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thelibrary.org Springfield-Greene County Library District Springfield, Missouri

Library Launches Online Collection of Auto Racing in the Ozarks and Beyond

March 1, 2021 —  Fans of auto racing legends like David Goldsberry, Lester Friebe, Larry Phillips, Mark Martin and Rusty Wallace will find familiar faces and racetrack scenes in a new collection of photographs documenting the history of auto racing in the Ozarks.

The digital archive, Fairgrounds & Beyond, was created by the Local History staff of the Springfield-Greene County Libraries. The variety of images illustrate all aspects of racing, from the construction of cars, to on-track competition to driver portraits. There’s even a heartwarming collection of driver Lester Friebe’s fan mail from children. There are 30 photos of a young Mark Martin with various fans.  

 The searchable collection is at thelibrary.org/autoracing. It includes 1,883 images, and more are expected to be added.

 “I think auto racing has been one of the most popular sports in the Ozarks, and it’s important for The Library to tell this part of history,” says Michael Price, a longtime racing fan and the principal driver of this project in his role as Local History reference associate at the Library Center. He has been working on the project for five years. 

 “There are not a lot of libraries doing this kind of stuff,” Price adds. “It shows the racing community that The Library is interested in preserving racing history.”

Just how far back does it go? Auto racing in the Ozarks began on July 4, 1908, when 10 cars raced from Springfield to Republic and back, Price learned. Since then, fans have watched their favorite drivers compete on at least 30 area tracks.

“A lot of national NASCAR drivers have come through here, and a lot of NASCAR winners,” Price says, listing off names like Pete Hamilton, Bobby and Davey Allison, Alan Kulwicki, Jamie McMurray, Carl Edwards and Chase Elliott, among others. There are also photos of Arlene Hiss, the first woman to compete in an IndyCar race, and Marty Robbins, a popular country singer and accomplished racer.

 Although principally covering the Fairgrounds Speedway in Springfield, the project is dedicated to preserving memories of all the unique tracks in the Ozarks.

A filtering system on the site allows users to locate images by driver, track, year and decade. Specific topics are also keyword searchable. For example, to find all photos depicting drivers with trophies, type “trophy” in the search bar.

Some of the photographers whose work is represented in the collection are as legendary as the racers they captured, including Harry Lightfoot and Dennis Slane. The Charles Hurley Collection documents his long association with Larry Phillips.

 Material for the Fairgrounds & Beyond was shared with the library district by former drivers, photographers, promoters and fans. Price adds that generous cooperation from the Ozarks Area Racers Foundation has been invaluable in helping the Library present the collection.

The1,883 images available are only the beginning, Price says. He encourages people to bring in their photos or slides to the Local History & Genealogy Department of the Library Center and staff will scan and return them. For details, contact Michael Price at 417-616-0534.

 Price adds, “We have a lot of unidentified photos on the site. I hope the racing community will be able to identify many of these drivers. By helping us with ID work and contributing more material, I hope they can really
help us grow the project.”


PRESS CONTACTS

Vickie Hicks
Community Relations Director
vickieh@thelibrary.org
(417) 616-0564
Morgan Shannon
Copywriter
morgans@thelibrary.org
(417) 616-0566

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