2019 One Lap Of America

We are masochists, the lot of us. We’d have to be to subject ourselves to the rigors of what is perhaps the last great open road event in the United States.

- Mike Musto

In the beginning, you’re excited, ecstatic even, for what’s to come. But by mid-week, your confused bodily functions have you feeling differently. The first thing to flee is your sanity. In fact, that left the building as soon as you signed the registration sheet. You see, sane people wouldn’t sign up for an event that purposely leaves you sleep deprived with a stomach full of gas station food and a devil-may-care attitude toward hygiene. Yet every year, hundreds of people flock to South Bend, Indiana, in early May to take part in an event that signifies what driving in America used to represent: freedom.

To understand what The One Lap of America (OLOA) is, you must first understand what it was. As an offshoot of the original Cannonball Baker Sea-ToShining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash that was conceived by legendary automotive journalist Brock Yates, the OLOA came to be once Yates realized that the original event was getting out of hand. What was initially a way of proving that good drivers could traverse the country safely at speed, had now become a venue for those looking solely for high-speed glory. Thus, in 1979 he killed the Cannonball, and The One Lap of America was born.

Taking the high speeds off the interstates and placing them on some of the best racetracks in the country was the main focus. However, I don’t think Yates realized that by doing so, he’d created a road-legal pilgrimage that would attract some of the most diehard automobile enthusiasts the world has ever seen. Again, this is not an event for the rational; instead, it’s an event for those who genuinely love the spirit of life, the open road, and more importantly, becoming part of a family you never knew you needed.