Seventh Michael R. Argetsinger Symposium on International Motor Racing History – November 3-4, 2023
The International Motor Racing Research Center and the Society of Automotive Historians present the Seventh Annual Michael R. Argetsinger Symposium on International Motor Racing History in November, in the Media Center of the world-famous Watkins Glen International racing circuit in Watkins Glen, New York.
See the Call for Presentations Here!
2023 is the 75th anniversary of the re-birth of American road racing, which took place on the streets of Watkins Glen, the 75th anniversary of NASCAR, and the 25th anniversary of the founding of the International Motor Racing Research Center.
To celebrate these milestones, we encourage submissions that explore these post-World War II developments:
- Road racing in America in all genres, amateur and professional, including sports car, stock car, and Formula One
- The mass popularity of stock car racing, due to the success of NASCAR
- The institutionalization of motor racing history and motor racing-related educational programs worldwide
However, as in previous years, the 2023 Symposium also welcomes submittals on other topics and eras of international motor sports history.
For more instruction and guidelines about submitting a paper, read the Call for Presentations.
The Symposium has established itself as a unique and respected scholarly forum and has gained a growing audience
of students and enthusiasts. It provides an opportunity for scholars, researchers and writers to present their work related to the history of automotive competition and the cultural impact of motor racing to their peers and to the motor racing community in general.
The 2022 Symposium featured presentations by nineteen motorsports experts. Buz McKim, renowned NASCAR historian gave the keynote address, Moonshine and Its Connection to the American Auto Industry. Other highlights included a presentation by oval track racecar expert Gordon Eliot White on noted racecar designer and builder Harry Miller: The Man and the Cars and five presentations addressing the intricate and symbiotic relationship between motorsports and the media. A broad range of other subjects were explored,
from the politics of Grand Prix racing in the 1930s to the connections between musicians and motorsports. In addition, several noted scholars participated in Fifty Years After Title IX – On and Off the Track: A Roundtable on Women in Motorsports.
New in 2022: A live stream of the symposium was available for the first time thanks to our friends at Gran Touring Motorsports. You can view all of the presentations on YouTube.