Silent Thunder: Breaking Through Cultural, Racial, and Class Barriers in Motorsports
Encyclopedia
Silent Thunder: Breaking Through Cultural, Racial, and Class Barriers in Motorsports is the autobiography of African American motorsports pioneer Leonard W. Miller
. It is a rare look inside an African American man’s motor racing experience from post World War II into the early 1990s. Only two other auto books delve into this perspective.
corporation. The presentation underscored the total lack of awareness in mainstream and corporate America of African American auto racing history and its marketing value.
In the winter of 1998, Leonard W. Miller
began writing the manuscript; he completed it by that summer. After attending a race team test session in 1999 at Summit Point Raceway in Summit Point, West Virginia
, Miller met Steve Lanier, president of American World Services, LLC, and Tracey Neale, at the time a news anchor with Fox Broadcasting Company
's affiliate in Washington, D.C.
, who referred him to London
-based editor Ethan Casey
.
A few weeks later, Miller and his son met Casey at Lanier’s office in Washington and handed him the manuscript. Casey edited the manuscript in England
and Pakistan
over a six-month period and crafted a proposal to sell it to U.S. publishers. Miller received responses from a number of publishers. Dr. Walter Lomax introduced him to Kassahun Checole, president of The Red Sea Press in Trenton, New Jersey
, and Checole offered Miller the best deal. The Red Sea Press published the book in March 2004. The work is endorsed by the late actor Paul Newman
and by auto racing legends Mario Andretti
, Janet Guthrie
, Carl Haas
, and Howdy Holmes
.
Federal-Mogul Corporation purchased thousands of special edition hardcover copies and distributed them to state library systems from Hawaii
to Georgia
, historically African American colleges having engineering schools, the Bucks County, Pennsylvania
chapter of The Links, Incorporated, Sigma Pi Phi
Fraternity, and the Teen Leadership Institute.
The book earned places on AutoWeek
magazine’s list of the top 50 automobile books of the past 50 years and Hagerty’s magazine’s list of “Ten Great Car Books Every Collector Should Own," covering books published between 1949 and 2004.
. As Miller’s journey takes him through the eras of segregation
, the Civil Rights movement
, the Vietnam War
, and women’s rights, he manages to start driving as a drag racer, finding sanctuary and fair competition in a pure sports environment.
Miller develops a team named Black American Racers, Inc. (BAR), which fields African American second-generation driver Benny Scott. The team endures corporate sponsorship rejection, due to prejudices and disbelief that a black team could be competitive in auto racing. After securing sponsorship from Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation, BAR enters Formula Super Vee
and Formula 5000
races on America’s road racing
circuits. The team makes it to the Long Beach Grand Prix
in the mid-1970s. Nevertheless, after two years, Brown & Williamson ends its sponsorship programs around the world in auto racing, and BAR is unable to replace the sponsorship. This leads Miller to field a team independently with African American driver Tommy Thompson, who lost his life in a race in 1978. Subsequently, Miller has continued to field teams in NASCAR. Challenges similar to those he faced during the civil rights eras have continued to resurface, and Miller describes these in the book.
The story's uniqueness lies in the social challenges Miller encounters that directly affects events on the actual racetrack. He also weaves in intriguing references to his contact with the CIA, his service in the United States Army
, aviation, motion pictures, celebrities, and sports icons.
Leonard W. Miller was inducted into the Black Athletes Hall of Fame, along with driver Benny Scott, in 1976.
Leonard W. Miller
Leonard W. Miller is one of two black motor racing pioneers living in the United States.- Early life :Miller was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and raised in its suburbs. His lifelong love of automobiles began at age five in 1939, and he began secretly tinkering with his family’s 1937 Ford in...
. It is a rare look inside an African American man’s motor racing experience from post World War II into the early 1990s. Only two other auto books delve into this perspective.
Origin
The author's son, Leonard T. Miller, encouraged his father to write his motor racing memoirs in 1995, after concluding a sponsorship presentation to a Fortune 500Fortune 500
The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...
corporation. The presentation underscored the total lack of awareness in mainstream and corporate America of African American auto racing history and its marketing value.
In the winter of 1998, Leonard W. Miller
Leonard W. Miller
Leonard W. Miller is one of two black motor racing pioneers living in the United States.- Early life :Miller was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and raised in its suburbs. His lifelong love of automobiles began at age five in 1939, and he began secretly tinkering with his family’s 1937 Ford in...
began writing the manuscript; he completed it by that summer. After attending a race team test session in 1999 at Summit Point Raceway in Summit Point, West Virginia
Summit Point, West Virginia
Summit Point is an unincorporated community in Jefferson County in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It lies along the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad at the intersection of West Virginia Secondary Route 1 and Summit Point Pike. According to the 2000 census, the Summit Point community has a population...
, Miller met Steve Lanier, president of American World Services, LLC, and Tracey Neale, at the time a news anchor with Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
's affiliate in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, who referred him to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
-based editor Ethan Casey
Ethan Casey
Ethan Casey is an American print and online journalist who has written or edited five books. He was founding editor of the online global affairs magazine BlueEar.com and is founding co-editor of PakCast , a weekly podcast about Pakistan's relations with the West...
