NASCAR Nation: A History of Stock Car Racing in the United States

This is the first work to go beyond the popular myths of stock car racing to fully examine the sport's true history.

NASCAR Nation: A History of Stock Car Racing in the United States details the ongoing saga of this quintessentially American pastime. Looking at the drivers, events, and teams, it positions NASCAR racing within larger social, economic, and cultural trends in an attempt to address the sport's phenomenal growth and popularity.

This chronological examination of the evolution of stock car racing is the first history to go beyond the widely held myth that it was "invented" by Prohibition-era moonshiners. The book traces stock car racing history from its beginnings, to the formation of The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) in 1948, through today. Of course, readers will meet the sport's many colorful personalities, including the Earnhardts, Richard Petty, Jeff Gordon (who has raked in more than $70 million in career winnings), "Fireball" Roberts, Darrell Waltrip, Daytona pioneer Bill France, and women drivers like Janet Guthrie, Louise Smith, and Jennifer Jo Cobb. While the focus is on NASCAR, the book also examines other prominent stock car racing organizations to round out its comprehensive portrait.

Scott M. Beekman is Visiting Assistant Professor of History at Ohio University. He is the author of William Dudley Pelley: A Life in Right-Wing Extremism and the Occult (2005).