Review of "The Race"

I was very happy to see this book offered on NetGalley as Darrell Waltrip was not only a great NASCAR driver during his time, but he has become a great commentator and makes NASCAR telecasts fun to watch.   Here is my review of "The Race."

Title/Author:

“The Race: Living Life On the Track” by Kyle Froman, Billy Maudlin, and Darrell Waltrip

 

Tags:

Auto racing, NASCAR, spirituality, Christianity

Published:

May 15, 2014

Length:

224 pages

Rating: 

3 of 5 stars (good)

Review:

I picked up this book hoping to be able to read more about Darrell Waltrip and gain some insight from him on his NASCAR career as both a driver and a commentator.   While there is some of that in this book, that is not the focus.  Instead, the role that God and the Christian faith has on Waltrip and the rest of the NASCAR community is the focus of this book that is co-written by Waltrip and two Motor Racing Outreach leaders. 

This isn’t to say that there isn’t any commentary on racing.  Indeed, Waltrip shares both knowledge and anecdotes about racing.  As a casual NASCAR fan, I appreciated some of his insight into some of the technical aspects of the sport, such as his explanation of how clean air helps the driver in front.  He mixes that with how his spirituality has helped him in his NASCAR life and does so without sounding too preachy – he simply shares how it has shaped him.

Similarly, the passages by Froman and Maudlin were also told in a manner not to preach but to share and possibly teach.  I especially liked the conversations they had with either fans or citizens about their spirituality.  Both men also told of how they felt that God was calling them to not only share their spirit with NASCAR drivers and crew members, but also to learn lessons from the interactions with these men and their families on their faith as well.

Overall, this was an enjoyable book once I got used to the format and the topics.  I would recommend it to NASCAR fans who want to learn more about the connection between the sport and Christianity.  If religion is a topic a sports fan wishes to avoid, then this would not be a book I would recommend.

I wish to thank Net Galley for providing an advance review copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Did I skim?

I did skim some of the stories by the ministers when they seemed to be saying the same thing several times by simply quoting a different Scripture passage.  Otherwise, no 

Pace of the book: 

Good for the most part.  Aside from the aforementioned repeats of a message, both the spiritual messages and the racing stories were good.

Do I recommend? 

NASCAR fans will enjoy Waltrip’s stories and his humor, although people who are not strong followers of the Christian faith may want to skip this one and find other NASCAR books without this aspect.

Book Format Read:

e-book (Kindle)

Buying Links:

None at the time of this review.