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PHOTO CREDITS

Left: The Locomobile Type 1906, "Old 16", driven by George Robertson on its way to winning the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup on Long Island.

Center: Action during the 1916 Vanderbilt Cup event at Santa Monica with William Bolden (#12) leading Omar Toft.

Book Reviews

AutoRacingHistory.com Rating System:
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	Driven to Crime: True Stories of Wrongdoing in Motor Racing by Crispian Besley (2023) Review by Russell Jaslow Racing takes money. Lots of it. You do whatever it takes to get it. For some, that means even going beyond the law. That includes drug trafficking, corruption, embezzlement, robbery, fraud, and money laundering.

	Racing with Rich Energy: How a Rogue Sponsor Took Formula One for a Ride by Elizabeth Blackstock and Alanis King (2022) Review by Russell Jaslow The Rich Energy sponsorhip of Haas F1 is a saga for the ages. Most of us saw the impending disaster the moment the deal was announced. The journey along the way was a social media storm.

	Survival of the Fastest by Randy Lanier with A.J. Baime (2022) Review by Russell Jaslow IMSA. 1980s. Drug smugglers. Randy Lanier. We all know the story. Sort of. Now we get to learn the whole story, as one of the key figures from that era bares it all.

	Fiat in Motorsport Since 1899 by Tony Bagnall (2022) Review by Russell Jaslow An in-depth look at Fiat's historical and prestigious involvement in all forms of motorsport since the earliest days of racing.

	Caesars Palace Grand Prix: Las Vegas, Organized Crime and the Pinnacle of Motorsport by Randall Cannon (2022) Review by Russell Jaslow Where there's racing, there's money. Where there's money, there's the Mob. The Caesars Palace Grand Prix made for the perfect trifecta. Here's the fascinating, intertwined story of F1 in America.

	A Checkered Past by Al Unser, Jr. as told to Jade Gurss (2021) Review by Russell Jaslow This is a story of two lives. Al Unser, Jr., the champion Indy car driver. Al Unser, Jr., the addict. Unser bares it all for both stories as he seeks redemption.

	Motor Racing at Nassau in the 1950s & 1960s (Those were the days...) by Terry O'Neil (2021) Review by Russell Jaslow A short, concise, pictorial history of sports car racing in the Bahamas Speed Weeks from 1954-1966.

	Indy Split: The Big Money Battle That Nearly Destroyed Indy Racing by John Oreovicz (2021) Review by Russell Jaslow CART was flying high in the mid-90s with its popularity, even making F1 nervous. Then, Tony George created his own series taking his Indy 500 with him. Thus, the Indy split was on, and this book recalls it all.

	Racer by John Andretti as told to Jade Gurss (2020) Review by Russell Jaslow John Andretti opens himself up to what made him tick, from his racing career to his choices to his family to his charity work.

	The Brown Bullet: Rajo Jack's Drive to Integrate Auto Racing by Bill Poehler (2020) Review by Russell Jaslow The life of a long-forgotten trailblazer and the great lengths he took to even get on the track, showing ultimately how Rajo Jack proved to a generation that a black man could compete with some of the greatest white drivers of his era, winning some of the biggest races of the day.

	Formula One The Champions: 70 Years of Legendary F1 Drivers by Maurice Hamilton (2020) Review by Russell Jaslow 33 drivers in the first 70 years of F1 racing have been crowned World Champions with photos from the The Cahier Archive.

	Faster by Neal Bascomb (2020) Review by Russell Jaslow How a Jewish driver, an American heiress, and a legendary car beat Hitler's best.

	The Works MGs (Second Edition) by Mike Allison & Peter Browning (2018) Review by Russell Jaslow The racing history of the car which defined the British sports car for many Americans.

	Beast: The Top Secret Ilmor-Penske Engine that Shocked the Racing World at the Indy 500 by Jade Gurss (2014) Review by Russell Jaslow The true story behind the creation of a legendary race engine.

	Auto Racing Comes of Age by Robert Dick (2013) Review by Russell Jaslow A transatlantic view of the cars, drivers and speedways, 1900-1925.

	Audi R8 (WSC Giants) by Ian Wagstaff (2012) Review by Russell Jaslow One of the most successful and reliable sports cars in endurance racing history.

	Motor Racing - The Pursuit of Victory 1930-1962 by Anthony Carter (2012) Review by Russell Jaslow The era of grand prix racing before television and sponsors dominated the scene with many photos, most previously unpublished.

	Driven by Desire - The Desiré Wilson Story by Alan Wilson (2012) Review by Russell Jaslow Desiré Wilson's career. A unique inside perspective from the husband who was with her every step of the way.

	The Limit - Life and Death on the 1961 Grand Prix Circuit by Michael Cannell (2012) Review by Russell Jaslow Ferrari's intra-team battle for the 1961 World Driving Championship between Phil Hill and Wolfgang von Trips.

	Runways & Racers by Terry O'Neil (2012) Review by Russell Jaslow The history of sports car racing on military airfields in America, 1952-1954.

	Blood and Smoke by Charles Leerhsen (2011) Review by Russell Jaslow The controversy over the first Indianapolis 500.

	The British at Indianapolis by Ian Wagstaff (2011) Review by Russell Jaslow The history of all things British at Indianapolis.

	Northeast American Sports Car Races 1950-1959 by Terry O'Neil (2010) Review by Russell Jaslow The history of sports car racing in the American Northeast during the 1950s.

	Tales from the Toolbox by Michael Oliver (2010) Review by Russell Jaslow A collection of behind the scenes tales from Grand Prix mechanics.

	Speedway: Auto Racing's Ghost Tracks by SS Collins and Gavin D. Ireland (2010) Review by Russell Jaslow Lost race tracks centered around speedway style competition.

	The Toleman Story - Last Romantics in Formula 1 by Christopher Hilton (2010) Review by Russell Jaslow The complete history of Toleman Motorsport.

	Formula 5000 Motor Racing - Back Then ... And Back Now by Kevin Lawson (2010) Review by Russell Jaslow The European F5000 series from 1969-76 and today's F5000 vintage events.

	Fast Ladies by Jean-François Bouzanquet (2009) Review by Russell Jaslow A look at women race drivers in Europe from 1888-1970.

	Forza Minardi! by Simon Vigar (2008) Review by Russell Jaslow Everyone's second favorite F1 team.

	Ghost Tracks by Pete Hylton (2007) Review by Russell Jaslow Historic look at America's lost road racing tracks.

	Unraced... Formula One's Lost Cars by Sam Collins (2007) Review by Russell Jaslow F1 cars that were built but never raced during the three-liter era.

	The Grand Prix Saboteurs by Joe Saward (2007) Review by Russell Jaslow The untold story of the Grand Prix drivers who became British secret agents in World War II.

	BRM - A Mechanic's Tale by Dick Salmon (2007) Review by Russell Jaslow His days as a mechanic on the BRM Formula 1 team from 1952 to 1965.

	Thunder at Sunrise by John M. Burns (2007) Review by Russell Jaslow The history of the Vanderbilt Cup, the Grand Prize and the Indianapolis 500, 1904-1916.

	Montlhéry - The Story of the Paris Autodrome by William 'Bill' Boddy (2007) Review by Russell Jaslow The French oval outside of Paris which was the site for numerous record breaking runs.

	BRM V16 - How Britain's Auto Makers Built A Grand Prix Car To Beat The World by Karl Ludvigsen (2007) Review by Russell Jaslow The patriotic yet trouble plagued venture of the BRM racing effort.

	1½-litre Grand Prix Racing 1961-65 - Low Power, High Tech by Mark Whitelock (2006) Review by Russell Jaslow The often ignored five-year period where F1 scaled back to a 1½-litre formula, yet still produced many historical moments.

	Gold Thunder by Rex White (2004) Press Release by Anne B. Jones The oldest living NASCAR champion has written an autobiography to explain the past and of course why his car was gold.

	Mario Andretti, The Complete Record by Mike O'Leary (2003) Review by Russell Jaslow Detailing Mario's career in a year-by-year statistical compilation. Every race from 1964 until his retirement is listed.

	Where They Raced - LAP2 by Harold Osmer (2000) Review by Doug Stokes Detailing all the racing venues that ever existed in the Southern California area.

	Real Road Racing, The Santa Monica Road Races by Harold Osmer and Phil Harms (1999) Review by Russell Jaslow Dealing with the early Santa Monica races between 1909-1919.

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