At the Altar of Speed - The Fast Life and Tragic Death of Dale Earnhardt

In this long-awaited autobiography, the legendary Bill Elliott details his childhood in rural North Georgia, building cars from scratch, struggling on the anonymous small-time tracks of the South to his against-the-odds rise to the pinnacle of NASCAR stardom: Winston Cup Champion.

From Daytona to Talladega, from Bristol to Sonoma, ride shoulder to shoulder with Elliott as he battles Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip, Ricky Rudd, Rusty Wallace, and Alan Kulwicki for NASCAR's ultimate prize. Through Elliott's eyes we meet the colorful cast of old-school characters who built NASCAR: Cale Yarborough, Junior Johnson, the Allisons, Carl Kiekhaefer, and, of course, the France family. We join Bill in the car (and under it) as he sets the all-time record for the fastest official speed ever recorded in a stock car (a record he still holds today).

Learn the secret—revealed for the first time—behind the Elliott family's unquestioned mastery of the sport's super speedways. Watch NASCAR grow from a southern diversion into a national phenomenon, and see Bill Elliott grow with it, ultimately becoming one of the sport's most popular heroes. In 1985 Elliott captured the inaugural Winston Million and became the first NASCAR driver ever to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Three years later he captured the Winston Cup Championship. He went on to be voted NASCAR Driver of the Decade for the 1980s by NASCAR fans. He was also voted Most Popular Driver sixteen times.

Elliott also shares his thoughts on the dark side of the racing life: the stresses it can place on relationships, the ever-present physical risks, and the weight of fame. He addresses the racing-related deaths of competitors and friends. He is candid and critical in discussing the intense rivalry between him and the late Dale Earnhardt, and he sheds new light on their storied relationship as well as on Earnhardt's shocking death. Elliott discusses the future of NASCAR with critiques of its management and restrictor plates, and he takes on the controversial issues of track and driver safety.

A window into the compelling personality of Bill Elliott, as well as a primer on the ascent of America's fastestgrowing sport, this is the definitive insider's view of the rising NASCAR nation.

Daytona 500 Stories tells the story of every Daytona 500 race. Beginning with the first race in 1959 to the present, you'll learn the facts about each event. William "Big Bill" France had a vision for a large track nestled along the famous sands of Daytona Beach, Florida. The high banked 2 1/2 mile speedway, shaped like the letter "D" was called a tri oval.

Do you know who finished in first and second, then 2 years later crashed out of the track?

Who was declared the first winner of the first race?

Which driver dominated the 500, leading 3/4 of the race, but didn't win?

Who was the first driver to win the Daytona 500 in February and the Firecracker race in July in the same year?

What driver dominated the 500, then had his car banned the next year?

Which lady racer was the first female to compete in the Daytonal 500?

Which US President was the first to visit a race at Daytona?

Who was the driver who pulled another driver from his burning car, then won the 500?

Who are the 3 sets of father/son Daytona 500 winners?

Which family, grandfather, father, and son have competed at DIS?

Who was the first driver to crash into Lake Lloyd?

When did the qualifying races go from 100 miles, to 125 miles, to 150 miles?

February Speed Week starts on Sunday with time trials, and Thursday qualifying races for the Cup cars. Friday is when the Trucks compete, and Saturday is for the Sportsman race which is now called the Nationwide Series. Sunday is the Great American Race, the Daytona 500.

The first Saturday in July is the Firecracker 400.

If you want to race, Daytona is the place!

A Saturday night spent with Ron MacLean has been a tradition for twenty-five years. Known for his quick wit, arched eyebrows and encyclopedic hockey knowledge, MacLean is the skilled ringmaster of Canada’s most watched weekly program. He has interviewed the greatest players, coaches and personalities of an era and is a master at coaxing the best in substance and entertainment from his guests, as well as from his opinionated and often irascible co-host, Don Cherry, on Coach’s Corner. And he has never written a book-until now.

Cornered is packed with inside accounts-some inspiring, many hilarious-from his early days as a part-time radio announcer and weather forecaster in Red Deer, Alberta, to his time hosting Hockey Night in Canada and the Olympics. Perhaps no other journalist has witnessed first-hand more Canadian sports milestones in the past quarter century. From Gretzky to Catriona, Mario to Salé and Pelletier, MacLean has been there with an eye for detail and an appreciation for what makes a great story.