It’s remarkable how different each of America’s historic race tracks are from each other. Laguna Seca’s hilltop majesty - opens in new window or tab. and dynamic elevation changes in California stand in stark contrast to Road America’s Midwestern high-speed straights. And those have little resemblance to the open grandstand-free design of Connecticut’s Lime Rock Park.
Lime Rock Park was built in 1957 by Jim Vaill and John Fitch at the urging of the local chapter of the Sports Car Club of America. It stands with the two previously-mentioned tracks as the oldest continuously-operating road courses in the country. Unlike its companions, however, Lime Rock has changed very little since it was first built—without any of the customary shifting of locations or updates to the racing surface over time.
In fact, even after a 2008 renovation that saw the entire 1.5-mile road course repaved, Lime Rock Park managed to keep every aspect of its character, including all corner radii, track widths, and camber. The preservation of its features was at the behest of Skip Barber, who has owned and operated the track (and his racing school there) since 1984.
That’s not to say that there haven’t been additions made to Lime Rock Park. After an incident involving John Morton’s Nissan GTP car in 1988, a chicane was added to the uphill corner section of the track, and the original seven turns have been augmented by three additional optional turns that offer a variety of configurations for the circuit. The facilities have also been vastly improved, particularly the paddock and the spectator viewing areas—although Lime Rock has remained firmly resistant to the installation of any grandstands, preferring to emphasize the park aspect of its name and offer something different for racing fans.
Despite a high profile that has seen the track host series ranging from Trans Am to IMSA to Can-Am to NASCAR—in addition to being a beacon of amateur racing for the entire Northeast—Lime Rock Park has a unique quirk that separates it from other road courses. In 1959, the track faced a challenge from a group of citizens and businesses in the well-to-do area that demanded a ban on Sunday racing. After a legal battle, the Connecticut Supreme Court upheld the permanent injunction against competition on the so-called day of rest, making Lime Rock perhaps the only motorsports facility in the United States to stay quiet on what is traditionally the busiest hours of any race weekend.
All manner of vintage auto racing makes Lime Rock Park a must-attend summer date in the Northeastern United States. (Image by Mike Powell via creative commons.)
While residents near Lime Rock Park might savor their quiet Sundays, the same legal action grants the track the right to conduct whatever noisy business it desires almost every other day of the week. This balance between speed and solitude has kept Lime Rock a vibrant part of the American motorsports tapestry for nearly 60 years.
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