Customer Reviews

Fireball: Legends Don't Fall From the Sky

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

NASCAR FANS: DON'T MISS THIS ONE!!..For those to young to remember stock car racing's beginning, this book is a must read.
Godwin Kelly writes from the heart and soul of a sport that he knows and loves from his many years as a sports writer.
This book is a personal and compelling story of one of racing's
most colorful legends when they rolled up their sleeves and RACED! Not for the money or the fame..for the raw sport.
Great read!!...Shiela Sharp...Indiana race fan...

I have to agree with the last guy who reviewed this book. I figured from all the stories I have heard about "Fireball" that this book would knock my socks off. Instead it went all over the place and then again it went nowhere. Hardly any racing stories at all and not much about the crash that took his life. Some of the pictures were neat to see but just about every picture in the book is used more then once. You would think there is tons of photos out there of him, so the need to keep using the same photos at different parts of the book seemed odd. And way to many pics of his girlfriend. I sometimes felt like the book was about her, more then him. If you can pick this up cheap somewhere for a few dollars it may be worth it. Other then that, it was a huge letdown. I read it fairly quick and when I was done it was like I learned nothing at all about the man.

Fireball Roberts was a professional race-car driver, it said so right on his driver's license. This book is more about his personal life than many folks would like, they would like to ignore the facts of his marital split, his girl-friend, and his escapades. Well, they are just part of what made Fireball who he was--a man who raced cars. The major problem I have with this book is the photographs without captions. They leave me wondering "Who were these people," "Where was this race?," "Which year was this?" etc. Obviously written with input from Judy Judge, his girl-friend and fiance, but not Fireball's first wife and his late daughter, it is a little one-sided. I hope that another book comes out that Pam, his daughter, was working on. It would show another side of him, I'm sure.

5 June 2008
Just recv'd the book last week.
I was a Fireball Roberts fan since mid-fifties. Only draw-back to this book is the pictures aren't labeled as to who the people are in the pictures. Other than Fireball in the pix, many are unknown. Haven't finished the book as of yet. But, so far I have enjoyed it. As it is today, with the News Media, many back then only had half the story. Many of whom were writing, didn't even suspect what racing meant. What had to go into it. The hours upon hours of work, the constant travel, and of having to tow their cars from track to track, just to try and make a living. Let alone the inherent danger of powering a 2 ton rig, at break-neck speeds around some of the raggedy tracks in the nation. The purses won, many times didn't even cover expenses. Oh well, Fireball was a Hoot !!! The Power-Slide King. Well, maybe right behind Curtis Turner !!!??? Fireball was a tremendous asset to the popularity of the racing game!!! The pain and agony he suffered from that wreck was terrible! It was a very sad day in 1964 when we lost him.

Glenn Roberts Jr. may be the best racer to ever turn left. If your old enough to remember him, you should read this book! I think you will soon realize you nor I knew half as much about the man as we thought we did. This book along with Best Damn Garage by Smokey Yunick are by far the best for any Nascar fan.

I thought this was a good book to read. It is a little one-sided in it's
narration. I enjoyed it because it made me remember those days when I was
a kid and seeing Fireball race. He was one of NASCAR's greatest drivers and probably the first "professional" driver.
Overall, I recommend this book if you are a fan of early NASCAR racing.

Glad I found this book as he has always been my all time favorite watching excerpts of the old time racing on b/w tv in grammer school. Followers of the original champions will enjoy this book and the personal stories in it.

Nice book. Inexpensive. Probably only one like it and will BE the ONLY one like it going forward. So, If you want something about "Fireball" this is probably your only chance while they last.

This book is the worst NASCAR book I have ever read. The writer jumps all around Fireball's life but never delves into anything deep. There is no continunity in the time line of the book. I would not recommend this book to anyone.

Well written and quite revealing history of Glenn Roberts. I especially liked the no judgement type writing that gives us a clear picture of the man outside of the racetrack. Well done.