Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

I just finished reading Doug Wolfgangs autobiography and it is one of the best books I've ever read. I highly recommend it.

I agree, I read the whole thing in one night.

Received my copy in the mail yesterday. I would have finished it last night but limited myself to 100 pages/9:00 p.m. bedtime so I could make it to work today. I'm sure I will finish with the book in the next couple of nights though. So far it's a very good read.

Tucson Osty

I got the book on Monday and finished it last night.... Great read!!! Very well done!

This is coming from a guy that hasn't read a book cover to cover in 15 years!!!

Long live the Wolf!

I totally agree its one of the best books ive read in quite a while.   I joked with Doug when I bought the book on Saturday of the Nat's and told him its the first book i've bought since college     It is so good to see Wolfie on top of his game once again and the book was a great read.   I felt like I was cramming for a test over it on Monday and finished it in less than a week.   Since my first race I remember which was somewhere around 1978 Doug Wolfgang was one of my heroes at Knoxville, looking back at my pictures growing up my football and baseball jerseys always ended up with a number 4, 20, 18, 8, 49 etc.   I  had a half siberian husky half  wolf  named Wolfgang  and countless big wheels and bicycles numbered like the Wolf.   Me and my Dad lived about 2 miles from Trostles famous shop   " the hill" and we would occasionally stop and see what they where working on and I remember just before Trostle moved his shop to west des moines  Doug and Bob built two brand new chasis for the Weikert team before the Nationals.  Damn I just wish he could jump back in a car and kick some ass  I miss seeing him drive.    

A neighboring camper at the Nationals was just talking about the Dawley & Larsen crash at Knoxville back in the late seventies, It's funny, Wolfies version was a lot different than what I heard at the campsight. Funny how much things get twisted around. I am only 1/2 way through it but it is very good so far.

Where can someone get one of these books?

www.daveargabright.com

There have been two distinct eras at Knoxville Raceway...B.W (before Wolfgang) and A.W. (after Wolfgang). I really don't think Knoxville Raceway would be what it is today without Wolfgang and race director Ray Grimes coming along when they did in the mid-70s.

Whether you like the Wolf or not, including what happened after his Kansas City crash, you certainly have to acknowledge his uniqeness and influence on the history of sprint car racing.

P.Ray Grimes is truly the inventor of the modern day Knoxville Nationals and its point system.

Really sad that a snowmobile accident and a brain annerysm took Ray from finishing what he started with the Nationals, he is great person.

Thank you Ray

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I got my copty and could not stop reading it !!! one the best books ever !!

Long Live  20 Time  World Of Outlaws Champion Steve 
Kinser #11 

The book was excellent, read over the course of 2 (late) weeknights, unfortunately, I never got to see Wolfie race, before or after the incident, but thankful he's still with us today.

those of you that have all of Dave's books - where would you rate the Wolfgang book? Is it the best read out there now, or does Earl, Doty, or Hewitt still take the cake?

Just curious - I have not had the opportunity to read the new Wolfie book yet

Guess I need to get the book and read it.  Maybe I will get back some of the respect I lost for Wolfgang after the way he and his lawyers handled the Lakeside incident.  Curious how it is handled in the book.  See if they finally divulge information they succeeded in keeping out of the court proceedings?  Being a "local," that deal hit a nerve.

He did make his mark in sprint car racing before that with his driving and fabrication abilities.

Amen to the Wolfgang/Grimes comment. The shame of it all is that P. Ray Grimes never gets any credit from the Knoxville Raceway or Fairboard for what he did for Knoxville!!! Everything is always talk about Marion Robinson or Cappy and not to take anything away from either of them but Ray Grimes did more for Knoxville in his short tenure than anybody ever has. He just doesn't get any recognition for it.

Not afraid to sign my name: Wayne Redmond

The book was awesome. For once I agree with Katich on the before and after era's. Sprint Car racing changed forever in 1992. I supported Wolfie 100% before, during, and after the wreck at Lakeside. It's nice to have the facts out in the open and documented now. But you can ask anyone who was there on April 3, 1992 and they will tell you it was not right what happend that day. The man is lucky to be alive considering. And since reading the book I have lost respect for several members of the media (Dick Bergren especially) who were so critical of Wolfie filing the lawsuit, but never once reported anything from the mouths of a family member, car owner, a lawyer, and none of them showed up at the trial.

I've only read 5 books in the last 12 years since I got out of college and 3 of them are part of the Dave Argabright series. If you haven't read the Doty or Hewitt books, I highly recommend them, if you can find them.

Eric Arnold
Social Media Manager & Track Historian
Knoxville Raceway

I agree that things were not right at Lakeside when Wolfgang crashed rescue wise but if "certain" safety items had been addressed by Wolgang himself, we might not be having this converstation. IE: Free available head nets, plastic steering wheel releases, adequately secured fuel line, etc. Things that were not allowed to be brought up in the trial for some reason?????

I respect the man for his driving ability and racing record but that trial was a joke. And what was that we all heard about "for the good of sprint car safety?" Did I miss something? I can see where the out come of that trial had a HUGE impact of sprint car safety. NOT!

Openwheel.... Obviously you have a biased opinion. Local racer from I-70 and Lakeside and maybe you have friends involved in the lawsuit. Not that I'm unbiased totally being a life long Wolfie fan. But it's no fault of Wolfie's that certain racing organizations and racetracks haven't taken the steps toward better safety staff and equipment. It's not like anyone is keeping score of the tracks or organizations that have made changes in the last 15 years either. There's no way to measure the effect it's had.

Eric Arnold
Social Media Manager & Track Historian
Knoxville Raceway

Read the book OW, it might not change your mind about what happened but at least you will be informed as to WHY it happened, what Doug had hoped to accomplish with the lawsuit and how he feels about it now, 15+ years later.