Fans will be inspired, surprised, and amused by these inside stories from the race track and pit. Drivers, their families, pit crews, and fans share their behind-the-scene stories to give readers a front row view of the sport. Get behind the driver’s seat with these personal tales and anecdotes from inside the race track. Famous drivers and their families, pit crews, and fans share their stories of perseverance, triumph, comebacks, and life on and off the track.

"With stories by Richard Petty, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Bobby Labonte, Dale Jarrett, Darrell Waltrip, Michael Waltrip, and many more"--Cover.

Stock car racing got its start during the Great Depression, with drivers competing on dusty dirt tracks in front of small crowds and for scant prize money. How times have changed. The sport embodied in the juggernaut that is NASCAR now reaches into every corner of America, claims fans of all stripes, and fills the largest sports venues in the country weekend after noisy weekend. This is the story told in NASCAR: Yesterday & Today, part of Publications International s Yesterday & Today series of definitive sports histories. The book, written by the auto editors of Consumer Guide with a foreword by racing legend Darrell Waltrip, features hundreds of original photographs and comprehensive descriptions of: The drivers. From early legends like Red Byron, Marshall Teague, Fonty Flock, and Tim Flock to modern dominators like Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Sr., and Dale Earnhardt Jr. The cars. Starting with the modified prewar coupes of NASCAR s early races to today s high-tech automotive experiments. The tracks. Spectacular then-and-now photographs of the courses that have witnessed history. The events. From the days when Daytona meant a race literally on Daytona Beach to Jimmie Johnson s stylish burnout in front of the Wynn Hotel on the Las Vegas strip during Champions Week 2009. Throughout the book we also learn the story of the France family specifically Big Bill, Little Bill, and Brian who steered NASCAR into the hearts of racing fans over the course of seven decades. For the NASCAR enthusiast, there is no better, more readable and enjoyable history than NASCAR: Yesterday & Today.

"With stories by Richard Petty, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Bobby Labonte, Dale Jarrett, Darrell Waltrip, Michael Waltrip, and many more"--Cover.

Track the entire NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Season in your own words. Chicken Soup for the Soul joins NASCAR for the ultimate race journal experience. Filled with awesome photographs, this Xtreme Race Journal features every race track across the country so you can track your driver's progress through the entire NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season. In each chapter you'll find cool facts and records about your favorite speedways, how drivers have fared there before, plus space to fill in your favorite driver's qualifying speed, starting position, pit stop strategies, the coolest thing about each race, where your driver finished and everything you want to remember about the race. Plus, throughout the book you'll find inspiring quotes from kids, just like you, about what NASCAR means to them and their family and space for you to write your own thoughts and inspirations, too. Photos, Ultimate Trivia, Race Facts & Track Facts, Word Scrambles, Word Finds and Special Journal Entries for every NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Race. All Season Long!

Some facilities are so special that they literally define their sport. Stock car racing as it is known today did not exist until one man, armed with a vision and a willingness to get his hands dirty, constructed a race track in the middle of a South Carolina peanut field. More than six decades later, Darlington Raceway is still considered one of the crown jewels of racing. "The Lady in Black" is home to the largest margin of victory in NASCAR® history and its closest-ever finish. The legendary track has been the proving ground for every superstar of the sport.