Jack Arute's Tales from the Indy 500 [Hardcover]

Jack Arute (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2004

Jack Arute was a fresh-faced 18-year-old just out of high school when he made his first trip to The Indianapolis Motor Speedway. As a graduation present from his father, the two set out for the 1969 Indy 500. When he walked through the gates, it was everything he thought it would be: Gasoline Alley in front of him. The "Yellow Shirts" blaring on their whistles to clear the way for the drivers passing through. He soaked it all in that day and took a hundred pictures. Arute realized that day just how special Indy was and how he wanted to somehow be a part of it. Arute eventually made that dream come true through his job as pit reporter for ABC Sports. From his initial fear of approaching A.J. Foyt in the garage as a cub reporter to waiting out Gil de Ferran's tears after he won the 87th running of the Indy 500, ``Jackie'' has seen it all.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Jack Arute was a fresh-faced 18-year-old just out of high school when he made his first trip to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. As a graduation present from his father, the two set out for the 1969 Indy 500.

When he walked through the gates, it was everything he thought it would be: Gasoline Alley in front of him. The yellow shirts blaring on their whistles to clear the way for the drivers passing through. He soaked it all in that day and took a hundred pictures. Arute realized that day

just how special Indy was and how he wanted to somehow be a part of it.

Arute eventually made that dream come true through his job as pit reporter for ABC Sports. From his initial fear of approaching A.J. Foyt in the garage as a cub reporter to waiting out Gil de Ferran’s tears after he won the 87th running of the Indy 500, "Jackie" has seen it all. Jack Arute’s Tales from The Indianapolis 500 chronicles the amazing moments, dramatic finishes, and high emotion of The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

About the Author

Jack Arute is ABC Television NetworkÂ’s top pit reporter and has covered motorsports for ABC since 1984. He has also covered, Winston Cup, Formula One, CART, IROC Grand Prix Motorcycles, and Indy cars as a reporter. Arute, a five-time recipient of the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association Award for Television, including AARWBAÂ’s 2002 award for Best Radio and Best Television Presentation, has also been cited for his TV work by the National Motorsports Press Association and received their Broadcaster of the Year award in 1988. In his spare time he competes in sprint car races, as well as serving as president of his familyÂ’s NASCAR racetrack, the Stafford Motor Speedway. He is married to Wendy and they live in Suffied, Connecticut.

Jenna Fryer currently resides in Charlotte, North Carolina. She knew as a teenager she wanted to write about sports and got her chance as a journalism major at West Virginia University, where she covered the Mountaineers football team for the student newspaper. Since graduating in 1996, she has covered a range of sports, from Southeastern Conference football in the deep South to the high speeds of NASCAR. She attended her first Indy 500 in 2003.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 173 pages
• Publisher: Sports Publishing LLC (April 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582617279
• ISBN-13: 978-1582617275
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,709,477 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars ABC pit reporter Jack Arute shares some stories from the modern era of the Indy 500, May 2, 2008

By 

DWD "DWD's Reviews" (Indianapolis, IN) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Jack Arute's Tales from the Indy 500 (Hardcover)

Jack Arute's first Indy 500 was in 1969 as an 18-year-old spectator. His family owns a track in the Northeast and racing is in his blood. His dad passed down a love for the Indy 500 in particular.

Arute only tells stories from 1969 to the present (2004 in the hardback version). Nothing too complicated and a real fun read, especially if you want to re-live some of the more exciting, interesting and sad moments from the last 35 years or so.

I'd recommend the paperback version over the hardback since it has been expanded to include the 2005 race - the race where Danica Patrick became a household name.

This is a quick read - I finished it in just one evening, but to be fair, I did read into the wee hours of the morning because the stories were that much fun.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fast Read with Lots of Good Anecdotes, June 7, 2007

By 

Mark Parkins (Kansas City) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jack Arute's Tales from the Indy 500 (Hardcover)

I was expecting a more in depth book about the tales of the IMS. Jack writes about his personal experiences and gives them to you in a short, quick to the point, format. While I would've preferred more historical stories from the 50's and 60's, the book keeps to the more modern age that Arute has reported.

The book is a fast read and can be finished in 1-2 days. If you like Indy, it's a good book.