{"id":3290,"date":"2021-09-17T10:00:34","date_gmt":"2021-09-17T10:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shinola.com\/our-stories\/?p=3290"},"modified":"2021-09-17T16:53:45","modified_gmt":"2021-09-17T16:53:45","slug":"an-american-obsession","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/an-american-obsession\/","title":{"rendered":"An American Obsession"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
In celebration of the launch of the Canfield Speedway Lap 02, guest writer John Biscaro unpacks the history and heritage of America\u2019s fastest, loudest pastime\u2014and the origin of the craftsmanship behind it.<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Ever since mankind could manage not to get bucked off a horse, we have strived to go ever faster. Americans have been particularly nimble in the navigation of velocity\u2019s limits. Speed, competition, and the open road are integral parts of American Heritage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These pieces have been shaped by our history and have earned their stripes in the lanes of American culture, guiding how we value swift innovation and the endless pursuit of improvement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite facing unexpected tribulations and setbacks, the American passion for hotrods, tinkering, and the open road triumphed. A driven community of individuals synthesized American dreams and passions into a single, material pastime that accelerated at the tilt of a pedal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NEW ROADS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The automobile is an integral part of American Heritage, and the last one hundred years of auto innovation is a testament to the American passion and deeply engrained nostalgia for this life-changing machine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While Americans didn\u2019t invent four wheels, innovation in the United States made them fashionable and\u2014importantly\u2014available to all. Henry Ford, Founder of Ford Motor Company, made it the company\u2019s mission to \u201cmake people\u2019s lives better by making mobility accessible and affordable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like home ownership, cars became part of the American Dream. They represented the freedom and possibility of the open road, a reflection of the hope of the country itself.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
With the implementation of the modern factory assembly line in 1913, Ford paved the way for a working middle class to emerge in America, designing cars around affordability. [2] Until this point, a family automobile was a thing of children\u2019s dreams, saving penny after penny to hopefully one day sit in the open-air design of the first crank-start \u201cTin Lizzies.\u201d Ford made these twentieth-century sugarplums dance right into the driveway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
IF YOU CAN\u2019T BUY IT, BUILD IT<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In true American fashion, it was a natural extension from the purchase of a uniform-built vehicle to turn it into something unique and better than the next-door neighbor\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not much time after mass production began, the Great Depression hit in 1929. With many people out of work, boredom among the young folk ensued. And since the car was in the driveway, the puttering of the idling inline four-cylinder engine of the Model T drew the restless hands of the American youth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The do-it-yourself mentality of American culture grew, in part, from the production of Ford\u2019s V8 engine in 1929. When buying a new car, customers weighed the options: buy the new uber-powerful V8 engine for $80 (equal to about $1,200 in 2021), or buy the less expensive standard inline four-cylinder and supe it up in the garage to make even more powerful than the V8. The choice was obvious for many, and thus was born the spirit of democratized innovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
OFF TO THE RACES<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The tinkerers were off to the races. In the 1930s, racing clubs and teams emerged. Friends gathered in warehouses or garages after hours to put their heads together. They crafted vehicles that would never remain the same race-to-race\u2014constant improvement was the ante to play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Races began as friendly competitions between rival teams but grew and adapted as more eyes were drawn to the burgeoning speed culture. The sport soon gravitated westward as many groups emerged in Southern California, competing in dried lake beds. Time was key, and they wanted as much real estate for flat, straight lines to break records at breakneck speeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
These open-air venues began to draw significant crowds, bringing groupies and rivalries to the newfound American pastime. From fanatics to first-timers, wealthy to working class, the diversity of the racing community proved to be a true American melting pot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Support and excitement grew exponentially in the late 1930s and the racing events became increasingly rowdy\u2014nearly reaching a point comparable to a major-league baseball game. But the excitement was drawn to a screeching and deafening halt with the events of December 7, 1941.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
A NEW GENERATION<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
In the end, the second World War was an American victory, both on the battlefield and from the innovations on the Homefront\u2014and both of these factors propelled an interest in racing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the American barracks, excitement in the tinkering of automobiles grew while men discussed their hot rods and their plans to race each other when they got back home. Those who were not serving on the front lines were assigned to weapons and vehicle manufacturing roles. These men returned home with hands-on experience that seamlessly transferred to tinkering. Legend has it, they knew their trade so well that they had no use for calipers\u2014they knew their measurements by hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Overcoming the monumental challenges of the Great Depression and Second World War had also produced an immensely patriotic generation, then who poured their new skills and fresh elation to their trades.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
Big, loud, American muscle cars were the product of this highly skilled and proud generation of veterans. These men and their sons would be the pioneers of professional racing, representing American culture in wide-bodied, boisterous hunks of steel and rubber. Racing became so popular that it naturally extended into a national pastime, and eventually, into a national sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 1948, NASCAR was founded because of a boom in unsanctioned, for-profit racing, and it remains a core piece of American culture today.[3] Crowds swarm to witness the awe of their favorite racecar fly bumper-to-bumper around the concrete oval that many call home. And after the popularity of television increased, passion for racing grew to reach audiences across the nation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
