Driving with the Devil: Southern Moonshine, Detroit Wheels, and the Birth of NASCAR

by Neal Thompson

Excellent Book

Paperback

About the author

I'm the author of Kickflip Boys: A Memoir of Freedom, Rebellion, and the Chaos of Fatherhood (May 2018). Tony Hawk called it "fun, moving, raw and relatable.” Michael Chabon said it "captures the ache, fizz, yearning and frustration of being the father of adolescent boys." Maria Semple calls it "a riveting, touching, and painful read! My stomach was in knots page after page."

I've written four other books - stories about flawed and adventurous men - and have blabbed about those on ESPN, the History Channel, PBS, C-Span, Fox, TNT, and NPR. Plus five minutes on The Daily Show.

My previous book, A CURIOUS MAN - a bio of eccentric world-traveling millionaire/playboy cartoonist Robert 'Believe It or Not' Ripley - was an Oprah.com Book of the Week, an Amazon Best of the Month, and a PEN Center USA award finalist. Ben Fountain said (on NPR): "Anyone who wants to understand America needs to read this book … Neal Thompson gives us a vivid portrait of this complex, restless man in all his maniacally conflicted glory."

Other books: Driving with the Devil: Southern Moonshine, Detroit Wheels and the Birth of NASCAR; Light This Candle: The Life & Times of Alan Shepard, America’s First Spaceman; and Hurricane Season: A Coach, His Team, and their Triumph in the Time of Katrina.

As a journalist, I've written for Outside, Esquire, Men’s Health, Backpacker, Sports Illustrated, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and more. I spent more than a decade as a newspaper reporter, including the Baltimore Sun, St. Petersburg Times, Bergen Record, Roanoke Times, and Philadelphia Inquirer. I've taught creative non-fiction at Seattle's Hugo House and at the University of North Carolina’s Great Smokies Writing Program, and served on the board of Seattle Arts & Lectures.

I'm a runner, reader, skier, stand-up paddleboarder, yogi, and a fan of brown liquor. I'm a naturalized Irish citizen, a mediocre guitar player. I'm from New Jersey.