This Week in 1958: Montgomery, NY, hosts Governor's Trophy Race for the third year in a row

Fifty-five years ago was the third consecutive year that a former Air Force base in Montgomery, N.Y., served as a racetrack. The Governor's Trophy Race was a growing event and spectators only had to travel 75 miles from New York City to see race legends like Carroll Shelby compete. Nearly 30,000 spectators came to the two-day event in 1957, and race organizers were expecting even more in 1958.

New York Gov. Averell Harriman, who was endorsed by President Truman during his 1956 Democratic bid for president, was the master of ceremonies and can be seen in the article holding the trophy that would later be held by the 1958 champion: Lance Reventlow.

Reventlow won by a 1 minute, 6 second margin in a Chevrolet V8, beating out racing powerhouses Ferrari and Maserati.

Autoweek: This week in 1958

By Andrew Standish