In Flat Out and Half Turned Over, driving phenomenon Buddy Baker details the most hilarious collection of racing stories, memories, and anecdotes ever published. Read about the bumps and brawls; the blood, sweat, and tears; and the practical jokes that happen behind the scenes from the very drivers, owners, crew chiefs, and pit crew that make up the heart and soul of stock car racing. In this book, readers will find names like Fireball Roberts, Buck Baker, A. J. Foyt, Cale Yarborough, and Tiny Lund, along with racing icons Petty and Earnhardt. Flat Out and Half Turned Over is a must-read for racing buffs of all kind!
In Flat Out and Half Turned Over, driving legend Buddy Baker and racing writer David Poole join forces to compile the most hilarious collection of stories, memories, and anecdotes ever published. Read about the bumps and brawls, the blood, sweat and tears, and the practical jokes that happen behind the scenes.
Racing fans know exactly what Hemingway was talking about. Thunderous cars pounding by at hundreds of miles an hour only a few inches from each other in a breathtaking sport that combines physical and mental strength with death-defying intensity on every turn. And it's been like that for as long as people have been racing. No sport gets into your blood quite like America's fastest-growing sport -- stock car racing. Whether the talk turns to drivers, crews, cars or tracks, the subject will eventually consume even the most casual observer. As They Head for the Checkers richly chronicles the highs and lows of this exhilarating sport. From NASCAR's infancy in Daytona Beach to the sport's modern-day glitz, glamour and Wall Street appeal, the most memorable and emotional moments in stock car racing are recalled with sensational stories and brilliant photography. Author Kathy Persinger has captured not only some of the most memorable events in the history of stock car racing, but also some of the sport's most famous names. Come along for the ride and follow the incredible twists and turns as seen through the eyes of past racing legends, current heroes and future stars. The pages are dominated by legendary names such as Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, Bobby Allison and Dale Earnhardt, as well as current heroes Jeff Gordon, Bill Elliott, Tony Stewart, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. and future stars Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman, and Matt Kenseth. You can also relive these incredible moments through the thrilling sounds of an accompanying CD. The unique, digitally mastered CD contains more than an hour of riveting audio clips from the archives of Veteran Journalist Mark Garrow, as well as actual race calls from some of NASCAR's most exciting and emotional times. Find out why As They Head for the Checkers is a must read for every fan of America's fastest-growing sport. Book jacket.
This two-volume encyclopedia is the Daytona 500 of stock car racing books—an essential "Bible" that provides an all-encompassing history of the sport as well as an up-to-date examination of modern-day stock car racing. How did stock car racing become firmly entrenched in American pop culture, especially in light of the lack of interest in motorsports overall as a spectator activity in the United States? And what has been the secret to NASCAR's financial success and growth over the last six decades? Encyclopedia of Stock Car Racing highlights approximately 250 subjects that have defined the sport since stock car racing was first organized. Organized in A-Z order, it covers all of the greatest drivers, such as Richard Petty, Jimmie Johnson, Junior Johnson, and David Pearson; the special races such as the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400; and the famed tracks across the country, from Bristol Motor Speedway to Darlington Raceway to Talladega Superspeedway. This unprecedented resource collects information about every element of NASCAR history in one place: the early personalities who shaped the sport and set things in motion, the past greats who have now retired, and today's rising stars who continue to make stock car racing one of the most popular sports in the United States.
There is an area, within the continental limits of the United States, that does not exhibit the conditions that appear to be prevalent in much of the rest of the country. It has more timber than it had in 1950 and more of its land is forested. With two exceptions, all of its game birds and animals are more numerous, the open seasons that permit the taking of these are longer than they were fifty years ago, and, except in one instance, bag limits are more generous. Leaving out the pursuit of fish altogether, and taking the decidedly minority position that deer are superfluous, there is an open season of one kind or another from the first day of September in one year, until the first day of the following May, except for one three week period at the beginning of March. If a person chooses to fish, and has some source of outside income, he need never go home at all. The location of this Shangri La is neither the American frontier at the time of the French and Indian Wars, nor the Land of Oz, above the chimney pots and over the rainbow. It is the Southeast Coast of the United States today, at the opening of the third millennium. The purpose of this book is to serve you a slice of one of those years.
Donnie Allison was always the “other” brother of the famous NASCAR racing duo. Perhaps only true students of NASCAR history know that Donnie Allison won ten races in his career; that he posted top ten finishes in 47 percent of all the races he ever ran; that four of the five times the Allison brothers ran 1-2 in a race, it was Donnie in front at the checkers. Fewer still may know that he was Rookie of the Year in the 1970 Indianapolis 500. Little is known about Donnie Allison because he wasn’t much of a talker. Donnie lived by the philosophy that his driving did his talking for him. Over the years, his being so tight-lipped led to many misconceptions, twisted tales, and outright falsehoods about Donnie Allison, his racing career, and his life. In Donnie Allison: As I Recall . . ., he sets the record straight on a variety of subjects he’s wanted to clear up for years, including the 1979 Daytona 500 and the famous fight in the infield with Cale Yarborough; the win NASCAR tried to steal from him and give to Richard Petty; and his ultra-competitive, often-combative relationship with a racing brother who didn’t like to lose to anybody. “I’ve got lots of stories to tell, and I want to tell them the way I remember them,” Donnie says. In Donnie Allison: As I Recall . . ., he’s done just that.
George Sisco’s still not convinced a life without crime is all it’s cracked up to be... As part of the Massachusetts inmate re-entry program, Dr. Amy Marlow is tasked with getting him back on the right track after another stint behind bars. But George has something else on his mind… When his ex-brother-in-law Louie tries to persuade him to get in on some action, George is hesitant to put his trust in another one of Louie’s screwball schemes. But if they can pull it off, this time the payout could be big. And the money could be all George needs to finally break free. But everything starts to unravel before they even get started. The misfit gang George and Louie pull together threaten to derail their plans. And when they’re forced to deal with an acquaintance who has a score to settle with George, they have to shift gears to cover their tracks. But it’s his blind pursuit of Dr. Marlow that’ll turn out to be George’s biggest mistake yet. When he finds himself in another mess he’s not sure how to fix, he’ll have to choose between the beautiful doctor’s life and the so-called friends depending on him…
"Chris Economaki is the world's best-known reporter of the auto racing scene. No man, with either the written or electronic word, has had an effect on auto racing like Economaki. ... Now, Economaki tells the story of the sport from the perspective of the man who was there to see it all."--Back cover.
