{"product_id":"the-wildest-ride-a-history-of-nascar-or-how-a-bunch-of-good-ol-boys-built-a-billion-dollar-industry-out-of-wrecking-cars-9780743226257","title":"The Wildest Ride: A History of NASCAR (Or, How a Bunch of Good Ol' Boys Built a Billion-Dollar Industry Out of Wrecking Cars)","description":"In \u003ci\u003eThe Wildest Ride, \u003c\/i\u003e Joe Menzer gives us a timely, comprehensive look at the dramatic, rollicking history of stock-car racing in America, exploring both its inauspicious bootlegging beginnings and the billion-dollar industry that it has become. Menzer straps the reader into the driver's seat for a run through NASCAR's history, revealing the sport's remarkable rise from rogue outfit to corporate darling. Menzer also profiles the many superstar drivers who have dominated the sport, men as unpredictable as they are fearless, including \"The Intimidator,\" Dale Earnhardt, whose ferocious driving made him NASCAR's signature personality -- and whose tragic death at the 2001 Daytona 500 was mourned by millions. \u003cbr\u003e Menzer expertly maneuvers through the tight corners and wide-open straightaways of NASCAR's history, examining the circuit's attempt to distance itself from its \"redneck racin'\" past without compromising its country roots. Simultaneously rowdy and insightful, \u003ci\u003eThe Wildest Ride\u003c\/i\u003e is a thorough and unfailingly honest account of NASCAR's amazing rise to prominence and a sweeping account of a uniquely American phenomenon.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMenzer, Joe:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cb\u003eJoe Menzer\u003c\/b\u003e is the author or coauthor of four previous books, including \u003ci\u003eThe Wildest Ride: A History of NASCAR\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eFour Corners: How UNC, N.C. State, Duke, \u0026amp; Wake Forest Made North Carolina the Center of the Basketball Universe.\u003c\/i\u003e He has written for such publications as \u003ci\u003eSporting News\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eInside Sports.\u003c\/i\u003e Since 1995 he has covered the Carolina Panthers and the NFL for the \u003ci\u003eWinston-Salem Journal\u003c\/i\u003e in North Carolina. He lives with his wife and four children in Charlotte, N.C.","brand":"Simon \u0026 Schuster","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50872775901458,"sku":"9780743226257","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_ffd31f54-2613-4dbe-9aed-5838e51bf220.jpg?v=1737909830","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-wildest-ride-a-history-of-nascar-or-how-a-bunch-of-good-ol-boys-built-a-billion-dollar-industry-out-of-wrecking-cars-9780743226257","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}