New books celebrate Indy 500

<p>To many people, May in Indianapolis means the Indy 500.</p><p>It’s a race built on tradition as well as competition, and two new books explore both aspects. The author of both is James Craig Reinhardt, an official tour guide at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. So readers can be confident that his information is correct. But the details and insights put these books near the head of the field of volumes about the greatest spectacle in racing.</p><p>“The Winning Cars of the Indianapolis 500” focuses on the most prominent aspect of 500 history — the racecars and the men who drove them to the victory. “The Indianapolis 500: Inside the Greatest Spectacle in Racing” turns its attention to track traditions and offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the track and the race.</p><p>Both books contain short chapters. This makes each the kind of volume that is easy to pick up and put down. Readers could read a few chapters a day from the opening of the track until race day.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]<p>“Winning Cars” is more of a coffee table book. It is packed with photographs. Most of the photos are portraits of the cars and their drivers. So don’t expect a lot of action.</p><p>Each chapter focuses on a single race, and they are in chronological order. The text is usually one or two pages. Each chapter includes a chart listing such details as the chassis, engine and tires of the car, the winner’s qualifying and race speeds and the number of laps led. The chapters on the more recent races are longer and more detailed.</p><p>The author spices up the text with many interesting and little-known facts. For example, in the 1956 race, Sam Hanks’ car sustained a flattened front tire early in the race. Hanks continued driving and nursed his car to the pits, only to find no one there. His crew had rushed to Turn 1 to help him. The crew for Don Freeland’s car, which had the pit next to Hanks, changed the tire and sent Hanks back onto the track. Hanks finished second, and Freeland finished third.</p><p>Reinhardt’s other book examines features, facilities and traditions of Indy. He opens with a brief history, explaining among other things how the name Brickyard came to be attached to the track. He also discusses early racing at the track, which included balloons and motorcycles.</p><p>He describes the role and history of the “yellow shirts,” the safety patrol members who control traffic inside the track and keep unauthorized personnel out of the garage area and pits. Interestingly, the safety patrol members originally wore long-sleeved, blue, wool shirts. These hot shirts were soon replaced by the more comfortable lighter weight, yellow ones.</p><p>Another interesting story involves Lawrence “Larry” Bisceglia, a mechanic from Arizona who became infatuated with race after first attending it in 1926. From 1950 through 1985, he was the first person in line for the race, camping outside the main gate during the entire month of May.</p><p>Later in the book, the author describes almost minute by minute the ceremonies, rituals and traditions of race day, including the singing of “Back Home Again in Indiana” and the release of thousands of balloons.</p><p>An appendix is crammed with a variety of race facts and figures.</p><p>Put together, the two books offer information aplenty for both longtime Indy 500 fans and uninitiated readers interested in finding out more about this Hoosier phenomenon.</p>[sc:pullout-title pullout-title="About the books" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p>Title: The Winning Cars of the Indianapolis 500</p><p>Author: James Craig Reinhardt</p><p>Length: 300 pages</p><p>Price: $45</p><p>Publisher: Red Lightning Books, an imprint of Indiana University Press</p><p>Title: The Indianapolis 500 – Inside the Greatest Spectacle in Racing</p><p>Author: James Craig Reinhardt</p><p>Length: 216 pages</p><p>Price: $15</p><p>Publisher: Red Lightning Books</p>[sc:pullout-text-end]