Every winter for 13 years between 1954 and 1966 the greatest sports cars as well as the greatest sports car drivers in the world would gather in the Bahamas for what may well have been the coolest racing event in history. 10 days of partying,

4.2 The Wild History Of INDOOR Drag Racing In Chicago During The 1960s!

Feb 9th, 2024 36m 41s

During three winters in the 1960s, hot rodders in Chicago had the unique opportunity to do something no one has been able to do before or since. They went drag racing indoors. The didn't just do it once or twice, they did it weekly. How? Where?

4.1 Drag Racing's Darkest Day: The 1969 Yellow River Drag Strip Disaster

Feb 5th, 2024 1h 7m

In early March of 1969, the single worst disaster in the history of American motorsports took place at a small, virtually unknown drag strip in rural Georgia. Yellow River Drag Strip was the scene of horror as a funny car flew off the racing su

3.7 Origin Story: How Stock Car Racing Was Born In Los Angeles Circa 1934!

Sep 7th, 2023 1h 32m

You think you know, but you have no idea. Stock car racing in the United States was born in the south, but not the south you are think of. On this episode of the Dork-O-Motive podcast, host Brian Lohnes tells the story of the first true stock c

3.6: Consumed: The First Ferris Wheel and How It Ruined The Life Of George Washington Ferris

Jun 29th, 2023 2h 50m

What if I told you that the first Ferris wheel, built in 1893 was 265ft tall, powered by a 1,000hp steam engine, and carried 2,160 people at the same time! George Washington Gale Ferris is the man who engineered this marvel and the man who's na

3.5: Cold War Crushers: The Awesome History of The Air Force Heavy Press Program

Mar 17th, 2023 1h 36m

The US Air Force Heavy Press program, executed between 1950 and 1957 is one of the most incredible industrial achievements in history. After identifying a huge technology gap at the end of WWII, the government worked with private industry to cr

3.4: Fastest - An Oral History of the 1992 Hot Rod Magazine Fastest Street Car Shootout

Dec 17th, 2022 2h 15m

In 1992 Hot Rod Magazine gathered a collection of the fastest street cars in America for a showdown in Memphis, Tennessee. The reverberations of this event are still being felt today as it helped to rocket the movement of "fast street cars" int

3.3: Beating Hitler With Combines - The Epic Story of The 1944 Harvest Brigade

Dec 14th, 2022 1h 17m

This is a wonderful story from the home front of WWII. The gumption of the American farmer, the strength of industry, and the inventive nature of government to solve a big problem. That issue? The largest wheat crop in the history of the United

3.2 Small Blocks vs The World: The Wild Story of The 1971 Questor Grand Prix

Nov 20th, 2022 1h 40m

Imagine a racing event where 30 of the best drivers came from all corners of the world to clash at the nicest race track ever built. Imagine that half of them would be driving F1 cars and the other half would be driving small block V8 powered o

3.1: Unstable - The Deadly and Explosive History of Headlights

Jan 6th, 2022 1h 45m

The automotive headlight is not exactly the most exciting part of a car, right? Wrong. Back in the early 1900s not only were headlights new and exciting, they were explosive and deadly. This incredible look back at the early history of headligh

2.5: Rip Tide: The Incredible and Dark History of The World‘s Water Speed Record

Dec 15th, 2021 3h 50m

The world's water speed record has been held by only 9 people since 1928. It has an 85% death rate in attempts and the current record has stood since 1978 with each successive attempt to unseat it resulting in the death of the driver. This l

2.4: 1,000 Ton Sucker Punch - The Wild Story Of WWI Q-Ships

Apr 11th, 2021 1h 49m

Imagine a single weapon of war with such vicious tactics that it nearly defeated an entire country. Such was the case with Germany's fleet of U-boats during WWI. As the U-boats sunk hundreds of ships per month, Britain was in danger of running

2.3: Too Fat To Fly: The Crazy Story Of How Super Speedway Big Rig Racing Was Born!

