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The First Lady of Dirt:
The Triumphs and
Tragedy of Racing
Pioneer Cheryl Glass

THE LAST COWBOY
The Life and Times of
Billy Pauch

ED PINK:
THE OLD MASTER

The Green Flag:
Just a Bloke’s Story

The Last Lap: The Mysterious Demise
of  Pete Kreis at the
Indianapolis 500

SAMMY! 
50+ Years of Winning

TONY BETTENHAUSEN
& SONS
An American Racing
Family Album

Hello, I’m Paul Page:
“It’s Race Day
in Indianapolis”

Survival of the Fastest

Thirty Days in May:
The Day-by-Day Drama

of  the 1970 Indy 500

RICK MEARS: THANKS
The Story of Rick Mears and the Mears Gang

Johnny Rutherford: 
The Story of an Indy Champ
 

SAVAGE ANGEL

500 on (the INDY) 500

Al Unser Jr.:
A Checkered Past

Indy Split

Roaring Roadsters:
The Road to Indy

Seventies Championship Revolution

The Seat

The Legend of the
First Super Speedway

California Gold: The Legendary Life
of Troy Ruttman

RACER

Time Flies: The History of PacWest Racing

STILL WIDE OPEN,
Second Edition

NEBRASKA DIRT: A Century of Racing in the Cornhusker State 1901-1999

FOUR AND MORE

LIFE WITH LUKE

To Indy and Beyond
- The Life of Racing
Legend Jack Zink

AN AMERICAN RACER
-
Bobby Marshman and the Indianapolis 500


BILLY FOSTER:
The Victoria Flash

Legacy of Justice: An American Family Story

EDDIE SACHS,
The Clown Prince

GENTLEMEN,
START YOUR ENGINES
 . . . The Rest of the Story

Wally Dallenbach:
Steward of the Sport

TOBY
The Star-Crossed Story of an American Racing Family

HEWITT’S LAW
Expanded Edition

CAGES ARE FOR MONKEYS
- Unleashed with Kevin Olson Racing’s Zaniest Hall of Famer


Touched by an Angell
– The Story of Angell Park


America’s Racing Trinity


Second to One:
All But For Indy

Pole Position – Rex Mays

FEARLESS

Jim McGee: Crew Chief
of Champions

WICKED FAST
- Racing Through Life with
BENTLEY WARREN

HARD LUCK LLOYD

 As a matter of fact, I am
PARNELLI JONES

Dawn of the Rear Engine
Era: (Indianapolis) 1965


Golden Victory:
(Indianapolis) 1961

The Illustrated History of
The Indianapolis 500,
1911-1994

DAREDEVILS OF
THE FRONTIER

Dialed In - The Jan
Opperman Story

LONE WOLF

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S-1765
Price: $32.00


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The First Lady of Dirt: The Triumphs and Tragedy of Racing Pioneer Cheryl Glass

by Bill Poehler

The incredible, little-known story of the first successful Black woman in the sport of auto racing in the United States. Early in her career, Cheryl Glass looked like a lock to become the first Black woman to compete in the Indianapolis 500. From racing quarter-midgets cars at ten, to Indy Lights in her twenties, Cheryl was on her way towards a winning career in auto racing.

Bill Poehler (author of the highly reviewed The Brown Bullet: Rajo Jack's Drive to Integrate Auto Racing) tells Cheryl’s full story for the first time. He recounts how Cheryl rapidly became the first successful Black woman in the sport, yet frequently encountered racist and sexist taunts from other drivers and fans throughout her career. While appearing to have it all—talent, ambition, looks—she faced many challenges on and off the track and her life soon spun out of control.

Featuring exclusive interviews with Cheryl’s mother, friends, and competitors, The First Lady of Dirt takes you behind the scenes and in the driver’s seat of Cheryl’s life. Poehler, an amateur racer himself, places the reader at the track, smelling the dirt and fumes, hearing the roaring engines and crashing metal, and feeling Cheryl’s joy and pain. It’s the inspiring story of a racing pioneer and a tragic tale of the pressures that are often hidden from public view until it’s too late.

Hard cover, 240 pages.



S-1759
Price: $44.95


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THE LAST COWBOY
The Life and Times of Billy Pauch

by Buffy Swanson

foreword by Ray Evernham

As calculating as a rattlesnake, Billy the Kid rarely lets down his guard. And while he never really learned how to sugar up to a potential sponsor, he sure could sweet-talk a race car.

 He’s won hundreds of races at dozens of tracks dotting seven states, in Modifieds, Sprints – winged and wingless – on dirt and asphalt. And he did it his way. Racing where and when he pleased, answering to no one. Taking down victories with bravado and deadly aim.

This is the Billy Pauch you never met… the highs and the lows, the attitude, the anger, the injuries. Why he’s so successful and why he refused to conform. How he did it, why he did it, and who he really is. This is the last cowboy.

Soft cover, 278 pp., 253 photos.



S-1760
Price: $39.95

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In Stock Now! 

ED PINK: THE OLD MASTER

The Remarkable Life and Times of Racing’s Most Versatile Engine Builder

by Ed Pink with Bones Bourcier

Ed Pink’s gift for designing and building engines made him a motorsports icon. His handiwork has powered, among others, drag-racing superstars Don Prudhomme and Tom McEwen, Indy Car legends Al Unser and Tom Sneva, sports car heroes Bob Wollek and Brian Redman, and USAC champions Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne.

But this is not a technical book. Pink began his long-awaited autobiography with one goal: that it would be more about people than engines.

Mission accomplished, yet again, for auto racing’s Old Master.

Hard cover, 276 pp, 253 color and B&W photos. 

