Men and Speed: A Wild Ride Through NASCAR's Breakout Season

by G. Wayne Miller

Book Overview

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? Critically acclaimed journalist G. Wayne Miller... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1586480960
• ISBN13: 9781586480967
• Release Date: May 2002
• Publisher: PublicAffairs
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.2" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

An Excellent Read...

I am a new Nascar fan and looked to this book as a way to get behind the scenes of one of the sport's best teams. It was great! A highly entertaining read, the reader gets "backstage" passes into the life and times of the Jack Roush racing team. You get an inside look at what it takes to be a driver, the highs and lows, and also learn that being a driver is not all roses. This is a particularly tough year for the Roush team and the reader can feel the unfulfilled expectations and frustrations. In fact, not one of these talented drivers had the kind of year that was anticipated.A superb book for both Nascar fans and people who enjoy going behind the scenes and learning about how an industry works.

Awesome!

It really gives you an impression of "being there", as if you were hanging with the drivers in their transporters..Truly enjoyed!

A fast paced page turner - I need to read it again already!

My review just can't compete with words like Leigh Montville's in his review: "Sit down. Buckle up. Take the 288-page ride and kiss the beauty queen at the end. And enjoy." Or Paul Newman's "A no-B.S. account of a season in NASCAR. Enjoyable, straight-ahead and smart." I did 'take the 288-page ride' and found it to be 'straight-ahead and smart.' I also found I raced through the book. What a page-turner. And exciting! Now, I need to reread it for details to hang onto - after I get the copy back from my wife, who is no NASCAR fan. But as she hits the half way mark of the book, she is asking lots of questions and is on her way to becoming a fan. She doesn't even ask me to slow down in the car anymore!Hats off to G. Wayne Miller. What a great story teller with attention to detail and a writing style that pleases any reader. I sure hope he can write as fast as Steven King, because I'm ready for another great 'read' by him already. Surely, this book will soon be on the NYT Best Seller List!

It doesn't get any better than this!

Just when you thought you knew just about everything that goes on in a NASCAR racing organization, Mr. Miller throws another card on the table. There are several books about NASCAR in general, and a handful that details the lives of only the highest profiled drivers. All of them are good books, but none have masterfully captured the heart and soul of the subjects like MEN AND SPEED. The attention to detail is astonishing. So much so that the reader will feel like they are right there during the moment. I constantly had to remind myself that this is NOT a fictional account. It is not often that you find a book that won't let you put it down. MEN AND SPEED can easily be added to that prestigious list. Mr. Miller has found an ingenious way to bring this amazing year of Roush Racing's triumphs and struggles to all levels of readers. If you have never followed NASCAR, this is the perfect introduction. If you have been a fan for many years, this is the perfect companion. Mr. Miller superbly takes his first hand experiences with the Roush Racing organization and paints a no holds barred picture of what goes on beyond what the television cameras show us each week. Through this book, one cannot help but feel closer to Mark Martin, Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch, Jack Roush and all who support them, in a way that could have never been imagined. I found myself laughing at Jeff's comical antics and comments, feeling Mark's anguish over the fans and journalists who called him a quitter, calmed by the quiet, mild mannered Matt, agreeably frustrated along with Kurt about his performances and lack of meeting his own expectations, and left in absolute awe over this incredible machine that Jack has built and nurtured. I now have a better understanding of the addiction to speed.If you have ever had any doubts about reading a book about NASCAR, let those doubts dissolve with MEN AND SPEED! You will not be disappointed! This is definitely a book that has been long overdue for NASCAR fans, Roush Racing fans and those just now discovering America's fastest growing sport! Kudos to Mr. Miller for a job well done!

The BEST Book Ever Written on NASCAR

As someone who is fortunate enough to be involved in the behind the scenes activities of stock car racing, I can tell you without hesitation that this is by far the best look into the inner workings of not only Roush Racing but of the entire sport of NASCAR. Miller has written an informative, exciting book about one of the most fascinating seasons our sport has ever known. Miller was there when Earnhardt tragically died at Daytona and the controversy that followed. He was there when Kurt Busch, now a star in the sport, got his big break. He shared victories with Jeff Burton and anguished through the tough times with Mark Martin and Matt Kenseth. He witnessed first hand the trials and tribulations of Kevin Harvick. And he got to fly in a vintage WWII plane with Jack Roush. In other words, G. Wayne Miller was there and he takes you with him on an amazing journey over the 2001 season that you will long remember.'Men and Speed' examines the true personalities of those obsessed with speed from one of the most interesting, entertaining, investigative writers I've ever had the pleasure to read. I highly recommend it to every fan of Roush Racing, NASCAR and especially to those who are only now discovering one of the most popular sports in America today. Buy this book!!! You won't be disappointed.