Awesome Bill from Dawsonville

Author: Bill Elliott
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0061738492
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 330

Book Description
In this long-awaited autobiography, the legendary Bill Elliott details his childhood in rural North Georgia, building cars from scratch, struggling on the anonymous small-time tracks of the South to his against-the-odds rise to the pinnacle of NASCAR stardom: Winston Cup Champion. From Daytona to Talladega, from Bristol to Sonoma, ride shoulder to shoulder with Elliott as he battles Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip, Ricky Rudd, Rusty Wallace, and Alan Kulwicki for NASCAR's ultimate prize. Through Elliott's eyes we meet the colorful cast of old-school characters who built NASCAR: Cale Yarborough, Junior Johnson, the Allisons, Carl Kiekhaefer, and, of course, the France family. We join Bill in the car (and under it) as he sets the all-time record for the fastest official speed ever recorded in a stock car (a record he still holds today). Learn the secret—revealed for the first time—behind the Elliott family's unquestioned mastery of the sport's super speedways. Watch NASCAR grow from a southern diversion into a national phenomenon, and see Bill Elliott grow with it, ultimately becoming one of the sport's most popular heroes. In 1985 Elliott captured the inaugural Winston Million and became the first NASCAR driver ever to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Three years later he captured the Winston Cup Championship. He went on to be voted NASCAR Driver of the Decade for the 1980s by NASCAR fans. He was also voted Most Popular Driver sixteen times. Elliott also shares his thoughts on the dark side of the racing life: the stresses it can place on relationships, the ever-present physical risks, and the weight of fame. He addresses the racing-related deaths of competitors and friends. He is candid and critical in discussing the intense rivalry between him and the late Dale Earnhardt, and he sheds new light on their storied relationship as well as on Earnhardt's shocking death. Elliott discusses the future of NASCAR with critiques of its management and restrictor plates, and he takes on the controversial issues of track and driver safety. A window into the compelling personality of Bill Elliott, as well as a primer on the ascent of America's fastestgrowing sport, this is the definitive insider's view of the rising NASCAR nation.

Big Bill

Author: H.A. Branham
Publisher: McClelland & Stewart
ISBN: 0771017685
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 258

Book Description
The first major authorized biography of NASCAR founder, Bill France Sr. Big Bill is the consummate "insider" book on the life and legend of NASCAR founder Bill France and tells the tale of a classic American success story. France Sr. brought his family to Daytona Beach, Florida, in 1934, put down roots and immersed himself in the business of racing, both as a driver and an owner. Nicknamed "Big Bill" because of his 6-foot-5 stature, he made significant contributions to the racing world - he founded NASCAR in December 1947, built Daytona International Speedway in 1959 and built Talladega Superspeedway in 1969, and landed the landmark R.J. Reynolds/Winston sponsorship deal in 1971 that not only transformed NASCAR but also transformed corporate sponsorship of sports in America. The France family has spent the last 30 years gathering a vast collection of files and material about their family patriarch and has turned over countless interviews -- both written and taped -- as well as NASCAR documents, memorabilia, memos, letters and various other materials to the author for this definitive biography. Big Bill offers NASCAR fans a rich, entertaining, emotional, and detailed story about America's most recognized and admired racing family.

Sundays Will Never Be the Same

Author: Darrell Waltrip
Publisher: Free Press
ISBN: 9781451644906
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
From the former NASCAR champion and current Fox Sports announcer, an intimate account of one of the most dramatic and tragic days in the history of NASCAR: the 2001 Daytona 500—the day that racing legend Dale Earnhardt, Sr. died. In Sundays Will Never Be the Same, former NASCAR champion and current FOX Sports racing analyst Darrell Waltrip provides an intimate account of one of the most dramatic and tragic days in the history of NASCAR: the 2001 Daytona 500—the day that racing legend Dale Earnhardt Sr. died. The sudden death of Earnhardt on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 was a traumatic loss for the entire NASCAR family, and few were affected more deeply than Darrell Waltrip. During the course of their tumultuous thirty-year association, Dale and Darrell had been friends, then “frenemies,” and finally friends again. Darrell takes us through the fascinating history of racing in Daytona, offering glimpses of some of the sport’s most colorful characters. He recounts the highs and lows of his relationship with Earnhardt through the twin arcs of their overlapping careers, and concludes with a heart-wrenching insider account of that pivotal weekend in Daytona.

Larry McReynolds

Author: Larry McReynolds
Publisher: David Bull Publishing
ISBN: 9781893618213
Category : NASCAR (Association)
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
No personality in the history of NASCAR Winston Cup racing has taken a roller-coaster ride of triumph and tragedy like superstar crew chief and television broadcaster Larry McReynolds.

