In this history of the stock car racing circuit known as NASCAR, Daniel S. Pierce offers a revealing new look at the sport from its postwar beginnings on Daytona Beach and Piedmont dirt tracks through the early 1970s, when the sport spread beyond its southern roots and gained national recognition. Real NASCAR not only confirms the popular notion of NASCAR's origins in bootlegging, but also establishes beyond a doubt the close ties between organized racing and the illegal liquor industry, a story that readers will find both fascinating and controversial.

In The Wildest Ride, Joe Menzer gives us a timely, comprehensive look at the dramatic, rollicking history of stock-car racing in America, exploring both its inauspicious bootlegging beginnings and the billion-dollar industry that it has become. Menzer straps the reader into the driver's seat for a run through NASCAR's history, revealing the sport's remarkable rise from rogue outfit to corporate darling. Menzer also profiles the many superstar drivers who have dominated the sport, men as unpredictable as they are fearless, including "The Intimidator," Dale Earnhardt, whose ferocious driving made him NASCAR's signature personality -- and whose tragic death at the 2001 Daytona 500 was mourned by millions. Menzer expertly maneuvers through the tight corners and wide-open straightaways of NASCAR's history, examining the circuit's attempt to distance itself from its "redneck racin'" past without compromising its country roots. Simultaneously rowdy and insightful, The Wildest Ride is a thorough and unfailingly honest account of NASCAR's amazing rise to prominence and a sweeping account of a uniquely American phenomenon.

A reference guide to the drivers, owners, races, and cars of NASCAR.

A warm, nostalgic look at a storied brand. Covers eight decades of the most-loved Cadillacs.

In the past 60 years, NASCAR has taken the lead as America s most popular motor sport and has sped past hockey, golf, basketball, and baseball to become the second-most-watched sport on TV. NASCAR: The Complete History takes you on a thrilling ride through more than a century of racing, from the first closed-circuit auto race in 1896 to the creation of NASCAR in the 1940s to stars of today such as Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. This is the definitive guide to the drivers, owners, races, and cars that have made NASCAR great. Every page is packed with incredible racing history. You ll enjoy: Hundreds of amazing NASCAR photographs A timeline of notable NASCAR moments from every year Rankings, points, wins, and earnings for every NASCAR season through 2008 Profiles of NASCAR s top drivers In-depth essays examining seven decades of NASCAR racing Fascinating NASCAR trivia and anecdotes.