FIXIN' TO GIT: One Fan's Love Affair with NASCAR's Winston Cup

Auto racing amounts to yahoos watching other yahoos chase their tailgates, right? Sociologist Wright doesn't agree completely. A racer's son himself, he juxtaposes the magniloquent ("existential inauthenticity") with the colloquial ("real kick-ass street rod") to draft the history of the sport and its place in Americana. From the pit stops he made in 1999 on tracks from Daytona to Darlington, he describes racing in terms not unlike those he chides sports magazines for, as he hopscotches from issue to issue. Wright counters charges against racing including sexism, racism and overcommercialism, and then confirms most reader expectations. Wright asserts, for instance, that the rampant advertising on driver autos and uniforms reflects larger cultural trends, but concedes it is a "marketing bacchanalia." He also deconstructs gearhead stereotypes only to reassemble them: for every God-lovin' family-oriented enthusiast, there's another good ole boy passed out in the stands before the checkered flag drops. But the crux of his unabashed study is that racing can be good fun. The finest chapters focus on the thrill of going 200 mph while negotiating turns on an increasingly slick, sloping ellipse. (Sept.)