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Hello, I'm Paul Page: It's Race Day in Indianapolis
Live from the broadcast booth, Paul Page captured the excitement of 27 Indy 500 races, first as the Voice of the Indy 500 for the radio broadcast and then as chief announcer for the ABC telecast. From his first race as a pit reporter to his semi-retirement in 2016, generations of fans have witnessed the Greatest Spectacle in Racing as told by Paul Page. In a life uniquely shaped by the Indy 500, Page fell in love with racing and the Speedway as a teenager, and it became his obsession. After receiving his first press pass in 1965, Page became a fixture in Gasoline Alley, and a trusted friend and confidante to generations of drivers, mechanics and owners. His rise to fame followed a relentless pursuit of his dream, overcoming many obstacles along the dropping out of college, the suicide of his mentor, and recovering from a harrowing helicopter crash. No matter the setback, he used every opportunity to learn the trade of broadcast journalism and the sport of motor racing. In a career that spanned ABC, NBC, CBS, and ESPN, Page wore a headset for every imaginable race and from Indy cars to drag racers, from the Olympics to the America s Cup, and from the X-Games to Nathan s Hot Dog Eating Contest. Page weaves the history, tradition, and lore of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as he traces across six decades. He introduces the great personalities of the Speedway with many candid moments. He tells great stories from broadcast booths around the world, and slices of life as a young reporter in Indianapolis.
282 pages, Hardcover
Published May 1, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 11, 2025
One of the greatest voices that I always cherished to hear on the IMS radio network and loved when he called races on TV.
May 25, 2022
When I was a kid I wanted to be Paul Page. How's that for a start?
It's (mostly) true. I was 16 when I went to my first 500, and I didn't even have to get inside the track to be bitten by the bug:walking on west 20th from where we'd parked our car on someone's front lawn...another new experience. Hiring a kid with a Radio Flyer wagon to tote our cooler to the gate. Seeing this enormous complex and asking my Dad what that big factory was...and having him tell me, that's no factory, that's the track...look up on top, those are the TV people...
...well. Baseball, the only sport I'd ever had any love for, faded into almost total insignificance. Racing was it from that moment on, and while that 1978 500 wasn't exactly what anyone could call a classic, it will forever be etched into my mind.
This rather extended preamble is set here because this was pretty much how Paul Page started. His Dad took him to the track, and he was captured by the spectacle of it all. Indy can be that way, you see. And I got to know Paul over the next several years, as radio was THE WAY to follow Indy live...back then, the race wasn't televised. You listened to it on the radio, and it was later broadcast "tape-delayed". Paul and his turn announcers (trained by the original Master Sid Collins) painted the pictures far better than the TV did anyway, and it's been my means of following the race ever since.
Page does not pull any punches in his story. From the untimely loss of Sid to Paul's helicopter crash and subsequent recovery, to the inevitable tragedies at the track, nothing is left out. At times it is unpleasant reading, but it is NECESSARY reading. Page is, in the end, a reporter, and a damned fine one at that. We get the high points and the low, and because he was at his peak when IndyCar was not, we get to see how, as perhaps the ultimate insider, he had to deal with the forces that tore racing asunder. It is all handled rather diplomatically, as is to be expected from a guy who obviously (and rightfully) still has great affection for the Hulman-George family.
And me? I never quite became Paul Page, but I did play go-fer for several karting and late model teams, then move into timing and scoring at several race tracks, and then--ta-dah!--into the announcing booths at those tracks. I don't mind telling you, I borrowed more than a few Page-isms...sprinkling frequent uses of the exclamation, "WHOA!" into my patter. I had a wonderful time, and for many many years never had to buy a single ticket, instead, I was PAID to watch races. Joy!
Anyway. I received this book as a Christmas present. I saved it for the month of May for what should be obvious reasons, and I'm glad I did. It's definitely a keeper, and will take its place next to my set of Indy 500 Yearbooks as essential reading leading up the The Greatest Spectacle In Racing...which is, as I write this, just four days away. Thank you, Mr Page, for sharing yourself and your memories so freely. We really, really needed this.