 

 

 

 



S-1750
Price: $95.00


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The Green Flag: Just a Bloke’s Story

by Barry Green with Gordon Kirby

Barry Green’s new memoir covers his life growing up in Australia and his early racing efforts aboard his own Formula Fords in Australia and Formula 3 cars in Europe. Barry and his wife, Jeanne, then moved to the United States, where he went on to become a very successful Can-Am and Indy car team manager and owner.

Over 23 years, from 1980-2002, Barry’s cars won six Can-Am races and 47 Indy car races, including two (and some say three) Indy 500s.

He worked with some great drivers, including Teo Fabi, Bobby Rahal, Danny Sullivan, Michael Andretti, Al Unser Jr., Jacques Villeneuve, Dario Franchitti and Paul Tracy, as well as brilliant designers like Adrian Newey and Tony Cicale, and a long list of tremendously skilled and motivated mechanics and crewmen. Barry tells his story with the generous help of these great drivers, engineers and crewmen.

The Green Flag is a high-quality coffee-table book, 288 pages with 190 color and B&W photographs and a complete list of Barry’s race teams’ statistics.



S-1747
Price: $27.95

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The Last Lap: The Mysterious Demise of
Pete Kreis at the Indianapolis 500

by William Walker

The Last Lap is a gripping inquest into the fast life and mysterious death of racing driver Pete Kreis, infamously killed in practice at the celebrated 1934 Indianapolis 500. In a compelling narrative that reads like a novel, author William Walker’s lifelong obsession with Kreis's mysterious demise has created a rich storyline that takes readers back to the glamorous and dangerous times that marked the beginning of automotive competition.

Much more than a motor racing story, The Last Lap is the tale of a boy who rises from the obscurity of back country Tennessee roads to compete in the world’s fastest and most celebrated races, and the parallel tragic collapse of a rich and powerful Southern family.

Piloting a front-drive race car in practice, Kreis crashed into the wall of Turn One, rode along the top of the retaining wall for seventy-five feet, and careened down an embankment at the south end of the oval. As the car smashed into a tree in the backyard of a nearby house, both men were killed. The next year, an impromptu “coroner’s jury” of Indy drivers and Speedway experts held an intense review of the accident, and they concluded that Kreis’s demise was “the strangest death in all racing history.”

Lifelong racing fan and acclaimed historical author, Walker's (Betrayal at Little Gibraltar) search to solve the mystery surrounding Kreis’s death has spanned three-quarters of a century and too many miles to count. Walker's fascination with the mysterious crash is driven by more than a love of racing–Kreis is a distant cousin. The dynamic, nonfiction narrative is the result of a decades long quest in search of the truth—the real story of Pete Kreis, his colorful racing career, and his tragic death.

Soft cover, 312 pages



S-1743
Price: $59.95

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SAMMY!  50+ Years of Winning

By Sammy Swindell
with Bones Bourcier and Bob Mays

Foreword by Dick Berggren

Sammy Swindell, is among the most successful and most interesting drivers in the history of American automobile racing. From his start as a teenager at local tracks until an age at which most athletes are no longer willing or able to compete successfully, Sammy has been a winner.

You may be surprised to learn how well Sammy did in the few Indy Car drives he had. You'll also find out how he feels about his time in NASCAR and how close he came to driving for Dale Earnhardt. Also obvious is the importance of the mechanical edge he gained by working on and living with the cars he has raced.

A big part of Sammy's secret is no secret at all: He'll beat a competitor because, in his words, "I'll work harder."

This is the story of how a man conquered his world.

Hard cover, coffee-table book, 352 pages,
336 photos - 243 color, 93 B&W.



S-1515
Original Price: $60.00
Price: $49.95

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TONY BETTENHAUSEN & SONS
An American Racing Family Album


by Gordon Kirby

A visual odyssey of the Bettenhausen family’s epic story, starting with two-time Indy-car champion Tony Senior’s first laps at the wheel of a Midwestern Midget in 1938, and following Gary’s, Merle’s and Tony Jr.’s careers.

This book is enlivened by Merle and Susan Bettenhausen’s personal recollections, observations and commentary about their father, brothers and family.

Features superb photos and full statistical data of the Bettenhausens’ championship racing careers. 

Hard cover, 225 pages, 350+ photos.



S-1687SC
Price: $24.95

Back in Print in Soft Cover!

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Hello, I’m Paul Page: “It’s Race Day
in Indianapolis”

by Paul Page and J.R. Elrod

Live from the broadcast booth, Paul Page captured the excitement of 27 Indy 500 races, first as the Voice of the Indy 500 for the radio broadcast and then as chief announcer for the ABC telecast. From his first race as a pit reporter to his semi-retirement in 2016, generations of fans have witnessed the Greatest Spectacle in Racing as told by Paul Page. In a life uniquely shaped by the Indy 500, Page fell in love with racing and the Speedway as a teenager, and it became his obsession. After receiving his first press pass in 1965, Page became a fixture in Gasoline Alley, and a trusted friend and confidante to generations of drivers, mechanics and owners. Despite multiple setbacks, he used every opportunity to learn the trade of broadcast journalism and the sport of motor racing.

In a career that spanned ABC, NBC, CBS, and ESPN, Page wore a headset for every imaginable race and contest: from Indy cars to drag racers, from the Olympics to the America s Cup, and from the X-Games to Nathan s Hot Dog Eating Contest. Page weaves the history, tradition, and lore of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as he traces across six decades. He introduces the great personalities of the Speedway with many candid moments. He tells great stories from broadcast booths around the world, and slices of life as a young reporter in Indianapolis. 

