The First Lady of Dirt

"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"