Title/Author:
“A Month at
the Brickyard: The Incredible Indy 500” by Sonny Kleinfield
Tags:
Auto
Racing, Indianapolis 500, History
Publish date:
April 30,
2014 – re-release in electronic form.
Originally published in 1977
Length:
182 pages
Rating:
4 ½ of 5
stars (excellent)
Review:
While many
people are familiar with the Indianapolis 500 as one of the biggest auto races
in the world, there is a lot more to the even than just the race itself and the
qualifying runs. The preparation by people
of the track, the city of Indianapolis and the members of the race crews all
play a part in making the race a huge event.
These stories and others are covered by this excellent book by Sonny
Kleinfield.
The book
covers the month of May leading up to the 1976 Indianapolis 500. Johnny Parsons, a young up-and-coming driver
whose father Johnnie won the race in 1950, is chronicled as he and his crew
work to first qualify, then run well in the race itself. Descriptions of the work done on the car, the
engine and in the pits is just right – not too technical that would confuse
casual race fans (or non-fans) but enough to keep the interest of those readers
who are hard-core car enthusiasts.
There are
also many human interest stories in the book as well that make up the
experience of the race track and the race. Fans that arrive and stay for most
of the month, city officials who want to both promote the race and show the
world that there is more to Indianapolis than the 500, and business owners who
benefit from the thousands of extra customers in May are all portrayed in a fun
and thoughtful manner. The difference in
the social mores of that time compared to today is also apparent. When Janet Guthrie attempted to become the
first woman to qualify for the race (she would do so the next year) the rampant
sexism is apparent. Many of the comments
made by men on other crews would not be so funny or tolerated today.
The sport
of racing itself is covered superbly, especially the description of the days of
the time trials to qualify for the race. The struggles of the drivers and their
crews in trying to determine when to run the car were in my favorite section of
the book. Parsons was covered in depth,
of course, but other late qualifiers had entertaining stories to tell as
well.
The book concludes with the 1976 race, following Parsons and his crew as they have some highs
and some troubles, especially with tire changes during pit stops. I will not
give away any more information about the race here – the reader will enjoy
finding out how the race evolves.
Overall, this is an excellent book on one of the greatest spectacles in sports – not just the event but the entire month that leads up to the race. I recommend this for any auto racing fan.
I wish to
thank NetGalley for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest
review.
Did I skim?
No
Pace of the book:
Excellent.
The various stories from different vantage points keep the reader engaged and
entertained.
Do I recommend?
Yes, even
if the reader is not a racing fan. Those readers will enjoy the human interest
stories and some of the interviews with officials from the city of
Indianapolis. Of course, race fans will soak up a lot of information about the
entire Indianapolis 500 experience.
Book Format Read:
E-book
(Kindle)
Buying links:
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