American Road Race of Champions Riverside International Raceway 1964

This striking 1964 poster celebrates one of the most important moments in American motorsport history: the American Road Race of Champions, held at the legendary Riverside International Raceway in California. Conceived as a national showcase of elite driving talent, the event brought together the best competitors from across the United States, transforming Riverside into a focal point of speed, innovation, and postwar racing culture.

The composition is built around a dramatic close-up of a helmeted driver, rendered in bold, sweeping brushstrokes that convey velocity, concentration, and mechanical power. The figure seems to surge forward from the surface of the poster, immersing the viewer in the intensity of competition. The vivid magenta background, contrasted with strong yellow typography, gives the design immediate visual impact, typical of mid-1960s American graphic advertising, where color and scale were used to arrest attention and evoke excitement.

Rather than depicting a specific car or circuit, the artist focuses on the psychological moment of racing: the tension before acceleration, the isolation of the driver within the helmet, and the fusion between man and machine. This modern, almost expressionistic approach reflects the growing influence of contemporary illustration and commercial art in sports promotion, moving away from literal depiction toward atmosphere and emotion.

Historically, Riverside International Raceway was one of the most important road circuits in the United States, hosting major events for sports cars, open-wheel racing, and NASCAR. The American Road Race of Champions was intended to crown a true national road-racing elite, reinforcing the professionalization of American motorsport during a decade marked by technological progress and international influence.

Today, this poster stands as a vivid artifact of 1960s racing culture. It captures the optimism, spectacle, and graphic audacity of the era, merging sport and design into a single, powerful image that celebrates speed not only as competition, but as a modern visual language.

Original Poster

Sport - Automobile - United States

Sports Car club of America

Good condition, pinholes