More than a decade ago, motorsports safety pioneer Bill Simpson published “Racing Safely, Living Dangerously,” intended to be both a memoir of sorts and a guided tour into the topsy-turvy world of big-time automobile racing. The book, which drew widespread acclaim, chronicled Simpson’s race-driving career – from the streets and drag strips of Southern California all the way to the Indianapolis 500 – and took readers along for a raucous ride as both the author and his beloved sport matured. Well, sort of.
That book was meant to cap a wonderful career, but it turned out the Bill Simpson story was still unfolding. “Through the Fire,” the recently-released sequel, tracks Simpson’s tumultuous journey since 2001, from the death of his friend Dale Earnhardt and the emotional storm that resulted, to his battles with sanctioning bodies and various governing groups, to his thoughts on racing’s old-school heroes and the new-school kids still on their way up the ladder.
And, as those who know Simpson might expect, from time to time a good old-fashioned race party breaks out on the book’s pages, and the readers are invited to pour a drink and pull up a chair.
In “Through the Fire,” Bill Simpson pulls no punches. In fact, he throws a few. It’s a must-read book for anyone interest in American motorsports.