Black Noon - BookWyrm

Paperback, 352 pages

Published May 24, 2016 by Griffin.

ISBN:: 978-1-250-07512-3

(2 reviews)

"Just before high noon on May 30th, 1964, the Indy 500 stopped for the first time in history. Seven cars had crashed in a fiery accident, killing two drivers, and threatening the very future of the 500. In this tight, fast-paced narrative, Art Garner expertly reconstructs the events, circumstances, and fatal decisions leading up to the sport's blackest day. Recalling a bygone era when drivers lived hard, raced hard, and at times died hard, Black Noon takes readers back to the last race won by a front-engined roadster, to before the switch from gasoline to methanol, to tell one of the great untold stories in sports. Informed by his extensive interviews including six of the seven surviving drivers, Garner brings to life the greatest names in racing - A.J. Foyt, Dan Gurney, Parnelli Jones, Bobby Unser, and Johnny Rutherford - focusing on Eddie Sachs and Dave MacDonald, the two very …

"Just before high noon on May 30th, 1964, the Indy 500 stopped for the first time in history. Seven cars had crashed in a fiery accident, killing two drivers, and threatening the very future of the 500. In this tight, fast-paced narrative, Art Garner expertly reconstructs the events, circumstances, and fatal decisions leading up to the sport's blackest day. Recalling a bygone era when drivers lived hard, raced hard, and at times died hard, Black Noon takes readers back to the last race won by a front-engined roadster, to before the switch from gasoline to methanol, to tell one of the great untold stories in sports. Informed by his extensive interviews including six of the seven surviving drivers, Garner brings to life the greatest names in racing - A.J. Foyt, Dan Gurney, Parnelli Jones, Bobby Unser, and Johnny Rutherford - focusing on Eddie Sachs and Dave MacDonald, the two very different drivers whose lives accelerated toward the same catastrophic end that day. Publishing for the 50th anniversary of this iconic event, Black Noon remembers the race that changed everything and the men that heralded the Golden Age of Indy car racing"--

3 editions

LemonSky reviewed Black noon by Art Garner

Review of 'Black noon' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This is the second book on the history of racing that I've read (the other was [b:Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans|6052977|Go Like Hell Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans|A.J. Baime|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347688661s/6052977.jpg|6228775]). It chronicles the events leading up to the disastrous wreck at the Indy 500 on May 30, 1964, which resulted in the deaths of two drivers. It was amazing that more people did not die. Garner does an excellent job of detailing the history of the Indy 500, the drivers, owners, mechanics, the fans, and their families, and their passion for the sport. Most drivers, even when faced with death, had no intention of quitting. After the fatal crash, the race WAS stopped, but then restarted - if a car was drivable, then it was driven. If a driver could drive, he got back …

This is the second book on the history of racing that I've read (the other was [b:Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans|6052977|Go Like Hell Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans|A.J. Baime|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347688661s/6052977.jpg|6228775]). It chronicles the events leading up to the disastrous wreck at the Indy 500 on May 30, 1964, which resulted in the deaths of two drivers. It was amazing that more people did not die. Garner does an excellent job of detailing the history of the Indy 500, the drivers, owners, mechanics, the fans, and their families, and their passion for the sport. Most drivers, even when faced with death, had no intention of quitting. After the fatal crash, the race WAS stopped, but then restarted - if a car was drivable, then it was driven. If a driver could drive, he got back behind the wheel. Like Betty Rutherford, wife of Johnny Rutherford (who was almost killed in the race) said, "I knew that I would never ask him to stop racing because of me. He was racing when I met him. I married him when he was racing. So I didn't have any right to tell him to quit."

"Black Noon" made a much bigger impact on me than "Go Like Hell." The latter is an excellent book, but it covers a longer period of time and a not-very-sympathetic Enzo Ferrari, while "Black Noon" concentrates on the time leading up to the fateful 1964 Indy 500 and the racers competing in it. You learn their histories, but the emphasis is on the 1964 race. By the time the wreck happened, I had come to care for the racers and even though I knew from the start who died (it's on the dustjacket), the events of the race still packed a punch. I almost cried. Books seldom have that effect on me. Heck, movies seldom do.

This isn't a book about a disaster. It's about the people who love the race - the drivers, the owners, the mechanics, their families, and the fans - and how they keep going no matter what happens.

Very recommended.

Seneca_

rated it

Aug 31