Ford: The Dust and the Glory a Racing History, 1968-2000

Ford: The Dust and the Glory a Racing History, 1968-2000 by Levine, Leo. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780768008142.

This second volume of Leo Levines history of Fords 100-year involvement in auto racing covers the 33-year span from 1968 through 2000, the years in which the sport grew from a regional attraction to a national television phenomenon. Levine goes behind the scenes to chronicle the greatest personalities, cars, and races of the era, from all types of racing - NASCAR, CART, Formula One, NHRA, Off-Road, and others. The stories and words (via first-hand interviews) of: - Mario Andretti - Junior Johnson - Parnelli Jones - Bobby Rahal - Jackie Stewart - And many others With an emphasis on Fords groundbreaking accomplishments, this volume of The Dust and the Glory also serves as a comprehensive history of international racing since 1968. Thus, in addition to the stories of the drivers closely associated with Ford - Cale Yarborough, Dale Jarrett, Mario Andretti, Bob Glidden, and Bill Elliott, to name but a few - the book also provides information on the careers of superstars such as Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon. The results of different racing circuits major events, and their year-end rankings, are provided for each year. But The Dust and the Glory is more than a series of dates and facts about racers and their victories. The ideas, the decisions, the foresight - and in some cases, the mistakes - of car owners, engineers, sponsors, and corporate management are also a large part of the story. Levine explains why Walter Hayes is "the most important man in Fords 100-year history of motorsports involvement." Also discussed are topics such as Fords shutdown of motorsports operations in 1970, the early days of Formula Ford, the companys early 1990s re-emergence in the CART business, and the 1999 introduction of the Focus. Great owners such as Robert Yates, Roger Penske, and Jack Roush are also profiled.