ABSTRACT
The careful reader of this collection will have observed the evolution of motor sport history outwards, from its original codification in France, through its further development in the Benelux countries and beyond to the rest of Europe. Whilst developments were certainly unfolding in other parts of the world in the latter part of the nineteenth century it is to this continent that scholars of motor sport will turn to uncover the early years of what presently is one of the most pervasive sporting disciplines in the world. It is also interesting to note the manner in which auto racing, in particular, redefined itself depending upon the national context in which it emerged. The latter essays in this collection have begun to unpack the rich and complex history of motor racing in the America's and there is unquestionably more valuable work to undertake in this field regarding the social and cultural influence that certain motor sport disciplines, specifically NASCAR, have waged upon the southern states of the USA and elsewhere on that continent.
