The Wildest Ride: A History of NASCAR Hardcover - 2001

From the publisher

More than half a century ago in the mountain country of the Southeast a uniquely American phenomenon had an unlikely birth. In tricked-out rides on backwater roads, hard-driving good ol' boys trucked barrels of illegal whiskey through the foothills of Appalachia, eluding at every turn the federal agents arrayed against them. For these men, their cars were not merely sources of pride -- they were instruments of survival. Once the loads had been hauled and the moonshine delivered, they did what young men who love their cars have always done: they raced 'em. Kicking up dirt at makeshift tracks throughout the South, they wrecked and rumbled their way into the forefront of American sports. The National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing is their legacy, and in T"he Wildest Ride," Joe Menzer expertly chronicles NASCAR's evolution from the dubious pastime of moonshine runners to a billion-dollar industry, strapping readers into the driver's seat for a run through stock-car racing history.

"The Wildest Ride" tells the story of NASCAR's remarkable rise under the auspices of Big Bill France from rogue outfit to corporate darling -- equal parts Southern grit and Madison Avenue spectacle -- whose television rights recently sold for an astronomical $2.8 billion. Menzer also profiles the many superstar drivers who have dominated the sport, men as unpredictable as they are fearless, including: