Gold Thunder: Autobiography of a NASCAR Champion [Hardcover]

Rex White (Author), Anne B. Jones (Author), Rick Minter (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 9, 2004

In the 1950s Chevrolet fans prayed for a savior, and Rex White answered. He took on big muscle cars, eventually winning both the 1960 Winston Cup Championship and the Driver of the Year title, and would later be named by NASCAR as one of their 50 all-time greatest drivers.

This memoir tells the story of Rex White’s struggle to become a champion despite a poverty-ridden childhood and a devastating physical disability. A firsthand account of the early days of NASCAR and southern stock car racing, the text is based on extensive research and hundreds of hours of interviews with Rex White by writer Anne B. Jones. It includes tales by participants and fans and is peppered with anecdotes of a virtual who’s who of NASCAR drivers, including Junior Johnson, Ned Jarrett, and a host of other drivers. The book is well illustrated, largely with photographs from Rex White’s private collection.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Rex White makes numerous NASCR–related appearances today and has appeared in recent radio, newspaper, and television interviews, as well as national motorsports magazines. Writer Anne B. Jones lives in Jonesboro, Georgia.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Mcfarland & Co Inc Pub (November 9, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078641975X
• ISBN-13: 978-0786419753
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 6.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,173,118 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonder book, wonderful person, March 20, 2005

By 

Greg Zyla "VALLCO Drag Racing Game" (Sayre, Pa. United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Gold Thunder: Autobiography of a NASCAR Champion (Hardcover)

Here's another great auto racing book that will not only let you into the life of Rex White, it will teach you along the way. Stricken with polio at a young age, growing up in poverty and working countless hours on a farm never hindered little Rex White's passion to get behind the wheel of a race car. You'll find out why his father played a major role in his "race to finish, race to win" atttitude, and you'll meet all of the people who impacted Rex's life on his way to becoming a NASCAR champion. People like modified great Frankie Schneider, who became White's mentor, to partner Louie Clements are all given prime space in this book. Rex tells what racing was really like in the good old days, his love of Chevrolet, and the countless hours on the road traveling on nickles and dimes to get to the next race. A regular dinner was a package of Lance crackers. You'll also attend several wild parties honchoed by Clown Prince Joe Weatherly.
The best part of this book are the lessons learned thanks to a great work ethic. You'll laugh at the loads of funny characters that come into Rex's life, and then also deal with racing's dangers and the many tragic events that happened on the track. It's loaded with photos, tells of the great/not so great 1963 year at Daytona with his Mystery Motor 427 Chevy, GM's "on again, off again" policies on racing and becoming a member of the official Chevy racing teams.
Another can't miss book on the great sport of auto racing from the eyes of one of NASCAR's all-time best 50 drivers. He may have stood only 5'4" in stature, but this is a giant of a man when it comes to racing and winning in life.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gold Thunder, June 7, 2005

By 

J. A. Johnson (Norfolk, Va US) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gold Thunder: Autobiography of a NASCAR Champion (Hardcover)

This book is wonderful! I don't know how to describe it. I'm not into sports and all that, but this was a riveting read.

In many autobiographies, it seems obvious that someone wrote the book for that person. But in Gold Thunder, Rex's no-punches-pulled account blends with Anne's seamless strorytelling to the point that one can almost imagine Rex sitting next to you.

Gold Thunder is very fast paced. You put the key in the ignition, rev it up a few times, and then watch it go. As the motor purrs to a stop and you turn the last page, you'll wonder where all the time went

Anyone will enjoy this book,including non race fans like myself. I'm sure that many aspects of it make more sense to race fans, but the book itself is a wonderful introduction to racing. I had no idea that NASCAR had such a colorful history. What a cast of characters! It's enough to make even the newest fans feel a bit of nostalgia.

5.0 out of 5 stars Gold Thunder a NASCAR Treasure, February 22, 2005

By 

Estelle Ford-Williamson - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gold Thunder: Autobiography of a NASCAR Champion (Hardcover)

This well-written biography of Rex White, one of NASCAR's Fifty Living Legends, will keep you reading to the end to find out the outcome of all White's adventures in the 1950s and 60s on the early NASCAR circuit. White drove before the ovals were paved, and seems as comfortable on dirt tracks and on the road to the next race as anywhere in the world. Along the way, readers will learn as much about the stock car racing sport as readers of "Seabiscuit" found out about the life of the jockey and the history of the horse racing sport. This is a very enjoyable book with delightful accounts of team high jinks throughout the story and enough historical material to keep NASCAR fans arguing for years.