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 Want to know more about NASCAR? Here's the book. October 25, 2008
Mark Martin is one of my favorite NASCAR drivers. And he is the author of this book, "NASCAR for Dummies." First, let's put it on the record: NASCAR stands for National Association for Stock Car Racing, founded way back in 1947 by Bill France. Some of the series associated with NASCAR: Sprint Cup (once known as Winston Cup), the premier series; Craftsman Truck Series; Nationwide Series (once known as the Busch series); etc. (See Chapter 3 for much more detail).
This volume, structured as all "For Dummies" works, features a discussion of the many features of NASCAR that the neophyte would want to know. "For Dummies," if the reader is not familiar with it, ". . .are written for those frustrated and hard-working souls who know they aren't dumb, but find that the myriad. . .of issues. . .make them feel helpless." Some examples of what is covered:
Chapter 2 examines the business of NADCAR, focusing in the critical financial support of sponsors. It costs a lot of money to build cars, hire and train crews, pay for drivers, and so on. Sponsors pay, for example, to have their decals prominently displayed on the car. Souvenirs, too, are big business (shirts, caps, and so on).
Chapter 6 looks at the nature of the race team. The owner "is the boss." Owners include Joe Gibbs (Hall of Fame football coach of the Washington Redskins), Richard Childers, Jack (The Cat in the Hat) Roush, and so on. The Crew Chief is a critical actor, making race day decisions as to when a car should pit, hoe many new tires should be added, how the set up the car even before the race. Then, the rest of the team--pit crew (tire changers, tire carriers, gas man, jack man, catch can man--See Chapter 10 for a lot more detail); engine specialist; tire specialist; engineers; fabricators; engine builders; etc. In short, there are a lot of employees here, getting back to Chapter 2, showing why lots of money is needed. Chapter 7 looks at another key person on the team--the driver.
There are a lot of chapters in this book; the above stands as a mere sampling. In passing, a few other key chapters if one wants to understand more about NASCAR: Chapter 9--race day strategy (pit stop gambles, tough calls such as 2 or 4 new tires [fewer tires lead to a quicker pit stop]); Chapter 16--greatest CASCAR drivers (e.g., Bobby Allison, Jeff Gordon, Rusty Wallace, Cale Yarborough, Richard Petty); Chapter 13--the tracks (from short tracks like Martinsville to the superspeedways at Talladega and Daytona Beach).
So, want to know more about NASCAR? Here's a good starting point.
NASCAR For Dummies June 11, 2007
I am a Sports Illustrated, ESPN sorta reader, anything short and with lots of pictures I will read, short attention span. I am a NASCAR fan and thought I knew alot about the sport and originally bought the book for my wife, but I must say I not only read the whole book in two days I also learned alot that I did not know or what I thought I knew. Excellent book, interesting reading and even if you are not into the sport it is just fun to read. Excellent Excellent book......
 So-So June 2, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I bought this book in 2004 when I first started getting into Nascar, and even back then it was a little outdated. Now, with all the changes in rules and even teams, its more than "a little outdated". One of the chapters includes a list of drivers to watch for in the future, including Champion Matt Kenseth and Dale Earnhardt Junior along with some drivers who barely race now. Even the information on tracks is past tense by now. For instance, we went to Lowe's Motor Speedway and followed his information on where race shops were located, only to discover that 90% of those had moved to different cities/locations. There are some basics in here that the newbie might appreciate, but be warned that it isn't up to date.
I learned so much! July 17, 2006
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I am a new fan to NASCAR and I already know more than most longtime fans thanks to this book. It is written by Mark Martin, so you know it has lots of "insider" info. Even though Martin has been in the business for a long time, he wrote in a way that made it easy for me to understand, even with my limited knowledge. I enjoy watching NASCAR races every weekend even more because I actually know what's going on! I now know what a track bar is and what happens when you put a "rubber" in the right rear. Before reading this book, I would have been pretty sure that was obscene! You will enjoy reading this book but you also be able to keep it around for reference when you want to learn more about a particular track or adjustments being made on pit road. I highly recommend this book to a new fan or the most diehard fan out there.
 Good intro for the NASCAR novice October 12, 2005
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I wanted to learn about NASCAR and knew nothing about it... and this book did a good job of introducing it to me. My one complaint is it doesn't talk enough about what's going on in the actual races, and I still feel a little lost about what exactly is happening on the track, how exactly the race works, and what specific strategies the drivers are using. A little more on the actual racing and this book would've been perfect. But it's still an excellent intro if you're looking to learn about the sport.
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