The Dirt Under the Asphalt: An Underground History of Stock Car Racing [Paperback]

Jack Flowers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 17, 2009

Many other books have been written about NASCAR, mainly about its drivers and other celebrities who compete in the sport of stock car racing, but there have been very few books written or published about the internal workings of NASCAR.

This book takes a look at NASCAR from day one to present-day and tells the story of how NASCAR has maintained its operation as a dictatorship since the late forties, how drugs played a part in its rapid rise in popularity, and how it has been run by the France family of Daytona Beach, Florida.

The Dirt Under the Asphalt is a book that pulls no punches and paints no pretty pictures. It does, however, offer the author's insight into the most prominent track owners and drivers who got NASCAR started and kept it going through tough times in the fifties and sixties.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jack Flowers covered his first stock car race when he was sixteen and the sports editor of The Moultrie Observer (Georgia). It was the Rebel 300 in Montgomery, Alabama, and it was won by Buck Baker in one of Carl Keikaefer's Chrysler 300s.

Since then, Flowers, now seventy, has worked for eleven different daily newspapers, mostly in Florida, covering stock car racing off and on, along with other forms of auto racing and the Indianapolis 500.

Leaving the daily newspaper business in 1979, Flowers began working for auto racing trade publications that cover NASCAR.

Today he still writes weekly stories about NASCAR for Area Auto Racing News (AARN) , and National Speed Sport News (NSSN).

While working for Grand National Scene (now NASCAR Scene) and Speedway Scene (no longer in publication), Flowers and Tom Higgins, the retired motorsports writer of The Charlotte Observer (North Carolina), covered every NASCAR race, from coast to coast, for seventeen consecutive years.

Product Details

• Paperback: 40 pages
• Publisher: Dorrance Publishing; Bklt edition (March 17, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1434993558
• ISBN-13: 978-1434993557
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,103,941 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #98 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Sports > Miscellaneous > Motor Sports
  • #100 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Nonfiction > Automotive > Racing

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A TRUE BEHIND THE SCENES LOOK AT NASCAR, April 11, 2009

By 

Tom (Atlanta, Georgia, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Dirt Under the Asphalt: An Underground History of Stock Car Racing (Paperback)

Jack Flowers has written a true behind the scenes look at the politics and busniess of NASCAR. As a former NASCAR car owner, I always knew Jack to be a good guy and a straight shooter. The folks at NASCAR HQ might not agree with all Jack has to say but he's put together an interesting look at the state of racing today. The book is an honest look at NASCAR racing by a guy who has observed the sport from trackside for a long time. A great read !

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A True Aficianado, April 12, 2009

By 

Brooks Sheldon (Davidson, N.C.) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Dirt Under the Asphalt: An Underground History of Stock Car Racing (Paperback)

Jack Flowers is a true aficionado of NASCAR racing. He has covered this most popular U. S. sport for decades drilling into its innermost workings. His strong background as a journalist combines with his deep affection for racing to bring to life in this book the corporate body of NASCAR. Like a narrative from the Old Testament his story does not present us with dainty saints. He reminds us rather that it is the lovable rogues and sinners combining with the heroes that draw us to the drama Sunday after Sunday, year after year, decade after decade. Flowers began his writing career in South Georgia where he was sports editor of The Moultrie Observer. NASCAR remains very popular in South Georgia, and the fans in this region can be proud of the contribution to the sport that Flowers has made with this excellent book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Intereresting, but scant on details, January 18, 2010

By 

Rand Thompson (Michigan) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Dirt Under the Asphalt: An Underground History of Stock Car Racing (Paperback)

I admit that some of the anecdotes in the book were very interesting, but there were a couple that made allusions, but went into very little detail and left the reader wanting more. I can't say that anything there was really shocking.

For the price, I guess the size of the book was about what I had expected, but it is pretty skimpy in length. Great photo of Pearson in the Wood Bros. Mercury at Riverside on the cover (my favorite car !)