For the first time, the Ragtime Racers Are Coming to Lime Rock Park

This Labor Day Weekend, the Ragtime Racers are bringing the dawn of American motorsport to life at Lime Rock Park’s Historic Festival.

These aren’t replicas—they’re the real race cars that thundered across dirt tracks and wooden board circuits more than a century ago. Hand-built, fire-breathing machines from 1920 and earlier, brought back to life and driven the way they were meant to be: at speed.

The Ragtime Racers are a one-of-a-kind exhibition group dedicated to preserving and showcasing these amazing cars in motion—not locked behind museum glass, but running live in front of fans. Their fully period-correct “circus tent” paddock looks like it rolled straight out of 1915, with canvas sides, tool benches, and open engines on display. You’ll hear them crank-start cars by hand, talk through their mechanical wizardry, and share the wild history of these incredible machines.

And the best part? You get to be part of it.

Each day during the lunch hour, these vintage beasts will take to the track for exhibition runs—not parade laps, but spirited, roaring sessions that let you experience the raw sights, sounds, and smells of racing’s “Heroic Age.” You’ll feel the thump of unmuffled engines, smell the castor oil and leather, and see what real bravery on skinny tires looked like.

There are dozens of these cars tucked away in collections across North America. The Ragtime Racers give them—and their history—a stage. And this year, for the first time, that stage is Lime Rock Park.

This is one of the highlights of the weekend. Skip is bringing these cars here for you to enjoy—so you can see, hear, and feel the Heroic Age of racing come roaring back to life.

Join the Celebration

Whether you’re a longtime vintage racing fan or just discovering the magic of historic motorsport, Historic Festival 43 is the place to be.

Buy your tickets now: limerock.com/historics

Come see the cars. Hear their stories. Be part of the legacy.