"Wall Smacker" Warms Cold Winter Days

The only good thing about the never-ending snow, cold and generally miserable weather is that it allows me the opportunity to catch up on my motorsports reading.

Which brings me to “Wall Smacker,” the autobiography of 1925 Indianapolis 500 winner Peter DePaolo.

It’s a bit humbling to hold in your hands a book that is nearly 80 years old  - and in very good shape at that. I wonder how, why and where the original owner got it, and how many hands it has passed through before I was fortunate to find it.

I developed a certain fondness and appreciation for DePaolo as a 7-year-old after attending the 1975 Indianapolis 500 with my family. This was my first “official” 500 – I did attend the third day of the ill-fated 1973 event, but we left after Swede Savage had his horrible crash basically right in front of us.

The 1975 event marked the 50^th anniversary of DePaolo’s win, so he took a ceremonial lap before the race. I also have memories of him being interviewed before the race, on Pole Day and on TV programs.

DePaolo also was the grand marshal of the parade that year. During each interview he was friendly and of course eager to recount his Indianapolis triumph.

As a side note, in a way we all may owe DePaolo a thanks - in a roundabout way - for establishing Jim Nabors as the yearly singer of “Back Home Again in Indiana.”

DePaolo belted out the song that means so much to fans on race day in 1971. How did he do? Well, accounts indicate that as a singer DePaolo was a great race car driver. The next year, Nabors took over and pretty much has had the job since.

Back to “Wall Smacker,” which was the unfortunate nickname DePaolo earned, along with “Pileup Pete,” as he learned his craft. It’s an engaging, interesting read, full of tidbits of information that demonstrate how much racing has changed over the many decades – and how much remains the same.

For one thing, DePaolo developed quite a bit of mechanical knowledge as the riding mechanic for several years for his uncle, Ralph DePalma, winner of the 1915 500.

A.J. Foyt was probably the last driver who could actually work on his car; today’s rules mean that basically only the engineers and technicians from the respective manufacturers can touch the engine.

In DePaolo’s case, he often took an active hand in getting his machine prepped for races, sometimes working long into the night and morning before driving the next day.

DePaolo’s tale also includes traveling by boat to compete in Europe, racing in places like Charlotte, N.C., long before NASCAR was even a dream, running on the steeply banked board tracks and terrible crashes where drivers were thrown from their cars.

A glimpse at how the Speedway was managed under Eddie Rickenbacker, who owned the track before Tony Hulman bought it in 1945, also is offered.

People won’t be reading from iPads and Kindles 80 years from now – some other even more portable, more convenient piece of technology will do the job.

Still there’s no substitute for a good book, sitting on the shelf, waiting patiently to be discovered and appreciated by a new audience.