How one woman built America’s longest driveway and made racing history

If you were driving through the Mojave Desert and spotted a cracked, four-mile stretch of sun-bleached pavement, you probably wouldn’t think twice about it. It looks like any other forgotten road in the middle of nowhere. But this one’s different. Once upon a time, it was the longest driveway in America.

Not only that—it was built by one woman’s stubborn resistance to the federal government and later used for high-octane, 200 mph speed tests by car magazines. That stretch of asphalt was Bonnie Orcutt’s driveway.

Bonnie Orcutt didn’t set out to make history. In fact, she just didn’t want the government running a highway through her land. After her husband passed in 1953, she moved west to a little home in Newberry Springs, California.

However, years later, she learned that the Interstate 40 expansion would cut straight through her property. Officials tried to buy her out but Bonnie said no. Then she started writing letters. Lots of them.

Stories say she wrote them to President Lyndon Johnson, First Lady Lady Bird Johnson, and the governor of California. Eventually, her persistence paid off, and in 1965, the state agreed to spend $100,000 to build her a new driveway—four full miles of pavement leading from her house to the nearest public road.

No twists. No turns. Just a straight, flat stretch through the desert. A point for Bonnie, and one very long driveway for the history books.

Years later, reporters from Car and Driver magazine stumbled across what would become known as America's longest driveway while looking for a place to push cars to their limits. Racetracks were too short. Public roads? Not an option. But Bonnie’s old driveway was perfect.

With no traffic and no interruptions, they could easily hit 200 mph, test new performance upgrades, and chase top-speed dreams in complete isolation. There were stories of oil spills, blown tires, and even fireballs stretching 50 feet. For a brief, wild time, America’s longest driveway doubled as one of its most daring test tracks.

Sadly, the property fell into disrepair after Bonnie passed away in 1986. Time, heat, and weather have turned the once-pristine stretch of road into a crumbling path of potholes and faded glory. But even in its ruined state, America’s longest driveway remains a unique chapter in both automotive history and individual defiance.

America’s longest driveway wasn’t built for cars. It was built for principle. And by sheer chance—and a little bit of car culture magic—it ended up hosting some of the fastest cars in the country. America is full of historic locations like this—including the secret lab where the US tested atomic bombs, and the most nuclear contaminated place in America.

The post How one woman built America’s longest driveway and made racing history appeared first on BGR.

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How one woman built America’s longest driveway and made racing history originally appeared on BGR.com on Sat, 29 Mar 2025 at 15:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.