Title/Author:
“Racing to the Finish: My
Story” by Dale Earnhardt, Jr. with Ryan McGee
Tags:
Auto Racing, NASCAR,
memoir, injuries
Publish
date:
October 16,
2018
Length:
208 pages
Rating:
5 of 5
stars (very good)
Review:
When one
thinks of concussions and sports, American football immediately comes to mind,
but athletes other sports have risks of concussions and the long term effects
as well. One of these sports is auto racing, as drivers may suffer concussions
from crashes or even bumps against the wall or other cars. This was the case
for Dale Earnhardt Jr. as he first exhibited these symptoms in 2012. His memoir explains what happened that day in
Kansas and what he went through for the next five years, leading to his
decision to retire from racing in 2017.
This is
far from the typical sports memoir. Earnhardt focuses exclusively on the time
period from 2012 to 2017 and focuses on his concussion, his treatment and how
that affected his personal and racing life. What makes this book so different
than others on concussions in sports is that the effects are explained in plain
language without a lot of medical jargon. The writing is heartfelt and personal
as the reader will feel like he or she is right there with Earnhardt, not only
in the car or in the garage with his crew but also a the doctor office or doing
the exercises he had to do to recover.
While there
is some material about Earnhardt in his car on the track and stories about
other racers such as Martin Truex Jr. and of course his father, the book is
less about racing or NASCAR and more about the personal struggles he
endured. He talks about crying (he says
he only did so three times in his life), his decision to retire and the
personal relationships he had with many people – not just his wife but other
family members, his physician and the manager of Hendrick Motor Sports, the
team he was racing for at the time of his retirement.
This book
deserves a high rating for not only the personal touch of the writing, but also
the message that is tells about concussions.
While readers may very well have heard this message before, it is one worth
repeating and if even if the book helps one person through his or her struggle
with this injury, then Earnhardt’s reason for writing the book will be
fulfilled.
I wish to
thank Thomas Nelson-W Publishing for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley
in exchange for an honest review.
Book Format
Read:
E-book (PDF)
Buying Links:
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