“The Sands of Time”
By Bill Lazarus
Review by Gregg Leary

Race fans who plan to attend the 2008 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona…or watch it on television… may wish to pick up a copy of “The Sands of Time: 100 Years of Racing at Daytona” to be amazed at the racing heritage and tradition that has graced Daytona for more than a century. The 2008 Rolex 24 and the 50th Daytona 500 are only the latest chapters in a saga that is now in its eleventh decade. Cars were flying on the sands of Ormond and Daytona beaches months before the Wright Brothers were flying a powered aircraft above the sands of Kitty Hawk. The first “Speedweeks” actually began in 1903. “The Sands of Time” by Bill Lazarus tells the tale.
Bill France Junior describes in the foreword why his father, “Big Bill” France chose to settle in Daytona… saw Sir Malcolm Campbell set the last land speed record at Daytona at nearly 277MPH in 1935…helped promote the city’s first stock car race in 1936…founded NASCAR in 1947… and built Daytona International Speedway in 1959.
France writes, “This is the story of how one small community became the center of a major sport. It starts with the simple promotion for a hotel and a few wealthy owners showing off their cars. A century later, this little community remains the byword for speed, courage and skill.”
“The Sands of Time” divides its 192 pages into 12 Chapters that cover the years 1903-2003. Dozens of photographs from Motorsports Images and Archives, the largest single collection of race photography in the world, help illustrate the fascinating story. The bonus DVD includes nearly an hour of rarely seen images and illuminating commentary. Talk about added value!
“The Sands of Time” chronicles a “who’s who” of famous people who raced on the famous beach or at the Daytona International Speedway. A partial list includes:
R.E. Olds, who said to Alexander Winton: “You have no idea what a thrill it is out there. Do you know what it feels like to go 50 miles an hour?”
Alexander Winton piloted his Bullet to a win in the 1903 trials. Ormond/Daytona was nicknamed “The Birthplace of Speed.”
Fred Marriott drove his Stanley Steamer to a record 127.57 MPH in 1906. 

Barney Oldfield, a quote machine, who said…after topping 60 MPH in 1903: “You have the sensation of being hurtled through space. The machine is throbbing under you with its cylinders beating a drummer’s tattoo, and the air tears past you in a gale. No man can drive faster and live.” Later when he more than doubled that speed, he exclaimed… “It gave the sensation of riding a rocket through space. A speed of 131 miles per hour is near to the absolute limit of speed as humanity will ever travel.” Sir Malcolm Campbell drove more than TWICE that fast on Daytona Beach in 1935.
Ralph DePalma, who derided Oldfield as “the cigar chewer,” insisted that he and his mechanics “could never appear in public except in spotless attire.” He ran 149.87 MPH at Daytona in 1919.
Henry Segrave was the first to break 200MPH at Daytona, (203.79 MPH in 1927) and the first to wear a crash helmet.
Malcolm Campbell: The tires on his Bluebird only lasted for 7 minutes. He set the all time land speed record at Daytona of 276.82 MPH in 1935. “Big Bill” France witnessed the record. When Campbell left the beach for the Bonneville Salt Flats to conquer the 300MPH barrier, Bill France felt promoting a stock car race in 1936 would keep Daytona on the racing map. How right he was! France later bought Campbell’s Bluebird and has it displayed in Daytona USA. Milt Marion won the first stock car race on the beach in 1936.
Ed Kretz won the 1937 Daytona 200 Motorcycle race on an Indian ("Marl" was used to help eliminate the ruts in the turns and was used in future stock car races on the beach as well.)
Paul Goldsmith won the 1953 Daytona 200 motorcycle race on a Harley and the 1958 NASCAR Beach/Road race in a stock car...the last NASCAR stock car race on the beach.
Lee Petty won the 1959 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.
Chapters 9-12 document the Daytona 500 from 1959-2003.
“The Sands of Time” with Bonus DVD is an excellent bargain. Few books are able to tackle more than a century of motorsports between their covers. This one does a fine job and rates four out of five lug nuts.
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.