Bill Holland Gives Presentation On History Of Auto Racing In Southern California online

Veteran motorsports marketer and journalist Bill Holland was invited to give a presentation to the Petersen Automotive Museum “Pit Crew” (docents) on the growth of motorsports in the Southern California area—which is recognized as the birthplace such important venues as drag racing, speed trials and off-road races.

From the first recognized automobile race in Los Angeles, contested in 1903 in an area where the L.A. Memorial Coliseum (site of the 1932 and 1984 Olympic Games) now sits through today’s still-active facilities, racing has served to help make Southern California the epicenter of our nation’s car culture.

The Los Angeles native remarked, “I’ve been a huge fan of cars and auto racing since I read my first Hot Rod magazine at age 13, and have been fortunate enough to attend races at such storied venues as Ascot Park in Gardena, Riverside International Raceway, Lions, OCIR and the NHRA races at the L.A. County Fairgrounds in Pomona—as well as the newer facilities like AAA Speedway in Fontana.” Holland went on to say, “In doing research for the Petersen presentation I came across all kinds of interesting information on the early days of racing in the area, including old tracks in locations that today represent some of the most expensive real estate in the nation.”

A PDF synopsis of the presentation, along with some interesting timeline bar graphs and vintage photos, is available for viewing and downloading at https://electronic-pr.com/SoCal.pdf.