It’s a good book, written about one of the good guys in sprint car racing.“Amazin’ Hazen” chronicles the life and career of Paul Hazen, one of the most enduring and successful sprint car owners in Indiana racing history. Hazen’s famed No. 57 sprinter carries the number of the year he started — 1957 — and is still kicking up dirt 65 years later.
It‘s a good book, written about one of the good guys in sprint car racing.
“Amazin‘ Hazen” chronicles the life and career of Paul Hazen, one of the most enduring and successful sprint car owners in Indiana racing history. Hazen‘s famed No. 57 sprinter carries the number of the year he started — 1957 — and is still kicking up dirt 65 years later.
Over his long and amazing career, Hazen has fielded some great drivers in his car. Tony Elliott, Jon Stanbrough, Jimmie Elliott, Louie Mann, Shane Cottle, Kevin Thomas, and Chad Boespflug were some of the mainstays, while a host of star characters made brief appearances in the car. Sixty-eight drivers have driven for Hazen at one time or another.
The book is written by Kim Gregory-Baney, who was in a unique position to document Hazen‘s career. (I was privileged to write the Foreword.) Gregory-Baney was formerly a track publicist at now-shuttered Warsaw Speedway, and witnessed many of Hazen‘s successful seasons. The book is available on Amazon and Gregory-Baney also plans on having it available at various Indiana tracks next season.
Hazen is one of the select car owners who somehow persevered through a lifetime of ups and downs. He kept that number — 57 — as a permanent reminder of his origins, and it always provided an interesting perspective to his phenomenal career.
Through all the bumps and triumphs, Hazen remained unchanged. He is a quiet, low-key guy, and when you visit his pit early in the evening his friendly smile is always the same — whether they won last night or blew a motor coming to the checkered. He didn‘t allow those external forces to shape who he was, or how he behaved.
Dealing with 68 different race drivers would seem to require…well, patience. You‘re dealing with all kinds of personalities, all kinds of characters, all kinds of emotional reactions. Some of the guys went well, and some of them didn‘t. Either way, it‘s notable that you never hear anybody talking down about Paul Hazen and his race car.
More than 65 years and 68 different race drivers, that really says something.
The 220-page book provides wonderful stories and vignettes from Hazen, recalling the people and events along the way. Hazen‘s memory is sharp and his storytelling style is interesting and fun, and the book is a very enjoyable read. Hazen is honest with his assessments without making it personal.
Gregory-Baney has done a great job capturing Hazen‘s voice, because as you read the stories it feels like you‘re riding down the road alongside Paul in his truck. His stories provide a keen insight into how he‘s been able to survive emotionally all these years; with either victory or loss, he doesn‘t take it personally.
The book also offers insights from many of Hazen‘s drivers through the years. The recurring theme among this group is respect; it is obvious that Hazen made a significant impression upon them and their career.
Gregory-Baney has also compiled an impressive array of stats that document Hazen‘s 248 feature wins at 22 tracks with 19 drivers. The book also lists the date and location of Hazen‘s 21 track championships, including recent titles at Gas City I-69 Speedway with Clinton Boyles (2018) and Max Adams (2020).
The book is a fitting tribute to a true giant in Indiana sprint car circles. The fact that the book is filled with Hazen‘s own words makes it all the more enjoyable.
And yes, I believe Paul Hazen should be in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame, and I hope he will be. Soon.
Not because he‘s a nice guy, which he is. Not because I like him, which I do. But he should be there because Paul Hazen has done something nearly impossible: he‘s kept a competitive race car going up and down the road through six momentous decades, winning from the beginning all the way to the present.
That really is “Amazin‘.”