Just four miles north of Plymouth lies Road America, a four-mile road course considered by the motorsports community as not only the best in the United States, but also one of the world’s premier race circuits. It was tourism that sparked the creation of Road America. In the years following the end of World War II, the Elkhart Lake community was looking for ways to rekindle the tourist trade. This desire dovetailed nicely with the desire of a group of wealthy sports car owners looking for a place to race their speedsters. The two aims came together in 1950 with the first of three annual sports car races run on the public roads of Sheboygan County around scenic Elkhart Lake. The events were great successes, not only for the racing, but perhaps more importantly for the economic health of Sheboygan County. Hotels, restaurants, service stations, and more benefited from the tens of thousands of spectators drawn to the racing. After the state of Wisconsin banned street racing, civic leaders looked for a way to retain this enthusiasm for racing and its concurrent economic benefit. Clif Tufte, an Elkhart Lake engineer, spearheaded this effort. Tufte, along with local business leaders and the Chicago Region of the Sports Car Club of America, purchased farmland, created a course, and in September of 1955 Road America ran its first race. Since 1955, Road America has prospered, running events for all major American racing series. These events, along with non-spectator activities such as driving schools, manufacturer testing, rentals, karting, track days, and others have the track in operation almost year-round. What began more than 60 years ago as a leisure activity for prosperous car owners has grown into an ultimate destination for racing fans around the world. Truly a cornerstone of Sheboygan County, Road America has rightly earned worldwide acclaim. Vintage Road America by artist Ted Turner is proudly sponsored by Road America Inc.