Feb 21st, 2021 1h 45m

In 1979 a promoter from Tennessee put on the first ever big rig super speedway race and it caused a national panic. The government, the trucking industry, the Teamsters, tire companies, and sponsors all tried to stop the event from happening. O

2:2 - Truckin' Amazing: The Story of WWII's Red Ball Express

Feb 8th, 2021 1h 9m

In July of 1944 the Allies had a problem. Having landed successfully in France and established a beachhead, they had been stalled for weeks. Thankfully a fortuitous victory over the Germans opened up the line and Allied troops roared across Fr

2.1: Suicidal Speed and Splinters - A History Of Board Track Racing In America

Jan 11th, 2021 1h 8m

For a span of about 25 years in America, the fastest racing venues in the country were not made of asphalt, concrete, or brick, but rather wooden boards. These tracks, which ranged from less than a half mile to two miles in length were quick an

1.28 Out Of Gas At 41,000ft: The Unbelievable Story Of The Gimli Glider

Dec 30th, 2020 45m 51s

On July 23, 1983 a Canada Air 767 with 61 passengers and eight crew aboard ran out of fuel while flying over a remote area of Ontario, Canada at 41,000ft. The pilot and co-pilot were able to take the airplane and glide to to a harrowing but saf

1.27: Twisted Steel and Sex Appeal: The Weird History of Staged Locomotive Wrecks 1896-1935

Nov 30th, 2020 1h 1m

Between 1896 and 1935 a unique and bizarre series of spectator events occurred across America. Those events were the staged head-on collisions of steam locomotives done as profit making spectacles. Starting in earnest during September of 1896,

1.26: Under Pressure: The Story of Bill Lear’s Steam Powered Race Car That (Never) Ran The Indy 500

Nov 23rd, 2020 1h 20m

Bill Lear will go down as one of the most incredible inventors of the 20th century. The man who created the car radio, miniature tuning coils for radios, who invented auto-pilot, radio guidance for airplanes, and the basic automatic landing sys

1.25: A Race To Oblivion: The 1927 Dole Air Derby

Nov 20th, 2020 1h 12m

The 1927 Dole Air Race stands as one of the most bizarre and tragic events in the history of flight. Paid for by James Dole, the pineapple magnate, the race was designed to capitalize on the fame that came from Charles Lindbergh crossing the At

1.24: The Best Worst Ship Ever - The Story Of The SS Great Eastern

Oct 14th, 2020 1h 26m

This is the story of one of the greatest engineering achievements of the Victorian Age. It is also the story of a ship so far ahead of its time it was one of the greatest financial failures ever accounted in the modern world. At the time of it

1.23: Operation Snowbound: How American Teamwork Saved Millions of People and Livestock During The Worst Winter Ever

Jun 29th, 2020 48m 5s

A couple of years ago, Buffalo got hammered with one of the all time record short term snowfall totals in American history. The seven feet of snow they got over the course of a day or two brought the city to a halt, brought the national guard o

1.22: Knievel vs The Canyon: The Insane and Incredible Story Of The Snake River Canyon Jump

Jun 24th, 2020 1h 25m

There was a time in America when the most famous person in the entire country was a lunatic with a motorcycle called Evel Knievel. His fame and his public bravery reached their outer limits on September 8, 1974 when Knievel tried to jump the Sn

1.21: Henry's Big Screwjob: How The Dodge Brothers and Henry Ford Made Millions While Hating Each Other

Jun 18th, 2020 51m 32s

The story of how John and Horace Dodge helped get Henry Ford into business, made millions off of him, and then used his own profits to fund a competing car company is one of the most awesome in the history of the automobile. A very healthy busi

1.20: Honest Abe Was A Gearhead: How Abraham Lincoln Became The Only President With A Patent and More!

Jun 4th, 2020 31m 56s

Yes, Abraham Lincoln was a gearhead. The man who many still hold as the greatest President in the history of the United States is the only President to hold a patent and his legal work helped to lay the groundwork for the modern world of transp

1.19: Wally vs The World: How Wally Parks Shocked The America And Gained Control of Drag Racing In 1958

May 18th, 2020 1h 37m

Many people believe that since the early 1950s, the National Hot Rod Assocaition has had the dominant spot in the sport of drag racing across America. Those people would be wrong. See, in 1958 Wally Parks was facing the biggest threat he would