It's (mostly) true. I was 16 when I went to my first 500, and I didn't even have to get inside the track to be bitten by the bug:walking on west 20th from where we'd parked our car on someone's front lawn...another new experience. Hiring a kid with a Radio Flyer wagon to tote our cooler to the gate. Seeing this enormous complex and asking my Dad what that big factory was...and having him tell me, that's no factory, that's the track...look up on top, those are the TV people...
...well. Baseball, the only sport I'd ever had any love for, faded into almost total insignificance. Racing was it from that moment on, and while that 1978 500 wasn't exactly what anyone could call a classic, it will forever be etched into my mind.
This rather extended preamble is set here because this was pretty much how Paul Page started. His Dad took him to the track, and he was captured by the spectacle of it all. Indy can be that way, you see. And I got to know Paul over the next several years, as radio was THE WAY to follow Indy live...back then, the race wasn't televised. You listened to it on the radio, and it was later broadcast "tape-delayed". Paul and his turn announcers (trained by the original Master Sid Collins) painted the pictures far better than the TV did anyway, and it's been my means of following the race ever since.
Page does not pull any punches in his story. From the untimely loss of Sid to Paul's helicopter crash and subsequent recovery, to the inevitable tragedies at the track, nothing is left out. At times it is unpleasant reading, but it is NECESSARY reading. Page is, in the end, a reporter, and a damned fine one at that. We get the high points and the low, and because he was at his peak when IndyCar was not, we get to see how, as perhaps the ultimate insider, he had to deal with the forces that tore racing asunder. It is all handled rather diplomatically, as is to be expected from a guy who obviously (and rightfully) still has great affection for the Hulman-George family.
And me? I never quite became Paul Page, but I did play go-fer for several karting and late model teams, then move into timing and scoring at several race tracks, and then--ta-dah!--into the announcing booths at those tracks. I don't mind telling you, I borrowed more than a few Page-isms...sprinkling frequent uses of the exclamation, "WHOA!" into my patter. I had a wonderful time, and for many many years never had to buy a single ticket, instead, I was PAID to watch races. Joy!
Anyway. I received this book as a Christmas present. I saved it for the month of May for what should be obvious reasons, and I'm glad I did. It's definitely a keeper, and will take its place next to my set of Indy 500 Yearbooks as essential reading leading up the The Greatest Spectacle In Racing...which is, as I write this, just four days away. Thank you, Mr Page, for sharing yourself and your memories so freely. We really, really needed this.
August 27, 2021
I remember watching the INDY 500 as a kid and really getting into the series when Michael Andretti got started in Champ Car. I can still here the voice of Paul Page. This was a great read about the history of mostly open wheel racing with a real focus on the races at the Indy 500. There are lots of information to learn about. Definitely also brought back many memories.
Did you know that for a period of time in the early days of the race that single seater cars were banned.
As anyone knows that watches racing on a regular basis that the sport has always been a dangerous sport and more so in the 50's, 60's and 70's where it was estimated that 7 percent of the drivers died every year. It is no wonder that there were many accidents when they had no speed limits going through the pits. The drivers were not the only ones with an occasional safety worker suffering a fatal accident also. Good thing over the years there have been many safety rules instituted. They would load a bus up with the press and drive out to the accident spot so the press could make their reports.
If you have followed racing and or this series you may notice this is definitely a family affair with many brothers an occasional father and son and there was even a husband and wife that ran a team that would argue over when to have the driver pit.
It was interesting to read how many even in the heat of competition treated this as a brotherhood with one or two even stopping in the middle of a race to help a fellow driver. Also funny to read about how
these drivers actions and the various pranks they played on each other. Supposedly there is an industry wide policy that prevented motorsport athletes from renting cars.
And with all of this you follow along as Paul Page makes his way through the racing industry first reporting by radio and eventually on TV. This is a great read and I would rate it 4 1/2 stars
Did you know that for a period of time in the early days of the race that single seater cars were banned.
As anyone knows that watches racing on a regular basis that the sport has always been a dangerous sport and more so in the 50's, 60's and 70's where it was estimated that 7 percent of the drivers died every year. It is no wonder that there were many accidents when they had no speed limits going through the pits. The drivers were not the only ones with an occasional safety worker suffering a fatal accident also. Good thing over the years there have been many safety rules instituted. They would load a bus up with the press and drive out to the accident spot so the press could make their reports.
