SPEEDtv.com Reviewed: “City of Speed: Los Angeles and the Rise of American Racing”
Written by: Gregg Leary Charlotte, NC – 6/14/2007

City of Speed? Many would say Indianapolis, Daytona or Detroit. Author Joe Scalzo casts his vote … and provides an interesting case for Los Angeles as the true epicenter of speed. (Sorry about the earthquake pun.)

“City of Speed” begins: Throughout the adrenaline-splashed century of roaring and careening race cars that’s just been put to sleep, racing’s one almighty city of speed was … the megalopolis of Los Angeles.”

Scalzo says, “This is the first book that shows the magnitude of L.A.’s influence. It started with west coast dominance of the Indy 500 in the 1920’s. Then we saw the first slingshot drag racers, the land speed records, the hot rodders and the sports car racers. Detroit was quick to see that if they wanted to win races they needed to get L.A. racers.”

The back dust jacket copy echoes Scalzo’s claim. “Los Angeles IS the City of Speed. L.A. and Southern California have offered up the fastest, bravest, craziest race drivers; ingenious, madman car builders; and ego-inflated promoters all setting the pace for American racing. Regardless of the venue-drag strip, Bonneville, road race course, Indianapolis, Supercross arena, dirt track, NASCAR oval- L.A. always had the hot driver, the demon tweak, or the unanticipated angle to leave the competition gasping to keep up.” Is your curiosity aroused?

One of Scalzo’s greatest gifts is his ability to find exceptional quotes. Here are a pair that poke fun at LA. (He is allowed to do that since he grew up there.)

“There are more morons collected in Los Angeles than in any place on earth.” H.L. Mencken

“We got earthquakes, rattlesnakes, milkshakes, heartbreaks, and everything that’s good.” Jack Sheldon

Other gems from the book:

“A race driver is just a mechanic with his brains blown out.” “Charlie” Daigh

“Bell helmets saved more heads than a psychiatrist.” Billy Wilkerson

“Sons of #######, when I lean on you, you’ll take it and like it.” Scotty Cain (Cain made Dale Earnhardt look like a Boy Scout.)

Scalzo’s keen wit is also
displayed in many of his 11 Chapter Titles:

Millermania
Pistonheads
Dung Beetles, Junkyard Hounds, Poisonous Vipers, Big Cucumbers, and Jumpin’ Jugheads
Battlegrounds
Battlers
Sugar Daddies
Salt Shakers
Artsy-Craftsy
Ballyhoo Merchants
$$$$$$$$
Schmoozin’ and Boozin”

Photo captions are difficult to write well. Scalzo is exceptional at it. Under a photograph of the 1928 Indy 500 winner, he writes: “With six toes on his throttle foot, and a chronometer for an ass, steady Louie Meyer won his first of three 500s in 1928. His name would later appear on the Miller engine block.”

Beneath a portrait of the 1922 Indy 500 winning car and driver: “Jimmy Murphy, whom the San Francisco earthquake had made an orphan, was already a hero-former holder of the Land Speed Record, first Yank to win a Europe Grand Prix-when he captured the 1922 Indianapolis sweepstakes in a Miller, the first big Miller score. Strangling Miller dominance of the Brickyard was at hand. Millers of various titles and guises won 6 of 10 500’s in the 1920s, 8 of 10 in the 1930s, 4 of 5 in the 1940s, 10 of 10 in the big cucumber 1950s, 5 of 10 in the 1960’s, and 5 of 10 in the 1970s.” Some captions merely mention who’s in the photograph. Bravo, Joe! Scalzo complements his captions with exceptional prose in the book itself.

“At first we were content merely to make the Indianapolis 500 the Los Angeles 500 and, for six decades, to joyfully and sadistically observe our products and men pound the Hoosiers like bongos. But inevitably we took command of the unenlightened racing hinterlands in general, plus both sides of the equator and many a distant backwater land at the other end of the world.” (Be careful not to choke on too much “tongue in cheek,” Joe.)

Profiled in “City of Speed” is a virtual “Who’s Who from the Left Coast” ranging from A-X...from J.C. Agajanian to Alex Xydias…and including Max Balchowsky, Keith Black, Craig Breedlove, Vic Edelbrock, Leo Goossen, Dan Gurney, Parnelli Jones, Frank Kurtis, Dave MacDonald, Harry Miller, Fred Offenhauser, Ed Pink, Dick Rathman, Troy Ruttman, Lance Reventlow, Carroll Shelby, Bill Stroppe, Mickey Thompson and many more.

“City of Speed” is indeed a great read. Joe Scalzo’s refreshing writing style earns four out of five lugnuts.

“City of Speed: Los Angeles and the Rise of American Racing” by Joe Scalzo is available now from the SPEED Book Store. Click the books icon to add it to your collection now or to browse other titles.

Gregg Leary is a Researcher/Writer for “Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain” and
Book Reviewer for SpeedTV.com.

Leary was track announcer for Hooter’s IHRA Drag Racing at National Events in the USA and Canada and entertained event crowds during “down time” by conducting “crowd participation” and product giveaways with the Hooter’s Girls. He was Marketing and PR Director and track announcer at Lake Erie Speedway.

As Photo Editor, feature writer, columnist and swimsuit calendar chief photographer for “Sports Jam Magazine,” Leary covered Auto Racing, Major League Baseball, the National Football League, and the National Basketball Association. He has photographed dozens of celebrities from A-Z…including Mario Andretti, Jim Brown, AJ Foyt, Ken Griffey Jr., Michael Jordan, Jay Leno, David Letterman, Mark McGwire, Paul Newman, Walter Payton, Alex Zanardi and Presidents Gerald Ford, George Bush and Bill Clinton. Gregg’s wife, Lynn and daughter, Caitlynn live in Jefferson, Ohio and his son, Sean is a student at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC.

Leary has conducted motivational seminars and performed stand up comedy around the country. He is a graduate of Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio and Exeter University in England. Gregg has hitchhiked 40,000 miles through 36 states and 10 European countries and is a licensed pilot and skydiver. Leary is available for motorsports consulting on a limited basis. Contact him via email at gleary@speedtv.com .