International Motor Racing Research Center

The Chrysler PT Cruiser.  I like it.  This particular one had a manual gearbox and a very cool looking interior.  It's also comfortable.  Wait, I'm in the PT Cruiser with Bill Green, the leading historian at the International  Motor Racing Research Center in Watkins Glen, New York.  And we were driving the famous Old Course, where road racing in America officially started.  I was getting the grand tour.  As we drove around the course, i absorbed the mounds of information coming from him, and Kevin Hughey, the Archival Associate at the Center.  Bill wasn't just getting this knowledge from books, though.  No, this knowledge was from experience.  He was there when the Alfa Romeo won the first race at Watkins Glen in 1948.  He was there when there was a temporary hay bail chicane on The Railroad Straight, which was taken down after an MG flipped in practice.  I now know about Milliken's corner and why it's called that.  These two were a constant stream of information, and it was probably one of the coolest things I've ever done.
But my story doesn't stop there, you see.  Because I am also a volunteer at the Center, and I was charged with the task of sorting through hundreds of photos.  This was by no means tedious, as I saw the history of 80s motor racing in front of my eyes.  But don't think the center only covers the 80s, because, oh no, they go from the 1895 Benz motor car to today's Ferrari's.  For instance, I saw pictures of Jeff Gordon's Midget car days.  Every single picture I went through came from the collection of pictures given to IMRRC after National Speed Sport News went to the Internet and stopped making papers.  Everything from Midgets to Formula 1 to NASCAR was covered in these pictures.  It was incredible.  Just being there, amongst all things cars, from the Supermodified car in the center of the room to the Jaguar F1 car model on a bookcase.  This place is the car lovers dream.  They also do events, such as this weekend's Supermodified discussion with a panel of experts led by former TV presenter Dick Berggren.  I wish I could go to that, but I have a school Science Bowl event to go to.
So, if you like cars, or need a car identified or anything like that go to these guys and girls.  They know all there is to know, and I hope to have the same knowledge that they do someday.