In the pantheon of motorsport, the One Lap of America teeters on the exhausted, bleeding edge of the lunatic fringe. It is the bastard child of two of man's most spiritually rewarding, gasoline-powered endeavors: automobile racing and road tripping.
Birthed 26 years ago by legendary automotive journalist (if there is such a thing) Brock Yates and dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century by his son, Brock Yates Jr., One Lap has been covered within the pages of a magazine called...well that's not important now, is it?
The point is, over the last quarter century, One Lap of America has quietly become one of the most demanding motorized events in the world. Think your 24 Hours of Le Mans runs long? One Lap takes roughly 192 hours from start to finish. Indy 500 or Bathurst 1000 puts miles on the odo? This year's One Lap covered over 3200 miles-and is considered a short one in comparison with years past.
Pony up a $2500 entrance fee, throw a helmet and fire extinguisher in the trunk, and you're ready to devour 13 states and 11 different tracks in just eight days. From autocrossing to drag racing, oval tracks to road courses, One Lap has it all, with a diabolical twist-hundreds of transit miles separate each day's races.
Of course, there are rules for this sort of thing, but they're surprisingly brief and (gasp) guided by common sense and fair play. One rule that stands out: All track lapping and the thousands of miles in between must be completed in the race car on one set of street tires.
To put that in perspective, imagine entering a marathon where every two to three miles you had to sprint a few 100-yard dashes. Now imagine running this whole thing in a pair of Chuck Taylors. No racing slicks, no shaved tires, nothing under a UTQG tread-wear rating of 140 is allowed in One Lap. To prevent ringer rubber, all competitors must purchase their tires from one of the 12 brands offered by tire retailer and official sponsor, the Tire Rack, which then brands each one and spray paints the manufacturer's name on for greater visibility.
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