PULL AHEAD TO COME TOGETHER<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Auto racing as a sport embodies American culture in that in the race to constantly improve, they\u2019re really competing with themselves. Drivers edge ahead of one another, always trying to get the next inch of lead \u2014 but what they\u2019re really trying to beat is their own last lap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All the while, these driven individuals are surrounded by countless people\u2014mechanics, spectators, aspiring speed freaks\u2014brought together to watch with bated breath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Storytelling is part of the American DNA. We pass on the things that fire us up\u2014the things we obsess over, that thrill us, that bring us joy, that teach us lessons we\u2019ll never forget. The American automobile has come to be an heirloom\u2014a physical symbol embedded with countless stories. A mosaic of that which was important to the generation prior that will be cherished for many more to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We take to the open road as a sign of our freedom, blasting music in steel of striking color to be unapologetically proud of who we are. The hidden muscle, working ceaselessly under the hood, remains a testament to our constant strive for innovation\u2014not earned without scars.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In celebration of the launch of the Canfield Speedway Lap 02, guest writer John Biscaro unpacks the history and heritage of America\u2019s fastest, loudest pastime\u2014and the origin of the craftsmanship behind it. Ever since mankind could manage not to get bucked off a horse, we have strived to go ever faster. Americans have been particularly […]<\/p>\n
Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":70,"featured_media":3329,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[118],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nAn American Obsession - Our Stories<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/an-american-obsession\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"An American Obsession - Our Stories\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In celebration of the launch of the Canfield Speedway Lap 02, guest writer John Biscaro unpacks the history and heritage of America\u2019s fastest, loudest pastime\u2014and the origin of the craftsmanship behind it. Ever since mankind could manage not to get bucked off a horse, we have strived to go ever faster. Americans have been particularly [...]Read More...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/an-american-obsession\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Our Stories\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-09-17T10:00:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-09-17T16:53:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/shinola-wordpress.imgix.net\/2021\/09\/00_AmericanObsession-Hero-1.jpg?fm=pjpg&ixlib=php-3.3.0\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1940\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1082\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"John Biscaro\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/\",\"name\":\"Our Stories\",\"description\":\"A journal by Shinola dedicated to THE joy of craft\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/an-american-obsession\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/shinola-wordpress.imgix.net\/2021\/09\/00_AmericanObsession-Hero-1.jpg?auto=format&ixlib=php-3.3.0\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/shinola-wordpress.imgix.net\/2021\/09\/00_AmericanObsession-Hero-1.jpg?auto=format&ixlib=php-3.3.0\",\"width\":1940,\"height\":1082},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/an-american-obsession\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/an-american-obsession\/\",\"name\":\"An American Obsession - Our Stories\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/an-american-obsession\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2021-09-17T10:00:34+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-09-17T16:53:45+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/#\/schema\/person\/96ed485dfc8cdb4c41a105ae70821778\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/an-american-obsession\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/an-american-obsession\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/an-american-obsession\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"An American Obsession\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/#\/schema\/person\/96ed485dfc8cdb4c41a105ae70821778\",\"name\":\"John Biscaro\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/#personlogo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3716ed9c29247d8ca52f934424725370?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3716ed9c29247d8ca52f934424725370?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"John Biscaro\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/author\/john-biscaro\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"An American Obsession - Our Stories","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/an-american-obsession\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"An American Obsession - Our Stories","og_description":"In celebration of the launch of the Canfield Speedway Lap 02, guest writer John Biscaro unpacks the history and heritage of America\u2019s fastest, loudest pastime\u2014and the origin of the craftsmanship behind it. Ever since mankind could manage not to get bucked off a horse, we have strived to go ever faster. Americans have been particularly [...]Read More...","og_url":"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/an-american-obsession\/","og_site_name":"Our Stories","article_published_time":"2021-09-17T10:00:34+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-09-17T16:53:45+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1940,"height":1082,"url":"https:\/\/shinola-wordpress.imgix.net\/2021\/09\/00_AmericanObsession-Hero-1.jpg?fm=pjpg&ixlib=php-3.3.0","path":"\/var\/www\/html\/shinola-wordpress\/app\/web\/app\/uploads\/2021\/09\/00_AmericanObsession-Hero-1.jpg","size":"full","id":3329,"alt":"","pixels":2099080,"type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"John Biscaro","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/#website","url":"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/","name":"Our Stories","description":"A journal by Shinola dedicated to THE joy of craft","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/an-american-obsession\/#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https:\/\/shinola-wordpress.imgix.net\/2021\/09\/00_AmericanObsession-Hero-1.jpg?auto=format&ixlib=php-3.3.0","contentUrl":"https:\/\/shinola-wordpress.imgix.net\/2021\/09\/00_AmericanObsession-Hero-1.jpg?auto=format&ixlib=php-3.3.0","width":1940,"height":1082},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/an-american-obsession\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/an-american-obsession\/","name":"An American Obsession - Our Stories","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/an-american-obsession\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2021-09-17T10:00:34+00:00","dateModified":"2021-09-17T16:53:45+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/#\/schema\/person\/96ed485dfc8cdb4c41a105ae70821778"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/an-american-obsession\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/an-american-obsession\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/an-american-obsession\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"An American Obsession"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/#\/schema\/person\/96ed485dfc8cdb4c41a105ae70821778","name":"John Biscaro","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/#personlogo","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3716ed9c29247d8ca52f934424725370?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3716ed9c29247d8ca52f934424725370?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"John Biscaro"},"url":"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/author\/john-biscaro\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3290"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/70"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3290"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3290\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3353,"href":"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3290\/revisions\/3353"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3329"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3290"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3290"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3290"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}