Survival of the Fastest

Weed, Speed, and the 1980s Drug Scandal That Shocked the Sports World

By: Randy Lanier, A.J. Baime - contributor

Narrated by: Jonathan Beville

Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

As featured on Netflix’s “Bad Sport,” the high-octane Seabiscuit-meets-Scarface story of how Randy Lanier became a 1980s international sports star, soaring through the ranks of car racing while holding a dark secret: he was also one of the biggest pot smugglers in American history

As a kid, Randy Lanier dreamed of achieving four-wheel glory at the Indianapolis 500, but knew he’d never be able to afford the most expensive sport on earth. That all changed when he bought a speedboat and began smuggling pot from the Bahamas. Fueled by what would become a historically massive smuggling operation, he started racing cars and became an overnight sensation. For Randy and his teammates, money was no object, and bigger hauls meant faster cars. At every event they attended, they were behind the wheel of the best machinery, flaunting their secret in front of huge crowds and live television cameras. But no matter how fast they drove, they couldn’t outrun the law. As Randy came ever closer to reaching his dream of high-speed glory, one of the biggest drug scandals ever to hit the professional sports world was about to unfold.

Set in the 1980s Florida of Miami Vice, this is the unbelievable, unforgettable, unparalleled story of an ordinary guy whose attempts to become famous doing the thing he wanted most—become a world class race car driver—devolved into a you-can’t-make-this-up tale of one of the biggest crime rings and drug scandals of the 1980s. Now, with the help of New York Times bestselling author A.J. Baime, Randy tells the whole truth for the first time ever, a gripping narrative unlike any other, a sports story for the ages, and shocking a true crime epic.

©2022 Randy Lanier (P)2022 Hachette Books

Critic reviews

“Flooring his racer on the back straight of the Indy 500 at the same time that his barge with 80 tons of pot bucks up waves along the California coast, Randy Lanier didn't let me go until the last page of his ripping, true saga.”—Bruce Porter, New York Times bestselling author of Blow: How a Small-Town Boy Made $100 Million with the Medellín Cocaine Cartel and Lost It All

"Like any self-respecting outlaw, Lanier has a hell of a time breaking the law, even as knuckleheaded hubris promises ruination, but you can't help but cheer for him as the glory and despair of the checkered flag of his rookie Indy 500 finish line and clanging prison doors loom on the horizon."—Guy Lawson, New York Times bestselling author of War Dogs: How Three Stoners from Miami Beach Became the Most Unlikely Gunrunners in History

“Tell me you're not going to read this whopper of a true-life tale. Buckle your seat belts. This is one terrific ride.”—Leigh Montville, New York Times bestselling author of The Big Bam

Lotta fun!

I’m the same age as Randy. It was sure fun to take a spin through those wild times! Cahones like bowling balls!

Great history here of the 80’s racing and drug world

This is a really good up close and personal look at how a bunch of guys got rich off drugs and went racing. Some of the facts aren’t accurate though like when they refer to the first Indy 500 in 1909..cmon a simple Google or knowledge of Indy lets you know it was 1911. Also the mispronunciation of drivers names like Luyendyk, Sneva, and others was annoying. I wouldn’t give 5 stars to the narrator but the story is 5 stars for sure!

worth it but not great

the story is good but the performance wears down. the editing and performance really wear down what could have been a fantastic story.

needed to be smoother story. it's just event. chapter. event. chapter. over and over.

Randy is endearing towards the end.

PHENOMENAL!!

Excellent & Unreal story. Very well written and narrated. Would make a hell of a movie. 🏁

Very Interesting

Very intriguing story that kept my attention the whole time. I wish the author would have dove a little deeper on some things but there are probably too many people in the story still alive.

One of the best motorsports stories EVER.

Randy knows driving and racing, plain and simple. That alone would’ve made a great book alone, but his off-track escapades are the stuff of legend and eons beyond any expectation I had. Definitely the best racing book I’ve read in a while, added with intriguing stories of what was probably the largest weed-smuggling operation of the 1980s,

Surprising, Gripping, and so Human

I thought this would be an interesting and potentially exciting book--- a race car driver moonlighting as a drug smuggler or a drug smuggler moonlighting as a race car driver. It was both of those things. What I did not expect was for this book to be so incredibly human. While I am sure that Randy Lanier leaves some things to be desired as a person, I was surprised by how much his story made me identify with him. There were times when I found myself shouting out loud at the end of a chapter "Dude! Quit while you're ahead!" "C'mon! Don't be Stupid!" But there were just as many times when I laughed out loud and found myself cheering on his creativity and entrepreneurial spirit.

The narration was great, and when I finished the book it was a shocker to be reminded that it wasn't narrated by the author himself. This is the second book I have listed to from this narrator, and was amazed at how different it was from the other one.

This book was so much more than I expected.

Absolutely Best Book I have listened to in YEARS.

I can't say enough about this book and story it tells. I absolutely Loved it. I listen to 80 books pee year and this is my all time favorite. Well worth tour time.

Unexpectedly good!

This book will surprise you. If you have any interest at all in racing, don’t miss it!

Fun but tempered by author because

when a convicted criminal writes they always see themselves in the best light. Glad he came out the other side with a positive life that hopefully is true to his recollections. Romanticizes drug smuggling and culture- but I still enjoyed hearing about it- especially the car racing.