Book excerpt: Americans have raced on more than 6,000 racetracks, road courses and drag strips, at home and abroad, since an American Duryea and a German Benz met in the snow in Chicago in 1895. A few more than 1,200 still exist or are still used today. The rest have disappeared under shopping centers, airports and housing developments - or simply into the mists of time.Included here are the best remembered, the most important and the most interesting of those tracks, along with some that are remembered only by local historians. Come along for the ride and rediscover the heritage of automobile racing.