If you have followed racing and or this series you may notice this is definitely a family affair with many brothers an occasional father and son and there was even a husband and wife that ran a team that would argue over when to have the driver pit.
It was interesting to read how many even in the heat of competition treated this as a brotherhood with one or two even stopping in the middle of a race to help a fellow driver. Also funny to read about how
these drivers actions and the various pranks they played on each other. Supposedly there is an industry wide policy that prevented motorsport athletes from renting cars.
And with all of this you follow along as Paul Page makes his way through the racing industry first reporting by radio and eventually on TV. This is a great read and I would rate it 4 1/2 stars
November 2, 2021
Paul Page, a longtime radio and television voice of open-wheel racing in the United States, has crafted a highly entertaining memoir that is also an entry-level course in the history of the Indianapolis 500 and the racing series of which it has been a part. Readers looking for a kiss-and-tell biography will be disappointed — Page makes clear from the opening paragraphs that he built his career in part on discretion and isn’t about burn the sources who took him into their confidence — but there’s plenty here to satisfy even the most knowledgeable racing fan. Page had a Gumplike knack for being present for many of the seminal moments in racing history over the past 50 years, and he traces his own experiences against the backdrop of those stirring — and often tragic — events.
January 1, 2024
Insight from the commentary box. A deeply personal account of theIndy 500 (and many other 'lives') from a voice of many generations of race fans. Some very raw accounts of tragedies at the Speedway - and also personally. Still though some great laughs and while it does have a tinge of sports books - what happened on lap x in year y is accompanied by a story. I was able to visualise and recall many moments as Paul recounted them, then added a back story. An incredible behind the scenes insight to broadcasting as well that will assist media types as much as racefans alike. Read it basically in 2.5 sessions!
August 8, 2024
Page is an award-winning journalist, so it's no surprise that this book is filled with compelling stories.
For me, the stories I enjoyed the most are those related to the Indianapolis 500 and Indy car racing. Page was the "Voice of the 500" for years, as well as the television announcer for the CART series and other races. Other sports too!
A surprise in this book was all the other cool stuff Page has done over his remarkable career. His inside stories made this a very enjoyable book for me.
For me, the stories I enjoyed the most are those related to the Indianapolis 500 and Indy car racing. Page was the "Voice of the 500" for years, as well as the television announcer for the CART series and other races. Other sports too!
A surprise in this book was all the other cool stuff Page has done over his remarkable career. His inside stories made this a very enjoyable book for me.
July 2, 2021
Having known Paul from Indiana Masonic events, I had no idea how storied a career he's had. I don't get much into auto racing any more.....when you live in Fort Wayne off Jefferson that's enough racing for someone my age....but the background of his life is what truly interested me. It's so much fun to read a book when you know the author! Great work, Paul!!
December 9, 2023
Really enjoyed this, for some reason I was expecting lots of facts, stats and short stories from the Brickyard. However there is plenty about Page's life and career, with plenty that I had absolutely no idea about. Very enjoyable, recommended for motor racing fans.
February 7, 2022
My favorite racing book yet
A quick yet thorough read. The words transform into his voice. I would love to have a conversation with Paul.
A quick yet thorough read. The words transform into his voice. I would love to have a conversation with Paul.
April 8, 2022
Good first-hand POV few think about
May 21, 2022
Brilliant! Immensely entertaining memoirs from one of the iconic Indianapolis 500 voices. If you're an IndyCar fan, you'll love this.
September 6, 2021
Weak effort. He should have used Sid Collins advice for radio announcing. Paint a picture using highly descriptive prose. Stories are superficial and lack depth. I think the author was more interested in not exposing his sources or outing his friends than writing an interesting book. He should have reduced the number of stories and expanded the keepers
I enjoyed reading about the 500 history because I’m a long time Indy fan. But I gained very little new information or stories about the Memorial Day event. I wouldn’t expect a “tell all” book but tell more than it does, add depth and more little known facts and anecdotes.
I enjoyed reading about the 500 history because I’m a long time Indy fan. But I gained very little new information or stories about the Memorial Day event. I wouldn’t expect a “tell all” book but tell more than it does, add depth and more little known facts and anecdotes.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews