Play Book Tag discussion

NB this fits Southern because a. The Daytona 500 is in Florida where the big accident happened, and b. because this is where Waltrip was born, raised and settled (just hear him speak!) etc

This is a combination of biography and memoir. The first third is about Waltrip's racing from a child through to having a 463-0 record in the top racing circle (he had wins in other levels--auto racing is nothing if not complex). The middle third is about his being asked to be a part of a third team with his long-time good friend, Dale Earnhardt, Sr and it is during this third that the tragedy happened (this is public record--there was a death in a car crash and it was this fourth accident that year that led to new safety changes) and the final third deals with the aftermath and what happened later.

This is more readable than some of the auto racing nonfiction I've read for a reading challenge/game, but I can honestly say that once this is over, I won't be retaining a lot of detail because I don't care enough about all the parts of racing cars and I would never be one to suffer that much or put myself in such danger to win a race, nor am I a car aficionado. That said, my eldest daughter planned to be a race car driver for a couple of years starting when she was 4 or 5 and I did watch a stock car race in Ohio once (that was enough since they are LOUD). This book, thankfully, does not spend time delving into how cars are built and all of the parts, etc, the way some of them do.

If American auto racing history is up your alley, this is a book to read.