Racing Reviews

Racing is an obsession to them and because of it families will crumble and divorces will ensue. But this does not deter the racer. He will follow his dream to the end.

Three paragraphs really jumped out at me while reading this book of short stories. One in "The First Obligation":

"I mean a whole life can't come down to this collection of furniture and photographs, like a bunch of trophies you win in go-cart for just showing up--what kind of a race is that? I mean the sun's going down, my car engine's blown, and I can't even remember enough of my life to cry good tears over it. I feel like I'm rolling loose, about to hit the wall again, and no one's looking anymore."

And later

"A dream is something you die for," she'd told him, and he'd looked at her, lying drained of blood as if her own dream and not his father's was the thing he should fear. He'd understood then that she loved her husband, that his father hadn't forced her to what was her death bed, she had climbed into it herself. They were lucky, these two people, his parents, he'd come to realize over the next few years. Lucky because they';d been true to their dreams and because they knew what those dreams were. Recognized them out of all the others that must have presented themselves like dancers at the dance."

and finally in the short story, "Mystery Numbers":

"Late summer when Dale Earnhardt had driven into the wall at the start of the Mountain Dew Southern 500, they said he experienced 'a transient alteration of his consciousness.' Tom was thinking he needed one of those, but hoped it wouldn't take a smack in the wall to do it."

These men (and women) always hope that they will be one day up there with the Earnhardts, the LaBontes, the Martins. That is not the main reason, though. It is the car. It is the love of the car and the need for speed. And they keep trying.

This book covers Tony's stellar racing career to this point. It has some interesting facts and lots of cool B & W pictures (including one of him hugging "friend" Jeff Gordon *LOL*). A must own for any Stewart fan!

As with the other books in the series, this one is also a very quick read. Like the others the book gives a look into the short but promising career of one of the brightest and most talented rookies on tour.

As a part of Joe Gibbs Racing, Tony Stewart amassed over $2.6 millions in winnings in his first year and the future looks even brighter. Pick up a copy and take a look into the life of the new millennium of racing superstars.

If you're a long-time fan, this book will provide you with more than enough information to challenge anyone to a NASCAR trivia bet. If you're a new fan of stock car racing, chapter 21, How to Watch a NASCAR Race, will be well worth the price of the book.

The Unauthorized NASCAR Fan Guide '99 is a must-have book for any NASCAR fan. For less than twenty bucks, this book should be on every fan's bookshelf.