STOCK CARS! AMERICA’S MOST POPULAR MOTORSPORT ENTH BOOK

STOCK CARS! AMERICA’S MOST POPULAR MOTORSPORT by John Carollo & Bill Holder

ISBN #- 1557883084
 

Part #- HP1308

**1999 publication by HP Books, softbound, 201 pages, 8 ½ x 10 7/8, loaded with black & white illustrations, NOS- shrinkwrapped & in excellent condition.

Retail Price- $17.95

Stock Cars! is a chronicle of America's most popular motorsport, and one of the fastest growing spectator sports in the world. Stock Cars! traces the sport from the humble beginning of county fairgrounds racing, to its debut as an organized series in 1949, on through the decades to the national phenomenon it is today. All forms of stock car racing, from NASCAR Winston Cup and Busch Grand National, to the grassroots racing of ARCH, iMCA, ASA Late Model and local racing, are covered in detail.
 

Stock Cars! also traces the development of racing technology, from engines and chassis to aerodynamics and safety. The types of stock cars raced throughout the years, including breakthrough championship and historical models, are revisited in rare photographic detail. Stock car racing wouldn't be what it is today without the colorful drivers, team owners and crews that have become legend in the last fifty years, and many are profiled throughout this book. A section on the major race tracks completes this overview, which is fully illustrated with hundreds of rare, action-packed photographs.

FORWARD

There aren't many people in this world who get to do what I do, which is drive stock cars for a living. Not only do I race a top Winston Cup stock car, but I also race many other types of stock cars every chance I get. I do this not only for the sheer enjoyment of it, but also because it keeps me in touch with what is happening at the grassroots level of our sport. In this way, I can keep an eye out for any up and coming talent who may end up racing against me some day on the Winston Cup tour!

Another reason I race whenever I can is to look for new racing technology. Just because the Winston Cup series is at the top of the sport, it doesn't mean that we invent all the new ideas. Many come from innovative amateurs who have the time to test new parts and setups at a local track, something we don't always have the luxury of doing. These guys, like all of us in Winston Cup, are constantly seeking that one small advantage that will make them more competitive, no matter what class or division they race. Many great ideas have been developed in this way and been implemented in our series. That's what racing is all about.

The world of stock car racing has become so vast and exists on so many levels, that it is difficult to cover every aspect of it. It seems like there's a class of stock car for any driver, no matter their age, experience, skill or budget. Stock car racing, while hardly organized under any one official sanctioning body, still provides many opportunities for someone to start out and work their way up. There isn't a single driver on the Winston Cup tour today who started out there. All of us have had to pay our dues on small, local tracks-dirt, pavement or usually both. Most of us have driven all types of stock cars, from Late Models to Modifieds on these 1/4 to 1/2 mile "bullrings." And each week, millions of fans travel to these local tracks to witness these little battles. Sometimes the names are different for the same type of car, which can get confusing, but the racing is always exciting, interesting and intensely competitive.

That's the way it has been for the first 50 years of NASCAR, and now, as the organization enters its second 50 years, there's more interest in our sport than ever before. It has grown beyond anyone's wildest dreams since those first days on the dusty and gritty fairgrounds of the early '40s. Today races are battled on superspeedways like Daytona and Talladega, with more than 100,000 fans in attendance, and millions more watching on TV. The more fans our sport attracts, the more they want to know how all of this began, which is the purpose of this book.

Stock Cars! is not necessarily a race-by-race account of "who won what where in what kind of car." Instead, it is an overview, illustrated with hundreds of rare and historical photographs, that offers some of the many highlights that have helped this sport to grow and evolve.

These highlights include a look at the early days, before NASCAR was born, when "jalopies" stormed local tracks and fairgrounds, driven like they were never intended to be. The results were often unpredictable and hair-raising to say the least. Then there is a look at the very first days of NASCAR, at some of the technical details of the most significant cars and engines as they evolved over the years to the 200 mph Winston Cup cars of today.

In another section, you'll get a rundown on the many forms stock car racing takes other than the Winston Cup. There are many grassroots, entry level series with just as many types of cars and rules. After reading this section, you'll soon have a sense of what I'm talking about, and perhaps a better understanding of the support races and series where many of us professional drivers got our start.

The tracks throughout the years have played a large role in shaping our sport. Many have their own personality, and have become legends in themselves. There's hardly a person in this country who, upon hearing the word "Daytona," doesn't think of the 500 and the superspeedway.

Then there are the people behind this sport who have made it what it is today. Many of the people profiled in the following pages are ones I have known personally, raced against, or wish I had. All of them are legendary figures in this sport who have contributed to its rich heritage in their own special way.

Stock car racing offers so much to its fans. It is not only fun to watch, but it is also fun to participate in. The drivers and stars of NASCAR are very accessible to their fans, more so than any other sport in the world. We make a big effort to show our appreciation, because without you, we simply wouldn't be able to do what we do. For over 50 years stock car racing has served up thrills, spills and chills that have delighted millions of people, and its growth and popularity show no sign of slowing down-it is definitely here to stay. I'm just glad to be a part of it.

-Ken Schrader      June 1999

CONTENTS

Foreword   v

1. The World of Stock Car Racing    1

2. The Birth of Stock Car Racing    15

3. The Evolution of the Modern Stock Car 35

4. The Many Types of Stock Cars    83

5. Stock Car Tracks    129

6. Stock Car Racing's Players    165

NASCAR Stats & Records    195

Sanctioning Bodies    197