog” and rock concert from the mid-seventies.

J.J. O’Malley has been covering motorsports in many capacities since 1973. After graduating from King's College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, he was News Editor for Chris Economaki's National Speed Sport News in 1977. He then began a six-year stint as assistant sports editor for the Pocono Record in Stroudsburg, Pa. Since 1984, it’s been exclusively motorsports for O’Malley. He was media director for Watkins Glen International when the circuit reopened, and then joined Homestead-Miami Speedway as public relations director in 1998. O’Malley moved to ISC headquarters in 2001 as news editor for ISC Publications, and was involved with Grand-Am Road Racing since its debut in 2000. He joined the sanctioning body full time in 2008 as manager of communications, and remained through the merger of Grand-Am and the American Le Mans Series as manager of communications for IMSA until 2016.

Currently a Sunday Group Management content contributor, O’Malley has written 13 books on racing, including Daytona 24 Hours: the Definitive History of America’s Great Endurance Race, Volumes 1 and 2. O’Malley is an honorary member of the prestigious Road Racing Drivers Club.Show More

Now Playing

Joe will discuss the evolution of the IMRRC since its founding in 1998 and its mission to collect, share, and preserve the history of motorsports. The presentation will focus on ...the Center’s current digitization efforts and what to expect in 2026 and beyond. Particular emphasis will be placed on the varied photograph, scrapbook, and film collections at the IMRRC.

Joe Schill began his professional career as a high school social studies teacher before going back to school to get a library science degree. His first job as an archivist was at the Rakow Research Library at Corning Museum of Glass (2019-2024). He is passionate about history in general and is always happy to discuss the fascinating history of Upstate New York. Joe has been head archivist at the IMRShow More

Now Playing

This presentation explores the evolving relationship between motorsports and its fans, tracing the journey from the early days of in-person attendance to today’s globally connected, media-rich experience. Beginning with the ...spectacle of early 20th-century racing events that drew massive crowds, the fan experience expanded dramatically with the first radio broadcast of the 1922 Indianapolis 500 and the televised debut of motorsport at London’s Crystal Palace Circuit in 1937. These early innovations laid the groundwork for a media revolution that would eventually allow fans to follow races live from virtually anywhere in the world. As traditional media matured, racing grew in popularity and commercial viability. In recent years, social media has redefined how fans engage with the sport by introducing real-time updates, behind-the-scenes content, and direct interaction with drivers and teams. While not without controversy, social platforms have injected new
energy into motorsports and have proven instrumental in attracting a younger, more diverse audience.

While traditional media persists as a core aspect of fan experience both at the track and beyond it, the continuing developments of the digital age have redefined the fan experience. This presentation examines how technological milestones, public policy, commercial developments, digital growth, and changing societal norms have reshaped fan engagement across the sport’s history and how they might influence the sport going forward.

Lucas Laager is a Motorsport Management major at Belmont Abbey College. Before attending BAC, Lucas graduated from Roger Williams University where he majored in History. While at RWU he authored his thesis on the development of safety in motor racing with a focus on Formula One and Le Mans, and participated in original research about free and enslaved people of color in the local area, which has been published in the Rhode Island Genealogical Society Journal Rhode Island Roots. Lucas is also a member of the Phi Alpha Theta National History Honor Society.Show More

Now Playing

In the late 19th century, cities constructed ornate opera houses as civic symbols of their cultural sophistication, and the performance of operas there provided the members—and aspiring members—of the upper ...crust of society with a venue in which to see and be seen. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries a Formula 1 Grand Prix has come to symbolize the arrival of a country on the international scene along with providing a stage on which the fashionable and famous—and aspiring fashionable and famous—can see and be seen. What can the symbolic transformation of grand opera suggest about the future of motor racing?

Skip McGoun is the William H. Dunkak Emeritus Professor of Finance at Bucknell University and was a long-term Visiting Professor at the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia and at the University of Donja Gorija in Montenegro. He has presented and published on the history and culture of finance as well as automobile history and culture and served as Area Chair of the Vehicle Culture Section of the Popular Culture Association.Show More

Now Playing

“Studebaker” is seldom the first marque that comes to mind when speaking of sports cars, yet in the early 1950s, the company’s Proving Ground hosted some of the nation’s largest ...SCCA gatherings. In the early 1960s, Studebaker invaded the Bonneville Salt Flats in a series of “engineering tests” to promote the company’s new high-performance models. This presentation will examine both events in detail; it will profile the attendees, both human and automotive, contemporary press coverage, and the impact of Studebaker performance initiatives on the company’s fortunes.

