SAE So Cal The Race to Make Racing Safe

In the 1960s and 70s, tons of corporate money flooded into auto racing, creating mind-blowing tech that made cars crazy fast. But while speeds in F1, IndyCar, and NASCAR went through the roof, the tracks stayed incredibly dangerous. Because safety was totally ignored, nearly 1,400 drivers and fans died in just a ten-year stretch.

This book dives into the wild stories and tragic crashes from that era, showing how live TV brought these disasters right into people's living rooms. The main focus is on how a few brave visionaries, especially racer Jackie Stewart, finally said "enough is enough." They stepped up and basically invented modern racing safety, introducing life-saving gear like fire suits and full-face helmets that changed the sport forever.

The author, Preston Lerner, is a longtime journalist who has written for huge magazines like Wired and Sports Illustrated, and he's a massive racing fan and driver himself. He'll be breaking down all this history, and there's a really good chance he'll even bring a special guest racer or engineer with him to the talk!

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