'Driven to Win: Racing in America' explores need for speed Greg Tasker Almost as soon as the first gas-powered vehicles began sputtering down late 19th-century roads, Americans were pushing the pedal, eager for speed, and competing against one another in horseless carriages. The first automobile race in the United States occurred on a snowy Thanksgiving Day in Chicago in 1895. The following decade, Barney Oldfield became the first big racing hero. As the 20th century unfolded, car-crazy Americans began racing up mountains — Pikes Peak — across Salt Flats — Bonneville — and around gravel and tar tracks in Indianapolis and beyond. The history of auto racing in the United States, along with the personalities, cars, culture and innovations, is explored in a new, permanent exhibit, “Driven to Win: Racing in America” presented by General Motors, opening this month at the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in Dearborn. Believed to be the first comprehensive exhibit covering auto racing in America, “Driven to Win” explores popular forms of racing, including speed racing, hill climb racing, Indy Car racing, stock car and drag car racing. Automotive racing exhibits and museums can be found across the country, but they tend to focus on one aspect of motorsports.