“Indy Car Racing,” by A.T. McKenna.
Abdo and Daughters, Edina, Minn., 1998, 32 pages, Grades 2-4.
Each Memorial Day, the famous Indianapolis 500 car race takes place. More than 200,000 fans attend the event and there are parties for days ahead of time.
The Indy 500, as it is known, is a 2.5-mile, oval-shaped track with sharp curves. Originally made completely of bricks, the unofficial name of the track is The Brickyard. In recent years, the track has been paved to allow for the blazing speed of the racing cars, but a strip of bricks still mark the finish line. The fortunate winner and his/her team will kneel down and “kiss the bricks” after winning.
Though NASCAR (National Association of Stock Car Racing) has become very popular in recent years, the Indy 500 retains a unique charm of its own for race car fans. A.T. McKenna has written a detailed account of the history, cars and famous drivers involved in this annual racing festival. The name of this book is “Indy Car Racing.”
The first Indy 500 took place May 11, 1911. After 3.5 million bricks had been laid to create the track, the race began. The early cars could only go 75 mph and the race could take up to eight hours. So fragile was the engineering of the early cars that a second seat was needed: here a mechanic would sit, in case the car broke down in the middle of the race. The car would be repaired and the team would continue.
But as time went on, the Indy cars began racing at higher and higher speeds. Pit crews replaced the mechanic and the cars would pull into Pit Row for refueling and tire changes. Eventually, the pit crews became more and more athletic as the difference between winning and losing was often mere seconds.
McKenna presents readers with detailed descriptions of the Indy racers. The fuel is kept behind the racers in case of an accident. Wings are added to the front and back of the racers to alter the air flow. This forces the cars to stay on the road and not become airborne. Since Indy cars go over 200 mph, several tire changes are necessary each race. Depending upon the conditions at the track, the pit crew members choose tires with grip or smooth surfaces.
A number of drivers have died during the race over the years, so safety devices are now installed in all cars and have greatly reduced the injuries caused in these high speed accidents. So as the colorful cars race around the Brickyard, up to 250,000 spectators cheer wildly.
Have you ever been to a car race? Why do so many people love to watch the Indy 500? Would you like to drive a car at 200 mph? Why do all the cars have so many decals? Who are some of the most famous drivers in the history of the Indy 500? To find out the answers to these and other questions, go to the public library and check out this interesting book.
I was lucky enough to attend an Indy 500. I can still feel the blinding blur of the 33 cars flashing in front of me at 200 mph. It is really unbelievable. McKenna does a good job telling the story of the race, the building of the cars and the famous drivers in the Indy 500. If a child in your family is interested in race cars, this is the book for them. Enjoy!
