The Hot Rods of Splinter Alley

It started well over 120 years ago- The pursuit of the highest speed possible in American auto racing, delivered in a ‘spectator friendly’ way. There were a number of obstacles to overcome with the traditional beach or dry lake bed racing, which offered a high friction surface full of potential puncture-induced tire failures. You also had speed-hungry crowds only able to see a portion of the action from their vantage point, not to mention that viewing was absolutely free. Enter the board track era, which began in earnest around 1910. A smooth wooden board surface mean lower friction, less tire changes, and along with the track’s banking brought much higher, consistent speeds. As a bonus, spectators could watch cars and motorcycles racing the way they watched baseball (as you’ll see later in the footage)- In purchased seats up high in the stands, with an unobstructed view of the entire round or oval circuit, and wheel-to-wheel action, as it unfolded. Unfortunately the board track era was fairly short-lived as the tracks were expensive to build and the bare wood boards life span was extremely limited, requiring frequent replacement. Subsequently, good footage of board track racing is quite hard to come by, which is why I’m excited to bring you this little gem from the late 1920s. Please comment if you recognize the location!