The Sands of Time: A Century of Racing in Daytona Beach [Audiobook] [Hardcover]

William P Lazarus (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2004

The Sands of Time takes readers on a wild ride through the century of action, from the first makeshift race in 1903 to the incredible panorama of the 2003 Daytona 500. Each aspect of the story is accented with colorful anecdotes, featuring the cultured drivers of the early 1900s, jauntily racing against the clock in immaculate uniforms and scarves waving in the breeze, to the roughnecks from the Southern woods, who found themselves in jail as often as Victory Lane, to today's famous athletes who dare the famed high banks at speeds close to 200 mph. Each chapter also includes additional details on such topics as women drivers, sponsors and prize money, as well as origin of race flags, development of tires and the sites of forgotten tracks. The book is extensively illustrated with rarely seen photos drawn from ISC Publications Archives, the largest single collection of race photos in the world. The account is centered in Daytona Beach, a small Florida community that hosted the first race in 1903 and has come to embody motorsports in this country. Virtually every prominent driver in the past raced on its hard-packed sand. Today, historic Daytona International Speedway remains "The World Center of Racing." Written for a general audience, The Sands of Time brings to life an entire era, filled with colorful personalities and exciting on-track events that help explain why racing is now the largest spectator sport in America.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

The Sands of Time takes readers on a wild ride through a century of action, from the first makeshift race in 1903 to the incredible panorama of the 2003 Daytona 500. Each aspect of the story is accented with colorful anecdotes, featuring the cultured drivers of the early 1900s, jauntily racing against the clock in immaculate uniforms and scarves waving in the breeze, to the roughnecks from the Southern woods, who found themselves in jail as often as Victory Lane, to today's famous athletes who dare the famed high banks at speeds close to 200 mph. Each chapter includes additional details on such topics as women drivers, sponsors and prize money, as well as the origin of race flags, development of tires and the sites of forgotten tracks.

The book is extensively illustrated with rarely seen photos drawn from Motorsports

Images & Archives, the largest single collection of race photography in the world. The account is centered in Daytona Beach, a small Florida community that hosted the first race in 1903 and has come to embody motorsports in this country. Virtually every prominent driver in the past raced on its hard-packed sand.

Today, historic Daytona International Speedway remains "The World Center of Racing." Written for a general audience, The Sands of Time brings to life an entire era, filled with colorful personalities and exciting on-track events that help explain why racing is now the largest spectator sport in America.

About the Author

A veteran newspaper and magazine editor/writer, Bill Lazarus has served as editorial manager for ISC Publications since 1998. He writes and edits the magazine-like programs for races at ISC-owned race tracks around the country. In 2002, one of his stories and a program won top awards from International Automotive Media.A graduate of Kent State (Ohio) University with a B.A. and M.A. in journalism, Bill served as business editor for the Daytona Beach (Florida) News-Journal, editor of Halifax (Florida) Magazine and taught writing at various schools, including Embry-Riddle (Florida) Aeronautical University.His magazine articles have appeared in a variety of publications. In addition, his poetry and short stories appear in various collections. A native of Maine, Bill has also written seven books on religious history. He and his wife live in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 189 pages
• Publisher: Sports Publishing LLC; Har/DVD edition (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582617848
• ISBN-13: 978-1582617848
• Product Dimensions: 12.4 x 9.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,578,002 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome book!!, February 17, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Sands of Time: A Century of Racing in Daytona Beach (Hardcover)

Being a huge fan of racing I have read many books that deal primarily with NASCAR. Most of them can't even get close to this book. Not only is it interesting to me as a racing fan it is also full of historical information that I have never seen compiled in one place before. The side bars are both interesting and informative, if you have the slightest interest in the "birth of speed" I suggest you read this!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a great book, February 17, 2004

By 

Kelley Brown (Tempe, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Sands of Time: A Century of Racing in Daytona Beach (Hardcover)

I bought The Sands of Time at a book signing with Geoffrey Bodine in Daytona. I really just wanted to meet Geoff and didn't know anything about the book. But it turned out to be great! I really enjoyed all the photos from the early 1900s. (There is sand flying everywhere and the grooves around the corners are so deep. And some guys complain about track conditions today!)

But this is not a book that you'll merely flip through to look at its pictures. I started reading and did not want to stop. I've been a NASCAR fan for a few years now but have never really thought about its history..and didn't even know I cared till I read this book. I have a greater appreciation now of why Daytona and racing are so popular. Coincidently I read most of the book while sitting in 500 traffic on Sunday!

I recommend Sands of Time to any race fan. Not only because it covers a subject you love, but because I think it will make you love it even more.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Especially for anyone who enjoys Daytona racing, March 7, 2004

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Sands of Time: A Century of Racing in Daytona Beach (Hardcover)

Officially licensed by NASCAR, The Sands Of Time: Celebrating 100 Years Of Racing At Daytona by journalist and sports writer Bill Lazarus is the rip-roaring multimedia combination of a splendidly photographed, coffee-table book with an informed and informative text recounting the history of the Daytona 500 automobile race from 1903 to 2003, and enhanced with an exclusive, 60-minute companion DVD of rare Daytona footage. The informative history is brought to life with pictures ranging from rare and vintage black-and-white photographs to dazzling color pictures of exciting races in progress. An excellent gift book especially for anyone who enjoys Daytona racing.