THE SOUL OF A MODIFIED:
Lenny Boehler’s Ole Blue

by Lew Boyd

Operating out of an old farm near Cape Cod, Lenny Boehler, an understated personality with overstated aptitude and a twinkle in his eye, seemed to communicate with his race car as effectively as with people. And curiously, "Ole Blue" seemed to respond. Together they motored a million miles on a treacherous road, compiling hundreds of victories at speedways up and down the East Coast over four decades. And, though surviving on massively less resource than their competition, they consistently returned with championship laurels.

When Lenny died, he never left. His presence still envelopes the garage and chicken coop where Ole Blue has been housed for the last 65 seasons. Now a senior citizen itself, Ole Blue, still run by Lenny’s family and crew, is one of the most enduring and beloved sights in all of motorsports. 

Soft cover, 216 pages, 200 B&W and color photos.

The Newport Nightmare:
Living the Dream

by Jimmy Owens
with Dave Argabright

Jimmy Owens rose from humble beginnings to become one of the most accomplished and respected racing drivers of his generation. After a stellar tenure in open-wheel Modified competition, Owens embarked on a sensational career in dirt late model racing and ultimately became a four-time national champion. This is the inside story of a great racer, and an intimate glimpse of his triumphs and tears.

In his memoir, Owens pulls back the curtain to share the highs and lows of his eventful career, providing readers with a rare behind-the-scenes look at a racing life and beyond. Along the way you'll experience the events and places that led Owens to become one of the most beloved racers in dirt late model competition.

This is a story of living the dream. And more. 

Hard cover, 280 pages, 116 color & B&W photos.

THE FIFTY GREATEST DRIVERS OF
STAFFORD MOTOR SPEEDWAY 
 

by Phil Smith

From its dirt beginnings to its lightning-fast asphalt, by the 1980s Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway had become the epicenter of NASCAR Modified racing in the Northeast.

The Arute family, which has owned and guided the destiny of the facility for the past 50-plus years, commissioned their 1000s of loyal fans to name their favorite drivers.

The result is this book of photos and biographies of the “Fifty Greatest Drivers,” listed in alphabetical order from Tommy Baldwin to Satch Worley, and compiled by motorsports journalist Phil Smith.  

Soft cover, 166 pages.

5-10-32: McBride - Parker - Anvelink

by Joe Verdegan

Author Joe Verdegan tells the stories of three of the best wheelmen to emerge from the northeastern Wisconsin dirt-track scene. M.J. McBride. Pete Parker. Terry Anvelink. A trio of late model drivers with three distinct personalities.

These three dominated action at Shawano Speedway from 1980-2000, winning all but two track titles. The three scooped up hundreds of feature wins and multiple track championships along the way.

 Verdegan interviews nearly 100 drivers and former car owners who raced against these three legends - and even beat them on occasion.

S-1707 Soft cover, 160 pp.

LEGENDARY RACES, PLACES & FACES

Photos from the Lens of
Lenny H. Sammons

A Racing Pictorial covering the 1970s and ’80s, largely in PA, NJ and NY, featuring over 500 popular drivers, memorable races, closes finishes and much more. 

Compiled from the personal photo library of Area Auto Racing News Editor and Publisher Lenny H. Sammons from his time on the road as racing photographer.

Soft cover, 252 pp, 1000+ B/W photos. 

Duct Tape & Glory: My Semi-Professional Career in Semi-Professional Auto Racing

by Scotty Orme

With no family ties to racing, mechanical knowledge, or idea of where to start, southern Indiana dreamer Scotty Orme set out on a quest to become a professional racecar driver.

Duct Tape & Glory is not the story of a Hall of Fame superstar. It’s the story of the other 99%. The kid that chases the dream and learns along the way that sometimes the finish is less important than the effort, the destination is less important than the journey, and the person you expected to be is less important than the one you’ve become.

Soft cover, color photos, 284 pages.

The Brown Bullet: Rajo Jack's Drive
to Integrate Auto Racing

by Bill Poehler

The powers-that-be in 1920s auto racing, namely the American Automobile Association's Contest Board, barred everyone who wasn't a white male from the sport. But Dewey Gatson, a black man who went by the name Rajo Jack, drove into the center of "outlaw" auto racing in California, refusing to let the pervasive racism of his day stop him from competing against entire fields of white drivers.

In The Brown Bullet, journalist Bill Poehler uncovers the life of a long-forgotten trailblazer and the great lengths he took to even get on the track, showing ultimately how Rajo Jack proved to a generation that a black man could compete with some of the greatest white drivers of his era, winning some of the biggest races of the day. 

Hard cover, 240 pages.

RACING IN THE 906

By Joe Verdegan

Racing In The 906 covers the colorful history of stock car racing in Michigan's Upper Peninsula (Area Code 906), and the Soo region of southern Canada.

The book covers all the action dating from the 1950s to the modern day and profiles many popular drivers who battled at tracks in Escanaba, Norway, Marquette and Kinross in the Soo region near the Canadian border.

The book is dedicated to the late Bob Iverson, who passed away in 2018. Iverson, along with Menominee’s Gene Coleman are two “yoopers” inducted into the Michigan Motorsports Hall of Fame. Iverson dominated racing during both the winged Modified and Late Model eras, while Coleman’s mark in racing has been made nationwide through his innovative racing parts business Coleman Machine.

Both the Iverson and Coleman racing families are covered extensively along with Mike and Kris Kelly, Mike Mattson, Allen Yelle and Bark River native Greg Ives, who packed his bags and left the comfortable family business to move to Charlotte to work as a crew chief for Hendrick Motorsports at NASCAR’s highest level.

For many years there were spirited rivalries with the Canadian and American drivers. Canadian standouts Hubie Brazeau and Mike Uhlman are just two of many drivers who are featured in Racing in the 906. More than 200 drivers (past and present) were interviewed for the book, along with track promoters who discussed in-depth their highs and lows in the sometimes crazy, and always challenging business of weekly short track racing.

Soft cover, 211 pages, 32 color & 27 B&W photos. 

The Number 43: The Life and Legacy
of Wild Bill Greco

by Sarah Greco

The Number 43 chronicles the triumphs and trials of Wild Bill Greco, a legendary Northeastern short-track stock car driver.

His success on the racetrack reveals much about his determination, drive, and desire to achieve success, but a look at the man behind the helmet and fire suit exposes a paradoxical figure who inspires and infuriates, embraces and battles, and ultimately, who steals the heart of all who truly get to know him.

Be prepared to have your heart stolen, too!

Soft cover, 140 pages, 55 color and B&W photos.