Racing Wives Book: Liz Allison, who knows a little about it, provides some insight about racing relationships in her new book, “Racing Wives: The Women Behind the Sunday Drivers.” Allison was the wife of Winston Cup star and second-generation Alabama Gang member Davey Allison, who died while trying to land his helicopter at Talladega. The author has teamed with UMI Publications on this latest effort, her third book. She started work on it about a year ago. The work began in earnest after the 2001 racing season ended and her editors moved her deadline up early this year. A couple of prominent NASCAR wives aren’t in there, which is creating a little bit of a buzz about the book, no doubt to her delight and that of her publisher. Brooke Gordon, who last month filed for divorce from four-time Winston Cup champion Jeff Gordon, isn’t in there. Neither is Teresa Earnhardt. As for Earnhardt, “That was out of respect for her and what she was going through,” Allison says. She got word about her undertaking to the widow of seven-time champion Dale Earnardt, but didn’t push when she didn’t get a response. As for Brooke Gordon, Allison pushed a little. Enough that the former Miss Winston finally let her know that she didn’t want to participate “for personal reasons.” “I knew something was going on there, but I was still shocked when she filed,” said Allison, who now lives in Tennessee but remains plugged in with much of the NASCAR family in North Carolina. She’s got more than two dozen wives in her book and many have provided photos from their personal collections. So there are some images there that most of have never had the opportunity to see, which is kinda neat. The ABC TV news show “Downtown” interviewed Allison and several of the wives at Lowe’s Motor Speedway’s Speedway Club this week and plans to air a segment on them and the book April 17. “Racing Wives” is to be released later this month.(ThatsRacin.com)(4-5-2002)