Soft cover, 316 pages 35 B&W photos



S-1736
Price: $28.95

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Survival of the Fastest
Weed, Speed, and the 1980s Drug Scandal that Shocked the Sports World

by Randy Lanier with A.J. Baime

As a kid, Randy Lanier dreamed of achieving four-wheel glory at the Indianapolis 500, but knew he’d never be able to afford the most expensive sport on earth. That all changed when he bought a speedboat and began smuggling pot from the Bahamas. Fueled by what would become a historically massive smuggling operation, he started racing cars and became an overnight sensation.

For Randy and his teammates, money was no object, and bigger hauls meant faster cars. At every event they attended, they were behind the wheel of the best machinery, flaunting their secret in front of huge crowds and live television cameras. But no matter how fast they drove, they couldn’t outrun the law. As Randy came ever closer to reaching his dream of high-speed glory, one of the biggest drug scandals ever to hit the professional sports world was about to unfold.

Set in the 1980s Florida of 
Miami Vice, this is the unbelievable, unforgettable, unparalleled story of an ordinary guy whose attempts to become famous doing the thing he wanted most - become a world-class race car driver- devolved into a you-can't-make-this-up tale of one of the biggest crime rings and drug scandals of the 1980s. Now, with the help of New York Times bestselling author A.J. Baime, Randy tells the whole truth for the first time ever, a gripping narrative unlike any other, a sports story for the ages, and a shocking true crime epic.

 Hard cover, 336 pp.



S-1711
Price: $16.95

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Thirty Days in May:
The Day-by-Day Drama of
the 1970 Indy 500

by Hal Higdon

Thirty days! From the moment the drivers entered in the 1970 Indianapolis 500 rolled their cars onto the track for practice until the command “Gentlemen, start your engines,” they faced 30 days of intense action to capture one of the 33 starting positions.

Award-winning sportswriter Hal Higdon was there to report on the action: hovering in the pits next to the racers in their cars, wandering into Gasoline Alley to tell their stories, absorbing all the excitement the month of May brings to Indianapolis.

Here is the tale, day by day, of those 30 crucial days—the drivers with fast cars and slow cars, the drivers with rich sponsors and those with little money, the drivers with talent and those who need good luck to place high or even qualify.

The list of competitors in 1970 was formidable, and included Mario Andretti, Dan Gurney, Mark Donohue, A.J. Foyt, and the Unser brothers. Add the owners: Roger Penske and Andy Granatelli.

This is the story of the 1970 Indy 500, but the scenes are repeated on the turns of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway year after year.

Soft cover, 154 pages, S-1711 $16.95

(a reprint of the original edition,
published in 1972)



S-1697
Price: $65.00
Now: $39.95

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RICK MEARS: THANKS
The Story of Rick Mears and
the Mears Gang

by Gordon Kirby

 Foreword by Roger Penske

Rick Mears retired in 1992 at age 41 while still at the height of his powers, with a record of four Indy 500 victories, three CART Indy Car World Series championships, 29 individual race victories and 40 pole positions.

Mears is also recognized as one of the fairest, most ethical drivers; his behavior on the track was impeccable, the standard by which all others were judged.

Hard cover w/dust cover, 265 pp., 200+ photos.

 




S-1705
Price: $19.95

Back in Print!

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Johnny Rutherford
The Story of an Indy Champ
 

By Hal Higdon

Johnny Rutherford was one of the most exciting drivers in big-time auto racing of the 1970s. In these action-filled pages, author Hal Higdon tells how Rutherford grew into a racing great.

Starting out driving Sprints and Midgets in the Midwest, Johnny moved on to stock-car racing - that hair-raising sport in which you shove the pedal to the floor and hold it there all the way around the track.

Higdon follows Johnny's career on to Daytona and finally the Indy 500. This is the fascinating true story of how a young man made it to the top in the most dangerous sport of all.

(This is a reissue of a book originally published in 1980.) 

Soft cover, 104 pp.

 

 

 



S-1702
Price: $60.00

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SAVAGE ANGEL
Death and Rebirth at the Indanapolis 500

by Ted Woerner

Swede Savage blew into the American racing scene in the late 1960s like his native Santa Ana winds. At the 1973 Indy 500 the young driver was a serious threat to win until a unexplained loss of control on lap 59 produced one of the most violent crashes in the race’s history, which ultimately proved fatal.

A pregnant Sheryl Savage witnessed her husband’s wreck from the grandstand. The daughter born three months later would suffer effects from the same trauma Sheryl endured.

A long overdue, in-depth look at the remarkable career of Swede Savage, but also what happens to family when a racer perishes as a result of his profession.

Hard cover, 224 pp., 175 color/B&W photos.



S-1672
Price: $39.95

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Press Release on
the 181 News page
HERE


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500 on (the INDY) 500:
Tales, Facts and Figures on
"The Greatest Race in the World"

by Rick Shaffer

Foreword by Helio Castroneves
Four-Time Indy 500 Winner

  • Why is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway 2.5 miles around instead of five miles?
  • Who was an Indy race winner before Ray Harroun?
  • What driver had to take a streetcar home to inform his parents he had just won the Indy 500?
  • How was the starting lineup determined in the years before the cars were qualified?
  • Have there always been 33 starters?

Whether the distant past or modern times serves as a lure for "The Greatest Race in the World," there are literally hundreds of fascinating, true Indy 500 tales, facts and figures.

One of the race's most-respected journalists, Rick Shaffer, has gathered 500 of the most interesting anecdotes to come out of the intersection of 16th Street and Georgetown Road.

500 on (the Indy) 500 chronicles the famous from Chevrolet to Andretti, the obscure from William Borque (item #10, the track's first driver fatality) to Simon Pagenaud (#496), winner 105 years after the last Frenchman to do so.

The ultimate race chronology, this book is for the curious, the scholar, the passing fan or the diehard. The depth of research is sure to entertain and illuminate aspects of the Indy 500 new to even many Indy devotees.

