During the last several months, the IMRRC has undertaken processing of the valuable and unique Joseph Braig Photographic Collection, which was donated to us for archival storage without limitations on usage by the Braig family. We prepared a presentation of the material for viewing by Mr. Braig’s widow and extended family when they made a formal visit to the IMRRC in April. This collection is expected to be a major asset to the IMRRC’s photographic resources and will be used in exhibits, presentations, and made available for reproduction, with attribution, under the terms of our fee structure.
Don Edmunds at Langthorne
Joe Braig was a skilled photographer who was employed by National Speed Sport News, a publication that served as a virtual bible for American motorsports. His rare pictorial documentation of a unique period in motorsport history is the only collection of this scope and quantity known to exist. Joe Blinebury, Jr., noted motorsports historian, characterized this collection as a “collector’s treasure” and of “museum quality.” Chris Economaki, editor and publisher of National Speed Sport News, a major figure in American motorsports who became a close friend of Mr. Braig, said, “Joe’s photos are among the very best we ever published.”
In addition to fascinating scrapbooks maintained by Mr. Braig, the collection consists primarily of many hundreds of individual prints and digital images, the latter often accompanied by contact sheets, of primarily dirt and asphalt oval track motor racing subjects from Langhorne, Williams Grove, Reading Fairgrounds, Trenton, Indianapolis, and other classic oval tracks from the 1950s to the 1980s.