The Logbook

The Michael R. Argetsinger Symposium on International Motor Racing History was held at Watkins Glen International on Nov. 3rd and 4th. The keynote speaker was Rob Dyson, who presented "A Driver’s Reflections on Watkins Glen at 75."

In the roundtable, the team of Stocz, Robeers and Sullivan, explore the forgotten history of alternative power vehicles in motorsport, demonstrating that the current concerns over environmental impacts of auto racing - and the attendant hand-wringing over its future- are far from new.

Having a strong interest and deep passion for car racing, Dr. Mario Felice Tecce analyzed Formula One seasons of the last 50 years and suggests that race car driving can be a major example of general life choices between good and bad in a joint competition to pursue the best possible.

Randy Cannon's current offering, Caesars Palace Grand Prix, drills even more deeply into that nexus while also tracing the threads of history that culminated in the only Formula One events to date in that unique city.

This article critically evaluates the contribution of Jackie Stewart in making motor racing a safer sport for competitors. It challenges the validity of the popular assumption that Jackie Stewart by himself developed a ‘culture of safety’ that transformed the sport. Instead, the role of other individuals are identified alongside the importance of three social processes. These processes are identified as the changing balance of power between different masculine identities, the development of commercial sponsorship and a growth in the coverage of the sport on television.

Book Review- Racing with Rich Energy: How a Rogue Sponsor Took Formula One for a Ride. By Elizabeth Blackstock and Alanis King. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, 2022. Pp. V-viii, 1-195, Appendices 197-211, Chapter Notes 213-278, Index 279-284. Paperback, $29.95, Kindle $13.49.

Book Review: I Was A NASCAR Redneck: Recollections of the Transformation of a Yankee Farm Boy to a Southern Redneck in the Golden Era of NASCAR and Beyond. By Will Cronkrite, Forward by H.A. “Humpy” Wheeler. Twinsburg, OH: 48 Hour Books, 2020. Pp. 1-611, Images and Glossary. Paperback, $39.95.

Skip McGoun 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. He considers the two senses of the word "Sports" - competition & recreation - and their relative roles in the creation of the class of vehicles known as "sports cars."

An American sports car designed and built by California hot rodders, the Scarab holds a unique place in American road racing history. Funded by Lance Reventlow, heir to the Woolworth fortune, and built by Troutman and Barnes, the Scarab is powered by a small block Chevy from Traco Engineering. The car’s mission was to compete and win against the best European sports cars of the era.

Belmont Abbey offers a four-year undergraduate academic program designed to prepare designed to prepare aspiring professionals and leaders for a career in the motorsport industry.