Foyt, Andretti, Petty: America’s Racing Trinity
By Bones Bourcier
As we know, racing is a sport that has a way of destroying its heroes, building them up in our eyes before snatching them away with some inexplicable accident. How fortunate we are then, that these three kings of that sport—A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti and Richard Petty—somehow survived all the carnage around them to ride their respective careers into retirement.
That was no mean feat, mind you, as the days when they raced were mostly before any real regard was given for safety as drivers just accepted the danger and went on about their business. While A.J. was able to step out of an Indycar for the last time during qualifying at Indy in 1993 and Mario did likewise at Laguna Seca a year later, Petty had gone out in the proverbial blaze of glory, exiting his final Cup race at Atlanta in ’92 with his car in flames.
Author Bourcier digs deep into the fabled careers of the trio to illuminate how they acted and interacted as they built their individual legends, and in the process let their excellence elevate their sport. He tells their stories in their own words and those of their rivals, letting us see, perhaps, sides of them we never knew.
This excellent hardcover book is available for US$34.95 from enthusiast bookstores or direct from publisher Coastal 181 at www.coastal181.com