Hard cover, 200 color and B&W images, 280 pages.



S-1704
Price: $34.95


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Al Unser Jr.: A Checkered Past

As told to Jade Gurss

Winning came naturally to Al Unser Jr. Born into a racing family, he had a gift for finding the fast line on the track. By the time he was nine years old, he could draw the quickest way through the corner on paper and intuitively apply his sketch while on the go-kart track. By his teen years, the innate sense for the fast way made him unstoppably quick when he was racing through the woods on a snowmobile, on a dirt track, in a sprint car, or on a race course.

As his career progressed from the kart track victories to following in the footsteps of his famed uncle, Bobby, and father, Al, the wins grew in stature from junior titles to the very top echelon of his sport. Two Indy 500 victories. A pair of IndyCar championships.  In addition, Unser was not just a winning driver―he also possessed a boisterous and lovable personality. The fans and the press adored him.

Al Unser Jr. was on top of the world.

A Checkered Past tells that story - but it doesn’t stop there.

His gifts as a driver and his easy affability were the public persona. Behind the scenes, his appetite for drugs and alcohol were destroying his private life. Spurred on by his spiraling substance abuse problem, his marriage turned volatile. When he retired as a driver, the trouble amplified. Domestic violence arrests. Multiple DUIs. Repeated visits to rehab centers. Divorce. Financial ruin. A dark dive into depression and isolation that led to a suicide attempt.

Unser's battle to climb out of that cave is one of the great stories in motorsports. A Checkered Past is an unblinking look at how even our most celebrated sports heroes struggle with human frailty.

 Hard cover, 304 pp., 55 photos. 



S-1685
Price: $34.95


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Indy Split:
The Big Money Battle That Nearly Destroyed Indy Racing

by John Oreovicz

Indy Split is a fascinating, authoritative and overdue account of the big money battle that nearly destroyed the sport of Indy car racing. Now long-time motorsports reporter John Oreovicz has taken a deep dive into the divisive battle between CART and the Indy Racing League. With insightful reporting, Oreovicz recounts the political infighting within the industry that climaxed with a 12-year “Split,” from 1996 to 2007, between competing forms of Indy car racing and prevented the sport from achieving its potential.

This book is a thorough, journalistic investigation into the dysfunction that started more than 75 years ago—when the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was rescued from potential redevelopment—and chronicles the long struggle for stability and leadership.

Hard cover with dust jacket, 432 pages,
49 color & B&W photos.  

 

 



S-1291
Original Price: $140.00
Now: $29.95


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Roaring Roadsters: The Road to Indy

by Dick Wallen
with Foreword by A.J. Watson

Dick Wallen's acclaimed coffee-table volume covers the post-World War II years when young hot-rodders hopped up their street cars to go racing on oval tracks. As it quickly proved, this very popular California phenomenon produced wheel-to-wheel action and some of the most famous drivers in American racing history, including Indianapolis 500 winners Troy Ruttman, Rodger Ward and Parnelli Jones.

With a foreword by master mechanic A. J. Watson telling the full history of the roadsters, this book features over 800 black and white photographs, along with colorful artwork, programs and maps of the famous tracks.

Hard cover, 272 pages.



S-1292
Original Price: $140.00
Now: $29.95


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Seventies Championship Revolution

by Dick Wallen
with Foreword by Al Unser

Seventies Championship Revolution provides the exciting history of the nearly 150 American National Championship races run during the 1970s, when numerous chassis and engine makers struggled to find the right combination of power and downforce, as wings and aerodynamics became the key defining force in top-level racing.

Offering stories of races on ovals, road courses and street circuits, with over 500 color photos throughout the 240 pages, this book provides the full history of how American and foreign ingenuity adapted to the challenges of modern automotive competition.

Hard cover, 240 pages.




S-1681
Price: $14.95

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The Seat

by Tyler Irwin


Author Tyler Irwin pulls from his own experiences as a former race driver to tell an exciting story of hope and redemption rooted in the competitive world of open-wheel motorsports.

Race driver Remington Mason seems to have it all . . . a beautiful fiancée, a coveted ride in the IndyCar Series, and a shot at winning the greatest race in the world, the Indianapolis 500. But when tragedy strikes, Remington faces a battle greater than any he ever had on the track.

In the midst of a desperate fight for life and love, Remington learns that the greatest contributions sometimes come in the most unexpected ways.

Fiction, Soft cover, 222 pages.








S-1677
Price: $22.95


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The Legend of the First Super Speedway:
The Battle for the Soul of American Auto Racing

A novel by Mark Dill

Foreword by Willy T. Ribbs

Introduction by Al Unser Jr.

The Legend of the First Super Speedway is a novel but told from the perspective of racing pioneers Barney Oldfield and Carl Fisher. The book thrusts you into the early 20th century with vivid interpretations of auto racing and what it would be like to walk among the people of the era and grasp their world view. You will meet rugged characters as they get "corned" on whiskey, chew "chaw," and bounce violently as they scorch the bricks of America's first speedway. You will ride with them on trains, bound across the craggy terrain of road races, and step over dead horses rotting in the street.

The world convulsed with technological change, and the winners mastered it. Everything unfolds through the eyes of Oldfield and Fisher as they grapple with a cultural battle for the soul of American auto racing. Most importantly, early auto racing's good, bad, and ugly are put before you in an unvarnished fashion. No storyteller needs to dramatize a single detail because the amazing events actually took place. 

Soft cover, 394 pages.



S-1232
Price: $40.00


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California Gold: The Legendary Life
of Troy Ruttman

by Bob Gates

The full story of the brilliant but tortured Troy Ruttman, one of the most successful, versatile, accomplished drivers in the history of American auto racing, who soared despite the demons of alcoholism, injury and loss.

