Men and Speed: A Wild Ride Through NASCAR's Breakout Season - Hardcover

Miller, G. Wayne

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1586480960 ISBN 13: 9781586480967

Publisher: PublicAffairs, 2002

Synopsis

What is it that makes a man strap himself into an automobile and drive it hundreds of laps around a track at speeds surpassing 200 miles per hour? Is it the desire for victory, the proximity to danger? Or is it the lure of speed itself -- propelling oneself ever faster, without losing control of the vehicle?

Critically acclaimed journalist G. Wayne Miller decided to find out by spending a year on the NASCAR circuit with Roush Racing's legendary owner Jack Roush and his four title-contending Winston Cup drivers: Mark Martin, Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth, and Kurt Busch.

Miller plumbs the allure of speed and the exploding popularity of stockcar racing through the dramatic and compelling story of the 2001 season. The year began with the most famous Daytona 500 in history, when NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt was killed slamming into the wall on the first turn, and runs through the great races at Las Vegas, Talledega, Indianapolis, Charlotte, and Atlanta. Miller takes us inside the garages, pits, staging areas, and behind the wheel itself to convey what it feels like to compete at 200 miles per hour.

About this title

About the Author

G. Wayne Miller has been a staff writer at The Providence Journal since 1981, where he has won numerous journalism awards, including an American Society of Newspaper Editors prize for feature writing. He is the author of four previous works of nonfiction. He lives in Pascoag, Rhode Island, with his wife and three children.

Reviews

As NASCAR auto racing gains more fans, it appears poised to pass baseball and football as America's most popular sport. Some of the reasons for NASCAR's astounding growth are outlined by Miller: speed and danger, close competition, and above all drivers to whom the fans can relate directly. In an age of overpaid prima donnas posing as stars in the stick-and-ball sports, NASCAR brings a down-home sensibility, a much more human element to the relationship between star and fanDperhaps because of stock-car racing's Southern roots. Miller's approach was to follow the NASCAR circuit for the entire seasonDcertainly not a new approach in itself as has been seen by a number of books reviewed in these pages. However, the result is quite readable and brings a perspective from outside the usual Southern enclave of writers (Miller writes for the Rhode Island Providence Journal). Also, the 2001 season that he follows was one that found the sport at both a low point from the death of a star driver and a high point in the repeat season win of a four-time champion. All are covered in this book, which captures the many nuances of the American fascination with NASCAR racing. Recommended.DEric C. Shoaf, Brown Univ. Lib., Providence, RI
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: PublicAffairs
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1586480960
• ISBN 13: 9781586480967
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320