When the SCCA first had the idea to promote a professional sports racing car series largely unencumbered with regulation, it is unlikely they understood what they were starting.

With the single exception of the Indianapolis 500, CanAm racing is probably the most charismatic and most widely supported class of road racing in the USA.

Sportscar racing became very popular in the US after WWII. So popular, that in 1966 the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) along with the CASC (Canadian Automobile Sports Club), founded the Can-Am series for Group 7 type sports racers. Sponsorship from Johnson Wax made the Can-Am the best paying racing series in the world. This meant that the cream of international drivers were interested in the Can-Am. World Champions John Surtees, Jack Brabham, Graham Hill, Phil Hill, Denny Hulme, Jackie Stewart, and Mario Andretti all participated in the Can-Am at one time or another, as did Indy 500 winners A.J. Foyt, Mark Donohue, and Parnelli Jones.