Road & Track

{{Infobox magazine

| title = Road & Track

| image_size =

| image_alt =

| editor = Dan Pund

| image_caption = Cover of the February–March 2024 issue

| editor_title = Editor-in-Chief

| previous_editor =

| staff_writer =

| frequency = 6 issues per year

| total_circulation = 111,001{{cite web |url= https://abcas3.auditedmedia.com/ecirc/magtitlesearch.asp |title= AAM: Total Circ for Consumer Magazines |date= December 31, 2024 |publisher= Alliance for Audited Media |access-date= March 29, 2025 }}

| circulation_year = 2024

| category = Automotive

| company = Hearst Magazines

| publisher = Hearst Magazines

| firstdate = June 1947

| country = United States

| based = New York City

| language = English

| website = {{URL|http://www.roadandtrack.com}}

| issn = 0035-7189

| image_file = Road & Track February-March 2024 cover.webp

}}

Road & Track (stylized as R&T) is an American automotive enthusiast magazine first published 1947. It is owned by Hearst Magazines and is published six times per year. The editorial offices are located in New York City.

History

File:Road & Track March 2011 cover.jpg

Road & Track (often abbreviated R&T) was founded by two friends, Wilfred H. Brehaut, Jr. and Joseph S. Fennessy, in 1947, in Hempstead, New York.{{cite web |title=Motoring Memories: Retrospective: John Bond, "Father of Road & Track" |url=http://www.canadiandriver.com/2005/05/30/motoring-memories-retrospective-john-bond-father-of-road-track.htm |date= May 30, 2005 |work=Canadian Driver |access-date=July 15, 2009}} Published only six times from 1947 to 1949, it struggled in its early years. By 1952, regular contributor and editor John R. Bond and his wife Elaine had become the owners of the magazine, which then grew until its sale to CBS Publications in 1972.

The ampersand (&) in the title was introduced in 1955 by then Editor Terry Galanoy, who replaced the word "and" in the magazine's name because the words Road and Track were graphically too long for newsstand-effective recognition.

In 1988, Hachette Filipacchi Media took ownership of the magazine. In October 2008, Matt DeLorenzo became editor-in-chief, succeeding Thos L. Bryant, who had been in place for 20 years.{{cite web|title=The Road Ahead|url=http://www.roadandtrack.com/column/write-your-congressman|date=November 2008|work=Road & Track|access-date=April 30, 2011|author=DeLorenzo, Matt|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020041216/http://www.roadandtrack.com/column/write-your-congressman|archive-date=October 20, 2012|df=mdy-all}} Hearst Magazines purchased the magazine in 2011. In June 2012, Larry Webster assumed the role of editor-in-chief, and DeLorenzo became an adviser to the publication.{{cite web|title=Larry Webster Named Road & Track Editor-in-Chief|url=http://www.minonline.com/news/Larry-Webster-Named-Road-and-Track-Editor-in-Chief_20583.html/|date=June 2012|work=Min Online|access-date=June 4, 2012|author=Cohn, Steve|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120606004641/http://www.minonline.com/news/Larry-Webster-Named-Road-and-Track-Editor-in-Chief_20583.html|archive-date=June 6, 2012|df=mdy-all}} Additionally, the magazine moved its operations from Newport Beach, California, to Ann Arbor, Michigan.{{cite web |title=Road & Track hits the road, makes tracks to Ann Arbor, Michigan |url=http://www.autoblog.com/2012/05/31/road-and-track-hits-the-road-makes-tracks-to-ann-arbor-mi/|date= May 2012 |access-date=January 23, 2014|author=Sabatini, Jeff}}

In February 2016, Webster resigned as editor-in-chief and Kim Wolfkill was announced as his replacement. In the March/April 2019 issue, Wolfkill announced that the editorial offices in Michigan were closing, and that publication was moving to New York, New York, at the Hearst Tower. His LinkedIn profile lists February 2019 as his final date at Road & Track.{{Cite web|url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-wolfkill-b4a5454/|title=Kim Wolfkill, LinkedIn}} Travis Okulski, Road & Track's website director at the time, took on the editor-in-chief role from the May 2019 issue onwards.{{Cite web|url=https://www.roadandtrack.com/rt-archive/road-track-editorial-staff|title=Road & Track Editorial Staff|last=R&T staff|date=2012-09-14|website=Road & Track|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-04}}

Car and Driver and Road & Track are sister publications at Hearst and share the same advertising, sales, marketing, and circulation departments. However, their editorial operations are distinct and they have separate publishers. This arrangement exists since 1985, when CBS acquired Ziff Davis' consumer magazines and among them, Car and Driver.{{cite journal |date=February 1985 |title=CBS + Ziff = huge |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3065/is_v14/ai_3627670/ |url-status=dead |journal=Folio |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120710202741/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3065/is_v14/ai_3627670/ |archive-date=July 10, 2012 |access-date=December 16, 2011}}

In August 2020, the magazine transitioned to a large-format bi-monthly that emphasized elegant design and deeply-reported features. Incoming Editor-in-Chief Mike Guy, who had previously launched The Drive for Time Inc., hired Executive Editor Daniel Pund and Creative Director Nathan Schroeder, and together they refashioned Road & Track as the premium, 180-page enthusiast magazine on stands today. The Smoking Tire's Matt Farah and best-selling author A.J. Baime (Go Like Hell, The Accidental President) joined as Editors-at-Large.

In January 2024, former Executive Editor Dan Pund was confirmed as Road & Track's new Editor-in-Chief.

Content

Road & Track focuses on new production cars, vintage cars, and race cars with drive reviews, road trips, and comparison tests. Former race car drivers have often contributed material, including Paul Frère, Sam Posey,{{Cite web|url=https://www.roadandtrack.com/author/3066/sam-posey/|title=Sam Posey|website=Road & Track|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-04}} and Formula One champion Phil Hill. Other notable contributors include McLaren F1 designer Gordon Murray, car executive Bob Lutz,{{Cite web|url=https://www.roadandtrack.com/author/2558/bob-lutz/|title=Bob Lutz|website=Road & Track|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-04}} Henry N. Manney III, Peter Egan,{{Cite web|url=https://www.roadandtrack.com/author/2654/peter-egan/|title=Peter Egan|website=Road & Track|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-04}} Jason Cammisa,{{Cite web|url=https://www.roadandtrack.com/author/2681/jason-cammisa/|title=Jason Cammisa|website=Road & Track|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-04}} and Matt Farah.{{Cite web|url=https://www.roadandtrack.com/author/209094/matt-farah/|title=Matt Farah|website=Road & Track|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-04}}

Like many auto magazines, Road & Track currently publishes an annual "car of the year" test, dubbed the Road & Track Performance Car of the Year. The test's most recent winner is the 2020 Hyundai Veloster N.{{Cite web|url=https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/car-comparison-tests/a29640493/2020-performance-car-of-the-year/|title=2020 Performance Car of the Year|date=2019-11-04|website=Road & Track|language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-06}}

Video games

Road & Track contributed to the 1992 video game, Grand Prix Unlimited, developed by Accolade for MS-DOS. The magazine also contributed to the 1994 video game, The Need for Speed, to help the designers match vehicle behavior and sounds to that of the real cars.{{cite web |title=Road & Track Presents: The Need for Speed |url=http://www.gamerankings.com/saturn/573980-road-and-track-presents-the-need-for-speed/index.html |work=Gamerankings.com |access-date=July 15, 2009}}