The author of The Indianapolis 500 (see back panel) here tells the stories of some of the great and near-great car-driver combinations that have chased the checkered flag in that most challenging and grueling of all racing events, the Memorial Day 500-mile race.
From the days of Ralph DePalma, and the Mercedes he pushed around the track, right up to the 1960 race, and the exciting duel between Rodger Ward and Jim Rathmann, the author tells of the men and the machines that have made Speedway history. Some of the combinations were winning ones, such as Wilbur Shaw, and the Maserati; others should have been but for some reason always failed, such as Duke Nalon, Ralph Hepburn, and the fabulous but dreaded Novis.
But win, place, show, or out of the running, the stories of these sleek machines and the daring men who raced them are always fascinating and rich in racing lore.
From the days of Ralph DePalma, and the Mercedes he pushed around the track, right up to the 1960 race, and the exciting duel between Rodger Ward and Jim Rathmann, the author tells of the men and the machines that have made Speedway history. Some of the combinations were winning ones, such as Wilbur Shaw, and the Maserati; others should have been but for some reason always failed, such as Duke Nalon, Ralph Hepburn, and the fabulous but dreaded Novis.
But win, place, show, or out of the running, the stories of these sleek machines and the daring men who raced them are always fascinating and rich in racing lore.