At 15 years old, Troy started racing at Ash Kan in California, and he won his first race. As a teenager, he conquered the hills of the Midwest; and he climbed to the top of the mountain by winning the 1952 Indianapolis 500 at 22 years old.

His real success was his ability to apply the never-give-up attitude from the race track to life.

Hard cover, 248 pages, B&W photos from the Ruttman Family Collection. 








S-1658
Price: $34.95

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RACER

by John Andretti with Jade Gurss

John Andretti’s life was driven by family and fueled by a passion for racing. In RACER, Andretti candidly recounts how these powerful forces shaped a diverse professional driving career. The honesty and character that defined Andretti’s life offer a behind-the-scenes look at racing at all levels, full of lessons in racing and life supplied by this fiery and fiercely competitive driver.

John was a wonderful storyteller, and the book is comprised of a series of John’s stories as told to bestselling author Jade Gurss. The book opens with John’s memories of growing up as a member of one of auto racing’s royal families. His father, Aldo, is the twin brother of Mario Andretti. The book offers an intimate look at the interplay between these two men, and how their intensity and integrity shaped John’s life.

RACER includes John’s recollections of scoring wins in NASCAR Cup, IndyCar, IMSA, and Sprint Cars and Midgets on dirt ovals across the country, as well as winning the 24 Hours of Daytona, competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and even his colorful venture racing an NHRA Top Fuel dragster. The narrative includes John’s substantial charity work, raising millions of dollars for Riley’s Children’s Hospital and St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.

Hard cover, 256 pages.



S-1142
Price: $29.95

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STILL WIDE OPEN, Second Edition

by Brad Doty and Dave Argabright

Foreword by Steve Kinse
r

This 2011 revised edition contains the entire text of the original 1999 release, plus two new chapters. Doty’s story remains one of the most inspiring and powerful in all motorsports.

Hard cover, 286 pp., including 32 pp. of color and B&W photos.




 










S-1654
Price: $49.95

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Time Flies: The History of PacWest Racing

by John Oreovicz

In many respects, Indy Car racing peaked in the early 1990s. At the height of the CART era, PacWest Racing entered the competition and soon challenged the established frontrunners like Penske and Newman/Haas.

But a combination of misplaced loyalty, industry politics and a failing economy sidelined the team before it could really make its mark.

Racing writer John Oreovicz was a PacWest team member. He documents the organization’s rapid rise and fall with anecdotes from many key figures, including owner Bruce McCaw.  

Soft bound, 344 pages, 360 Color and B&W photos.





S-1657
Price: $49.95

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NEBRASKA DIRT: A Century of Racing in the Cornhusker State 1901-1999

by Bob Mays

When you think of the things Nebraska has produced at a level of sustained excellence, corn, cows and insurance companies are usually the first items mentioned. But for its size, the Cornhusker state has developed more than its share of outstanding racers since the first motorized wheel was turned in competition in 1901.

King Rhiley and Noel Bullock carried their rivalry from the dusty county fairgrounds, all the way up Pikes Peak and back in the 1920s, while Midget racers Ronney Householder and Carl Forberg led the charge through the Great Depression. Gordie Shuck and Andy Anderson restarted things in the 1950s while Lloyd Beckman, Willie Hecke and Joe Saldana grew into national stars in the 1960s. Transplants, Jan Opperman and Don Maxwell turned Nebraska into a destination, and then Jim Schuman and Sam Briscoe invented 360 sprints while Roger Rager built a school bus that qualified for the Indy 500.

Pretty good for acres of corn, a bunch of cows, a group of underwriters and a lot of dirt! Bob Mays’ new book covers all those heroes with Husker ties and many more.

Hard cover, 200 pages, 300+ B&W photos.



S-1631
Price: $24.95

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FOUR AND MORE

The Standridge Brothers: Big Wins,
Big Wrecks, Big Fun


by Joyce Standridge

The four Standridge brothers - Rick, Randy, Ron and Robbie - won approximately 700 Sprint and Late Model feature events in the Midwest during their driving careers.

They also became the envy of racers who just wanted to have fun.

A memoir filled with wry humor, recounting lives shaped by racing—and racing shaped by them.

Soft cover, 232 pages, and 100s of color/B&W photos.








S-1629
Price: $29.95

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LIFE WITH LUKE

by Jimmy Sills with Dave Argabright

Foreword by Jeff Gordon

In his Hall of Fame racing career Jimmy Sills became one of America’s most popular racing stars.

An inductee in both the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and the USAC Hall of Fame, Sills enjoyed a terrific career that spanned almost four decades.

His warm, easy personality and fun-loving spirit, along with his winning style, made him a fan favorite throughout the U.S. as well as Australia and New Zealand. This autobiography is funny, honest, and entertaining.

Readers will especially enjoy the behind-the-scenes story of his famous, brief retirement in 1988 that led to the appearance of the most famous nom de plume in racing: “Luke Warmwater from Hot Springs, Arkansas.”

Hard cover, 312 pp. plus 32 pages of color/B&W photos.



S-1036
Price: $34.95

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To Indy and Beyond
- The Life of Racing Legend Jack Zink

by Dr. Bob L. Blackburn


Jack Zink is a legend in the world of car racing. As a driver for more than twenty years, he won stock car races on dirt tracks, accumulated trophies in off-road dune buggies, and even set a flying mile speed record in a 1957 Pontiac he designed and built for the early NASCAR circuit. As a team leader, mechanic, and engineer, he pushed the limits of technology with his innovative designs for cars that were lighter, lower, and more powerful. Even his failures, such as the attempted use of a turbine engine in a car, opened new doors that others rushed through in the pursuit of speed and durability.

