Customer Reviews

The NASCAR Way: The Business That Drives the Sport

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I'm not a racing fan, but I am a person who enjoys a good book with a great story. In The NASCAR Way, Robert Hagstrom takes the reader into every facet of the sports organization that is NASCAR. If you have an appreciation for the sport, this will be a great book for you, if not, you like me may gain an appreciation of both the sport and the NASCAR way of doing things. How this empire rose from a few bootleggers engaging in afternoon challenges to a multi-billion dollar industry is fascinating. Perhaps the most fascinating of all is the way this business works together at every level, from upper management, to track personnel, to racing teams and corporate sponsors, to the huge retail business, to loyal fans that fuel the entire machine with their support.

I highly recommend The NASCAR Way, I found it to be both enjoyable and a real learning experience.

The book was very informative on the financial and business demands of creating this great sport. It points out the France's dedication and perserverance to a business and how it became successful. After reading the book you can see why the sport has become a boardroom discussion with a lot of Fortune 500 firms as well as the Little Guys! I couldn't put it down.

The NASCAR Way is the most informative book I've found on NASCAR racing as an industry. The insight that Hagstrom provides the reader on the moral values that started all, to the marketing saavy that continues to drive the business is invaluable not only to the NASCAR fan wanting to know more, but to anyone in any business looking for a model to grow their company by. The reader that is not a NASCAR fan will be hooked before finishing the book, and the casual fan will become an expert on what goes on in the behind-the-scenes world of racing. A must for every entrepreneur and NASCAR fan alike.

Hagstrom does a surprisingly good job of mixing interesting historical anecdotes and economic discussion. Don't be fooled by the title, anyone can understand this book. The author examines all aspects of the sport in a very concise, clear and very easy to understand way. But he also keeps it lively with witty stories from the past and present. It is not just about the economics. If you're just getting into NASCAR, this is an essential read. It gives great historical background with fascinating analysis of the business of NASCAR. A must read for the devoted fan too.

NASCAR is a great business and International Speedway Corporation is a company that benefits from the sport the most. I bought this book because due to the economic recession fewer people attended races and the stock price of International Speedway Corporation fell to an attractive level. The owners of NASCAR own a substantial portion of International Speedway Corporation, which makes this company possess an incredible competitive advantage. The author also describes the entire racing business and how it compares to other sports such as basketball, baseball, and football. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the racing business.

- Mariusz Skonieczny, author of Why Are We So Clueless about the Stock Market? Learn how to invest your money, how to pick stocks, and how to make money in the stock market

If you are a hard core business person or a hard core race fan, you must have this book. If you wonder what all the hype is about, you have found your answer. Hagsrtom really digs into the business and explains the details of how and why NASCAR has come to be the fastest growing sport, period. A great race car fan study and an even better business person study. Business people could learn a thing or two or three from this book.

I bought this book for a marketing job within NASCAR. Not being familiar with the sport I needed to brush up a bit. If you like NASCAR you will like this book. If you dont like NASCAR, it will give you an overview of the sport and its rich history! ENJOY!

Before this book, my opinion of the sport ranked up there with my opinion of most politicians. However, a recent slight interest prompted me to buy it. I read it quickly and truly enjoyed it. Not only does it offer great insight into what drives the sport, but it gives a new fan (or someone with slight curiousity) an incredible appreciation of the sport, its athletes, the fans, and the people behind the scenes. After this book, I am a NASCAR fan.

I'm not a racing fan, but I am a person who enjoys a good book with a great story. In The NASCAR Way, Robert Hagstrom takes the reader into every facet of the sports organization that is NASCAR. If you have an appreciation for the sport, this will be a great book for you, if not, you like me may gain an appreciation of both the sport and the NASCAR way of doing things. How this empire rose from a few bootleggers engaging in afternoon challenges to a multi-billion dollar industry is fascinating. Perhaps the most fascinating of all is the way this business works together at every level, from upper management, to track personnel, to racing teams and corporate sponsors, to the huge retail business, to loyal fans that fuel the entire machine with their support.

I highly recommend The NASCAR Way, I found it to be both enjoyable and a real learning experience.

I would have appreciated a greater discussion about the profitablility of sponsorship of cars and drivers and why some of the lesser teams have problems attracting sopnsors. Otherwise book is OK. But reader beware: with Nascar now planning to negotiate all TV contracts, instead of the individual tracks, "The Nascar Way" may already be out-of-date.