The History of Road America

The vision of Road America grew out of the dreams of a man named Clif Tufte. A trained civil engineer, Tufte spent almost a year planning one of the world's finest and most challenging road courses.

Tufte's dream became a reality in April 1955 when the track was carved out of 525 acres of Wisconsin farmland. By September 10, 1955 the track's first SCCA national race weekend was held.

Millions of dollars in improvements have been made throughout the years, but the original 4.048-mile, 14-turn configuration has never been altered.

In 2005, Elkhart Lake's Road America, Inc. celebrated its 50th anniversary. Its history was documented in a book, "Road America: Celebrating 50 Years of Road Racing" by Tom Schultz. The book is available for purchase at our retail store, "The 4-Mile Merchant."

The First Race: September 10 & 11, 1955
Phill Hill won the 148 mile feature race in a Ferrari Monza after a sensational fight with the D Jaguar of Sherwood Johnston.