About The Checkered Past
The Checkered Past was established in 2023 as a personal project rooted in a lifelong appreciation for auto racing and the paper ephemera that surrounds it. From early cigarette era cards to mid-century racing programs and promotional pieces, the site is dedicated to preserving and documenting the printed history of American motorsports from roughly 1900 to 1979.
What began as a private collecting interest has grown into an effort to share these materials with a wider audience. The Checkered Past serves as a reference resource for collectors, historians, and racing enthusiasts, offering organized galleries, background information, and driver biographies that places each item in its proper historical context.
The long-term goal of the site is to continue expanding its coverage across decades, racing disciplines, and regions, while maintaining accuracy and consistency. By building a centralized archive of racing-related paper items, The Checkered Past aims to support collectors, encourage research, and help ensure that these often-overlooked pieces of motorsports history are preserved and accessible for future generations.