Suggestions for the Automobile Racing History Bookshelf
Assembling even a basic library for the purpose of beginning to examine the history of automobile racing can be a challenge. There is the usual problem of what type of motor racing one wishes to examine along with which era. There is also the question of just what level and depth that one wishes to delve into the past. Most here are probably more interested in Formula One or "Grand Prix" racing than any other form of motor sport. There are literally countless books on the subject, the vast majority evoking a sense of sadness that trees died so that those books could be published. The same, of course, can be said for each and every other form of automobile racing.
If one is something of a beginner, then putting a few general or reference books on the shelf is a good place to start. A good place to start is Peter Higham's The International Motor Racing Guide, Second Edition (David Bull, 2003). This is a good general reference book, covering a multitude of racing series, having the utility of being a place to turn to when a general question pops up. One can still find inexpensive copies of G.N. Georgano's The Encyclopedia of Motor Sport (Viking, 1971) in second-hand bookstores. For those interested in NASCAR, there is the [b[NASCAR Encyclopedia[/b] (Motorbooks Internationa, 2003) edited by Peter Golenbock and Greg Fielden. It has its uses, but it does not include the results of each and every Grand National or Wintson/Nextel/Sprint Cup event. It is always a source of puzzlement that American Automobile Racing: An Illustrated History (Penguin, 1977) by Al Bochroch has never been updated or otherwise replicated.
A useful set of books for those interested in Grand Prix racing in the form of the Championnat du Monde des Conducteurs, is the Grand Prix! (Haynes) series of books by Mike Lang covering 1950-1965 (1981), 1966-1973 (1982), 1974-1980 (1983), and 1981-1984 (1992). Some of these volumes have been combined, I believe. In various guises, The Complete History of Grand Prix Motor Racing (Crest Books, 1990/ Hallweg, 1986) by Adriano Cimarosti and edited by David McKinney, has appeared and well worth adding to the bookshelf.
The topic of racing biographies is one that usually rather disappointing. Few biographies on racing subjects are both good reading and of use to the researcher. Many biographies on those in racing are works of love and devotion by the authors. Most are painful to read and best recycled in the hope that the paper will be used for a more worthy role. That said, there are several racing biographies that I happen to like. One is Archie and the Listers (Patrick Stephens, 1995) by Robert Edwards. Mike Argetsinger has written biographies of two American drivers, Walt Hansgen: His Life and the History of Post-War American Road Racing (David Bull, 2006) and Mark Donohue: Technical Excellence at Speed (David Bull, 2009), that I like. It Was Fun! (Patrick Stephens, 1993) by Tony Rudd (and Doug Nye) is an enjoyable book in many respects. There are others, of course, such as Nuvolari (Breedon Books, 2003) by Chris Hilton, but these will do for a start.
When it comes to book on the various marques, it gets a bit interesting. I have found that Ford: The Dust and the Glory, A Racing History (Macmillan, 1968) by Leo Levine has been a valuable source over the years, although the follow-on volume left much to be desired. I will admit to having a soft spot for Cooper Cars (Osprey, Third Edition 1991) by Doug Nye. It is a splendid book to simply sit and read, one of those books I find being pulled from the shelf to use -- I am on my second copy. Although David McKinney beat me to it, of the many books on the Maserati 250F, his, Maserati 250F (Crowood Press, 2003) is by far the best.
There are many more suggestions, but this is at least a start.
Stock Car Racing and NASCAR
There are several easy choices for the automobile racing history bookshelf when it comes to stock car racing and NASCAR. The five volumes of the Forty Years of Stock Car Racing by Greg Fielden -- "The Beginning 1949-1958," "The Superspeedway Boom 1959-1964," "Big Buck and Boycotts 1965-1971," "The Modern Era 1972-1989." and "Forty Plus Four 1990-1993" -- have become both standard reference works and the basic source of the NASCAR results that are found on most internet site. Despite the title, the volume only deals with the NASCAR Grand National Division events, ignoring the rest of the other stock car series during this time. That Fielden had enough headaches and problems producing these volumes is an indication of the rather sad state of stock car racing history at the time.
Fielden also produced several other books that are worthy of note: High Speed at Low Tide on the beach races at Daytona Beach from 1936 to 1958, and Rumblin' Ragtops: The History of NASCAR's Fabulous Convertible Division. The latter volume includes a look at the brief life of the NASCAR Speedway Division, which lasted two season, 1952 and the 1953, the latter being scarcely covered by Fielden.
