Blood and Smoke: A True Tale of Mystery, Mayhem, and the Birth of the Indy 500

Written by Charles Leerhsen

Narrated by Rob Shapiro

Hear the heart-pounding, engine-revving true story of the first Indy 500—America’s most celebrated automobile race.

In 1911, thousands of spectators gathered at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to watch 40 cars compete in the first annual Indianapolis 500-Mile Race. Better known as the Indy 500, the event was a celebration of the controversial new sport of automobile racing.

Dangerous and deadly, auto racing was drawing attention from across the country with its thrilling premise: No windshields, no helmets, no seatbelts–just speed. Fans would flock to race tracks to watch gutsy young men go up to 75 miles per hour in open cockpits.

But with fame came complications. Seven people were killed when the Indianapolis Motor Speedway first opened. Racers’ wives became widows in the blink of an eye. Drivers encountered exploding tires, bursts of smoke, oily surfaces and pieces of asphalt flying at their faces—not to mention the wrenches and bolts thrown by unruly opponents gunning for the lead. And, while Marmon Wasp driver Ray Harroun was officially declared the winner of the first Indy 500, the decision is disputed to this day by fans and officials of the sport.

Listen to Blood and Smoke and go back to when America was first falling in love with automobile racing. Take the driver’s seat on this audio-venture and experience the early days of the Indy 500, the controversies that shaped this iconic race, and the young drivers who risked everything for fame, fortune, and first place.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Jul 14, 2020
• ISBN: 9781713501800

Charles Leerhsen

Charles Leerhsen is a former executive editor at Sports Illustrated. He has written for Rolling Stone, Esquire, and The New York Times. His books include Ty Cobb: A Terrible Beauty; Crazy Good: The Story of Dan Patch, the Most Famous Horse in America; Blood and Smoke: A True Tale of Mystery, Mayhem, and the Birth of the Indy 500; and Butch Cassidy: The True Story of an American Outlaw. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Sarah Saffian. Visit him at Leerhsen.com.

Reviews for Blood and Smoke

[jztemple · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Leerhsen is the author of Crazy Good, about Dan Patch the champion pacer. It was a thoughtful, well told story. Sadly, Leerhsen abandoned the most straightforward narrative style he used in Crazy Good and in this book he has changed to a sarcastic, at times snarky tone. His style is distracting and at times actually annoying and I only completed the book because I was truly interested in the subject. I read it all the way through in spite of the author's style. I recommend you avoid this book.

[shrike58 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

While it's not exactly a revelation that there are doubts over whether Ray Harroun was actually the winner of the first Indy 500 (only the first of a number of dubious final results), Leershen does a fine job of demonstrating just what a total mess the result was. The irony is that Harroun may well have been the winner, but the way the race organizers hurried to anoint the man who was their preferred favorite was remarkably seedy. The dubious nature of the enterprise and men behind it (most notably entrepreneur Carl Graham Fisher) is actually the main topic of this book, that and the veritable miracle of how that chaotic day in 1911 transmuted BS into glory and tradition. Again, that Leershen pulls no punches is a particular part of the charm of this book.