By Gary S. Vasilash

In 1901, a year after the Detroit Automobile Company failed, Henry Ford looked for a way to attract investors for his next corporate endeavor for car manufacture.

Ford said, “I never thought anything of racing, but the public refused to consider the automobile in any light other than a fast toy.”

So he went racing.

On October 10, 1901 Henry won the race held at the Grosse Pointe Race Track.

Ford won the race.

And retired from racing.

In 1903 he obtained the financial backing he needed to establish the Ford Motor Company.

And you know the rest.

Motor sports has been part and parcel of the development of automotive technologies. Things are tested on the track that then—assuming that (1) they work and (2) are applicable—make their way to consumer products.

Vehicle manufacturers sometimes embed engineers on race teams not only for the technology part of the undertaking but in order to get them to understand the mindset of doing things quickly.

Nowadays it seems that there isn’t any weekend during the year where there isn’t a car race going on somewhere in the world.

The noise. The smell of petroleum products and burnt rubber. The crowds.

It is really quite a phenomenon, and while The Indianapolis 500 calls itself “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” that is clearly nothing more than a matter of degree because even races at a dirt track in the middle of nowhere is in itself something of a spectacle.

But now the industry is undergoing a change to electric vehicles. And while there is a sanctioned series—Formula E—there is nothing like the expanse of gasoline-powered racing.

A question is will there ever be? And if there is, will those who are enthusiastic fans of motorsports that have come to be known over the past 120 years be at all interested.

So on this edition of “Autoline After Hours” we talk about it with car racer and automotive critic for the Detroit News, Henry Payne, and muscle car enthusiast Mike Musto of Hemmings.

And it seems as though the answer is. . .probably not.

You can judge for yourself by watching it here.