Earnhardt Nation: The Full-Throttle Saga of NASCAR’s First Family

In this professional history of the Earnhardt family of race car drivers, journalist and editor Busbee focuses on its most polarizing member, Dale Earnhardt Sr., often called the Intimidator. Dale’s father, Ralph, began short-track racing in his native North Carolina in the late 1940s as a way to make extra money and escape the tedious life of a cotton mill “lint head.” Dale Sr. inherited his father’s love of speed and went on to become one of the most successful drivers in NASCAR history, winning 76 Winston Cup races before his death in a collision at the Daytona 500. His son Dale Jr. took to racing as well and gained celebrity that rivaled his father’s. Busbee smoothly integrates the Earnhardt family saga with the evolution of stock-car racing from its Southern bootlegger roots to its current status as a multibillion-dollar institution. In his role as Yahoo’s longtime NASCAR reporter, Busbee has an easy familiarity with the legends and technicalities of the sport, but never drifts too far into racing arcana for a general audience. Busbee’s narrative may lack stunning revelations, but it provides an engaging account of the tragedies and dramas of an archetypal family in a uniquely American sport. [em](Feb.) [/em]