One of the major issues of auto racing during the first decade of the 20th century concerned stock cars, purpose-built racing machines (called "freaks") and the rules of governance pertaining to them. Make no mistake, there was never a time in the history of the sport when more manufacturers were involved in fielding teams. The market was very young and really a hot mess of competition as players elbowed their way into the national conversation.
 

The first airplane came along about 17 years after the first automobile, so in some ways the two forms of mechanized transportation have grown up together. One of the big challenges of adapting the automobile to everyday life was that the infrastructure of roads and highways - especially in America - were simply not designed for them.

Douglas Park was a Louisville horse racing venue that rivaled Churchill Downs in the late 19th century and on into the first decade of the next.