Tony Hulman
The Man Who Saved The Indianapolis Motor Speedway
In her second book about the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, business historian Sigur Whitaker takes the reader inside of the mind of Hulman, showing not only how he bought and rebuilt the Speedway, creating the "greatest spectacle in racing," but also addressed an entirely different challenge: the rise of the chain grocery stores, such as A & P and Kroger, which led to the wholesale grocery industry slowing consolidating and Hulman successfully reorienting the family fortunes to a broad range of businesses including a beer company, a Coca-Cola franchise, a broadcast empire, and real estate.
Racing buffs will find the story of the resurrection of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway fascinating. Owners of private businesses and students of business history will find much to gain from the study of Hulman's decisions and his redeployment of capital from wholesaling to a broad portfolio of highly profitable enterprises.