REBEL SPEEDWAYRebel Speedway is about my hometown track, in Sumter, South Carolina, and covers some of the historical happenings from its opening year of 1956 until I left for the navy in 1976.Its a collage, of some great, nostalgic times when Saturday nights, overflowed with jubilation and families came by the truck-loads to cheer on their favorite drivers.I spent three years visiting these old drivers and getting to know their families, and was purely captivated by their fascinating stories.I also wrote of the bad time that shamed the race track, when a young black driver came over from neighboring Eastover, South Carolina, and attempted to race against the track regulars. Sadly, he was greeted with pure hatred and ignorance, from a few close-minded racers, who made his night a living Hell.I wrote about his life, as well as the lives of the good guys, who only cared about having someone to be competitive against on the track. These men were heroes, to a lot of fans, especially to a kid like me, who grew up at that track. I wrote this book out of pure love for the sport and the drivers, and that special time in our lives that we'll always remember.Please read my book, and look closely at the 115 illustrations that I painted over the three year period, not to mention the 35 actual photographs of the drivers and their racing machines.You may not have grown up at this track, but every track throughout this great country of ours, had the same passionate types of drivers as well as the most important ingredient,...the fans.My friend and Ghost-writer for my book, Dargan Watts, wrote the following as a Foreword:It has been a real pleasure working with Mark Osborne as he has stepped up to the plate and done what several others have talked about doing for years.and that is writing about dirt track racing from the beginning in the Sumter , South Carolina area. Osborne has dedicated the last three years of his life to this masterpiece. The paintings cover the happenings from the beginning in 1956 thru 1976. Not only will you see the cars and drivers of that period, but youll be able to pick up even the most minute detail.His in-depth interviews with those involved in the 20-year period produced many entertaining, yet heart-warming stories of the past, and many of you who read this book will recall those days and nights when you were participants as well as onlookers. Others will have the opportunity to be involved for the first time in this sport that came from an inexpensive hobby to the multi-trillion dollar business it has become today.Just picture yourself in one of those cars that was manufactured in the late 30s and early 40s and barreling through the sand at the old dirt track off Bethel Road southwest of Sumter . Imagine how Bob Sharp felt the three times he had the throttle stick wide open which caused him to land among the trees some 50 yards from the track at Sumter Speedway. There was the night when the car Jennings Andrews was driving caught fire and the frantic movement everyone saw as he unbuckled himself so he could bail out, only to have the rear tire on his car crease his forearm as he laid on the ground.I was involved in much of what happened, but had forgotten about a lot of it until Osborne refreshed my memory in this book. This will be something for everyone to read and to pass on to friends and relatives who will be able to truly say, And thats the way it used to beIn the good old days.Dargan WattsSports ColumnistI have copies here at home, that I will gladly sign and personalize for anyone who is interested, or you can order a copy from the books publisher at: www.rosedogbookstore.com Thanks for reading this.Sincerely,Mark Osborne
updated by @mark-osborne: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM
