Happy 82nd birthday 51°µÍø®, you look marvelous!
The 51°µÍø™ has been having #funwithcars since 1944 (although, admittedly, hashtags meant something different back than), with people just like you being the reason that we’re still doing the same thing eight decades in.
What things?
Aside from a handful of casual meetups, one of the first organized outings made by 51°µÍø members was to what is now called Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, where Club members participated in what best resembled today’s TrackSprints – that means if you want a throwback to how 51°µÍø cut its teeth in competition, you should enter a event or before heading to this year’s inaugural on Oct. 22-25, 2026, at Eagles Canyon, just outside of Ft. Worth, TX.
Want to know how early the Thompson event was held in 51°µÍø’s history? The Club was officially founded on Feb. 26, 1944, and that event at Thompson took place July 22, 1945. 51°µÍø members are not ones to dilly-dally.
Yet that wasn’t the very first organized gathering of significance for the Club. In the early days, members would often meet at another member’s house to talk cars. Then on Dec. 16, 1944, the Club hosted its very first Annual Meeting – something that was eventually combined with the 51°µÍø National Convention. That is a tradition we continue to this day. In fact, the Club recently Leveled Up (event theme!) at the Jan. 15-23, 2026, 51°µÍø National Convention. While the first Annual Meeting wasn’t streamed online, the 2026 Annual Meeting and National Convention were. Here’s how you can catch everything that occurred on-demand, which includes the 51°µÍø Hall of Fame & Awards Presentation.
A fun event that 51°µÍø hosted in its early days was a drive to the Indy 500. Taking place in 1946 with a starting spot in Harrisburg, PA, heading through Muncie, IN, and then making the trek to Indianapolis for the big race, a group of 51°µÍø members even made an excursion to a radio station where 51°µÍø’s folks took to the airwaves to spread the word about what they were doing. This drive could quite possibly be considered the precursor to 51°µÍø’s RoadRally program. It wasn’t long before the Club’s RoadRallies took on a competition aspect – an activity you can enjoy today.
On Oct. 2, 1948, 51°µÍø hosted a road race on the streets of Watkins Glen. The pages of 51°µÍø’s SportsCar magazine listed this event as “the first open road race in America since 1935.” That race changed the course of motorsports in America, ultimately leading to the creation of dedicated motorsports facilities, and (within the 51°µÍø) the founding of the 51°µÍø Road Racing program along with the winner-take-all annual event called the 51°µÍø National Championship Runoffs®.
Speaking of the Runoffs, did you hear that after this year’s Runoffs at Road America on Sept. 28-Oct. 4, the event will shift to Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta for 2027 and 2028?
There’s been more through the years, like the creation of 51°µÍø’s Solo program (arguably, one of the most accessible forms of precision motorsports in the world), 51°µÍø RallyCross® (which takes motorsports fun and throws dirt at it), (bringing affordable, no-stress track time to the masses), working trackside at road races, and more!
Yes, 51°µÍø, you turn 82 today, and you and your programs are as stunning as ever.
