50 First Victories

The careers of all successful auto racers start with their first win--Richard Petty at Charlotte, Dale Earnhardt at Bristol, Jimmie Johnson at Fontana, Chase Elliott at Watkins Glen. Some wait years to finally take that first checkered flag, and the emotion is often more relief than joy. It's a crossroads reached after miles of struggle and work, lap after lap of learning, going faster and faster until that first trophy is realized. 50 First Victories chronicles the journey of NASCAR's best as they drive their way to that landmark first victory. For some, it came on an out-of-the-way dirt bullring now lost to all but memory; for others the breakthrough win was scored on one of auto racing's giant superspeedways before thousands of fans and the all-seeing eye of television. Journalists Al Pearce and Mike Hembree have been along for the ride for much of NASCAR's long history. With a combined ninety years of coverage of one of America's grassroots sports, they bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the stories of these fast-and-furious heroes, drivers who ran to the ragged edge--and often past it--in pursuit of the checkered flag that waits at the end of the road. On these pages we meet Mario Andretti, winner of the Daytona 500, who later described that moment as one that "stays with you forever." And Ned Jarrett, who won for the first time at tiny Myrtle Beach Speedway but couldn't fully celebrate because fighting the steering wheel all race left his right hand bloody. And Fireball Roberts, who won in only his third race, outrunning the rest of the field at Occoneechee Speedway, one of the sport's fastest dirt tracks. Here are all the sport's stars--Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt Sr., Dale Earnhardt Jr., Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, Jeff Gordon, David Pearson, Jimmie Johnson, Junior Johnson--and the stories of their earliest success. Come along for the trip.

• | Author: Mike Hembree|Al Pearce
• | Publisher: Octane Press
• | Publication Date: Aug 01, 2022
• | Number of Pages: 244 pages
• | Language: English
• | Binding: Hardcover
• | ISBN-10: 1642340987
• | ISBN-13: 9781642340983