Black Noon: The Year They Stopped the Indy 500

Black Noon: The Year They Stopped the Indy 500
Author: Art Garner
Publisher: Macmillan
Total Pages: 353
Release: 2014-05-06
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1250017785

Winner of the 2014 Dean Batchelor Award, Motor Press Guild "Book of the Year" Short-listed for 2015 PEN / ESPN Literary Award for Sports Writing Before noon on May 30th, 1964, the Indy 500 was stopped for the first time in history by an accident. Seven cars had crashed in a fiery wreck, killing two drivers, and threatening the very future of the 500. Black Noon chronicles one of the darkest and most important days in auto-racing history. As rookie Dave MacDonald came out of the fourth turn and onto the front stretch at the end of the second lap, he found his rear-engine car lifted by the turbulence kicked up from two cars he was attempting to pass. With limited steering input, MacDonald lost control of his car and careened off the inside wall of the track, exploding into a huge fireball and sliding back into oncoming traffic. Closing fast was affable fan favorite Eddie Sachs. "The Clown Prince of Racing" hit MacDonald's sliding car broadside, setting off a second explosion that killed Sachs instantly. MacDonald, pulled from the wreckage, died two hours later. After the track was cleared and the race restarted, it was legend A. J. Foyt who raced to a decisive, if hollow, victory. Torn between elation and horror, Foyt, along with others, championed stricter safety regulations, including mandatory pit stops, limiting the amount a fuel a car could carry, and minimum-weight standards. In this tight, fast-paced narrative, Art Garner brings to life the bygone era when drivers lived hard, raced hard, and at times died hard. Drawing from interviews, Garner expertly reconstructs the fateful events and decisions leading up to the sport's blackest day, and the incriminating aftermath that forever altered the sport. Black Noon remembers the race that changed everything and the men that paved the way for the Golden Age of Indy car racing.

Black Noon: The Year They Stopped the Indy 500

Black Noon: The Year They Stopped the Indy 500
Author: Art Garner
Publisher: Macmillan
Total Pages: 353
Release: 2014-05-06
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1250017777

"Just before high noon on May 30th, 1964, the Indy 500 stopped for the first time in history. Seven cars had crashed in a fiery accident, killing two drivers, and threatening the very future of the 500. In this tight, fast-paced narrative, Art Garner expertly reconstructs the events, circumstances, and fatal decisions leading up to the sport's blackest day. Recalling a bygone era when drivers lived hard, raced hard, and at times died hard, Black Noon takes readers back to the last race won by a front-engined roadster, to before the switch from gasoline to methanol, to tell one of the great untold stories in sports. Informed by his extensive interviews including six of the seven surviving drivers, Garner brings to life the greatest names in racing - A.J. Foyt, Dan Gurney, Parnelli Jones, Bobby Unser, and Johnny Rutherford - focusing on Eddie Sachs and Dave MacDonald, the two very different drivers whose lives accelerated toward the same catastrophic end that day. Publishing for the 50th anniversary of this iconic event, Black Noon remembers the race that changed everything and the men that heralded the Golden Age of Indy car racing"--

Blood and Smoke

Blood and Smoke
Author: Charles Leerhsen
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 278
Release: 2012-05-22
Genre: History
ISBN: 1439149054

One hundred years ago, 40 cars lined up for the first Indianapolis 500. We are still waiting to find out who won. The Indy 500 was created to showcase the controversial new sport of automobile racing, which was sweeping the country. Daring young men were driving automobiles at the astonishing speed of 75 miles per hour, testing themselves and their vehicles. With no seat belts, hard helmets or roll bars, the dangers were enormous. When the Indianapolis Motor Speedway opened in 1909, seven people were killed, some of them spectators. Oil-slicked surfaces, clouds of smoke, exploding tires, and flying grit all made driving extremely hazardous, especially with the open-cockpit, windshield-less vehicles. Bookmakers offered bets not only on who might win but who might survive. But this book is about more than a race--it is the story of America at the dawn of the automobile age, a country in love with speed, danger, and spectacle.--From publisher description.

Indy 500

Indy 500
Author: Tom Carnegie
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies
Total Pages: 277
Release: 1986
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 9780070506046

Describes the cars, events, winners, and losers of the world's fastest and richest automobile race

The Indianapolis 500

The Indianapolis 500
Author: James Craig Reinhardt
Publisher: Red Lightning Books
Total Pages: 222
Release: 2019-04-01
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 168435076X

Known as the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing," the Indy 500 humbly began in 1911. Labeled as the first speedway, this two-and-a-half-mile oval is now home to many of today's top races, including the Brickyard 400, the Verizon IndyCar Series, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, the SportsCar Vintage Racing Association, the Red Bull Air Race World Championship, and its most famous race, the Indianapolis 500. In The Indianapolis 500: Inside the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, speedway tour guide and racing afficionado James Craig Reinhardt shares what makes the legendary racetrack special. He reveals the speedway's unbelievable history, fast-flying action, notorious moments, and its secrets, including facts about the beginning of the brickyard, why the drivers kiss the finish line, how milk became the drink of choice, and much more. The perfect gift for the veteran or rookie, The Indianapolis 500 is a must-have for all race fans.

