Where They Raced

From Kustomrama

Where They Raced will be the definitive documentary on the history of auto racing in Los Angeles, and a tribute to America’s love affair with all things Auto! Known for its sunshine, oranges, bathing beauties and Hollywood blockbusters – it’s easy to forget that more racing history has been made in Southern California than anywhere else. From the early road races that brought legends like Barney Oldfield and Earl Cooper to perform in what were at the time the largest public gatherings west of the Mississippi, to its backyard tinkerers like Mickey Thompson whose list of innovations is second to none! From Ascot to Winternationals, from the strip at Lions to the Gilmore Roar, from America’s first board track to the state-of-the-art Speedway, Were They Raced will be a victory lap for these fading memories. With research based on a graduate dissertation turned into a book by Harold Osmer, and 15 years experience producing over 800 PBS shows for Huell Howser and KCET, a large collection of rare archival photos and footage, as well as received commitments of participation (use of vintage cars, locations, archives, on-camera experts and so on) from many racing organizations, museums, experts, historians, archives and libraries have been collected.^[1]