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REVIEWED: “Rick Mears-Thanks”
A great book on a legendary driver and man, Gregg Leary says...
Gregg Leary  |  Posted August 11, 2008   Charlotte, N.C.
A Penske man for most of his career, Rick Mears continues to work for The Captain as a consultant nowadays. (LAT Photo)

Appropriately, Rick’s boss, Roger Penske, penned the Foreword to “Rick Mears-Thanks.” Roger writes, “Rick was one of the fairest, cleanest drivers in racing history, as well as one of the best. He was always the same…when he won his first race, or his first Indy 500, or his fourth Indy 500, he was the same caliber of person. He always said, ‘I’ll put my numbers on the board. Let someone else talk about it.’ Mears never had an ego. Rick was always a team player.” High praise from “The Captain” who employed such greats as Mark Donohue, Mario Andretti, Emerson Fittipaldi, the Unsers and many other legends.

“Rick Mears-Thanks” is a remarkable book. It combines Gordon Kirby’s insightful text with hundreds of photographs…including dozens from the Mears family’s personal archives...and a very special illustration by Graham Turner that depicts the great pass and repass between Rick and Michael Andretti in the 1991 Indianapolis 500. The “back story” of Rick’s fourth Indy 500 win in 1991 is almost as remarkable as the win itself. Rick drove the race with a broken throttle foot! Talent AND guts.

Rick grew up around cars and racing. “Since he was a baby, Rick’s life revolved around race cars. Rick’s father Bill was an auto mechanic whose hobby was building and racing short track modified stock cars.” Bill once lost a drag race to Wyatt Earp’s grandson. Maybe “gunfights at the OK Corral”…shootouts on the last lap of Indy car races were in Rick’s blood. After moving to Bakersfield , Rick ran a few go kart races but fell in love with another type of racing…slot cars. Building slot cars and engineering the chassis set up “was my homework instead of school.” Those skills would transfer later in life to full size Indy cars.
At his finest on the ovals, Mears remains tied for most Indy 500 wins with four. (LAT Photo)

Rick progressed through two and four wheeled racing vehicles…motorcycles, sprint buggies, Formula Vee, Super Vee, Formula 5000. He ran Baja, Mickey Thompson stadium events and won the Pike’s Peak Hill Climb.

Bill Simpson took notice and hired Rick to drive his spare Indy Car. Simpson said, “I told his dad, ‘Your kid is going to win the Indy 500 and he’ll probably win it four or five times. Your kid has that thing in his eye and that desire that tells me he’s going to kick everybody’s ass if he has a car that’s capable of doing it.’” Rick finished eighth in his first race at Ontario then finished ninth at Texas and ninth at Phoenix …and won USAC’s “Rookie of the Year” for 1976.

Bill Simpson had Rick under contract for 10 years. What did Roger Penske have to pay to buy out Rick’s contract? Nothing! That should tell you all you need to know about Bill Simpson.

Buy the Book


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