Overview

The incredible, little-known story of one of the most promising race car drivers in the United States who defied the odds as a Black woman in the sport of auto racing. Early in her career, Cheryl Glass looked like a lock to become the first Black woman to compete in the Indianapolis 500. She had everything she could need to be successful in the sport of auto racing. But after being repeatedly injured and pushing for too much too soon, her racing career ended, and the rest of her life crashed with it. In The First Lady of Dirt: The Triumphs and Tragedy of Racing Pioneer Cheryl Glass, Bill Poehler follows Cheryl Glass’s meteoric rise in the world. As a child Cheryl had a brilliant mind and blew through school at a rapid pace, graduating from high school at age 16. When she started modeling, she was quickly in demand. And when Cheryl started driving race cars, she was immediately one of the best. Poehler recounts how Cheryl soon became a pioneer in the field as one of the few Black women in the sport, including the first to win the Skagit Speedway season finale as an 18-year-old rookie. But no matter how perfect her life seemed from the outside, there was more going on under the surface. She dealt with racist and sexist taunts from other drivers and fans throughout her career. She suffered major injuries, including repeated concussions. She had frequent encounters with neighbors and law enforcement. Overwhelmed by depression and mental illness, Cheryl committed suicide at age 35. Featuring exclusive interviews with Cheryl’s mother, friends, and competitors, The First Lady of Dirt tells for the first time Cheryl’s story in its entirety, from her highest highs as a race car driver to the debilitating circumstances around her death. It’s the inspiring story of a racing pioneer and a tragic tale of the pressures that are often hidden from public view until it’s too late.

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9781538184059

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Reviews

I just finished reading Bill Poehler's book, The First Lady of Dirt, and had no idea that Cheryl Glass's life took such an unexpected turn. I raced several times with Cheryl and admired her guts to take on dirt racing in the wildest beast of a car she could possibly have chosen. I lost track of Cheryl after her one-race deal with Speedway, so when I started reading what happened next it was a shocker and well told by Poehler. This is a must-read for all racers and fans.--Jimmy Sills, National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee, three-time USAC Silver Crown champion, and winner of over 400 races

"A truly captivating account of Cheryl's life! I had no idea of her struggles on and off the track. --Rod Reid, team principal of Force Indy and creator of NXG Youth Motorsports Academy I just finished reading Bill Poehler's book, The First Lady of Dirt, and had no idea that Cheryl Glass's life took such an unexpected turn. I raced several times with Cheryl and admired her guts to take on dirt racing in the wildest beast of a car she could possibly have chosen. I lost track of Cheryl after her one-race deal with Speedway, so when I started reading what happened next it was a shocker and well told by Poehler. This is a must-read for all racers and fans. --Jimmy Sills, National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee, three-time USAC Silver Crown champion, and winner of over 400 races In this biography of Cheryl Glass, the first professional Black woman race car driver, journalist Poehler empathetically tells the story of a remarkable but tragic life. The daughter of two high-achieving engineers, Glass graduated early from high school, started her own business, worked as a model, and started racing young and winning. Poehler interviewed many people who knew Glass, including her mother (who lovingly sewed her daughter's driver's uniforms), race-car drivers like Al Unser Jr., and classmates. One recalls that Glass drove to school in a convertible Mercedes. She lived large. But crashes and concussions are an inevitable aspect of racing, and Poehler believes that Glass suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy. She showed the classic signs, including erratic behavior and substance abuse. She also shouldered a heavy load, handling racism and sexism at the track while representing Black people and women as a pioneering competitor. In 1997, at 35, she fell to her death from a Seattle bridge. Poehler celebrates Glass' accomplishments even as he sees her story as a thought-provoking and sad cautionary tale. -- ""Booklist"" The true story of Cheryl Glass is the proverbial rollercoaster. Just when you thought she was making the next step, something goes wrong. But what makes her story so fascinating is the way Bill Poehler dives into the mindset of this complicated woman, and of the supporters around her. A fantastic read! --Ross Bentley, former Indy Car driver, author of Speed Secrets: Professional Race Driving Techniques, and professional driver coach This is an amazing story about a young lady race car driver with great financial and emotional support from her family who became a successful sprint car driver. It was heartbreaking to read how it all went so wrong. It's a very well written story and I could not put the book down. --Steve Millen, legendary multi-time champion in road racing and off-road racing"

Author Information

Bill Poehler is an award-winning journalist who has spent his career as a reporter at the Salem Statesman Journal, part of the USA Today network in Salem, Oregon. His work has appeared in such newspapers as USA Today, Washington Times, The Indianapolis Star, The Detroit Free Press, Des Moines Register, The Tennessean, Cincinnati Enquirer and Reno Gazette-Journal as well as on Yahoo.com, MSNBC, Oregon Public Broadcasting, KGW TV, and KOIN TV. Poehler has won awards from the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association, the Best of Gannett, and from the Oregon Athletic Coaches Association for his writing and contributions as a journalist. He is the author of The Brown Bullet: Rajo Jack’s Drive to Integrate Auto Racing.

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