Customer Reviews

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

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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!

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.

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.

This is the first book that I read on Stock Car Racing. It covers the business, personalities emotions and soul of Stock Car Racing in the most eloquent way possible. After reading about some of the personalities in this book you feel as if you had just spent the day with each one. This book actually was the catalyst for leading me in the direction of starting a NASCAR stock car racing career as a driver. Any long time fan will cherish this book and any new fan will learn about the soul of the sport.