The Curse of the Indy 500

The Curse of the Indy 500
Author: Stan Sutton
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Total Pages: 199
Release: 2018-03-19
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1684350026

On May 30, 1958, thousands of racing fans poured into the infield at dawn to claim the best seats of the Indianapolis 500, unaware that they were going to witness one of the most notorious wrecks in racing history. Seconds after the green flag, a game of chicken spiraled out of control into a fiery 16-car pile-up that claimed the life of 29-year-old Indiana native and rising star Pat O'Connor. The other drivers escaped death, but the tragic 1958 Indy 500 seemed to leave its mark on them: the surviving drivers were hounded by accidents and terrible crashes, and most would die at tracks around the country. But the tragedy also prompted new regulations and safety precautions like roll bars that would ultimately save hundreds of lives. In The Curse of Indy 500: 1958's Tragic Legacy, veteran sportswriter Stan Sutton profiles the ill-fated race and the careers of the drivers involved, highlighting their lives in the dangerous world of auto racing.

Umbrella Mike

Umbrella Mike
Author: Brock W. Yates
Publisher: Da Capo Press
Total Pages: 206
Release: 2006
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781560257769

Traces the story of gangster Michael Joseph Boyle, describing his activities as a corrupt leader of Chicago's most powerful union, his friendly relationship with Al Capone, and the controversial events surrounding the 1937 Vanderbilt Cup competition.

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

Indy Split: The Big Money Battle That Nearly Destroyed Indy Racing
Author: John Oreovicz
Publisher:
Total Pages: 432
Release: 2021-05-30
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 9781642340563

Tradition, technology, and personal bravery combined to make the Indianapolis 500 one of the world's most famous sporting events. However, political infighting within the industry--which climaxed with a 12-year "Split" from 1996 to 2007 between competing forms of Indy car racing--prevented the sport from achieving its potential. The Split seriously tarnished the reputation of the Indianapolis 500 and allowed NASCAR to become America's most popular form of motorsport. But Indy car racing's dysfunction didn't originate in 1996. The story begins in 1945, when a businessman from Terre Haute, Indiana named Tony Hulman rescued the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from potential redevelopment. Over the next 75 years, the Hulman-George family used the stature of the Speedway to carve out a powerful position in American auto racing. Stewardship of the IMS often brought the family into conflict with Indy car competitors. A volatile period in the late 1970s resulted in the formation of Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART), and tensions ramped up even more when Hulman's grandson, Tony George, assumed power in 1990. The Split forced Indy car fans, sponsors, broadcasters and participants to choose sides. It created confusion and animosity and caused tremendous damage to the sport. With negotiations driven by legendary racer Mario Andretti and actor/racer Paul Newman, The Split was finally resolved in 2008, only for George to walk away less than three years later from the role he so desperately coveted. The long struggle for stability and leadership was finally resolved in 2020 when Roger Penske acquired IMS and the IndyCar Series.

Tony Hulman

Tony Hulman
Author: Sigur E. Whitaker
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 247
Release: 2014-04-22
Genre: Transportation
ISBN: 1476614938

Almost unknown when in 1945 he purchased the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and its famous race, Tony Hulman soon became a household name in auto racing circles. He is credited not only with saving the Speedway from becoming a residential housing development but also with reinvigorating auto racing in the United States. Until his purchase of the Speedway, Hulman had not been involved in auto racing; he was the CEO of Hulman & Company, a wholesale grocer. An astute businessman, Hulman made Clabber Girl Baking Powder a national brand and successfully led the reorientation of the family fortunes to include a range of businesses including a beer company, a Coca-Cola franchise, a broadcast empire, and real estate and gas companies. This biography of Hulman covers his many ventures, particularly the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Indianapolis 500, and his philanthropy.

Why Winners Win

Why Winners Win
Author: Art Garner
Publisher: Pelican Publishing
Total Pages: 192
Release: 1995-09-30
Genre: Self-Help
ISBN: 9781455614257

This is a special book about special people-Winners. Their attitudes can change the status quo; their fortitude helps them to climb mountains and endure tremendous burdens; they set their eyes on their goals and don't waver. The good news is you can be a Winner, too. What it takes to be a Winner can be learned. In this revised edition, Dr. Garner shows the reader the qualities, attitudes, and actions that will put one on the road to becoming a real Winner. Blending inspirational vignettes with humor, Garner takes the reader in hand and demonstrates how to acquire that shape attitudes, hone specific skills, and open previously locked doors to an exciting life of achievement. Included are chapters designed to dramatically alter one's view of oneself, one's thought patterns, and one's personal expectations. Garner teaches an effective method of motivation and shows how visualizing a goal is essential to reaching it. Among the key chapters are "Your Most Important Quality," "Keeping Your Hot Button Hot," "What You Set Is What You Get," as well as an all-new chapter entitled "Releasing Your Untapped Potential." To start any journey, one must take the first step. To become a Winner, begin with this book. Each chapter is followed by a section called "Wisdom for Winners"-pithy, commonsense guidelines to keep the would-be achiever on the upward path. Action sheets are provided to assist in charting progress.