Customer Reviews

At the Altar of Speed: The Fast Life and Tragic Death of Dale Earnhardt

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I love books about NASCAR. As a female fan of the sport, I love to learn about not only the history of NASCAR but about the men who make NASCAR so popular. This book is not only for Dale Earnhardt fans but I would recommend it for those people who didn't like him. I think they will be surprised at how different Dale Earnhardt was off the track. "The Intimidator" only describes his on-track persona.

What makes this book a great read is that with each story you can almost hear the sadness in the voices of those folks who have lost a very special friend. Some of the tales told are humorous and with each recollection you learn more about Dale Earnhardt the man, husband, father, and friend.

Leigh Montville has put together what I can honestly say is the best tribute to a man who is missed by so many of us. He made me realize NASCAR will never ever be the same without that Goodwrench Black Number 3 Monte Carlo of Dale Earnhardt.

Dale, Rest in Peace!

This is one of the best books I have ever read. After being a fan of Dale's for so many years this book actually cleared up a lot of things about him that most people never got to see.

It's not a coffee table book, which are good to look at, this book makes you actually see how things really were. The author did an awesome job of portraying Dale as a real man with fears and ambitions. The reader gets to see even the bad sides of Dale. Which is what made Dale the man we all loved or loved to hate as I admit I did for the first several years. But slowly learned to admire his driving and then actually root for him.

Awesome! Must Read for any NASCAR/Dale Earnhardt fan.

This is the first Dale Earnhardt book I have found that was NOT a coffee table book filled only with captioned photos.

This book covers Dale's life from the beginning, discussing his friends and family. It tells the story of his struggle to become so successful.

Dale was always a very private person, and until now, it was difficult to find anything about his personal life away from the racetrack. The book even mentions that Dale advised Dale Jr. that he would regret living his "Club E" image in the public eye.

I been a huge Nascar fan for over 20 years, and admired Dale since he finally cast the monkey off his back by winning the Daytona 500.

All in all a very good read, leaving me the desire to find out even more about Dale.

It's obvious that this book was written by an (admitted) outsider to NASCAR. After finishing the book, I felt like Leigh Montville sat around listening to stories about Dale and then decided to write a book about those stories. I'm sorry, but I feel like the only reason this book was written was for compensatory reasons.

In one section, Mr. Montville writes that whereas other NASCAR drivers said that they were friends with Dale, Dale did not feel that they were his true friends (saying that you would always see them hang out at his trailer, but you would not see him hanging out at theirs). Dale did admittedly hang out with other drivers (outside of race weekends) and go vacationing, hunting, and fishing with them.

Being a huge NASCAR fan, I was overall very disappointed with this book (though I did enjoy the section about Dale and Neil Bonnett). If you want a brief overview of Dale's life, then this may be the book for you. If you want to find out the real/more in depth story, then I would suggest you buy a book from an author who either really knew Dale personally or has spent most of their life affiliated with NASCAR. That's what I plan to do.

Unfortunately while my husband and his friends were following Nascar I wasn't paying attention. I went to my first race in Bristol following Earnhardt's death and couldn't help but notice the respect EVERYONE seemed to have for Earnhardt, no matter who they followed. I got this book to learn more. To me it was wonderful, it made you cry in places and in places I laughed out loud while reading it. I really enjoyed it and have already passed it on to someone else to read it. I don't think that you particulary had to be a Nascar or an Earnhardt fan to enjoy it though. It was very entertaining. A good read.

At The Altar Of Speed provides a tribute to Dale Earnhardt, a race car driver who died in February, charting his early involvement with race cars, his rise to the top, and his relationships with friends and fellow drivers. Montville's interviews with peers and friends provides an excellent survey of the man's life and achievements.

This is a great book that tells you everything from the the birth of Earnhardt to that fatal day. There are many facts in this book that most people probably did not know. From the reason his car was painted black to the names of the streets in the town he was born. This is a must have book for every NASCAR fan.

First off, I need to explain that I'm a big NASCAR fan. Every NASCAR fan, no matter what they thought of Dale Earnhardt when he was alive, understands what a terrible loss took place the day of his crash. He is impossible to replace and was the one of the toughest competitors in all of sport.

That being said I looked forward to reading this book hoping to get a new insight into Earnhardt's life and the man. Unfortunately, I didn't read much that I didn't already know. If you were already a big fan of Dale Earnhardt and followed the sport closely, this book will add little to your knowledge. Mr. Montville is a great writer and he does a great job in writing about Dale Earnhardt in this book. In many ways, this is much like a good article in Sports Illustrated that has been lengthened to fit a book. If you are a casual fan or have just started to follow the sport, I would recommend the book to you.

As for myself as a long-time fan, what I liked best about the book was the stories about Dale and fellow races Neil Bonnett. It brought out the human side of two very close friends who both left the world far too early. The problem is that there isn't enough of that in the book. I already know about Dale's racing history and it's not hard to find out from many sources.

In addition, I had a few problems with the book. The problems I had is that Andy Petree is misidentified in one of the book's photos and there seems to be an effort to smear Earnhardt's business manager Don Hawk. Yes, Dale Earnhardt managed to make millions of dollars in his career, and one reason that happened was because of Don Hawk. It seems as if there is a bit of resentment out there because of Earnhardt's success off the track as well as on it.

While I recommend this book to new fans, I would urge long-time fans to find the article that Ed Hinton wrote in the Orlando Sentinel immediately after Earnhardt's death. As this book brings out, Hinton and Earnhardt were often at odds with one another, but Hinton wrote a beautiful story that shared a number of great anecdotes about some of the unknown stories in Earnhardt's life. That's what I want to read about and I wish this book would have had more of it.

This is the first Dale Earnhardt book I have found that was NOT a coffee table book filled only with captioned photos.

This book covers Dale's life from the beginning, discussing his friends and family. It tells the story of his struggle to become so successful.

Dale was always a very private person, and until now, it was difficult to find anything about his personal life away from the racetrack. The book even mentions that Dale advised Dale Jr. that he would regret living his "Club E" image in the public eye.

I been a huge Nascar fan for over 20 years, and admired Dale since he finally cast the monkey off his back by winning the Daytona 500.

All in all a very good read, leaving me the desire to find out even more about Dale.

Biography on one of if not the best driver in NASCAR history. Montville walks the reader through the triumphs and defeats of Earnhardt Sr. through his racing career and establishment of DEI. He concludes with the legacy of the "intimidator" after his untimely death at the 2001 Daytona 500. Well written book that only introduces the reader to the Earnhardts.