American Zoom: Stock Car Racing - From the Dirt Tracks to Daytona [Paperback]

Peter Golenbock (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1994

"There is no way you can imagine growing up in the thirties and thinking in the nineties this is where we are going to be." This assertion by racing pioneer Junior Johnson best describes the rapid evolution of stock car racing. The races, which began as battles for bragging rights among bootleggers in the Deep South to see who had the fastest car, have become a multimillion-dollar sport associated with dozens of major corporations and numerous television networks. Long gone is the overriding image of good ol' boys running moonshine; NASCAR has become a glamorous, upscale, and thriving business throughout the country, a passion shared by millions of Americans who closely follow the Winston Cup series. With thirty-one races on the 1993 schedule at tracks from Watkins Glen, New York, to Sears Point, California, NASCAR reaffirms that there is nothing more at the root of the American mindset than cars. With capacity crowds at each event, the races have been described as a middle-aged Woodstock - only instead of rock and roll it's a celebration of fast cars and American tradition. American Zoom is the first and only book to capture the true flavor of this homegrown pastime. Peter Golenbock, with six bestsellers to his name, has earned a reputation as one of the most successful and respected sports authors. In his tumultuous histories of the New York Yankees (Dynasty, The Bronx Zoo, and Balls) and Brooklyn Dodgers (Bums), his revelatory and controversial book with Billy Martin (Number 1), and his expose of the North Carolina State basketball program (Personal Fouls), Golenbock has changed our perceptions of sports. Now, having spent a year and a half talking with all the main players ofNASCAR, Golenbock offers an oral history as told by the great drivers, mechanics, promoters, and others who have made the sport what it is today, talking about the people and cars who have made racing history. American Zoom is also the consummate insider's book, profiling the character

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Auto racing is followed by 26% of the American public, stresses Golenbock ( Fenway ) in this survey which will serve as an ideal introduction for those interested in but unfamiliar with the sport. Beginning with the top event, the Daytona 500, he presents a brief history of the National Association for Stock Car Automobile Racing (NASCAR), founded in 1948, tracing its origins to Southern bootleggers who developed their driving skills fleeing the law. The major portion of the book is oral history by and about track figures, including Richard Petty, "The King," who won 200 races in his career, car-builder Ralph Moody, engine-builder Waddell Wilson, crew chief Andy Petree, unsponsored independent Dave Marcis (most drivers now have corporate bankrollers) and the current ruler of the raceways, Dale Earnhardt. Richly anecdotal, the book is a rollicking account of roistering individuals in a high-tension sport. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Golenbock, author of the controversial Personal Fouls (Pocket Bks., 1989), offers this oral history of stock car racing from its crude beginnings as a contest among Southern bootleggers to its present status as a billion-dollar industry. The author wisely employs an oral history format to relate the background of this sport, and the technique best suits the subjects: jovial men with colorful personalities and nicknames, fondly remembering the "good old days." All the great names of stock car racing are here, from Richard Petty to Smokey Unick, from Bill France to Junior Johnson, from Bill Elliott to Dale Earnhardt. Strangely, this well-written account is the only comprehensive survey of stock car racing available, as most works on the subject are collections of photographs or coffee-table books. Recommended for most public libraries. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 5/15/93.
- Eric C. Shoaf, Brown Univ. Lib., Providence, R.I.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 520 pages
• Publisher: Macmillan General Reference; 1st pbk. ed edition (December 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 002032782X
• ISBN-13: 978-0020327820
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,017,976 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent, colorful history of NASCAR, July 7, 2000

By 

Henry Vogel "Storyteller" (Raleigh, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: American Zoom: Stock Car Racing - From the Dirt Tracks to Daytona (Paperback)

Most people consider that the sport of baseball has the most colorful history of any American sport. They point to characters such as Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, and extraordinarily colorful Dizzy Dean as examples. Baseball history is certainly colorful, but stock car racing can match it character for character. Stock car racing edges ahead, though, because many of the most colorful characters in stock car racing were alive at the time American Zoom was written.

In this wonderful book, Peter Golenbock introduces us to the likes of Richard Petty, Bill France, Junior Johnson, the Flock brothers, and Tiny Lund. Dozens of people associated with stock car racing, from the early days when hopped up cars carrying white lightning were outrunning the law to the modern era of multi million dollar sponsorships, were interviewed by Golenbock. With the exception of the introduction of each person, Golenbock lets those he interviews tell their own story. The words and the memories are faithfully presented for us to savor.

Would you like to hear about the first lap Richard Petty ever took in a race? It's in here (and NOT what you would expect). Do you wonder where the idea of drafting other cars for increased speed came from? It's in here. You'll also find stories about the first Southern 500 in Darlington and how Bill France milked the announcement of a winner in the first Daytona 500 for several days before finally naming the winner (and why people think he took so long to name the winner).

American Zoom belongs on the shelf of any fan of motorsports. Give it a try but hang on, it's a wild ride!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Bothered by some of the errors in the book., September 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: American Zoom: Stock Car Racing - From the Dirt Tracks to Daytona (Paperback)

It was a good read, but the author didn't check his facts when he started talking about other racing series such as CART and IRL. That there were errors in these areas made me question some of his other things he talked about. I liked the book, but with reservations.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great resource for NASCAR History, March 25, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: American Zoom: Stock Car Racing - From the Dirt Tracks to Daytona (Paperback)

This book was better than expected. Frank, honest, and written in a down-to-earth manner, the book gives incredible insights into the way NASCAR works. Highly recommended to any NASCAR fan.