The Wildest Ride: A History of NASCAR (or, How a Bunch of Good Ol' Boys Built a Billion-Dollar Industry out of Wrecking Cars) (Touchstone Books (Paperback))

I am a new fan of NASCAR so I really wasn't too familiar with it's history. Well, this book chaznged all that! This book covers NASCAR from it's beginnings in moonshine runners of the 40's up through Dale Earnhardt's death in 2001. This is just a great book. The author really brings the characters and personalities of Big Bill fRANCE AND ALL THE DRIVERS TO LIFE. I came away really understanding the sport's origins and history, and it only deepened my love for NASCAR. This is a MUST READ for any fan curious of how the sport has developed over the years. The book is written in a style that is very relaxed and down home, certainly not pompous and pretentious. This book was so well written I felt as though I were right there at all the races, right up close. I will read this book again for sure. GET THIS BOOK, you won't regret it!

First of all, I want to thank the many, many folks who have offered high praise for The Wildest Ride -- from reviewers at such fine publications as the Wall Street Journal, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Publishers Weekly, the New York Post, the New York Daily News, the Rocky Moutain News and several other newspapers and magazines to the legions of readers who have visited with me at book signings, via e-mail or simply in passing.Secondly, I want to make it clear that I don't normally respond to negative reviews, which, rare though they may have been in my experiences, also seemingly are inevitable. It's America, and everyone is entitled to their opinion.Yet I do feel a need to respond when someone questions my motivation for writing a book or my methods for researching and writing one. So I am taking this opportunity to address the previous reviewer, who ignored the facts while attacking me personally and, of course, anonymously. I spent 15 months dilgently researching and writing The Wildest Ride; I did countless "original interviews" with sources that included many of the greatest names in NASCAR history; I stand by this book as a great primer for new fans and a keepsake for veteran ones, who may have heard many of the stories previously but possibly have forgotten some of the details or maybe have not heard them from the angle in which I presented them.I hope all who read The Wildest Ride enjoy it for exactly what it is -- a truly wild ride through the fascinating history of America's fastest-growing spectator sport, with a hard look ahead to the future and the issues that face the sport if it wants to continue its phenomenal growth. I would even present the argument that because I am a relative newcomer as an observer of the sport, I believe I was able to offer an unbiased view on some of the unsavory aspects of NASCAR that have littered both its past and its present, while at the same time celebrating its greatest achievements. In other words, I attempted to be honest and totally objective. That is a fact with which no one can argue.

"Know your roots" has always been one of my favorite sayings. When it comes to NASCAR, not many fans are aware of just how deep and strong those roots are. This book helps to change that.From the days of running moonshine in the South, to the days of multi-million dollar sponsorship deals. From early stars who drove with pet monkeys in their cars, to racing legends who shall never be forgotten. "The Wildest Ride" takes you on a journey through NASCAR's history, and shows you how it has become one of the fastest growing sports in the world today.You'll read about colorful characters like Tim Flock, Joe Weatherly and Glenn "Fireball" Roberts - and modern legends like Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. You'll celebrate in Victory Lane, and mourn with the entire racing world after the death of Dale Earnhardt at the 2001 Daytona 500.This book is a must read for any NASCAR fan. It is the story of the foundation of the sport which we all enjoy. Without this story our sport would never be where it is today...

Excellent book, takes the reader behind the scenes of the sport of NASCAR. The information of how drivers got into the business and the interactions between the drivers and the France family, give the reader an great insight into the sport. Joe Menzer tells how the drivers began the sport which the France family made such a sucess and puts the reader where the drivers were and are. Really liked the information about how the drivers got the financial help needed to keep a car going, as well as how the corporate contributions laid the foundation for the sport. Great book

Review Summary: Those who love candid stories about the origins of stock car racing will have a ball with this behind-the-scenes view of NASCAR racing. The book opens with bumper bumping at Bristol. Most of the original top drivers drove moonshine as their main job before moving to NASCAR, and some stars were still running moonshine whiskey in their spare time into the 1950s. There are unbelievable tales of famous drivers running totally drunk, and rumors of drugs in the 1950s and 1960s. The human drama also includes the sad and untimely deaths of stars like Dale Earnhardt at Daytona in February and of young Adam Petty running over his crew chief, Chris Bradley, in a pit stop accident. Most of the information from the last 20 years will be known to NASCAR fans. The earlier material will not be, and will make this book a joy. So race right on down to get your copy!Review: No big-time sport has more recent and rough-and-tumble origins than NASCAR does. Stock car racing's humble beginnings are part of its charm. Unlike other big-league sports, this one continues to have a connection to the ordinary fan who sees the drivers as being like him or her. It's unfortunate that such an exciting sport should be conveyed in a book. That's like reading about making love. I hope the author will consider making a video version of the book that can contain wonderful racing footage. For the most part, you'll have to use your mental images of racing to capture all of the excitement of what is being described here. Having had two sons who were addicted to the Dukes of Hazzard, I was pleased to see that The Wildest Ride contained lots of information about the moonshine running days of the racers. During Prohibition and even later (as liquor taxes rose), running moonshine whiskey was often the best paying job available. But you needed a fast car and the ability to drive fast enough to outrun the "revenuers" as the IRS was called. Since the revenuers could only go 95, that wasn't too tough. Apparently, only about one run in a thousand would include any real risk of being apprehended. The local sheriffs liked to get in on the action because they got up to half of the value of the car that the moonshine was being transported in. After the run was over, there was plenty of time to race the cars for fun . . . or even a little wager. The book contains lots of colorful (and often controversial) stories about all of the legendary early drivers on the circuit. You will also find out how the sport built up from dirt ovals to Indy-like tracks and stands. So why is the sport so popular? Mr. Menzer offers several suggestions. The one I found most credible was "the sound . . . the noise . . . the dirt . . . the roar . . . the furor." This comparison also worked well, "like watching a circus where the high-wire acrobats operate without a net." On the other hand, Mr. Menzer argues that "without the ever-looming specter of wrecks, . . . the sport would l