Driving with the Devil

Author: Neal Thompson
Publisher: Crown
ISBN: 0307522261
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 450

Book Description
The true story behind NASCAR’s hardscrabble, moonshine-fueled origins, “fascinating and fast-moving . . . even if you don’t know a master cylinder from a head gasket” (Atlanta Journal-Constitution). “[Neal] Thompson exhumes the sport’s Prohibition-era roots in this colorful, meticulously detailed history.”—Time Today’s NASCAR—equal parts Disney, Vegas, and Barnum & Bailey—is a multibillion-dollar conglomeration with 80 million fans, half of them women, that grows bigger and more mainstream by the day. Long before the sport’s rampant commercialism lurks a distant history of dark secrets that have been carefully hidden from view—until now. In the Depression-wracked South, with few options beyond the factory or farm, a Ford V-8 became the ticket to a better life. Bootlegging offered speed, adventure, and wads of cash. Driving with the Devil reveals how the skills needed to outrun federal agents with a load of corn liquor transferred perfectly to the red-dirt racetracks of Dixie. In this dynamic era (the 1930s and ’40s), three men with a passion for Ford V-8s—convicted felon Raymond Parks, foul-mouthed mechanic Red Vogt, and war veteran Red Byron, NASCAR’s first champ—emerged as the first stock car “team.” Theirs is the violent, poignant story of how moonshine and fast cars merged to create a sport for the South to call its own. In the tradition of Laura Hillenbrand’s Seabiscuit, this tale captures a bygone era of a beloved sport and the character of the country at a moment in time.

Chase Elliott

Author: Jeremy Pike (Sportswriter)
Publisher: Mason Crest Publishers
ISBN: 9781422247396
Category : Automobile racing drivers
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
"One could argue that William Clyde "Chase" Elliott II was born to be a race car driver. He is the son of NASCAR Hall of Fame driver William Clyde "Bill" Elliott and was born on November 28, 1995, in Dawsonville, Georgia. The Elliott family name is a legendary one in NASCAR circles, and Chase Elliott has done quite well to keep the tradition alive. Elliott started officially racing at age eight behind the wheel of a go-kart, but he spent years before that at NASCAR tracks following his father's exploits. It wasn't long before the younger Elliott was paving his own way as a race car driver, earning victories in every type of car he climbed into. In 2013, Elliott capped off a career accomplishment in super late model racing. He became the first driver to complete the "Grand Slam" of super late model cars after finally winning the All American 400 at the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. He had already won the 2011 edition of the Snowball Derby, the 2010 Winchester 400, and the 2013 World Crown 300"--

Classic Stock Cars

Author: John Albert Craft
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781610608848
Category : Automobiles, Racing
Languages : en
Pages : 140

Book Description
As he did in his smash success, Vintage and Historic Stock Cars, Craft has filled this new book with fascinating histories of some of the most significant stock cars ever to battle on the highbanks and short tracks of NASCAR. His detailed accounts of the cars and their builders, tuners, and drivers are accompanied by beautiful color photography, most of which show cars that are faithfully restored. Readers are treated to the compelling stories behind these famous cars, some built by legendary craftsmen like Holman & Moody and others raced by champions such as Richard Petty.

My Greatest Day in NASCAR

Author: Bob McCullough
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 1466875348
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 358

Book Description
With its insider's look into the world of auto racing, My Greatest Day in NASCAR is a must-have for all racing fans. Here are the words of Jeff Gordon, Bobby Allison, Richard Petty, and many others--all talking about their greatest racing moments. For the first time ever, Bob McCullough has brought together a first-person account of the most exciting races, personal achievements, and events for the last 50 years. Fans get to read both an oral history of racing and a moving tribute to the efforts and achievements of the sports stars as well as the behind-the-scenes people who help make racing what it is today.

Encyclopedia of Stock Car Racing [2 volumes]

Author: Lew Freedman
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN:
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 655

Book Description
This two-volume encyclopedia is the Daytona 500 of stock car racing books—an essential "Bible" that provides an all-encompassing history of the sport as well as an up-to-date examination of modern-day stock car racing. How did stock car racing become firmly entrenched in American pop culture, especially in light of the lack of interest in motorsports overall as a spectator activity in the United States? And what has been the secret to NASCAR's financial success and growth over the last six decades? Encyclopedia of Stock Car Racing highlights approximately 250 subjects that have defined the sport since stock car racing was first organized. Organized in A-Z order, it covers all of the greatest drivers, such as Richard Petty, Jimmie Johnson, Junior Johnson, and David Pearson; the special races such as the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400; and the famed tracks across the country, from Bristol Motor Speedway to Darlington Raceway to Talladega Superspeedway. This unprecedented resource collects information about every element of NASCAR history in one place: the early personalities who shaped the sport and set things in motion, the past greats who have now retired, and today's rising stars who continue to make stock car racing one of the most popular sports in the United States.

Mr. Satisfactory

Author: Martin G Kavanaugh
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 1504901088
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 310

Book Description
Marty on the Swilcan Bridge, June 24, 2014 Mr. Satisfactory is an autobiography and abridged history of the author and his extended family. It tells the authors story of a life growing up in a large loving family from Indianapolis. The story begins with our familys start in the early twentieth century, our parents high school days in the forties, growing up in a Catholic family with seven siblings in the fifties and sixties, and through current day as my generation embarks on our golden years. You will journey with the author, his family, and his friends through his twelve years of parochial education and all the shenanigans and mischief a boy and teen can get himself into. Come along with us on family trips and outings. You will enjoy a front-row seat at athletic events and achievements, holidays, weddings, funerals, and much more. Mr. Satisfactory pays tribute to the authors family and friends. It is a book of real-life unforgettable stories and experiences. Marty exposes his inner thoughts, tells lifelong secrets, and confesses his faults and shortcomings. A strong work ethic, an abundance of common sense, a little bit of luck, and Gods help, turned twelve Satisfactory school years into an Excellent life. I hope you enjoy this book and begin to consider your own lifes story.