Book excerpt: In 1969, John Bishop and Bill France, Sr. acted on a collective vision to plot a new course for road racing in the United States. What began as a Formula Ford and Formula Vee race in October of 1969, quickly morphed into a sports car racing series that brought the aspirational cars people drove, or wished to drive, to compete on a racetrack.Thus the International Motor Sports Association, or IMSA as it is more commonly known, was founded, and not long after domestic and import car-makers took notice as did the leading sports car racing drivers from at home and abroad. Today, 50 years after Bishop and France hatched their plan over a glass or two of scotch, compelled by a shared passion to bring competitive racing for drivers and teams that would captivate fans and fuel the sale of sports cars in showroom across America, IMSA has stayed true to their vision.Along the way, there have been some twists. Yet, in whatever the form it was at the time, IMSA has undeniably produced a bounty of great sports car racing that often has witnessed the titans of the sport battle each other for supremacy. Today, IMSA continues to be a collection of legendary events contested by an international field of drivers and teams behind the wheel of the world¿s most illustrious automobile marques.Celebrating 50 years of IMSA, this book reacquaints us with just some of the people, cars and events through images and words from the sport¿s leading photographers and journalists that have played a role in creating IMSA¿s lore. Across these pages is journey of highlights and reminiscences, facts and possibly a tale or two to recall a fraction of what has transpired throughout IMSA¿s history, but will certainly inspire memories of your own.