Full Description
In this officially licensed and stunningly illustrated volume, get a thrilling, up-close-and-personal look at NASCAR's mavericks and key moments from the dawn of the sport to present day.
In every sport there are mavericks—trailblazers, risk-takers, hell-raisers, forward-thinkers—who drive the breakthroughs and advances that shape and define the sport. Written by longtime motorsports journalists H.A. Branham and Holly Cain, NASCAR Mavericks covers the NASCAR story in chronological order, focusing on key movers and shakers—the men and women key to the sport's evolution—often related through first-hand stories. Racing great Tony Stewart's foreword sets the scene.
Accompanied by exceptional images sourced from NASCAR's archives plus other top photographers, the profiles include such NASCAR legends as:
Bill France Sr. and Bill France Jr.
The Flock Brothers
Lee and Richard Petty
Smokey Yunick
Janet Guthrie
The Earnhardts
Humpy Wheeler
Tony Stewart
Interspersed with the maverick profiles are sidebars highlighting legendary races, machines, and events like the first Daytona 500, Plymouth's Hemi Superbird, record-setting pit stops, Jeff Gordon's T-Rex car, and more.
NASCAR Mavericks proves that racing always improves the breed!
Contents
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Foreword by Tony Stewart
Introduction
CHAPTER 1: THE 1940S: PRECEDENTS FOR BOLDNESS TO COME
Bill France Sr.
Robert Nold "Red" Byron
Sara Christian and Louise Smith
Raymond Parks
CHAPTER 2: THE 1950S: SUPER CARS, SUPER DRIVERS—AND SUPERSPEEDWAYS
Carl Kiekhaefer
Curtis Turner
The Flocks
Smokey Yunick
Vince Piggins and the Hudson Hornet
The Petty Family
CHAPTER 3: THE 1960S: DAYTONA DRIVES GROWTH IN ALL DIRECTIONS
Junior Johnson
Wendell Scott
Mario Andretti
Soapy Castles
A. J. Foyt
The Wood Brothers
CHAPTER 4: THE 1970S: CORPORATE AMERICA, NETWORK TV COMES TO NASCAR
The Revolutionary
R. J. Reynolds Sponsorship
The Plymouth Superbird
Janet Guthrie
"The Fight": 1979 Daytona 500
CHAPTER 5: THE 1980S: STARS, SPEEDS, AND SAFETY CONCERNS
Dale Earnhardt
Tim Richmond
The Alabama Gang
Darrell Waltrip
Humpy Wheeler
CHAPTER 6: THE 1990S: BILL JR., BRUTON, AND "THE HAT MAN"
Bill France Jr.
O. Bruton Smith
Alan Kulwicki
Ray Evernham and the Rainbow Warriors
CHAPTER 7: THE 2000S: BRIAN, THE BUSCH BROTHERS, AND TONY STEWART—
MAVERICKS EVERYWHERE
Brian France
The Busch Brothers
Jim Hunter
Tony Stewart
CHAPTER 8: THE 2010S TO 2020S: NEW RACES AND NEW FACES
NASCAR's Bold Initiatives
Furniture Row Racing
Ross Chastain—
"The Next Dale Earnhardt?"
Afterword by Ross Chastain
Photo Credits
Index
