The way we follow racing has changed greatly over the years, and information is available to us much more quickly than it was in the past. Video has taken over from static words as the most popular delivery mechanism.But when it comes to in-depth analysis, nothing beats a good book. Perhaps driven by the publicity generated by the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 this year, 2016 was a vintage year for racing-related books.Christmas is nearly upon us, but thanks to the miracle of modern parcel couriers, its still not too late to make your favorite racing fan happy during this holiday season. Here are my recommendations; unless noted, all are available through Amazon.com or BN.com.Penskes Maestro: Karl Kainhofer and the History of Penske Racing and Tony Bettenhausen & Sons: An American Racing Family Album, by Gordon Kirby; available at www.racemaker.comKirby covered all forms of American motorsport from the early 1970s into the 21st century and earned a place as one of the key historians of that era. Until Roger Penske takes the time to pen a memoir (dont count on it), Kirbys Kainhofer biography, combined with the late Mark Donohues The Unfair Advantage, is the best way to learn why Penske Racing has achieved so much success over the last 50 years. Kainhofer preferred to remain behind the scenes, so he didnt get the attention or accolades that George Bignotti or Jim McGee enjoyed. But he was a huge part of Team Penske well into the 1990s, and his legacy is carried on by men throughout the NASCAR and Indy car industry.Lionheart: Remembering Dan Wheldon, by Andy Hallbery and Jeff Olson; available at www.lionheartbook.comHallbery and Olson did a masterful job of curating a collection of essays about the two-time Indianapolis 500 winner who was on the brink of a career rebirth when he was killed in an Indy car accident at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in late 2011. Wheldon was a complex character, and the theme that shines through these lovingly produced tributes is that he tended to irritate people before ultimately winning them over.Kussmaul Chronicles, by Craig Watkins; available at www.kussmaulchronicles.comRoland Kussmaul is a Porsche lifer who played a key role in developing many important production and racing cars. His colorful engineering and driving career is portrayed in an unusual way by American racing engineer Craig Watkins in the form of a lengthy conversation. It can be a challenging read at times, as Watkins chose to use Kussmauls English-as-a-second-language words verbatim rather than attempting to change the syntax. It helps if you can read using an imaginary German accent. Even more helpful, QR codes are scattered throughout the book so you can hear Kussmaul speaking the words in his own voice. There is so much great information in this book, along with priceless behind-the-scenes pictures, that its worth the effort.Josef, The Indy Car Driver, by Chris Workman; available at www.apexlegends.comThere are racing books aimed at all ages, and Chris Workman is covering the younger end of the market with a growing series of titles. Josef, The Indy Car Driver does a nice job of explaining to kids how a young driver like Josef Newgarden advances through go karts to Indy cars. Workman does the illustrations too, and all aspects of his work earned a seal of approval from my 10-year-old son.The Sheer Force of Will Power, by David MalsherAlthough aimed at more of a mainstream reader, this book kept me entertained. Ive known Power since he started racing in the Champ Car-sanctioned Indy car series in 2005, yet I learned a lot about the man and found the passages narrated by Powers wife Liz to be particularly interesting. Malsher does a great job telling the tale of an Australian with an unlikely name making a name for himself in America.Can-Am 50th Anniversary: Flat Out With North Americas Greatest Racing Series 1966-74, by George Levy with photography by Pete BiroSimilar to the way the Kainhofer and Donohue books tell the story of Penske Racing, George Levys re-examination of the legendary Can-Am series is the perfect companion to Pete Lyons 1995 Can-Am Photo History. While that book gave an event-by-event account of the short-lived sports car championship, Levy uncovers many of the backstories that have added to the Can-Am legend over the years.Indy 500 Memories: An Oral History of The Greatest Spectacle In Racing, by Art Garner and Marc B. SpiegelOn the heels of his well-received Black Noon, a detailed examination of the tragic 1964 Indianapolis 500, Art Garner teamed with longtime PR professional Marc Spiegel to collect a series of Indy memories. Theres a long list of characters from all sides of the sport, and of course every race fan has some kind of Indianapolis memory. This volume merely scratches the surface.A Big Ask: The Story of Fords Triumphant Return to Le Mans, by David PhillipsThe Ford-versus-Ferrari battle at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the mid-1960s is one of racings best stories. Now, 50 years later, Ford successfully pursued an encore to its famous 1966 overall victory, albeit this time in the lesser GTE Pro class. Chip Ganassi Racing was selected to run teams based in Europe and the U.S., and who better to document the effort than Phillips, who served as Ganassis personal PR man in the late 70s when Chip was a fledgling Formula Ford racer. Cheap Vapormax UK Shoes . -- For the first time in two months, an opponent was standing up to Alabama. Wholesale Vapormax UK . From filmmaker Nanette Burstein (On the Ropes), The Price of Gold revisits the saga that rocked the figure skating world ahead of the 1994 Lillehammer Olympic Winter Games: the assault on Nancy Kerrigan, and the plot that led its way back to her rival Tonya Harding. http://www.clearancevapormaxuk.com/ . Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and largely stoic in the heat of competition. But underneath the professional exterior he was, and is, compellingly human. Cheap Vapormax UK Sale . Philadelphia is 2-0 against the Senators this season and scored five goals in each victory. The Flyers recorded a 5-0 win in Ottawa on Nov. 12 and then earned a 5-2 home decision on Nov. 19. The Flyers have claimed three straight and four of the last five encounters with the Sens overall and Philly has won two in a row and three of its past four tests in Canadas capital city. Vapormax UK Outlet . Burke is expected to miss two to three months after breaking a finger in the teams third preseason game. Tinsley, a 10-year veteran, spent the last two seasons in Utah, where the point guard averaged 3. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- No. 18 Purdue currently has only eight healthy scholarship players. At this point in the season, it hasnt been a problem.Isaac Haas scored 14 points, Caleb Swanigan had 13 points and 10 rebounds and Dakota Mathias added 12 points on four 3-pointers, leading the Boilermakers to a 77-53 victory over Cleveland State on Saturday.Fifth-year graduate student point guard Spike Alnrecht (back) and sophomore forward Jacquil Taylor (foot surgery) are out indefinitely. However, Purdue is getting balanced scoring and solid defense from its eight healthy scholarship players.The Boilermakers (8-2) finished the first half on a 12-0 run to lead 41-20 and never were threatened thereafter, leading by as many as 27 points in the second half.That run to close the first half was huge, especially since they had started to make shots right before that and had a little momentum going, Mathias said. Coming out of that last media timeout, we had to close out the first half strong, so we did. We were aggressive and got into the passing lanes.It was a 5:15 stretch Cleveland State would like to forget.The run to close the first half was big for (Purdue) after we cut it to nine, Cleveland State coach Gary Waters said. We made some errors, they started hitting some shots and they picked up their defense. They are a great team, and thats what great teams do.Bobby Word had 14 points to lead Cleveland State (3-6), which shot only 26.7 percent (8 of 30) during the pivotal first half. Vikings leading scorers Word, Rob Edwards and Demonte Flannigan scored only 24 combined points on 9-of-35 shooting from the field.Vince Edwards added 11 points, six rebounds and four assists for the Boilermakers, who have won each of their past three games by at least 24 points. Mathias finished with six rebounds, seven assists and no turnovers to go with his 12 points in 26 minutes.Vince Edwards had a lot to do with that 12-0 run to close the first half, and right now, having the balancee that we have is a really good thing, Purdue coach Matt Painter said.dddddddddddd Our guys were ready to play today, including Dakota, who really did a nice defensive job on Edwards. We relaxed a little bit once we got a 20-point lead, but sometimes that happens.Edwards liked the way Purdue limited the Vikings to 31.3 percent shooting (20 of 64).Guys did a really good job on defense and with help defense, Edwards said. We were really helping each other out by scrambling on the floor. I think that made a big difference. We were active, and we also were getting on the glass.The Boilermakers outrebounded the Vikings, 44-34.BIG PICTURECleveland State: The Vikings, who came to Purdue having won two in a row, stayed close for a while by making seven 3-pointers in the first 24:04 but had no answer for Purdues 7-2 Haas and 6-8 Swanigan.Purdue: The Boilermakers once again featured a solid blend of interior and perimeter scoring to win for the seventh time in the past eight games. Purdue entered this game shooting 44.8 percent from 3-point range -- second best nationally -- and shot 43.8 percent from beyond the arc in the first half Saturday.POLL IMPLICATIONSHaving won three in a row by 34, 33 and now 24 points, Purdue likely has positioned itself to move up from No. 18 in the next AP Top 25. Purdue has been a Top 25 team in 24 consecutive polls.UP AND DOWN DAYSwanigan added another double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds but was not happy after making eight of the Boilermakers 15 turnovers.Its not on the team, its on me and Vince Edwards because the last game we had a lot of turnovers, but Vince cut his down to two, and I have to try to do that, Swanigan said.UP NEXTCleveland State: The Vikings play on Dec. 17, at Ohio University.Purdue: The Boilermakers will play No. 23 Notre Dame on Dec. 17 in Indianapolis Bankers Life Fieldhouse. ' ' '