Andrew Beckman has been with the Studebaker National Museum since 1999 and currently serves as Archivist. He previously worked at the Sheboygan County Historical Society in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and the Wade House State Historic Site in Greenbush, Wisconsin. Mr. Beckman hails from Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and holds a BA in History from the University of Wisconsin- Green Bay. In 2004, he completed the Modern Archives Institute at the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, D.C. In 2009, he earned his mid-level certificate in Collections Preservation from the Campbell Center for Historic Preservation Studies in Mount Carroll, Illinois. Mr. Beckman is the author of The Studebaker National Museum: Over a Century on Wheels, and Studebaker’s Last Dance: The Avanti, and is a columnist for the Studebaker Drivers Club magazine, Turning Wheels.
In addition to his duties at the Studebaker Museum, Mr. Beckman is a member and Past President of the Society of Automotive Historians. He also serves as a commentator for The Henry Ford Museum’s Motor Muster and Old Car Fest.Show More

Now Playing

The postwar era of Grand Prix racing was notable for the high number of Italian racers killed in accidents. Yet little attention has been paid to the role of racing ...“martyrs.” This presentation will examine how the Italian Fascist regime presented dead drivers as martyrs to several causes. These causes were (1) the progress of national industry; (2) the triumph of Italian sporting achievements on an international scale, and (3) Fascism’s project of building a new civilization based on speed and daring. As Dr. Baxa will argue, inspired by Friedrich Nietzsche’s dictum to “live dangerously,” the Fascist regime turned tragedies into transcendent moments.

Paul Baxa is Professor of History at Ave Maria University in Florida. Parts of his most recent book, Motorsport and Fascism: Living Dangerously have been presented at past Argetsinger Symposia. He was privileged to have presented at the first symposium in 2015.Show More

Now Playing

Mark Raffauf’s career in motorsports embodies the ideal combination of a successful motorsports professional who has embraced the writing of history. Mark is both a fine historian and has been ...a key player in the success of the IMSA series from its inception to the current day. His early career coincided with the extraordinary accomplishments of John Bishop, founder of IMSA, former President of SCCA and one of the key founders of the IMRRC in Watkins Glen.

Mark’s keynote address, laced with engaging anecdotal tales and an accurate, factual description of the series, covers his own colorful career in motorsports and the emergence and remarkable success story of IMSA racing over the course of more than forty years.

Mark Raffauf, currently IMSA's Senior Director of Competition, has held IMSA positions through many iterations of IMSA and Grand-Am, including being the second president, in overall management, technical and car regulation development, as well as event, circuit, starting, and racing operations. He is the author, with Mitch Bishop, of IMSA 1969-1989: The Inside Story of How John Bishop Built the World's Greatest Sports Car Racing Series and IMSA 1990-1999: The Turbulent Years of American Sports Car Racing.Show More

Now Playing

Since first presenting at the Argetsinger Symposium, Belmont Abbey College’s Motorsport Management program has expanded its multi-year pedagogical approach to motorsport education. While the curriculum remains rooted in the origins ...of stock car racing, it now reflects a broader and global perspective—incorporating lessons from the evolution of Formula 1, sports car racing, dirt racing, drag racing, and multiple other disciplines.
This update highlights significant developments, including the launch of the nation’s first Master of Arts in Motorsport Management and the Accelerate Abbey summer program, which introduces high school students to the sport's diverse historical and professional landscape. We also discuss the expansion of archival resources through a generous donation from historian Donald Capps, a direct outcome of prior Argetsinger Symposium connections.

Attendees will gain insight into how Belmont Abbey’s curriculum uses motorsport history—across continents and categories—as a lens for critical thinking, cultural understanding, and professional development. The session will explore our lessons learned, evolving strategies, and vision for preparing the next generation of motorsport professionals.

Quinn Beekwilder is an assistant professor and coordinator of the Motorsports management degree at Belmont Abbey College. Having worked for a decade at Charlotte Motor Speedway, he wanted to give back to the Motorsport program at Belmont Abbey that got him there in the first place. He has a unique perspective of being one of the first graduates of the program and is able to address concerns and direct the program for the greater benefit of current students. Motorsports history has always been a passion of Mr. Beekwilder. The approaches he takes to the courses are crafted to focus on the historical development of NASCAR while incorporating experimental activities to support the curriculum. The students refer to Mr. Beekwilder as "the fast van driver."Show More

Now Playing

The OPEC Oil Embargo had a profound influence on sport, travel, and recreation throughout the U.S. In 1974, many feared racing could be banned for the first time since World ...War II. Competitors, spectators, fans, and the motorsports industry hoped normalcy would return to American motorsports as the 1975 season began.

Normalcy, however, did not play out in 1975. Both on and off the track, lasting changes in how American motorsports was sanctioned, where events would take place, and how it reached the masses was markedly different in 1979 than when the first green flag waved in January 1975.

