Racing Outlook for 1910

This article from the January 15, 1910 edition of the Indianapolis News looks ahead to the New Year and discusses the role of auto racing in developing the automobile industry. By this time oval tracks were winning the public over despite periodic outcries concerning safety. Despite the tragic opening races at the new Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a similar track had sprouted up in Atlanta and had enjoyed a solid opening auto race meet. This article notes the diversity of racing expected in the coming year, with the new big speedways, the short dirt ovals and road racing on the schedule. Even the first of the big board tracks, Playa Del Rey was coming on line.
 
While all that can be considered with the benefit of decades of history the main focus of the article was the role auto racing had in launching the industry for motor vehicles. You might say it is the 1910 equivalent to "win on Sunday, buy on Monday." Except social mores of the day were such that auto races were not staged on the Sabbath - but you get what I mean.
 
Thinking about today's concerns about "spec" racing where all the race cars are essentially the same, consider the following quote from the story.
 
"Machines are now so very much alike, being built on almost identical principles, that there is no feature of vital importance that distinguishes one from the other." If that writer could only have imagined computer aided design, wind tunnels and telemetry...