The 200-MPH Billboard: The Inside Story of How Big Money Changed NASCAR

Business and sports reporter Yost takes on the rise of NASCAR, bringing readers into the deals that have turned a Southern good ol' boy racing circuit into a clean-shaven marketing goliath. Yost is admirably unsentimental about the sport's growth, but fails to capture NASCAR's appeal to its fans as he looks at racetracks from the corporate hospitality suites. Content to mimic the suits, he frequently observes that the fans are remarkably loyal to the brands they see on the cars, the drivers and virtually anything else associated with American stock car racing. Yost does have access to some inside deal making: a chapter on NASCAR's business-to-business council shows how NASCAR brokers lucrative deals between sponsors, including nontraditional partners like Waste Management. However, the narrative often falls into a quicksand of numbers, including old television ratings and income from prize and sponsorship money. Additional chapters on deals between NASCAR and outfits like UPS and the armed forces feel redundant. In essence, companies sponsor NASCAR because it's high visibility, fast and cool, and because the sport's leaders and drivers are preternaturally accommodating to corporate needs. Business school students may enjoy the details, but general readers might wish Yost had stepped out of the boardroom to hear the crowd and the cars. (Aug.)