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