There have been several books on NASCAR and stock car racing published by several university presses, which might be something of a surprise to some, but not to others. Fixin' to Git: One Fan's Love Affair with NASCAR's Winston Cup (Duke University Press, 2002) by Jim Wright (University of Central Florida), proves that even academics can be fans and that being a sociologist is not the same as being a historian. From Moonshine to Madison Avenue: A Cultural History of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series (Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1997) by Mark Howell (Michigan State University), a cultural historian, is something of an organized potpourri of cultural observations on the NASCAR scene, with bits of history tossed in for good measure, although one may certainly question some of that history. Real NASCAR: White Lightning, Red Clay, and Big Bill France (University of North Carolina Press, 2010) by Daniel Pierce (University of North Carolina at Asheville), is one of the few to come the closest to the history of stock car racing and NASCAR, but Pierce, a late convert to the sport, alas, tends to let his romanticism of the illegal liquor business get in the way of historical objectivity, yet still provides one of the best looks at how the sport evolved. Pierce does poke more than a few holes in the Creation Mythology of NASCAR, which alone makes it a worthwhile addition to the bookshelf. NASCAR Nation: A History of Stock Car Racing in the United States (Praeger, 2010) by Scott Beekman (University of Rio Grande), is another volume that pokes a few holes in the mythology of stock car racing and NASCAR's version of its history.
While Driving With the Devil: Southern Moonshine, Detroit Wheels, and the Birth of NASCAR (Crown, 2006) by Neal Thompson, captured the imagination of many, in no small measure to it being well-written and with an interesting character at its core, Ray Parks, Thompson's affection for moonshine and his journalistic inclinations to not let too many facts get in the way of a very good story, tend to lean against this book when it comes to its place on the bookshelf. It belongs there, but it must be realized that it is not quite what it seems.
By and very large, most of the books on stock car racing and NASCAR are, to be charitable, complete dreck and excellent recycling material. Fortunately, as with the Fielden case, there are some exceptions. While certainly not a masterpiece of literature or historical research, Silent Speedways of the Carolinas: The Grand National Histories of 29 Former Tracks (McFarland, 2007), by Perry Allen Wood is many notches above the usual fare that is foisted upon those interested in the history of NASCAR. A very good book on a topic that is often handled poorly.
Although there various biographies and "looks" -- one hesitates to call them histories -- at stock car racing history that abound, few are, as mentioned, are worth saving space for on the bookshelf. A few are worth reading for no other purpose than finding out how many legends and myths regarding stock car racing and NASCAR's history are perpetuated: Fast as White Lightning: The Story of Stock Car Racing (The Dial Press, 1981) by Kim Chapin and Dirt Tracks to Glory: The Early Days of Stock Car Racing as Told by the Participants (Algonquin Books, 1983) by Sylvia Wilkinson being noteworthy in that regard.
Buried in Fast Food, Stock Cars & Rock-n-Roll: Place and Space in American Pop Culture (Rowman & Littlefield, 1995), edited by George O. Carney (Oklahoma State University), are two essays by Richard Pillsbury, a sports geographer (!) at Georgia State University, that are, perhaps, the "Ur texts" of an reconsideration of the history of stock car racing history and NASCAR mythology: "Carolina Thunder: A Geography of Southern Stock Car Racing" (1974) and "A Mythology at the Brink: Stock Car Racing in the American South" (1989).
If there is an example of the wasted effort expended in what could be useful books on stock car racing and its history, an example that pops immediately to mind is The Cars of the King: Richard Petty (Sports Publishing, 1997) by Tim Bongard and Bill Coulter. A slick, well turned-out book, with the endorsement and assistance of Petty Enterprises, the book teases with what could have been. Given that the authors were enthusiasts and not historians, it is much to their credit that some very interesting information still managed to find its way into the book. But, not enough. Then, there are the drawings of the cars which appear to be done by a junior high school student while doodling during his English classes -- they are awful!
Lastly, Stock Car Racers: The History and Folklore of NASCAR's Premier Series (Motorbooks International, 1988) by Allan Girdler is interesting for various and assorted reasons, though probably not those the author intended.
