He tries to avoid getting swept up into the life that has brought him grief in the past, but he is just too good a driver - and too much in love with cars - to resist.

    Lose on the track and you go home. Lose with a load of whiskey and you go to jail.” —Junior Johnson, NASCAR legend and one-time whiskey runnerToday’s NASCAR is a family sport with 75 million loyal fans, which is growing bigger and more mainstream by the day. Part Disney, part Vegas, part Barnum & Bailey, NASCAR is also a multibillion-dollar business and a cultural phenomenon that transcends geography, class, and gender. But dark secrets lurk in NASCAR’s past. Driving with the Devil uncovers for the first time the true story behind NASCAR’s distant, moonshine-fueled origins and paints a rich portrait of the colorful men who created it. Long before the sport of stock-car racing even existed, young men in the rural, Depression-wracked South had figured out that cars and speed were tickets to a better life. With few options beyond the farm or factory, the best chance of escape was running moonshine. Bootlegging offered speed, adventure, and wads of cash—if the drivers survived. Driving with the Devil is the story of bootleggers whose empires grew during Prohibition and continued to thrive well after Repeal, and of drivers who thundered down dusty back roads with moonshine deliveries, deftly outrunning federal agents. The car of choice was the Ford V-8, the hottest car of the 1930s, and ace mechanics tinkered with them until they could fly across mountain roads at 100 miles an hour. After fighting in World War II, moonshiners transferred their skills to the rough, red-dirt racetracks of Dixie, and a national sport was born. In this dynamic era (1930s and ’40s), three men with a passion for Ford V-8s—convicted criminal Ray Parks, foul-mouthed mechanic Red Vogt, and crippled war veteran Red Byron, NASCAR’s first champion—emerged as the first stock car “team.” Theirs is the violent, poignant story of how moonshine and fast cars merged to create a new sport for the South to call its own. Driving with the Devil is a fascinating look at the well-hidden historical connection between whiskey running and stock-car racing. NASCAR histories will tell you who led every lap of every race since the first official race in 1948. Driving with the Devil goes deeper to bring you the excitement, passion, crime, and death-defying feats of the wild, early days that NASCAR has carefully hidden from public view. In the tradition of Laura Hillenbrand’s Seabiscuit, this tale not only reveals a bygone era of a beloved sport, but also the character of the country at a moment in time.

    The book begins with a vivid description of Alex Zanardi’s crash in Germany in 2001, and from there the author reflects on his career with many tragic, funny, interesting stories. The book also provides an important history of the evolution of motor sport safety from the perspective of a physician who was instrumental in many safety measures and regulations. A gripping read for all fans of motor racing.

    Munro was the archetypal eccentric inventor. He took an original Indian motorbike and modified it in his shed so it became capable of extreme speeds. From small town New Zealand in the 1920s to heroic accomplishments in the USA, Munro was still inventing up until his death in 1978. This is very much a "little guy beats the odds" story-Munro still holds several records in the US-as a mark of respect, the category he raced in was "frozen" for all time. The publication of the book has been timed to coincided with the movie The World's Fastest Indian, directed by Roger Donaldson and starring Sir Anthony Hopkins, scheduled for release October 2005.

    After winning eighty-five races, he retired in 1988 when an accident at Pocono Raceway nearly killed him. He was severely brain injured, and it took him a full fifteen years to recover. After the accident, more tragedy struck. In 1992 his younger son, Clifford, died in a crash at the age of twenty-seven. A year later, his other son, Davey, died in a helicopter accident, and in 1994 he lost his close friend and protégé Neil Bonnet in a fatal crash. Then Bobby and his wife, Judy, separated and divorced. Through it all Bobby Allison persevered.Today Bobby's mind is as sharp, detailed, and analytical as anyone's in sports. Bobby remembers so much, in such great detail, the stories he tells leap off the page. It's all there---the feuds, the infighting, the victories, the accusations of cheating, and worse.Incredibly, Bobby, the poster boy for hard work, honesty, and integrity, holds nothing back, even when it reflects poorly on him. "It happened, and there's nothing I can do about that," is what he says. The result is raw racing history. Along with the Earnhardts, the Jarretts, and the Pettys, the Allisons are racing family royalty, and Miracle, a family saga of determination, loyalty, and love, is filled with some of the greatest racing stories of all time. If you ever wanted to read a book that puts you in the garage, in the pits, and in the boardrooms, and at the same time tugs at your heartstrings---this is the book for you.

    a fun read' - Horse & Hound Jockey Pat Vincent has ambitions to win the best races and become a wealthy sporting hero. But Pat knows his dreams will never be fulfilled so he's devised a brilliant new scam which, if discovered, would see him warned off for life. But first it's guaranteed to make him rich.Pat's girlfriend Zoe is starting her second full season as an apprentice jockey. A talented rider, she has a chance of becoming champion apprentice, if she's not side tracked by the disasters of her sister Harriet's unhappy marriage...Along the crumbling cliffs in Somerset a man walks his dog. Every day Andy Burns - Pat's partner-in-crime, Harriet's tortured husband - wrestles with the demons that haunt his life. But Andy would be better off keeping his thoughts on the ground - it's a long way down to the beach below.

    This is a complete guide to building racing engines, focusing on tips and techniques that will help an engine builder build a motor for any application: drag racing, circle track, road racing, or boats.

    He offers a personal look at fellow racers and team principals, including John Cooper.