Year of Growth - 1908

This is a brief article from the December 20, 1908 Indianapolis Star. It substantiates a view I have developed after sifting through a wealth of automobile and auto racing news coverage from 1908 - and that is that auto racing hit a turning point during the 1908. It was an important step forward in maturation that led to a proliferation of big-time events, at this point mostly road racing, across the United States.
 
The article stresses that previously the motor racing contests were largely limited to the Vanderbilt Cup on Long Island but events of the year had delivered major racing at Savannah and Briarcliff with others brewing outside Chicago and in Cuba - which held a road race in 1905 and 1906. The article could have been stronger if they had mentioned the events that occurred at Lowell, Fairmount Park and the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Other events, such as the New York-to-Paris race and the Glidden Tour could also have been mentioned to further substantiate the level of interest in automobiling and how it was clearly on the upswing.