THUNDER IN THE DESERT

Thunder in the Desert covers all automobile racing at all tracks in the Phoenix, AZ area from 1909-1980. The hard bound book has 368 pages and over 1400 pictures. Many of the pictures are from the 30's and 40's. The book covers Indy Cars at the AZ Fairgrounds and Phoenix International raceway, Midgets at a number of tracks including South Mountain and Manzanita and carries the Jalopies all the way to sprint cars.
BY WINDY MCDONALD
LESS THAN 100 BOOKS AVAILABLE
If you like motorsports history this is a book that you should have.  Auto racing in the Phoenix, Arizona area started it 1908 with a road race from Los  to Phoenix,. The race ended at the home of their sponsor, The Arizona Republican Newspaper.

The first race on a circle oval was the next year when the road race ended at the Arizona State Fairgrounds and then the cars took over the horse track and drew record crowds.  Drivers who would become legends of the sport dared to take on the track. Included among the winners Barney Oldfield, Ralph Hepburn and Ralph DePalma.

A mechanic was killed in 1917 and then Omar Toft lost his life in a crash in 1920. They ran two more years and the fair board decided to replace the races with football.

Racing resumed in 1948 on a paved 5/8ths mile track that had been added at the fairgrounds. After that the fairgrounds hosted a variety of  motorsports including "Biig Cars" AAA Midgets, CRA Roadsters, NASCAR Stocks and even the Arizona Jalopy Racing Association Jalopies.

The drivers who tamed the track were the best in the nation. They included Bill Vukovich, Roger McCluskey, Bobby Ball, Jimmy Bryan, Tony Bettenhausen, Johnnie Parsons, Tim Flock, Marshall Teague, Buck Baker, Parnelli JJones, Bobby Marshman, Rodger Ward, Jud Larson, Bill Cheesbourg, Wayne Weiler, Don Branson and A.J. Foyt and many, many others

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