In Magnolias, Sweet Tea, and Exhaust, Carole Townsend goes to ground with NASCAR, following the races at Southern tracks from one to the next, learning about the sport and the culture of NASCAR as she goes. Townsend meets and interviews top drivers as well as some of NASCAR’s rising stars, legends, team owners, pit crews, and fans. In a display of immersion journalism at its best, Townsend takes a ride in one of the cars on a track at race speed, tours the multimillion dollar garages in North Carolina, learns from mechanics, mingles with fans, and participates in the much-coveted infield camping party at Atlanta Motor Speedway. More info at aroletownsend.com.
AND Who won the first Daytona 500? Fans still debate whether it was midwestern champion Johnny Beauchamp, declared the victor at the finish line, or longtime NASCAR driver Lee Petty, declared the official winner a few days after the race. The Ghosts of NASCAR puts the controversial finish under a microscope. Author John Havick interviewed scores of people, analyzed film of the race, and pored over newspaper accounts of the event. He uses this information and his deep knowledge of the sport as it worked then to determine what probably happened. But he also tells a much bigger story: the story of how Johnny Beauchamp-and his Harlan, Iowa, compatriots, mechanic Dale Swanson and driver Tiny Lund-ended up in Florida driving in the 1959 Daytona race. More info at University of Iowa Press.