Perhaps he is best remembered for his victories at the greatest track in the world, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the greatest race in the world, the Indianapolis 500. From 1950 to 1967, Jack walked shoulder to shoulder with the greatest team owners, mechanics, and drivers in racing history. Twice, his team won the coveted Borg Warner Trophy, in back-to-back Indy victories (1955 and 1956).

But Jack was much more than a pioneer in car racing. He raced sailboats. He raced motorcycles. He also was a skilled engineer and businessman, ultimately building not one but two companies into international giants that still dominate the combustion industry with burners, flares, and incinerators that greatly reduce pollution. Even with all these accomplishments, Jack was most proud of his service to his community, especially the Zink Ranch, a 33,000-acre nature preserve in the Osage Hills of Oklahoma that will perpetually provide open space in an increasingly crowded and urban world.

This biography weaves all of these stories into a portrait of Jack Zink. Along the way are the friends and family members who were part of the adventure, as well as the challenges and opportunities that drove him forward. Here is the story of one amazing man who lived by a simple code: "The man who wins is the man who tries."

Hard cover, 206 pages.



S-1611
Original Price: $49.95
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AN AMERICAN RACER
-
Bobby Marshman and the Indianapolis 500

by Michael Argetsinger

In a fine narrative of Marshman’s meteoric rise to the top of American championship racing, author Argetsinger captures the amazing career of one of America’s greatest talents behind the wheel, whose life was sadly cut short by a tragic testing accident at Phoenix in November of 1964. 

Hard cover, 300 pp., 220 photos.


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S-1610
Price: $25.00

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BILLY FOSTER: The Victoria Flash...
plus a walk through the history of motor racing in British Columbia

by Bob Kehoe

Billy Foster was destined to be a racing champion. Born into a family of automotive enthusiasts, from a young age he was surrounded by skilled mechanics and racers that passed through his father's commercial garage in Victoria, British Columbia. In addition to his love of hockey, he couldn't wait until he was old enough to climb into the cockpit of a race car. Behind the wheel, Billy was a natural talent from the start. Like many other drivers who have honed their skills in the rough and tumble world of local tracks, he persisted in working his way up the racing ladder to ultimately reach the top – the hallowed ground of the Indianapolis 500.

Along his journey, Billy's hard-charging driving style and outgoing personality drew legions of fans and the respect of his competitors. On the home front, he was a loving husband and a devoted father to his children. But, after just two full years of racing USAC Championship and Stock Cars, Billy's life was cut short in an untimely racing accident, depriving this young Canadian the opportunity to achieve his full promise in the sport of motor racing.

What makes this book a valuable addition to the racing library beyond the story of Billy Foster’s own career is the recollections and stories of those he raced for, with and against, on the West Coast and across the country, both in stock cars and open-wheelers.

Soft cover, 384 pages, full of photos. 



S-1609
Price: $90.00

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Legacy of Justice: An American Family Story

by Tom Madigan with Ed Justice Jr.

When the Justice brothers were growing up in rural Kansas, the automobile was in its infancy. There had been just a few more than 20 Indianapolis 500s and formal stock car racing and drag racing did not exist. Most of the roads across the U.S. were still dirt. Zeke Justice was the first employee at Kurtis-Kraft, with his brother Ed joining after being discharged from the Air Force after World War II. The Justice Brothers were the first multi-car product sponsors in NASCAR, starting even before the formal organization of the sanctioning body.

This is the complete behind-the-scenes Justice family history, covering 100 years and taking the reader into the very beginnings of the legendary Kurtis-Kraft race shop, NASCAR stock car racing and more.

Legacy of Justice documents the brothers’ Indy 500 history, which has covered 73 of the 102 races run to date, including their victory in 1950 with Frank Kurtis and Johnnie Parsons. That same year they would claim victory in the first Southern 500 with Johnny Mantz. This victory would make history as the first 500-mile NASCAR race and also the first NASCAR race on pavement.

The book includes first-person interviews with automotive and racing icons and a foreword by Dan Gurney and Parnelli Jones, both longtime family friends.

Hard cover coffee-table book, 496 pages and over 540 photographs, both color and black & white, many never seen before, from the personal family archives.

S-640SC
Price: $23.95

EDDIE SACHS, The Clown Prince

by Denny Miller

The Life and Times of one of the World’s Greatest Drivers, Eddie Sachs. Over 600 pages filled with racing memories, remarkable photography, and humorous stories about a guy who talked his way into the cockpit...and into history.

Soft Cover, 625 pages, B&W photos.


 

 

 

 






 



S-1591
Price: $40.00

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GENTLEMEN, START YOUR ENGINES
The Rest of the Story...

by Wilbur Shaw
with new text by Bob Gates
Indianapolis’s Boyle Race Team HQ has produced an exact reprint (scan) of the original racing classic, with an update that lends additional insight into Wilbur Shaw’s extraordinary life through personal remembrances from his son, Wilbur Shaw Jr.

The original 1955 edition was enormously popular in its day but has long been out of print.  The expanded edition describes how Wilbur inspired not only his son, but all he came in contact with, and how his legacy continues to impact the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s management today.

Hard cover, 384 pages including 64 new text pages by Bob Gates and 67 new color and B&W photos.

 



S-1588
Original Price: $59.95
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Wally Dallenbach: Steward of the Sport

By Gordon Kirby

Celebrated author Gordon Kirby traces the long and significant life of Wally Dallenbach, whose contributions to the sport of automobile racing as a driver, official, and all-around good guy, have been enormous over the 50 years of his remarkable career. 

Hard cover.

