About this ebook
In the early 1960s, Tommy Ivo had the world in the palm of his hands. Still a young man, he was already a star of television and film with a promising Hollywood future ahead of him. Then his producers told him he had to quit drag racing. He quit the entertainment industry instead.
This is the official story of Ivo’s incredible life and racing career. Readers will follow “TV” Tommy as he becomes the most ambitious drag racer in the nation, building his own cars in the garage behind his Burbank home; becoming the first driver to pilot his dragsters to 170, 175, and 180 miles per hour and towing his cars to match races at small-town drag strips across the United States.
Always the showman, Ivo pioneered promotional techniques that are today taken for granted. In this regard especially, his impact on the sport cannot be understated, and his legacy is detailed in this incredible bio of one of drag racing’s most irrepressible characters.
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About the author
Tom Cotter had long been involved in nearly every facet of the automotive and racing industries before writing his first book. From mechanic and auto salesman to heading the public relations department at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Cotter formed his own racing and automotive PR and marketing agency, Cotter Group. The agency represented some of the largest clients in NASCAR, IndyCar/CART, drag racing, and road racing. He has written biographies of the legendary Holman-Moody race team, Tommy Ivo and Dean Jeffries, but is best known for his series of barn find books, such as Cobra in the Barn, 50 Shades of Rust and Barn Find Road Trip. Cotter appears in the Barn Find Hunter video series, which is distributed by Hagerty. He teaches public relations at Belmont Abbey College, sits on the advisory board of McPherson College’s Auto Restoration program, and is a member of the Road Racing Driver’s Club (RRDC.) He lives in Davidson, North Carolina.
Tom Cotter writes regularly for Road & Track and is the author of MotorbooksÆ acclaimed "automotive rescue" franchise, which includes The Cobra in the Barn (winner of a 2006 International Automotive Media Award) and its follow-ups, The Hemi in the Barn, The Vincent in the Barn, and The Corvette in the Barn. Tom also authored MotorbooksÆ biography of car builder extraordinaire Dean Jeffries. He lives in Davidson, North Carolina.Don "The Snake" Prudhomme is one of the most legendary names in drag racing, logging 32 seasons behind the wheel as one of the sportÆs elite drivers. Beginning in 1962, he logged 49 career victories and won 389 of 5,989 competition rounds. He lives in Rancho Santa Fe, California. www.tommyivo.com
