Syndetics cover image
Image from Syndetics

Swerve or die : life at my speed in the first family of NASCAR racing / Kyle Petty and Ellis Henican.

By: Contributor(s): Material type: TextTextPublisher: New York : St. Martin's Press, 2022Edition: First editionDescription: viii, 278 pages, 16 unnumbered plates : color illustrations ; 25 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9781250277817
  • 1250277817
  • 9781250285553
  • 1250285550
Subject(s): Genre/Form: Summary: "No one knows NASCAR-with all its drama, controversy, and excitement-like Kyle Petty does. Swerve or Die is the smart NASCAR book that's never been written before, a real insider's account of exactly how stock-car racing got to be so controversial and how its Southern-bred worldview is shaking American life yet again. Kyle Petty, a third generations racer, current NASCAR commentator, and one of the most beloved figures in the sport, takes readers deep into the heart of the NASCAR he knows. Through deeply personal stories from his racing career, and that of his father and grandfather, he talks about the biggest stars, the most exciting races and, especially the tough, defining issues the sport has had to face. There is no way to grasp today's wrenching battles for NASCAR's soul without first knowing about the many dramatic moments throughout NASCAR's history, and Petty recounts them all in a story packed with huge characters and plenty of laughs (and details that even the most ardent NASCAR fans don't know). He also lays out his vision for NASCAR's future, and discusses in clear and simple terms how the sport can bring in new people without driving away old ones."-- Provided by publisher.
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Dr. James Carlson Library Biography PETTY, K. P512 Available 33111010994578
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library Biography PETTY, K. P512 Available 33111010868582
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

*A Wall Street Journal, Southern Indie, and Publishers Weekly Bestseller*

Stock-car racing star, country singer, and sports broadcaster Kyle Petty shares his familial legacy, intertwined with NASCAR's founding and history, in Swerve or Die --written with Pulitzer Prize-winner Ellis Henican, the New York Times bestselling coauthor of In the Blink of an Eye .

"Born into racing royalty. The only son of NASCAR's winningest driver ever. The grandson of one of the sport's true pioneers. The nephew of our very first Hall of Fame engine builder. It's quite a family to represent, and through it all, I've somehow managed to keep being Kyle."

Kyle Petty won his very first stock-car race, the Daytona ARCA 200, in 1979 when he was eighteen. Hailed as a third-generation professional NASCAR racer, he became an instant celebrity in circles he had been around all his young life. Despite being the grandson and son of racing champions Lee Petty and Richard Petty, Kyle didn't inherit innate talent. Working in his family's North Carolina race shop from an early age, he learned all about car mechanics and maintenance long before he got behind the wheel. And although Kyle continued the family business, driving "Petty blue" colored cars emblazoned with his grandfather's #42--a number once used by Marty Robbins--his career took a different route than his forebears'.

In Swerve or Die: Life at My Speed in the First Family of NASCAR Racing , Kyle chronicles his life on and off the racetrack, presenting his insider's perspective of growing up throughout the sport's popular rise in American culture. In between driving and running Petty Enterprises for thirty years, Kyle took some detours into country music, voiced Cal Weathers in Pixar's Cars 3 , and started his annual motorcycle Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America. And when his nineteen-year-old son Adam, a fourth-generation racing Petty, tragically lost his life on the track, Kyle founded Victory Junction, a camp for children with chronic and serious medical conditions in Adam's name--with help from Academy Award-winning actor and motorsports enthusiast Paul Newman.

Filled with NASCAR history, stories of his family's careers, and anecdotes about some of stock-car racing's most famous drivers, Kyle's memoir also tackles the sport's evolution, discussing how welcoming diverse racers, improving car and track safety features, and integrating green technology will benefit NASCAR's competitors and fans in the future.

Includes Photographs

"No one knows NASCAR-with all its drama, controversy, and excitement-like Kyle Petty does. Swerve or Die is the smart NASCAR book that's never been written before, a real insider's account of exactly how stock-car racing got to be so controversial and how its Southern-bred worldview is shaking American life yet again. Kyle Petty, a third generations racer, current NASCAR commentator, and one of the most beloved figures in the sport, takes readers deep into the heart of the NASCAR he knows. Through deeply personal stories from his racing career, and that of his father and grandfather, he talks about the biggest stars, the most exciting races and, especially the tough, defining issues the sport has had to face. There is no way to grasp today's wrenching battles for NASCAR's soul without first knowing about the many dramatic moments throughout NASCAR's history, and Petty recounts them all in a story packed with huge characters and plenty of laughs (and details that even the most ardent NASCAR fans don't know). He also lays out his vision for NASCAR's future, and discusses in clear and simple terms how the sport can bring in new people without driving away old ones."-- Provided by publisher.

Powered by Koha