Customer Reviews

Built for Speed: The Ultimate Guide to Stock Car Racetracks : A Behind-The-Wheel View of the Winston Cup Circuit

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

 

 

Bob Latford, a man who worked behind the scenes for over 50 years in NASCAR racing, has published a book on the series' tracks as of May, 1999. Latford's career started as a program vendor at the beach course at Daytona and led him to the position of NASCAR's PR director, with numerous additional jobs and duties along the way to his recent retirement.

An admitted aficionado of history of all kinds, Latford lived through the entire first half of NASCAR's history and brings it to life for his readers.

Some reviewers have griped about the names assigned to races, but in following NASCAR tradition (policy?) Latford uses the current name of an event, regardless of what it was then.

If you're a newbie to the sport, or a hardened journalist (in which case you probably know Latford personally) this is a valuable addition to your collection.

As for the rating of only four stars, I don't think I've ever seen the "perfect" book....

While a nice effort; Latford's book appears to be directed at newer fans of the sport; as opposed to the long-term ones.

Points are shaved off for poor photo quality; many photos appear blurry; and/or a poor crop/scan. The cover photo; while vintage; was a drawback for me--a photo from 1992/93 on the cover of a 1999 book doesn't sell well...new fans; whom the content seems directed to; probably had no clue as to who was pictured on the cover.

Oh, and could Latford not find a synonym for "queued"?

While "Built for Speed" is an excellent book on NASCAR for the younger or new fan to the sport, many hardcore and older fans will find the book a sore dissapointment.

Vintage photos are placed strategically throughout the book (Richard Petty's 1975 Dodge racing at Riverside among them). Surprisngly, I found that many of the newer pictures seemed to have poor picture clarity in comparison to the older.

One of the books subtitles describes it as the "Ultimate Guide to Stock Car Racetracks". At best, it is average. Information regarding the races tend to be in-accurate (the 1986 Napa 500? Not quite. The Atlanta Journal sponsered the race through 1990, Hardee's for just one year, and Hooters took it until Napa took primary sponsorship in the mid-1990s.), however information regarding prelimnaries of most tracks, and early days provide a nice touch.

I gave "Built for Speed" 3 stars. It's certainly not the worst, but I've seen better.