ONE MILE AT A TIME

An entrepreneur and endurance road racer shares his story of life in the fast lane in this debut memoir.

Lamentably, per Rahill, modern cars have “become another utilitarian mode of transportation” as customers, regulators, and manufacturers have prioritized efficiency and comfort. Yet there was a time in postwar America, the author nostalgically recalls, when “driving was an adventure, a statement of personal freedom, and a chance to experience the exhilaration of speed.” As a lifelong car enthusiast—and the recordholder for the fastest time in a competitive road race across the United States—Rahill blends his personal story with a history of American auto racing. The book’s early chapters focus on the author’s tumultuous childhood in Western New York, where his single mother broke barriers in the 1960s working as a reporter for the Buffalo Courier-Express. The author notes the isolation of his youth, save for the loving relationship he had with his grandmother. Rahill would eventually go to college at the University of Notre Dame, where he was a walk-on for the football team and developed a relationship with the school’s acclaimed president, Theodore Hesburgh. Later chapters discuss the author’s divorce, family life, and successful career as an entrepreneur and CFO of a multibillion-dollar firm. At the heart of the book is Rahill’s participation in the Four Ball Rally of 1984. A “quasi-legal” endurance road race from Boston to San Diego, the Four Ball Rally, which was held throughout the early 1980s, was the last “true competitive cross-continent road race.” Participation was limited by invitation to professional or experienced drivers who had to navigate the variations of geographical terrains and high speeds over a prolonged period of time and were targeted by a nationally coordinated police effort to stop the race.

In thrilling descriptions of the race (which often read like excerpts from a novel with Rahill’s internal monologue and dialogue with his partner Timothy Montgomery), the author details his cross-country exploits as he regularly exceeded speeds of 100 miles per hour. Even with unexpected stops, including delays due to mechanical issues and two confrontations with state troopers over excessive speeding, Rahill completed the race in a record-setting 35 hours and 46 minutes. The author also provides a history of American endurance racing, detailing such contests as the Great Cowboy Race of 1893 (a 1,000-mile horse race put on by Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show) and Dwight Huss’ 1905 transcontinental Oldsmobile race from New York City to Portland, Oregon. While the book’s historical narrative may not satisfy the scholarly-minded—the text lacks formal citations—it provides a useful context for Rahill’s race. The book’s exhilarating story is supplemented by dozens of full-color images, from maps and newspaper clippings to photographs of Rahill alongside his favorite cars. Interspersed throughout are poignant reflections on family, marriage, and growing older, and the book also includes an appendix of “Memorable Quotes,” as the author hopes to “pass on some of the things I learned.” While some of the early biographical chapters could have been condensed to make more room for the author’s racing endeavors, this is a fitting tribute to a fading subculture.

A thrilling and occasionally moving love letter to the spirit of American racing.