Literary Quote of the Month

"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies," said Jojen. "The man who never reads lives only one." - George R.R. Martin, A Dance With Dragons

Monday, February 8, 2010

Memoir Mondays... He Crashed Me So I Crashed Him Back by Mark Bechtel

The Story of One of the Roughest & Rowdiest Seasons in Racing...

He Crashed Me So I Crashed Him Back by Mark Bechtel...From the publisher: On a cold February day in 1979, when most of the Northeast was snowed in by a blizzard, NASCAR entered the American consciousness with a dramatic telecast of the Daytona 500. It was the first 500-mile race to be broadcast live on national television and featured the heroes and legends of the sport racing on a hallowed track. With one of the wildest finishes in sports history--a finish that was just the start of the drama--everything changed for what is now America's second most popular sport. HE CRASHED ME SO I CRASHED HIM BACK is the story of an emerging sport trying to find its feet. It's the story of how Bobby Allison, Donnie Allison, Cale Yarborough, Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip, A.J. Foyt, and Kyle Petty came together in an unforgettable season that featured the first nationally televised NASCAR races. There were rivalries--even the sibling kind--and plenty of fistfights, feuds, and frenzied finishes. Rollicking and full of larger-than-life characters, HE CRASHED ME SO I CRASHED HIM BACK is the remarkable tale of the birth of modern stock-car racing.

NASCAR stands for The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. What is a "Stock Car"? It's defined as, "A stock car, in the original sense of the term, described an automobile that has not been modified from its original factory configuration. Later the term stock car came to mean any production-based automobile used in racing. This term is used to differentiate such a car from a race car, a special, custom-built car designed only for racing purposes." And thanks to Mark Bechtel, there's a wonderful new book that brings NASCAR to life.

What did I think of the book? I thought it brought the sport of NASCAR to life! Especially for someone like me who knows only a little about the sport. And I enjoyed it too! Mark Bechtel is a great writer, and the book brought the people like Bobby Allison and Dale Earnhardt to life, but it also brought some of the excitement of NASCAR to the page. A look at the behind the scenes fighting, the men, the friendships and the history of NASCAR makes this a must read for any racing fan, but it's also a great story that any non-racing fan can enjoy! He Crashed Me So I Crashed Him Back is funny, feisty and full of great NASCAR history! Mark did a great job researching and interviewing people for this book, and all his sources are noted in the back of the book. Plus through out the chapters there are interesting footnotes added at the bottom of the page that add some great insights.

February 6th, 2010 marks the start of NASCAR's 62nd season. Read about the infamous fight that put NASCAR on the map! Read an Excerpt of He Crashed Me So I Crashed Him Back.

*And Thanks Valerie for my review copy! It was a fun read!

23 comments:

Harvee said...

What an interesting title! Glad you enljoyed it!

Helen's Book Blog said...

Some of my students would love this book!

I am a follower

hcmurdoch (at) gmail (dot) com

couponmom said...

Sounds like a great book

formycontests@gmail.com

couponmom said...

I follow yo on twitter

name on twitter is courtreporterON

formycontests@gmail.com

couponmom said...

i tweeted this contest

http://twitter.com/courtreporterON/status/8811644517

formycontests@gmail.com

Sandra K321 said...

I love NASCAR. I can't wait for Valentine's Day to watch the Daytona 500, and I already have Thursday afternoon reserved for the Duels.
Boogity, boogity, boogity!!! Let's go racing boys!
seknobloch(at)gmail(dot)com

Sandra K321 said...

I follow your blog via google.
seknobloch(at)gmail(dot)com

Darlene said...

No need to enter me Suzanne. I've got this posted at Win a Book for you.

Shooting Stars Mag said...

sounds really fun. I know a few people that would love this.

-Lauren
lauren51990 AT aol DOT com

Shooting Stars Mag said...

tweet

http://twitter.com/ShootingStarMag/status/8825049262

lauren51990 AT aol DOT com

stpand said...

Please enter me.
I'm a follower.

http://services.nexodyne.com/email/icon/gEWw.uE%3D/XvFNlEQ%3D/QVRU/1/image.png

Mrs. Melissa said...

I'm a big Nascar Fan - my dog's name is Tony (stuart!) Please please enter me!!

I'm a follower as well!

wlcgrad {at} yahoo [dot] com

rubynreba said...

My husband is a faithful NASCAR fan and would really like this book.
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

Stephanie Grant said...

My husband and I are both huge Nascar fans and this would be a great read for the both of us! Thanks
thegrants(at)live(dot)com

Stephanie Grant said...

I blogged:
http://thegrantsgiveaways.blogspot.com/2010/02/chick-with-books-he-crashed-me-so-i.html
thegrants(at)live(dot)com

Bcteagirl said...

I haven't read a Nascar book yet, but this one sounds interesting! Thank you for letting me know about it :)

teagirl at telus dot net

Bcteagirl said...

Twitted!
http://twitter.com/bcteagirl/status/8979837986

Anonymous said...

i'm a nascar fan...please count me in...thanks

karenk
kmkuka(at)yahoo(dot)com

couponmom said...

daily tweet

http://twitter.com/courtreporterON/status/9156838053

formycontests@gmail.com

couponmom said...

daily tweet

http://twitter.com/courtreporterON/status/9250776688

formycontests@gmail.com

couponmom said...

Daily tweet

http://twitter.com/courtreporterON/status/9292044946

formycontests@gmail.com

couponmom said...

daily tweet

http://twitter.com/courtreporterON/status/9346885357

formycontests@gmail.com

couponmom said...

just got my email. Thank you so much for the win

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