Video Review – Spirit Of Racer Jimmy Bryan Captured On DVD

Many of us never saw Jimmy Bryan race. The driver from Phoenix captured the hearts of many fans in the 1950’s with his breathless fearlessness and tough than nails attitude.

A DVD released earlier this year offers a fresh look into the life of racing legend Jimmy Bryan, capturing the essence of the charismatic Indianapolis 500 winner who became the most revered driver of the 1950s.

This video takes a look at a driver some of the newer Indy Car fans might not that particularly familiar with. The DVD includes recently discovered racing footage, rare television spots, home movies and Jimmy’s final TV interview. All help to capture the charisma and personality that helped “the Arizona Cowboy” win the hearts of racing fans everywhere in the ’50s. It’s is neat hearing Jimmy Bryan speak, since to most of us, he has only been seen in photos or glimpses on old Indy 500 films.

“The stature of Jimmy Bryan endures today because of that rare combination of what he accomplished and how he accomplished it all in such a brief amount of time,” said Phil Sampaio, who wrote and produced The Legend of Jimmy Bryan. “This DVD helps to shine the spotlight on an incredibly important part of American racing history.”

Note: Jimmy Bryan was one of three Indianapolis 500 winners to miss the 22-car field for the 1960 Rex Mays 100. See: https://www.racingnation.com/story.asp?aid=1819

“It doesn’t surprise me that even today, 50 years since his passing, he is still so highly regarded,” Sampaio said. “That’s why we named this DVD, The Legend of Jimmy Bryan. His legend lives on, even half a century since his passing.”

Sampaio also co-authored an acclaimed book, My Hero, My Friend Jimmy Bryan, about Indy racing and the life of Bryan, one of its early legends. A past winner of the book of the year award by the American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association, the book recently was spotlighted in Hemmings Motor News.

Like the book, the Bryan DVD rekindles the Golden Age of American racing and includes footage from the Indianapolis 500, as well as an Arizona race at the state fairgrounds that become a key part of Jimmy’s lore.

“The racing footage adds so much to help capture the essence of who Jimmy Bryan was,” Sampaio said. “We pored over boxes and boxes of old footage and we were just thrilled to find rare clips that hadn’t been seen in more than 50 years.”

This video is a must for any fan of Indy Car racing of yesteryear or today.

Watch a preview or buy the DVD at www.jimmybryanbook.com.

Steve Zautke

Steve Zautke, a Milwaukee, WI native, was raised in the sport of auto racing. His father, Bill, was a movie photographer that shot racing footage at tracks such as the Milwaukee Mile and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the 1960’s and 1970’s Steve’s first professional job in racing was as an Emergency Medical Technician at tracks such as Angell Park and Hales Corners Speedway (1988-1991). Steve has also worked for the Milwaukee Mile as videographer, in media relations and historian (1993-2011). Steve also has worked as a reporter for Racing Information Systems (RIS) and has written features for ‘Vintage Oval Racing’ and ‘Victory Lane’ magazines. Most recently, Steve has written a book on Road America for Arcadia Publishing. ( http://www.amazon.com/Road-America-Nascar-Library-Collection/dp/1467111457 ) Steve co-hosts “Sparky’s Final Inspection” a motorsports-based radio show with hosts, Steve “Sparky” Fifer and “NASCAR Girl” Summer Santana on Sports Radio 1250AM in Milwaukee and is also available on the internet at www.Sportradio1250.com. A member of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Induction Committee, Steve follows all types of racing from the dirt tracks to Formula One.

racingnation.com

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