It's... A... New Track Record!: An Incredible "Decade" Of Speed At Indianapolis

It's... A... New Track Record!: An Incredible "Decade" Of Speed At Indianapolis by Book

Indianapolis track announcer Tom Carnegie used to whip the crowds into frenzied excitement during qualification runs for the famous 500, especially when he intoned his trademark exclamation “It’s… A… New Track Record!”. That occurred quite often during the period 1962–1972 with its unprecedented explosion in speed. Parnelli Jones became the first man to break the 150-mph barrier with a lap at 150.370 mph in 1962, then just 10 years later Bobby Unser’s 196.678 mph was not far short of the 200-mph mark. This happened because the “decade” brought extraordinary advances in car, engine and tire design, including takeover by the rear-engine configuration and the emergence of aerodynamic wings, wide slick tires and unrestricted turbocharged engines that ultimately produced over 1,000 horsepower. Foremost Indianapolis 500 historian Rick Shaffer tells the entire story with authority and style in this captivating book.