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.

EDDIE SACHS--THE CLOWN PRINCE OF RACING is a thoroughly researched biography of the "self-proclaimed" World's Greatest Race Car Driver. In the books introduction, the author states that just like there will never be another Bob Hope or John Wayne or Billy Graham, there will never be another Eddie Sachs. No race driver, past or present, can match the flamboyancy, zeal and zaniness of the Clown Prince of Racing. Sachs was also a great orator who could hold audiences spellbound. He would have his audiences pleading for more racing stories. Eddie captured the prestigious pole position for the Indianapolis 500 in 1960 and 1961. He was leading the 1961 500 Mile Race until he pitted to change a badly worn tire with just three laps to go. He wound up second to A.J. Foyt by 8 seconds. The following year he charged from 27th to finish 3rd. The story of Eddie Sachs can serve as an inspiration to all youth. When Eddie began his racing career, he was one of the worst drivers to ever compete. However, by sure determination and persistence, he would go on to become a member of the Indy 500 Hall of Fame! Many times Eddie would state, "If you can't win, be spectacular!" He lived that creed to the very end. On May 30, 1964 both Eddie and rookie driver Dave MacDonald died in a fiery crash at the start of the 500 Mile Race. It was by far the most spectacular accident in the history of the Indianapolis 500.

Eddie Sachs gets out of his 1947 Ford. It shows lots of wear and tear. Sachs spots a trailer half way down the track and starts walking toward it. Four men are painting the grandstands in Turn Four with gray paint. Two extra fifty ­ five gallon barrels of gray paint have been placed by the cross-over walkway. Eddie asks directions to General Manager's office.

On a September day, an assortment of strangers from around the world gathered in San Diego for the voyage of a lifetime: a 75-day rounding of the dreaded Cape Horn on a square-rigged tall ship. Some were experienced sailors, some novices, but all dreamed of the Sailors Everest- surviving Cape Horn, and getting to wear the gold earring that is the age-old symbol of the Cape Horner.If they successfully completed the voyage, they would join an exclusive group of fewer than 500 living Cape Horners How did this group of strangers meld into an effective team, and ultimately a band of great friends? How did they overcome storms, fear, and interpersonal strains to achieve a lifes dream?Join management consultant and college instructor Rob Duncan as he recounts the voyage first-hand, and shares the teambuilding lessons he learned through the process of earning his own gold earring.Part management primer, part inspirational tale, this book will appeal to anyone who works in or manages teams, anyone who dreams of achieving a personal quest, and everyone who loves a good yarn.Haul Away! also contains useful lessons and worksheets that will help you to reach your own personal quest, whatever it may be.

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.

Two teen-agers back in early day France probably started it all by "borrowing" their Dad's "horseless carriages" and seeing which could go fastest. That was when highly respected doctors were certain that you would die if you moved faster than sixty miles an hour. The human body simply couldn't survive at that speed. Now, racers routinely go two hundred miles an hour, and drag racers go more than three hundred miles an hour in only a thousand feet. Auto racing is one of the most popular sports in the world. It is daring, dangerous, and exciting, and the winners often become millionaires. This book aimed at young adults is full of stories about racing as it describes the progress from the two kids to modern racing. The author has participated as a driver, photographer and journalist for many years, and has written a number of books on the subject.

Strap yourself into the cockpit and follow along as John C. Bodin and Ron Collins take you on seven hot laps around the Indy 500's past and future! "Neighbors on Gasoline Alley" - A team from Betelgeuse runs into a mysterious problem. What's a fellow crew to do but lend a hand? "Speeding" - A famous chronumentary director will go to any length necessary to capture the secrets of one of the most horrific accidents in Indy history, including returning to 1964. "Oh-oh!" - It's 1969 and shape-shifting aliens from Tau Ceti are out to rig the most wagered upon event in the known universe. It's up to a vice cop from outta this world to avoid the fickle finger of fate. "Ghost of a Chance" - A racer from the far future returns to the speedway hoping to find the roots of her humanity behind the wheel of a turbine racer, circa 1967. "Do Android Drivers Dream of Electric Flags" - A past champion down on his luck discovers the first self-sentient AI who loves to drive. Who's in charge here? As long as they go fast, will it matter? "Speedway Fever" - When Bug decides to sabotage a foreign race team with new tech, Kenny has to decide how far friendship goes. "The Day the Track Stood Still" - Drivers and cars always have special relationships, but Buddy's is more special than most. He'll find out just how much when the B'rada come to town with plans to take home something beyond the Borg-Warner trophy.