Synopses & Reviews
What is it that makes a man strap himself into an automobile and drive it hundreds of laps around a track at speeds surpassing 200 miles per hour? Is it the desire for victory, the proximity to danger? Or is it the lure of speed itself propelling oneself ever faster, without losing control of the vehicle?
In Men and Speed, award-winning journalist G. Wayne Miller decided to find out. Having been given unprecedented and exclusive access inside Roush Racing, America's largest motorsports operation, Miller spent a year on the NASCAR circuit with the legendary owner Jack Roush and his four title-contending Winston Cup drivers:
- Mark Martin, the veteran driver of the No. 6 Viagra car and one of the most popular drivers and successful racers for over a decade
- Jeff Burton, the star driver who many consider a favorite to win the Cup title in the next year or two
- Matt Kenseth, who had beaten Dale Earnhardt Jr. for Rookie of the Year honors in 2000
- Kurt Busch, the 22-year-old rookie sensation whose rapid ascendance brought him under the media microscope
Miller plumbs the allure of speed and the exploding popularity of stockcar racing itself which now counts as many fans as baseball, football, or basketball through the dramatic and compelling story of the epic 2001 season. They year began with the most famous Daytona 500 in history, when NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt was killed slamming into the wall on the final turn, and runs through the great races at Las Vegas, Talladega, Indianapolis, Charlotte, and Atlanta. As the year unfolds, Miller brings the reader inside the garages, pits, staging areas, drivers' haulers, and behind the wheel itself, to convey what it feels like to compete at 200 miles per hour. And the drivers themselves explain in their own words how they deal with the thrills, the risks, and the relentless focus that often serves as the difference between a championship and a catastrophe. The narrative concludes at the 2002 Daytona 500, bringing the characters full circle as they embark on yet another quest for the Winston Cup championship.
Synopsis
Miller takes readers on a fast-paced literary narrative of NASCAR's breakthrough 2001 season, reflecting unprecedented and exclusive access inside America's largest auto racing operation. photos.