Second to One: All But for Indy (Joseph S. Freeman)

This book is a set of remarkable stories of forty champion racing drivers who but for a stroke of bad luck, an unfortunate last minute mistake, or just the intervention of fate, were never able to win America’s greatest race, the Indianapolis 500. Written by automotive historian Joseph Freeman and racing journalist Gordon Kirby, with a forward by Michael Andretti, it is a beautifully produced hardbound book of over 400 images on 303 pages covering the years 1911-2014.

In a volume that could as well have been titled “Nobody Cares Who Finished Second”, authors Freeman and Kirby go against the popular grain to offer the remarkable stories of forty racing drivers who came up one position short in the Indy 500. Whether from a stroke of bad luck, an unfortunate last minute mistake, or just the intervention of fate, they were never able to win America’s greatest race, the Indianapolis 500.

Second to One: All But For Indy celebrates the careers of these drivers who in many cases were true champions, having won many other important races. All scored numerous wins and championships on a wide range of racetracks from road courses to dirt tracks, board speedways and the local bullrings that are at the heart of American racing history. They include great names such as Earl Cooper, America’s first three-time National Champion, Harry Hartz, a national title winner who finished second no fewer than three times and became a winning car owner, and Lou Moore, whose team entered winning cars for three straight years. Great talents and champions such as Ted Horn, Rex Mays, Tony Bettenhausen, Eddie Sachs, Len Sutton, Dan Gurney, Michael Andretti, Paul Tracy and a host of others all have a place in this book.

The lost recognition in American automobile racing seems to be an unfortunate trend and particularly unfair to the great athletes of one of the greatest American sports. It is with this volume that Freeman and Kirby hope to even the score and encourage the additional study of the careers and achievements of the many great racers whose stories have been lost to history.