About this item
Highlights
- A colorful, fearless portrait of the larger-than-life first family of NASCAR, the Earnhardts, and the rise of the world's fastest stock car racing organization.More than sixty years ago, Ralph Earnhardt toiled in a cotton mill in his native North Carolina to support his growing family.
- Author(s): Jay Busbee
- 368 Pages
- Sports + Recreation, Motor Sports
Description
Book Synopsis
A colorful, fearless portrait of the larger-than-life first family of NASCAR, the Earnhardts, and the rise of the world's fastest stock car racing organization.
More than sixty years ago, Ralph Earnhardt toiled in a cotton mill in his native North Carolina to support his growing family. Weekends he could be found going pedal to the metal at the dirt tracks, taking on the competition in the early days of box car racing and becoming one of the best short-track drivers in the state. His son, Dale Earnhardt Sr., would become one of the greatest drivers of all time, and his grandson Dale Jr, would become NASCAR's most popular driver of the 2000s. From a simple backyard garage, the Earnhardts reached the highest echelons of professional stock car racing and became the stuff of myth for fans.
Earnhardt Nation is the story of this car racing dynasty and the business that would make them rich and famous--and nearly tear them apart. Covering all the white-knuckle races, including the final lap at the Daytona 500 that claimed the life of the Intimidator, Earnhardt Nation goes deep into the fast-paced world of NASCAR, its royal family's obsession with speed, and their struggle with celebrity. Jay Busbee takes us deep inside the lives of these men and women who shaped NASCAR. He delves into their personal and professional lives, from failed marriages to rivalries large and small to complex and competitive father-son relationships that have reverberated through generations, and explores the legacy the Earnhardts struggle to uphold.
From the Back Cover
Americans dream of driving fast, of flying low and loud down a long stretch of interstate until the world blurs and fades in the rearview mirror. While few people ever reach speeds of 200 miles per hour, some families make a business out of it, and none has done it with more breathtaking abandon than the Earnhardts.
Even after Dale Earnhardt died behind the wheel of his famed black No. 3 on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, the Earnhardts' offspring have kept the throttle hammered down. Just months later, Dale's son and namesake was back at Daytona and rode to victory on the same track that had killed his father, perpetuating the family legacy for a history-making third generation.
The Earnhardts' connection with racing began back in the 1950s, when a young man up and quit his soul-crushing job in a North Carolina cotton mill to fulfill his dream of racing cars. Ralph Earnhardt developed into one of the finest dirt-track drivers in the South, founding a racing dynasty that continues to shape NASCAR history. His son, Dale, not only followed in his father's tire tracks but went on to become the greatest driver the sport has ever known.
Nicknamed "the Intimidator" because of his aggressive, leave-no-rival-unwrecked style, Dale Sr. collected at least as many enemies as victories, building a fan base that to this day remains rabidly devoted to his memory. Before his fatal crash, Ralph's son had won seven cup championships, tying Richard Petty's record for the most titles ever. Dale Jr., the Earnhardts' third NASCAR champion, is still the circuit's most popular driver, upholding the family's heritage while struggling to be his own man.
In Earnhardt Nation, Jay Busbee, Yahoo's chief writer on racing, delves deep into the complex and fraught father-son relationships that reverberate through the Earnhardt lineage, as well as the rivalries large and small that have threatened to break the family's grip on the sport. This is a uniquely American story--one that thrillingly hurtles through a half century of NASCAR, like the races at speeds the rest of us can only imagine.Review Quotes
"A complicated family. A Paul Bunyan-like legend. A nation in mourning. A sport in transition. Chronicling any one of those topics by itself would be like trying to run Talladega in a minivan. But Jay Busbee steers us through it all like an Earnhardt racing in the draft." -- Ryan McGee, ESPN.com senior writer and SportsCenter correspondent
"Jay Busbee drives us down a winding road into three generations of NASCAR's biggest and most popular stars. Once Busbee takes you lap by lap through the tragic events of February 18, 2001, you won't be able to put this book down." -- Mike Joy, leading NASCAR announcer, Fox Sports
"In capturing the Earnhardt family's legacy, Jay Busbee conveys the importance of these larger-than-life characters during a critical time for NASCAR. This book has stories I read for the first time, and each reinforced my appreciation for the role the Earnhardts have played in the sport." -- Mike Helton, president of NASCAR
"Whether you loved Dale Earnhardt Sr. like a hero or pulled against him, Earnhardt Nation is an absolute must-read! Like so many others in the sport, I have lived this book, yet it still opened my eyes and ears to stories I'd never heard before." -- Larry McReynolds. Fox NASCAR analyst and Dale Sr.'s Daytona 500-winner crew chief