The 200-MPH Billboard: The Inside Story of How Big Money Changed NASCAR [Hardcover]

Mark Yost (Author), Brian Williams (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 3, 2007

What began on the dusty racetracks of the rural South is now a world-class enterprise, as closely watched by Wall Street as by hometown racing fans. How NASCAR grew from its provincial roots to become a big business of international proportions is the story Mark Yost tells in The 200-MPH Billboard.

A seasoned sports and business reporter for the Wall Street Journal and contributor to the New York Times and the Sports Business Journal, Yost demystifies the economics and politics behind NASCAR sponsorship. His book takes us behind the scenes of some of the head-turning corporate deals that altered the way NASCAR does business.

From Junior Johnson’s contract with Darrell Waltrip and Mountain Dew, which announced a significant change, to deals between the likes of Dale Jr. and Budweiser, Tony Stewart and Home Depot, NASCAR and Fox Television, this book clearly tracks the subtle and not-so-subtle transformations that corporate sponsorship has wrought in recent years. And it offers a rare insider’s look at what these changes have meant for NASCAR and its devoted fans. 

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Business and sports reporter Yost takes on the rise of NASCAR, bringing readers into the deals that have turned a Southern good ol' boy racing circuit into a clean-shaven marketing goliath. Yost is admirably unsentimental about the sport's growth, but fails to capture NASCAR's appeal to its fans as he looks at racetracks from the corporate hospitality suites. Content to mimic the suits, he frequently observes that the fans are remarkably loyal to the brands they see on the cars, the drivers and virtually anything else associated with American stock car racing. Yost does have access to some inside deal making: a chapter on NASCAR's business-to-business council shows how NASCAR brokers lucrative deals between sponsors, including nontraditional partners like Waste Management. However, the narrative often falls into a quicksand of numbers, including old television ratings and income from prize and sponsorship money. Additional chapters on deals between NASCAR and outfits like UPS and the armed forces feel redundant. In essence, companies sponsor NASCAR because it's high visibility, fast and cool, and because the sport's leaders and drivers are preternaturally accommodating to corporate needs. Business school students may enjoy the details, but general readers might wish Yost had stepped out of the boardroom to hear the crowd and the cars. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

NASCAR.com, Sept. 25, 2007

“If you have any questions about how NASCAR went from southern-based fixture to by-God sporting phenomenon, you can find the answer in Mark Yost’s new book … Some books of this type leave you gasping for air in the midst of statistics, concepts and strategies; this one doesn’t … This offering from Motorbooks is exhaustively researched … Yost’s writing style is easy and comparatively less dense than almost all of them, yet he still gets the story across in language plain and proper … This book gets a strong buy from this writer.”

                                                                                                                                                
Publishers Weekly

 “Business and sports reporter Yost takes on the rise of NASCAR, bringing readers into the deals that have turned a Southern good ol' boy racing circuit into a clean-shaven marketing goliath.”

“NASCAR fans with an interest in business history will enjoy this 320-page book, which examines how NASCAR grew into a multibillion-dollar business through profitable advertising deals with corporate sponsors.” –Gayot.com

SpeedTVBooks.com, August 2007

Book Review by Gregg Leary

“A thought-provoking read that documents a largely untold side of NASCAR racing.” 
                                                    

Area Auto Racing News, Oct. 23, 2007

“The book is an interesting and fast read.”

National Speed Sport News, December 2007

NationalSpeedSportNews.com, December 2007

“Let me recommend the ideal holiday gift for a racing fan: Mark Yost’s engaging book, ‘The 200 MPH Billboard,’ subtitled ‘The Inside Story of How Big Money Changed NASCAR.’ It is an intriguing story, hard to put down … Both of these books belong in every serious fan’s library.”

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Motorbooks; 1st edition (August 3, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760328129
• ISBN-13: 978-0760328125
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #415,811 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mark Yost has worked in business and sports journalism for nearly 20 years. He began his career at the Dow Jones Newswire in New York and eventually became Detroit bureau chief, overseeing the wire service's automotive coverage. Yost also worked for the editorial page of The Wall Street Journal for five years, both in New York and Brussels. Today, Yost remains a regular contributor to the Journal's Leisure and Arts pages, where he writes primarily about the business and economics of sports, including NASCAR, the NFL, Major League Baseball, the World Series of Poker, and the Kentucky Derby. He has also written for the Travel pages of the New York Times, book reviews for the Philadelphia Inquirer, commentary for the American Spectator, and catalog copy for the J. Peterman Co.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars NASCAR is a Great Business, August 12, 2009

By 

Mariusz Skonieczny "Author" (Schaumburg, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The 200-MPH Billboard: The Inside Story of How Big Money Changed NASCAR (Hardcover)

Did you know that most NASCAR fans can easily identify a sponsor of their favorite driver? This is why NASCAR became so big. Loyal fans are very aware of sponsoring brands and are highly likely to buy products of sponsors associated with NASCAR or their favorite driver. Sponsors pour more money into the sport because they see a return on their investment. It is a win-win situation for everyone: fans, sponsors, drivers, and track owners. The author of this book did a great job walking readers through the history of the sport. Drivers used to struggle financially and now many of them are multi-millionaires. This all started with the ban of Cigarette companies' advertisement on television. They had to find other places to advertise. That's how sponsoring dollars found NASCAR. Other companies followed and the rest is history.

- Mariusz Skonieczny, author of Why Are We So Clueless about the Stock Market? Learn how to invest your money, how to pick stocks, and how to make money in the stock market

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting background, October 11, 2007

By 

Janlynn (Sussex, WI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The 200-MPH Billboard: The Inside Story of How Big Money Changed NASCAR (Hardcover)

For the NASCAR fan, or for those who don't understand how millions of people can watch cars drive in circles for hours, this book reveals how big business drove the consumer to the racetrack. It provides a look at the fascinating history of the sport. While clearly well researched, I found the writing annoying when the author repeatedly makes a statement, followed by the words: but more about that later. You need an excellent memory to follow the thread of information.

4.0 out of 5 stars The business of NASCAR, May 23, 2010

By 

GL (Tampa Bay, FL) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The 200-MPH Billboard: The Inside Story of How Big Money Changed NASCAR (Hardcover)

If you are a big fan of NASCAR (as I am), then you need to understand there is a business behind the sport. This book explores the business aspects of the sport and the money involved. It's an easy read and a fascinating book.