page_title: Donald Davidson (historian)
section_title: Show format
hierarchical_section_title: Donald Davidson (historian) / The Talk of Gasoline Alley / Show format
caption_attribution_description: English: Economacki Press Center at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in 2006
context_page_description: Donald C. Davidson is the historian of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the only person to hold such a position on a full-time basis for any motorsports facility in the world. Davidson started his career as a statistician, publicist, and historian at USAC. His radio program, The Talk of Gasoline Alley, is broadcast annually throughout the "Month of May" on WFNI in Indianapolis, and he is part of the IMS Radio Network.
  Davidson is a member of the Auto Racing Hall of Fame, the Richard M. Fairbanks Indiana Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame, and the USAC Hall of Fame. In 2016, he was named a Sagamore of the Wabash by Governor Mike Pence.
context_section_description: After a few seasons, the show evolved from a "rapid fire" call-in quiz show to a more long form caller-based question & answer talk show, with Davidson taking the role of raconteur. Davidson fields the callers' questions, preferably of a nostalgic nature, about the history of the Indianapolis 500. Furthermore, he prohibits himself from using any sort of reference material during the show, relying only on his own memory. Not only does he answer questions, but he adds various anecdotes, vignettes, statistics, driver biographies, and may recount other related stories, typically of personal experiences regarding the subject matter. Topics for discussion are broad, but are often focused on biographies of drivers, team owners, mechanics, and other personalities associated with the race or the track. Other popular topics include track lore, famous cars, race recaps, members of the IMS Radio Network, the museum and its exhibits, and specific events from a particular year. Discussions regarding non-race winners and drivers of relative obscurity (particularly drivers from the very early years) are warmly received, as it offers "fresh" content to the program. 
  Controversial topics are frowned upon, and a small list of oft-repeated subjects that have been answered ad nauseam are usually avoided (the Turbines, Jigger Sirois, the Jim Hurtubise "beer engine" incident, the 1911 controversy, and others). In addition, shows that air during Brickyard 400 week invite questions about NASCAR and USAC Stock Car history, both of which Davidson is also well-versed.
caption: Currently, most episodes of The Talk of Gasoline Alley originate from the press center at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which overlooks the track on the mainstretch.
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