Review of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR"

As a fan of NASCAR for many years now, I was thrilled when live racing recently returned.  I watched both Cup series races and one Xfinity race with a crazy ending and remembered why I love this sport.  So, it is only appropriate that on the weekend of the longest race of the season I review a book on the sport - it is a book that comes highly recommended to new NASCAR fans as it covers the many ways one can enjoy the race experience.  Here is my review of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR"

Title/Author:

“The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers’ Guide to Big Time Stock Car Racing” by Greg Engle

Tags:

Auto Racing, NASCAR, history

Publish date:

June 6, 2017

Length:

242 pages

Rating:

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

The history of NASCAR is one that is very colorful and the rise of the sport’s popularity, especially during the 1990’s, also makes for good reading. This history makes up about half of this very informative book on the sport by Greg Engle.  The second half of the book talks about the subtitle of the book – namely how fans can enjoy the race experience, whether at the track, watching on television or online.

The book is geared mostly toward new or casual fans of stock car racing, as there are many definitions of the terms commonly used in both broadcasts of the races and by the drivers and crew members.  Illustrations help with these definitions, such as describing the aerodynamics of air flowing around the cars when explaining the difference between “clean air” and “dirty air.”  Some basic mechanical parts of the car are also explained in terms of how they affect the speed and handling.  A reader does not have to have much knowledge or experience with car mechanics to understand these explanations which helps explain these concepts to the new fan.

The section on the history of the sport is informative and while it takes up a good chunk of the book, it is complete up to the time of publication and paints a good picture of the different eras of NASCAR without getting too bogged down in detail or omitting important events and drivers.  It was fun to read about the early days of moonshine bootlegging, the crazy ending to the 1979 Daytona 500 and the rivalry of the 1990’s between Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Jeff Gordon.  A new or casual fan will certainly learn a lot about NASCAR in this portion and even long-time fans might pick up some new information.

However, the best part of this book is saved for the second half and that is Engle’s guide for how to enjoy the sport, no matter how one is watching.  The section on the many ways that NASCAR can connect with fans online was new to this reviewer, who has followed the sport for many years, mainly by watching on television and attending a few races.  Those experiences are covered quite extensively as well, so no matter how a person wants to enjoy the thrill of a NASCAR race, this book will be a handy guide on what to expect and how to get the most out of the event. 

                       

Book Format Read:

E-book (PDF)                                                                                                                                   

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Nuts-Bolts-NASCAR-Definitive-Big-Time/dp/1683580095/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-nuts-and-bolts-of-nascar-greg-engle/1124243913?ean=9781683580096