Lately, there have been several interesting books on auto racing, and this is certainly one of them. A.J. Foyt has had a long and successful racing career, and this book does his work justice - at least until 1977. This is just the first volume of his storied career. Here is my review of this volume.
Title/Author:
“A.J. Foyt – Volume 1: Survivor, Champion, Legend” by Art Garner
Rating:
5 of 5 stars (excellent)
Review:
When an athlete’s name is recognized by people who are not fans of that sport, it says a lot about that athlete’s talent. A.J. Foyt is a name many people will associate with auto racing, mainly because of his four victories in the Indianapolis 500 in the 1960’s and 1970’s. But there is SO much more to the man than just his victories. This book, the first of two planned volumes about Foyt’s life and racing, is Art Garner’s complete biography of the famous racer.
It is clear early in the book that Garner is going to devote most of the text to Foyt’s racing and how that shapes the man he becomes. Even his childhood revolves around racing. The story of him racing around his parents’ house in a small car was a prelude to what his life would be like for the next several decades.
It doesn’t matter what level or which circuit Foyt would be racing in, his years in the sport are covered in excellent detail by Garner. Volume 1 ends after the 1977 season in which Foyt won his 4th Indy 500, the first driver to do so. He has since been joined by Al Unser, Rick Mears and Helio Castroneves but it is Foyt whose accomplishments at the Brickhouse are fondly remembered. It should also be noted that Foyt isn’t an Indianapolis legend solely for his driving. Garner also documents his involvement in designing, building and testing the cars as well as Foyt’s involvement in many decisions that affect the teams, such as who will be the drivers for either the second car the team runs or who will be backup drivers.
This is where Foyt’s legendary stubbornness or
principals, whichever view one prefers, is on display quite well. Even though he did not graduate high school,
Foyt has a sharp eye for business contracts, details to every aspect of race
cars and of course, how to drive one of the cars. It should also be noted that
all of these traits, on and off the track, were also on display in other racing
circuits. Foyt was also the first driver
to win three of the biggest events in motorsports – the Indianapolis 500, the
24 hours at Le Mans and the Daytona 500.
One last comment about this book. Something that race fans should note, especially those who have followed the sport for many years, is that it is scary to read about all the deaths to drivers in the 1960’s and early 1970’s in this book. Nearly every year covered has multiple drivers who succumbed to injuries in crashes. While reading this, it did feel macabre to reading about so many men dying in their prime, but as Foyt mentions often in this volume, it’s a part of the sport and he did have some fear every time he stepped into a race car.
A well-researched and well-crafted biography, this book is one that every race fan of every level should pick up. I know that I will be eagerly awaiting volume 2.
I wish to thank Octane Press for providing a copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.
