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. Andy Isabella Jersey . Most important, perhaps, it went off without a hitch. Organizers poked a little fun at the now-infamous opening ceremony gaffe that saw only four out of five snowflakes open up into rings, leaving the Olympics logo one ring short. Kurt Warner Womens Jersey . I cant pinpoint a date, but I do remember a player from my youth. Brian Downing was with the Chicago White Sox at a time when I listened to every game I possibly could on the radio. That particular season the late great Harry Caray was calling the White Sox games. http://www.thecardinalsshoponline.com/andy-isabella-cardinals-jersey-dk/ . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Adrian Wilson Jersey . LOUIS -- Theres no telling how these wacky World Series games will end. Hakeem Butler Cardinals Jersey . The 15th-ranked Canadian men lost the opening two games of their European tour: 19-15 to No. 17 Georgia and 21-20 to No. HAMMOND, La. -- Marlain Veal scored 22 points on 8-for-12 shooting and Dominc Nelson had 12 points and 13 rebounds sending Southeastern Louisiana past Jackson State 84-71 on Wednesday night.Veal, who added a game-high six assists and two steals, scored in double figures for the third-straight game. Nelson had his first career double-double and both were career highs.Jabbar Singleton and Eddy Polanco also had career highs with 15 and 12 points respectively.Southeastern Louisiana (2-1) was down fouur players due to injury.ddddddddddddhe Lions took a 38-29 lead at the half before opening after the break with a 12-4 run. Jackson State (1-1) pulled to within 10 on a 3 by Yettra Specks with 3:22 left. But a pair of baskets by Moses Greenwood blunted the Tigers comeback.Specks led Jackson State with 19 points and Edric Dennis had 16 points and team-high seven boards. ' ' '