Daytona: From the Birth of Speed to the Death of the Man in Black (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Journalist and NASCAR fan Hinton accelerates along 70 years of raceway history in a volume that bonds track groupies, folk-genius mechanics, paraplegics, NASCAR martyrs, AIDS, drugs, overnight millionaires, generational rivalries and family feuds at 200 mph into a coherent tale for the sport's dedicated and growing fan base. Hinton has had plenty of practice explaining auto racing culture to America for the last 25 years, first for Sports Illustrated and now for the Tribune News Services. After all, he was there "when NASCAR stirred as a sleeping titan of inexplicably charismatic appeal to the mainstream, when it flexed and stretched and went to finishing school and headed relentlessly uptown." Hinton manages to contain all the local color, roaring noise and background forces social, economic, and otherwise in a choppy but continuously attractive story. This is Daytona Speedway not as a structure of concrete and rubber but as a sort of roaring motorsport Mount Olympus, "the carotid artery through which nearly every essential element of motorsports has passed through at one time or another." Some elements pass through more loudly and colorfully than others; historical accounts of speed trials on the beach at Daytona in the 1920s and '30s, for example, may not excite today's spectators. The names and stories that stick are NASCAR names of the last 20 years: "man of the people" Richard Petty, tough guy Cale Yarborough and the late hero, Dale Earnhardt. Hinton's vignettes are sharp and his connections are exciting, split-second glimpses of NASCAR culture. (Nov. 21)Forecast: Yet another to be placed on the swelling NASCAR shelves and one that will sell nevertheless.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Essential reading for NASCAR auto-racing fans, this is a narrative history of Daytona, long a home to speed, racing, and the Daytona 500-mile race, a premiere auto racing event. Since 1903, when straight-line speed runs began on the beach, Daytona has been a hallowed place for racers, and winning the Daytona 500 has been a grail for them. Hinton, a widely known sportswriter and commentator who has covered auto racing for more than two decades, provides a wealth of detail about Daytona's history and the numerous luminaries who have been a part of racing there. In doing so, he also provides a history of NASCAR itself, retelling its origins in the moonshine trade and recalling many of the legends and legendary events of NASCAR. Hinton writes with eloquence and passion, and his narrative approach makes readers feel that they have encountered a collection of related stories with results that are entertaining and yet informative. Many of Hinton's anecdotes allow readers to see more of the personal and human side of the drivers, who are largely television images, although some of his portrayals are not at all flattering. Highly recommended for public libraries. David Van de Streek, Pennsylvania State Univ. Libs., York
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Warner Books; 1st Printing edition (November 21, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446526770
• ISBN-13: 978-0446526777
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,387,967 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars By far, the best book on NASCAR, period., November 12, 2001

By	"sportsguy1" (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews

Nothing comes close, actually. I've been waiting for this for a long time, because Ed Hinton is simply the best writer on motor sports there is, and I really miss him in "Sports Illustrated." Anyway, this is even better than I hoped. It's simply a great book, regardless of the subject. If you're an old-time NASCAR fan, you'll love the close-ups of all the great drivers and characters, because they're all here, and no one knows more inside stuff about them than Hinton. If you're a newcomer to the sport, this will make you understand what all the fuss is about, because Hinton does here for NASCAR what Tom Wolfe did for the space program in "The Right Stuff," and--get ready for this--he's as good a writer as Wolfe. Yes, he's that good. His description of a race morning at Daytona near the end of the book will make your hairs stand on end. It's worth the price of the book itself. And his analysis of the Dale Earnhardt fiasco is penetrating, because Hinton was the guy behind the Orlando Sentinel's fight to obtain the autopsy photos, so he should know .

Just a great book, and one of the best sports books I've ever read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Strong History of Daytona Racing - and Some of NASCAR, too, May 13, 2002

By	Winslow Bunny "Winslow_Bunny" (Rockledge, Florida United States) - See all my reviews

Having read a good many books about NASCAR of yesterday and today, I was fairly prepared to read the same stories about the same drivers concerning the same incidents: a rehashing of books from the past. I am happy to say that I was very wrong about Ed Hinton's book. There is the history of Daytona speed that goes back a century, which the author covers quite well; the history of the beginnings of NASCAR, which the author not only brings to life (and light, specifically in its moonshining roots) but adds new information - I had read the bare facts of the death of Lloyd Seay before, but the author gives us more to go on concerning his demise. Then there is the body of the book, a look at each year's Daytona 500 and its winner. Hinton does an excellent job of blending in the race with the driver's personality; one can empathize with Donnie Allison and how one moment in time led to a downward spiral in his career, a moment not completely of his own making. One can feel for Darrell Waltrip and the changes brought to his career - and how his changes brought him his only Daytona 500 win. Then there is the last part of the book, centering on Dale Earnhardt. The author and Earnhardt were once close friends but at this time cooler towards each other; the author explores this last race down to the last lap and the multitude of circumstances that occurred to cause the death of Earnhardt. The author researched head-and-neck injuries with three of the top people in this field in an effort to write knowledgably about this subject, and he accomplished that mission. Ed Hinton has written an absorbing story of the quest for speed, the track and the personalities - and the organization behind these three ingredients - and his book is one not to be missed by NASCAR fans.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best NASCAR Book Ever, November 15, 2001

By A Customer

If you like great storytelling you will love this book -- even if you're not a NASCAR fan. It's just a superb non-fiction book, period. One of those real, "I laughed, I cried" things.
This is head and shoulders above any other book ever written about NASCAR, or any kind of racing. And I've read just about all of them.
What great driver's life story do you want? Dale Earnhardt? Richard Petty? Jeff Gordon? Bobby Allison? A.J. Foyt? They're all here. Plus the history of NASCAR, and the whole story of racing at Daytona.
This book goes right to the nitty gritty behind the scenes.
I've got two friends who never even cared about NASCAR before they picked up this book. Now they're hooked.
And I'm buying a copy for every NASCAR fan on my Christmas list.
-- A reader in Mass.