Postcards from Pit Road: Inside NASCAR's 2002 Season [Paperback]

Monte Dutton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 30, 2003

Postcards From Pit Road is a revealing and lively account of the 2002 NASCAR season. Noted motor sports journalist Monte Dutton covers everything at each stop on the 2002 Winston Cup tour, from the qualifying laps to the checkered flag. Written trackside at speedways around the country, Postcards From Pit Road provides readers with the compelling inside story of the wealthy car owners who pay the bills, the daring drivers who risk life and limb each week, and the harried crewmen who build and service the incredible racing machines with breathtaking efficiency. It’s a diary that lends insight into the rich personalities of racing and examines the toll that the long NASCAR season and its accompanying fast-paced lifestyle takes on the lives of drivers, crews, and their families. Dutton goes far beyond the typical facts and figures of each race, instead weaving an insightful account of the daily lives of these modern-day gladiators.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Monte Dutton writes "NASCAR This Week," which is syndicated by Universal Features Syndicate in more than 500 newspapers nationwide. He has won the National Newspaper Association Award, seven South Carolina Press Association Awards, and three National Motorsports Press Association Awards. He lives in Clinton, South Carolina.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Potomac Books Inc.; 1 edition (January 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1574885685
• ISBN-13: 978-1574885682
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,875,095 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful and Fun Read, February 17, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Postcards from Pit Road: Inside NASCAR's 2002 Season (Paperback)

The green flag drops with an up close and personal visit with
NASCAR's 2002 Champion, Tony Stewart. You learn what makes him
happiest and what brings tears to his eyes from the sportswriter
who knows him best. You will tour the country for 36 weeks with
all the racing greats. Away from the tracks you fly with the US
Air Force in Nevada and experience country music in Texas. Buckle
up, hold on and enjoy the trip. With down to earth and descriptive writing you will feel as though you made the journey
yourself. The checkered flag drops with the last chapter only
to make you long for more. Hopefully he is pounding the keys
with one for this year.

3.0 out of 5 stars Wish you were there., April 25, 2004

By 

J. Frakes (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Postcards from Pit Road: Inside NASCAR's 2002 Season (Paperback)

If you are looking for a detailed summary of the 2002 NASCAR season, here it is. But beware that an insider's look this is not. I don't believe there is a driver quote in the entire book that wasn't spoken into a microphone, either from just after a race or the post race press conference. And even that material is sanitized. We all know most of these guys don't know a WAS from an IS from a WERE, and that includes the TV commentators, but Mr. Dutton has these gentlemen ripping off lines like a CNN talking head. This was the year Sterling Marlin had that amazing run and led the points for much of it. This is how Sterling talks: "We was real good and done a two tire. She gone haywire there at the end. Wore out." But coming from the author's laptop - by the way, most folks don't refer to a yellow legal pad and pencil as a laptop - he comes off like Wolf Blitzer. All the quotes are couched in an ambiguous time and local to protect the author's image of shooting pool and doing shots with the boys to get the story. I just found that irritating. There is the obligatory cutting NASCAR for creating rules but no instance of a better idea to replace the rule. So we tear from track to track, getting post race driver interviews, which is all right, but a bit tedious by the time its over. What we don't get is the inside track, real personalities, real drama, heartbreak, joy, triumph, the smoke and roar of stock car racing. The author has a nice perspective and sense of humor, and if he digs deep and writes an epic, all fans will appreciate it.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great insider's look, February 23, 2006

By 

R. V. Spence - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Postcards from Pit Road: Inside NASCAR's 2002 Season (Paperback)

I really enjoyed this book. It was insightful and interesting. I've read several other books that are supposed to be "stories about NASCAR" and have been disappointed in what they presented, but not in this one.

I felt that Mr. Dutton wrote fairly about the people involved and that he wasn't biased in his opinions. Since I follow NASCAR regularly, the stories made me recall the 2002 season and added to my enjoyment of these recollections.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes NASCAR.