‘Andretti’ Book a Big Winner Too

Three days to go before Christmas and it’s too late to buy your best racing friend a Porsche, or even a racing truck, for a gift. But it’s never too late for a racing book.

Bookstore shelves are full of racing biographies, coffee table books, record almanacs and nostalgia pieces, but two recent additions--one about Mario Andretti, the other about Rusty Wallace--have unusual formats that make them special.

“Andretti” is a 112-page volume full of pictures of Mario by famed sports photographer Walter Iooss Jr., taken during Andretti’s final season, as well as earlier pictures from his 30-year career.

Andretti wrote the captions and filled the space between photographs, giving an unusual insight into what it takes to be a champion driver, father of sons Michael and Jeff and catalyst for their racing careers. He also wrote of the devotion of his wife, DeeAnn, and the rest of his family--including pet pig Martini.

“A car is like an animal,” he wrote. “You can push and push until you do something that makes that animal start biting. But how do you know where that point is? The great search is to go as close as possible without falling over. To win, you have to ride right on the edge. That’s where champions are made. And that’s the difference between the great drivers and all others . . . in the end, the only thing that matters is winning. And for me, the reward always justified the risk.”

One of the remarkable things about “Andretti” (Collins Publishers, $50 hardcover, $25 paperback) is that the project wasn’t started until last April, when the final tour got under way, and was on the bookstands in late October.

“You thought I was racing all year,” Andretti said during a book-selling moment. “But when you couldn’t find me, I was busy writing all that stuff. I didn’t know how hard writing could be.”

“Rusty Wallace--Racer” (Aztec Corp., $49.95) is 128 pages that offer an intimate glimpse into the life of one of the Winston Cup’s most popular drivers. It also is richly illustrated, with color photos of Wallace with family, fans and friends, in the pits and on the track, taken by veteran stock photographer Kenny Kane.

Unlike Andretti, Wallace did not write his own text. It was done by Gerald Martin, longtime racing writer for the Raleigh, N. C., News and Observer.

A premier leather-bound and autographed edition is available for $295.

If reading is not your cup of tea, how about a racing video that is different?

“John Force: On the Edge,” is more that merely about going 300 m.p.h. in a drag racing funny car. It also takes a look inside the life of the most explosive personality in motor racing. The video shows what it takes to win five world championships, and what toll it takes on family and crew, as well as the driver himself.

It is available for $19.95 by calling 1-800-218-5588.

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Three months after suffering severe head injuries in a sprint car accident in Ohio, Page Jones will come home for a few hours Christmas Eve to celebrate the holidays with his parents, Parnelli and Judy, and his racing brother, P.J., at their home in Rolling Hills Estates.

Page, 22, is conscious and aware of his environment, but remains in the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program at the Daniel Freeman Hospital in Inglewood. He is unable to speak, but responds to commands while undergoing therapy, a family spokesman said.

Motor Racing Notes

INDY CARS--Car owner Dick Simon has announced a three-driver team for 1995, headed by Hiro Matsushita, a native of Japan living in San Clemente. Eliseo Salazar of Chile, winner of three World Sports Car races last year, will replace Raul Boesel in a second car and veteran Dean Hall of Squaw Valley, Calif., will return to racing after a four-year absence in the third car.

MOTORCYCLES--The U.S. round of the world road racing championship series, which has been held at Laguna Seca Raceway for six of the last seven years, is moving to Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis., next year. The USGP is scheduled for Aug. 6. . . . Laguna Seca officials are hoping to land a world Superbike championship race as a replacement.

MISCELLANY--Because of a lack of rider participation, the United Sports Arenacross programs at Speedway USA in Victorville have been canceled for the next two Saturdays. The season resumes Jan. 7.