190 pages, with 140 B&W and color photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 



S-1570
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TOBY
The Star-Crossed Story of an American Racing Family

by Lew Boyd

Dick Tobias, legendary Pennsylvania racer, could drive anything. He won over 300 events in Modifieds and Sprinters, became one of USAC’s ten most popular competitors, built over 1,000 race cars, and was dad to a devoted family, including sons Ronnie, Scott, Richie, and son-in-law Paul Lotier, all top-notch racers in their own rights.

Fate, however, would test the Tobiases to the core with a serial string of unthinkable misfortunes.

This is the story of their resilience and survival and how “Toby” remains one the most admired names in American racing.

Soft cover, 192 pp., 150 color & B&W photos.



S-1569
Price: $29.95

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HEWITT’S LAW
Expanded Edition

By Dave Argabright

Jack Hewitt remains one of the most memorable characters in modern motorsports. His autobiography is finally back in print after the original printing sold out long ago.

Updated with two new chapters and an additional gallery of photos, Hewitt’s Law continues to entertain and inspire.

Jack’s spectacular career took him from

extremely humble roots to the Indianapolis 500 to the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame.

Hard cover, 336 pp. 64 pp. of color and B&W photos.

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S-1523
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Excerpt
CAGES ARE FOR MONKEYS
- Unleashed with Kevin Olson
Racing’s Zaniest Hall of Famer

by Kevin Olson with Lew Boyd

Foreword by Tony Stewart

The laugh-out-loud memoir of one of America’s most accomplished and enduring open-wheel racers and without a doubt one of its wackiest.

In a 50-year career, Kevin Olson has raced Midgets all over the U.S. and famously Down Under, along the way winning multiple USAC, BMARA and other championships. Inducted into both the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame and the USAC Hall of Fame in recognition of his driving talent and success,

Olson is probably equally well known for his off-the-wall sense of humor and non-stop pranks. Like Kevin, this book is candid, nostalgic, and consistently outrageous. Give it to anyone who loves racing and needs a smile to make their day.

Soft cover, 204 pages, 98 B&W photos.




S-1434
Original Price: $75.00
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Second to One: All But For Indy

by Joe Freeman and Gordon Kirby

foreword by Michael Andretti


Second to One: All But For Indy is a set of remarkable stories of 40 racing drivers who but for a stroke of bad luck, an unfortunate last-minute mistake, or just the intervention of fate, were never able to win America’s greatest race, the Indianapolis 500.

Written by automotive historian Joseph Freeman and racing journalist Gordon Kirby, with a foreword by Michael Andretti, it is a beautifully produced hard cover book covering the years 1911-2014. The book celebrates the careers of these 40 great competitors, who in many cases were true champions, having won many other important races, scoring numerous wins and championships on a wide range of racetracks, from road courses and high-banked board speedways to the local dirt track “bullrings” at the heart of American racing history.


This select group of men includes names such as Earl Cooper, America’s first three-time National Champion; Harry Hartz, a national title-winner who finished second no fewer than three times and became a winning car owner; Lou Moore, whose team was to enter winning cars for three straight years; and great champions such as Ted Horn, Rex Mays, Tony Bettenhausen, Eddie Sachs, Len Sutton, Dan Gurney, Michael Andretti, Paul Tracy and a host of others.

Second to One also provides an intriguing look at the 100-year history of the Indianapolis 500 and includes an appendix of “Second To One” existing cars.

Hard cover, 400+ archival images, 303 pages.



S-1422
Originally: $100.00
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Pole Position – Rex Mays:
The Life of America’s Most Popular Race Driver and a Long Look Back at American Auto Racing and Life circa 1931-1949

by Bob Schilling


Almost ten years in the making, this massive book is the thoroughly researched biography of “arguably the greatest driver of his generation,” although victory in the Indianapolis 500 eluded him. Its focus is the two decades of American auto racing and life from the Great Depression, through World War II and into the Cold War.

In that period, Mays went from boy wonder of the speedways to elder statesman of the sport, winning 2 AAA National Championships, 5 AAA Sprint Car Championships, and 4 Indianapolis pole positions among other achievements before his death at Del Mar in 1949.

Hard cover, 11 1/2 x 8 3/4, 496 pages, 800 B&W photographs.



S-1374
Original Price: $75.00
Price: $39.95

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Jim McGee: Crew Chief of Champions

by Gordon Kirby


Jim McGee: Crew Chief of Champions is veteran US racing writer and award-winning author Gordon Kirby’s latest book, told largely in McGee's own words. McGee has been one of the most successful crew chiefs in Indy Car racing history. His cars won 90 races between 1965-2005, including four Indy 500s and nine Indy Car championships.

This book features interviews with all the top drivers and team owners McGee worked with over his long career, including championship-winning drivers Mario Andretti (three times), Tom Sneva (twice), Rick Mears, Emerson Fittipaldi, Bobby Rahal and Nigel Mansell. This new work also traces McGee's role in the development of today's big race teams with many employees and fleets of engineers, in contrast to the three- and four-man teams of the early '60s.

It is filled with over 300 images, many never before published. This is a handsome, hard-bound full-sized book, 288 pages, fully indexed with statistical information charts.





S-1322
Price: $29.95

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WICKED FAST - Racing Through Life
with BENTLEY WARREN



as told to Bones Bourcier

foreword by Davey Hamilton

One of the most decorated short-track drivers of his generation, seven-time champion at New York’s Oswego Speedway, four-time ISMA series champ, and two-time Little 500 winner, Bentley Warren is also a self-taught entrepreneur, merry saloon-keeper, hot-rod Harley rider, and overall hell-raiser with a heart.

WICKED FAST
– written with Bones Bourcier – brings the reader into Bentley’s world. We promise, it’s a fun place to visit!

Soft cover, 272 pages, 160 B&W photos.