.
A few weeks later, Miller and his son met Casey at Lanier’s office in Washington and handed him the manuscript. Casey edited the manuscript in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
over a six-month period and crafted a proposal to sell it to U.S. publishers. Miller received responses from a number of publishers. Dr. Walter Lomax introduced him to Kassahun Checole, president of The Red Sea Press in Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...
, and Checole offered Miller the best deal. The Red Sea Press published the book in March 2004. The work is endorsed by the late actor Paul Newman
Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, professional racing driver and auto racing enthusiast...
and by auto racing legends Mario Andretti
Mario Andretti
Mario Gabriele Andretti is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR...
, Janet Guthrie
Janet Guthrie
Janet Guthrie is a retired professional race car driver and the first woman to qualify and compete in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500....
, Carl Haas
Carl Haas
Carl A. Haas is an American auto racing impresario. He co-owned the Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing team in the IndyCar Series with the late Paul Newman and Mike Lanigan. He also owned Carl A...
, and Howdy Holmes
Howdy Holmes
Howdy S. Holmes , is a former driver in the CART Championship Car series. He began racing in the early 1970s and was based in Stockbridge, Michigan, about northeast of Chelsea....
.
Federal-Mogul Corporation purchased thousands of special edition hardcover copies and distributed them to state library systems from Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
to Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, historically African American colleges having engineering schools, the Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Bucks County, Pennsylvania
- Industry and commerce :The boroughs of Bristol and Morrisville were prominent industrial centers along the Northeast Corridor during World War II. Suburban development accelerated in Lower Bucks in the 1950s with the opening of Levittown, Pennsylvania, the second such "Levittown" designed by...
chapter of The Links, Incorporated, Sigma Pi Phi
Sigma Pi Phi
Sigma Pi Phi is the first African-American Greek-lettered organization. Sigma Pi Phi was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on May 15, 1904. The fraternity quickly established chapters in Chicago, IL and then Baltimore, MD....
Fraternity, and the Teen Leadership Institute.
The book earned places on AutoWeek
AutoWeek
AutoWeek is a fortnightly automotive enthusiast publication based in Detroit, Michigan. One of 32 titles published by Crain Communications Inc, its parent company, AutoWeek is unique as the only consumer title among its sister publications....
magazine’s list of the top 50 automobile books of the past 50 years and Hagerty’s magazine’s list of “Ten Great Car Books Every Collector Should Own," covering books published between 1949 and 2004.
Synopsis
The book covers Miller’s interest in cars, which led him into the world of motor racing, beginning during the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. As Miller’s journey takes him through the eras of segregation
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
, the Civil Rights movement
Civil rights movement
The civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law occurring between approximately 1950 and 1980. In many situations it took the form of campaigns of civil resistance aimed at achieving change by nonviolent forms of resistance. In some situations it was...
, the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, and women’s rights, he manages to start driving as a drag racer, finding sanctuary and fair competition in a pure sports environment.
Miller develops a team named Black American Racers, Inc. (BAR), which fields African American second-generation driver Benny Scott. The team endures corporate sponsorship rejection, due to prejudices and disbelief that a black team could be competitive in auto racing. After securing sponsorship from Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation, BAR enters Formula Super Vee
Formula Super Vee
Formula Super Vee was a type of open-wheel motor created to act as a platform for the promotion of VW products, playing much the same role in the 1970s as formulae such as Formula Renault play today. The idea for Formula Super Vee is generally attributed to Josef Hopen, who worked as the Special...
and Formula 5000
Formula 5000
Formula 5000 was an open wheel, single seater auto-racing formula that ran in different series in various regions around the world from 1968 to 1982. It was originally intended as a low-cost series aimed at open-wheel racing cars that no longer fit into any particular formula...
races on America’s road racing
Road racing
Road racing is a general term for most forms of motor racing held on paved, purpose-built race tracks , as opposed to oval tracks and off-road racing...
circuits. The team makes it to the Long Beach Grand Prix
Long Beach Grand Prix
The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach is an open-wheel race held on a street circuit in Long Beach, California. Christopher Pook is the founder and promoter which began as a vision while working at a travel agency in downtown Long Beach. It was the premier circuit in the Champ Car from 1996, and...
in the mid-1970s. Nevertheless, after two years, Brown & Williamson ends its sponsorship programs around the world in auto racing, and BAR is unable to replace the sponsorship. This leads Miller to field a team independently with African American driver Tommy Thompson, who lost his life in a race in 1978. Subsequently, Miller has continued to field teams in NASCAR. Challenges similar to those he faced during the civil rights eras have continued to resurface, and Miller describes these in the book.
The story's uniqueness lies in the social challenges Miller encounters that directly affects events on the actual racetrack. He also weaves in intriguing references to his contact with the CIA, his service in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, aviation, motion pictures, celebrities, and sports icons.
Leonard W. Miller was inducted into the Black Athletes Hall of Fame, along with driver Benny Scott, in 1976.