The NASCAR Winston West Series was no exception. In 1975, the winningest champion in Series history tacked on a sixth and final title before suddenly semi-retiring to the family farm. Meanwhile, an age-defying lumberman who began racing in 1945 was still getting warmed up.

A 41-year-old journeyman Californian picked up his first championship in 1977—only to win again in 1979. One of the most prolific Canadian stock car drivers of all-time won his first race, and a one-time Series champion made a monumental impact at California’s iconic Riverside International Raceway—in a fraction of a race.

Normalcy? What a time it was!

Daniel J. Simone earned his Ph.D. in American History from the University of Florida in 2009. From 2010-2015, Dr. Simone taught World History and Environmental History at Monmouth University. Curator of the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina, and held that position through 2021. The following year, he was tabbed to assist the New York Historical Society Museum & Library, where he co-processed the Women's Sports Foundation Collection and developed content for digital exhibition. Dr. Simone is on the editorial board of the Journal of Motorsport Culture & History and serves on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Voting Committee.Show More

Now Playing

The Eastern Museum of Motor Racing (EMMR) not only serves as a steward of motorsports history but also as an example of how institutional memory preserves and shapes community heritage. ...This presentation explores the unique story of the Latimore Valley Fairgrounds in Adams County, Pennsylvania, which first gained prominence in the 1920s and 1930s as a local fairground and operational dirt speedway.

Drawing on archival records, oral histories, and community recollections, the presentation will trace the fairgrounds’ early role in regional motorsports and its subsequent decline. The narrative then shifts to the 1980s, when members of EMMR revived the dormant track, reimagining it as one of the nation’s first dedicated vintage race car exhibition tracks. This groundbreaking effort not only safeguarded the physical site but also transformed Latimore Valley into a dynamic venue where history is experienced through live demonstrations.

This presentation examines the importance of institutional memory—how a museum’s collective knowledge, rooted in personal experience and preserved documentation, guides decisions about preservation, programming, and community engagement. It explores how EMMR has leveraged institutional memory to connect multiple generations of motorsports enthusiasts and create continuity between past and present.

Alison Kreitzer is Director of Collections at the Eastern Museum of Motor Racing in York Springs, Pennsylvania. She earned her Ph.D.
in the History of American Civilization from the University of Delaware in 2017.Show More

Now Playing

This presentation explores the sociocultural significance of 1965: one year when new technologies emerged, ambitious plans took shape, and history was made across multiple fronts in motorsports and space exploration.

The ...discussion highlights groundbreaking motor racing events as well as significant space explorations of 1965. It also acknowledges the innovators who reshaped international motorsports sixty years ago - individuals and achievements that stand as defining forces in a pivotal year for motor racing history.

Dr. Howell proposes that the past six decades of motorsports and crewed
space exploration were directly shaped by the innovations, inventions, and intentions of 1965. It was a year that showcased the exceptional talents of Fred Lorenzen, Frank Borman, Jim Clark, Ed White, Dan Gurney, Jim Lovell, and others, all while establishing a benchmark for the technological and competitive advances that followed. What was accomplished during 1965 continues to influence the areas of both motor racing and space exploration to this day.

Dr. Mark D. Howell has been involved with motorsports his entire life (thus far). He earned a BA in English in 1987 and an MA in American Studies in 1990 from Penn State, then earned a Ph.D. in American Culture Studies from Bowling Green State University in 1995. His dissertation evolved into From Moonshine to Madison Avenue: A Cultural History of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, published in 1997. In 2014, Howell co-edited (with Dr. John Miller of Longwood University) Motorsports and American Culture: From Demolition Derbies to NASCAR.

Howell’s full-time job since August of 1997 has been as a Professor of Communications at Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City. He spent two years before NMC as a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of American Thought and Language at Michigan State University. Mark has also taught advanced courses for Tiffin University, Oakland University, Ferris

State University, and Davenport University. Dr. Howell is on the Board of Directors of the Society of Automotive Historians, and is editor of the SAH’s Automotive History Review.Show More

Now Playing

Mr. Carlson will share updates on efforts at Revs Institute to enhance opportunities to acquire, preserve, and provide access to archives and library resources that document the history and culture ...of automobiles and motorsports. Highlights will include the new Archives and Research Center and the use of innovative technologies including Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to support metadata creation, enhance discovery, and foster more useful research tools.

Arthur Carlson is the Director of Archives and Research Center Operations at Revs Institute, in Naples, Florida. He is committed to utilizing emerging technologies to enhance access and discovery of archival resources. He recently presented on digital archival repositories at the 2024 International Dickens Symposium in Birmingham, UK.Show More

Load More

FULL LENGTH RECORDINGS: DAY 1, DAY 2