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S-1323
Original Price: $50.00
Price: $24.95

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HARD LUCK LLOYD - The Complete Story of Slow-Talking, Fast-Driving Lloyd Ruby

by John Lingle

Some remember his ever-present cowboy hat, laid-back nature and slow, measured speech. Almost everybody remembers his horrible racing luck at the Indy 500. But Lloyd Ruby’s career shouldn’t be defined by just one race.

The “Pride of Wichita Falls” raced across four decades, capturing over 150 victories, all while staying true to his roots.

Family, friends, and contemporaries like Mario Andretti, Johnny Rutherford, and the Unser brothers help to paint the entire portrait of Lloyd’s life.


Hard cover, 232 pp, 275 color and B&W photos.





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As a matter of fact, I am
PARNELLI JONES



by Parnelli Jones with Bones Bourcier

For race fans who know the sport’s history, “Parnelli Jones” is synonymous with speed. Jones’ journey from California jalopy wars to victory lane at the Indianapolis 500 is the stuff of American motorsports legend. Now, at last, Parnelli tells the story of his incredible racing life. Each chapter is introduced by Bourcier to set the scene and ends with a personal reminiscence by a racer, owner, or friend who was there, including A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti, Bobby and Al Unser, Bud Moore, Johnny Rutherford, Tony Stewart, and more.

Soft cover, 288 pp, B&W and color photos.

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V-1222
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NEW DVD
Dawn of the Rear Engine Era:

(Indianapolis) 1965


Jim Clark came to the Speedway in 1963 with Colin Chapman and the Lotus, looking to end the front-engine era of Indianapolis winners. He came close, finishing second to Parnelli Jones, who was driving a conventional front-engine roadster.

Clark returned in 1964 with Chapman and the Lotus to qualify on the pole. However, his suspension collapsed while leading the race, and A.J. Foyt went on to win in his roadster.

In 1965, Clark and Chapman came back with the brand new Lotus 38. This time, Clark hoped to drive the final nail in the front-engine coffin, ending its winning reign at Indianapolis. Clark qualified in the middle of the front row and dominated the race, becoming the first driver to win in a rear-engine Indy Car. No front-engine car has won the Indy 500 since. Clark’s win was definitely the dawn of an era.

Run time: 72 min. with 9 min. bonus time.





V-1223
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NEW DVD
Golden Victory: (Indianapolis) 1961


After an exciting 500-mile race in 1960 that saw a great battle between Rodger Ward and eventual winner Jim Rathmann, racing fans were hoping for a repeat performance in 1961. They were not disappointed.


“Golden Victory” takes you back to the month of May 1961 when Rodger Ward, Jim Rathmann, Troy Ruttman, Eddie Sachs, A.J. Foyt, Parnelli Jones, Len Sutton, Johnny Boyd and others competed for the greatest prize in motor racing, the Indianapolis 500.

You will see practice and qualifying with the fan favorite NOVI, brought back to the speedway by Andy Granatelli; Eddie Sachs capturing the pole at over 147 MPH; and the heartbreak of Chuck Arnold and Don Freeland who had the speed to make the field of 33, only to suffer mechanical problems during their qualifying runs. With the elite field of 33 decided, all that was left to do was to run the race itself.

Several drivers would lead throughout the race, but it was A.J. Foyt and Eddie Sachs who would put on a fantastic dual that could only end in “Golden Victory” for one of them on this, the 50th anniversary of the Indy 500.

Runtime: 90 min. with 7 min. bonus time,



S-1173
Price: $79.95

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The Illustrated History of The Indianapolis 500, 1911-1994

by Jack C. Fox


Just reprinted, this classic reference book is the largest and most complete photo and statistical record ever compiled for cars and drivers of the Indy 500.

There are over 4,000 photos of all cars that did, and did not qualify for the race. Complete driver statistics are included up through 1994.

Hard cover, 384 pages.














S-810 
Regular Price: $39.95
Super Special: $14.95

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DAREDEVILS OF
THE FRONTIER



By Keith Herbst

Coastal 181 is extremely proud to have worked so closely with Keith Herbst to publish this title before he died in June 2009.  It is a beautiful hardcover book, painstakingly researched – a treasure trove of stories, stats and photos for any midget enthusiast. 

Keith Herbst chronicles The Daredevils—a unique breed of Eastern and Midwestern race car drivers who met regularly on the common ground of the Niagara Frontier to test their mettle.

Daredevils is a visual remembrance of the excitement and the thrills these drivers provided to record-breaking crowds of race fans in the turbulent 1940s and 1950s.

Hardcover, est. 250 pages with
over 400 photographs.

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S-920
Price: $29.95

Dialed In - The Jan Opperman Story

by John Sawyer

Dialed In -The Jan Opperman Story has been re-released in a new edition. According to the publishers it is “a book that is acknowledged by many as being a classic auto-racing story. It is filled with passion and pathos, sometimes humorous, sometimes sad.

The Jan Opperman story is one of never giving up and having faith in a divine being. It provides the reader the rare opportunity to peer behind the glamorous facade of auto racing and meet the inner man.

The friendship between narrator and author is evident and while much of the book is Jan’s own words, John Sawyer has carefully authored them. From a teenage street fighter, motorcycle flat track racer and California hippie to respected Sprint car driver and Indy 500 racer - Jan Opperman's story is remarkable, entertaining and difficult to put down."

Soft cover, 5 1/2" x 8 ½”, 144 pages,
38 black & white photos.

 

S-744 
Price: $29.95

LONE WOLF

by Doug Wolfgang
with Dave Argabright

Doug Wolfgang, winner of five Knoxville Nationals, is one of the finest sprint car drivers of all time; Dave Argabright is one of the finest writers. 

This is a brand new and haunting volume, full of the intensity, triumph, tragedy, and controversy so much a part of the sport.

Hard cover, 300 pages, color and B&W photos.