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New Book: “Damn Few Died in Bed”

HAMMOND, IN: Back in the day when “the drivers were
fat, and the tires were skinny”…before lap-tops and
college-trained engineers…a hand full of talented,
hard-working individuals kept the wheels turning in
Champ Car racing. One of those was Andy Dunlop.

In his new book, “Damn Few Died in Bed”,(Memories of a
Life in American Automobile Racing, 1930-1975), author
Tom Saal presents an amazing tail of life on the
Championship Trail as told to him by veteran Indy Car
chief mechanic Andy Dunlop. For anyone who has
memories of those long forgotten days before roll
cages and “humper” tires, this book is truly a “must
read”.

In 1997-98, Mr. Saal spent countless hours face to
face with Andy Dunlop, listening to his amazing “war
stories” and transcribing them for later use. As the
saga emerged, it became evident that Andy’s story
pretty much covered the history of Indy Car racing
from 1952-66. For many of us, these were the golden
years of American motorsport.

During his time, Andy Dunlop scored six victories on
the Championship Trail while turning the wrenches on
cars owned by fellow Ohioan Pete Salemi of Cleveland.
The late Len Sutton had the most luck driving for
Salemi/Dunlop, registering all three of his career
wins with the team. The other racing legends who drove
Dunlop-prepared cars to victory included George Amick,
Art Bisch and Tony Bettenhausen.

It should also be noted that, in spite of competing
during one of the most dangerous periods in auto
racing, Andy Dunlop only lost driver, when Art Bisch
was fatally injured at Atlanta driving the Salemi
entry in 1958. Obviously, Andy knew how to take good
care of his chauffeurs.

As Tom Saal notes in his preface, Andy was 86 years
old when they worked together on his story, but his
memory was “crystal clear”. The result is a great
read; factual, smooth flowing and full of
fun-anecdotes. If you feel the need to be transported
back to a simpler, yet more dangerous time when one
dedicated man with a wrench could truly make a
difference, then this is the book for you.

Andy Dunlop passed away May 11, 2002.

?Damn Few Died in Bed?
Available for $39.95 + S & H at
Racemaker Press, Inc.
121 Mount Vernon St.
Boston, MA 02108
617.723.6533
www.racemaker.com

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