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Southern Stock
What do Elvis, Earnhardt, and bootleggers have in common?
They all crossed paths with Stick Elliott, the best race car driver you never knew. A force to be reckoned with, he drives for money, women, pride, and glory. But he lives for speed. And he’s damn good at it. Stick can make a getaway with a trunk full of moonshine across the Carolina backroads faster than any man around. Now with the homemade liquor business running dry, Stick just needs to catch as many checkered flags as he can on the track, and maybe even the heart of the most beautiful woman he has ever seen.
Stick wants to win it all on the newly formed NASCAR circuit, but he feels something lurking in the shadows, at the edges of his consciousness. Can he outmaneuver it and keep his wheels spinning fast? Or will the wild ride come to an end?
They all crossed paths with Stick Elliott, the best race car driver you never knew. A force to be reckoned with, he drives for money, women, pride, and glory. But he lives for speed. And he’s damn good at it. Stick can make a getaway with a trunk full of moonshine across the Carolina backroads faster than any man around. Now with the homemade liquor business running dry, Stick just needs to catch as many checkered flags as he can on the track, and maybe even the heart of the most beautiful woman he has ever seen.
Stick wants to win it all on the newly formed NASCAR circuit, but he feels something lurking in the shadows, at the edges of his consciousness. Can he outmaneuver it and keep his wheels spinning fast? Or will the wild ride come to an end?
328 pages, Hardcover
Published October 21, 2025
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39 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 20, 2025
Stick Elliott got his start racing the backwoods of North Carolina as he hauled his granddaddy’s moonshine. Taking the skills learned while outrunning the law, Stick transitions to racing other drivers on tracks throughout the southeast. Dirt track racing is Stick’s passion, but he also races in the newly formed NASCAR circuit. Stick lives for speed, and while he can outpace the other drivers, he can’t run faster than his past fears.
Moonshine and NASCAR. Two of my favorite things. SOUTHERN STOCK is based on the true story of racecar driver Stick Elliott—and it’s written by one of his daughters. It is a captivating, fast-paced novel that follows Stick both on and off the track, and it covers his life story from his teenage years running moonshine up to his untimely death. SOUTHERN STOCK is the perfect novel for anyone interested in the early days of NASCAR and moonshining.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Moonshine and NASCAR. Two of my favorite things. SOUTHERN STOCK is based on the true story of racecar driver Stick Elliott—and it’s written by one of his daughters. It is a captivating, fast-paced novel that follows Stick both on and off the track, and it covers his life story from his teenage years running moonshine up to his untimely death. SOUTHERN STOCK is the perfect novel for anyone interested in the early days of NASCAR and moonshining.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
November 23, 2025
Nothing is more firmly emmeshed with southern culture and mythology than bootlegging and automobile racing, and in her new novel, Southern Stock, Gena Elliot weaves a compelling fictional tale based on the life of her real father, Gene “Stick” Elliot Daves, a former NASCAR driver and real-life bootlegger. In an almost legendary and mythic yarn about risk and reward, we follow Stick as he tries to build a new love relationship while juggling the demands of a very dangerous occupation.
The story gets underway in 1950, but there’s a great epigram at the beginning of the novel which reminds us of the 1920 law that ushered in prohibition, and according to the narrator, Stick has been running bootleg liquor since he was old enough to reach the pedals on the car’s floorboard. Right away, after Stick makes his delivery to Anderson farm, his grandfather, Jack, encourages him to fix up a beat-up old Chevy so that he can race at a local dirt track. Even though he’s discouraged from entering the race when he walks up to register, he ends up winning, and in doing so, feels the rush of his life. He calls it “pure adrenaline,” and he is most definitely hooked.
Before Stick makes it to the bright lights and big-time celebrity that is the world of NASCAR, he spends most of his time bootlegging and learning how to fix cars. This is one of the novel’s charms: the author’s willingness to paint a picture of Southern culture in much the same way that we see in the work of other great writers from the region, such as Harry Crews or Walker Percy. We hear constant references to the swamps and the chiggers, we can almost feel the dust kicked up from the cars roaring down the dirty back roads, we learn about the bootlegging process, and best of all, we get to witness the never-ending games of one-upmanship that the bootleggers play with the local cops, making for interesting exposition early on.
Elvis is even mentioned at one point, which is kind of a prerequisite when writing about southern culture and mythos. When someone tells Stick that Elvis wanted to take a few laps on the track, he asks, “The Elvis?” (author’s italics). Also, with the careful attention paid to speech patterns and lexicon, Elliot really brings some grit and authenticity to the narrative. The names of some of the bootleggers are classic: Trigger, a fellow moonshiner, introduced the four members of his crew as Crank, Shortie, House, and Boomer. Growing up with Dad sure paid off in terms of verisimilitude.
In the middle of all the bootlegging and racing, Stick finds time to meet Annalee, with whom he has a daughter. Eventually, he gets his shot at being a NASCAR driver. But the risk of his chosen profession looms large, a constant source of concern. When the baby is born, he lights a cigar and turns to ask his grandfather if it wouldn’t be better for him to simply take a nine-to-five job and settle down.
This is the main conflict as the novel moves forward. What will Stick’s ultimate choice be? That question is answered, and some of the other weighty moral issues are dealt with over the course of Stick’s journey. I, for one, think it’s worth every penny for you to find out, and you’ll have fun doing so. Southern Stock by Gena Elliot is a tightly written novel, with sharp prose and witty banter, all set in what is, for me at least, the most exotic and in some ways most fascinatingly idiosyncratic region of the country.
The story gets underway in 1950, but there’s a great epigram at the beginning of the novel which reminds us of the 1920 law that ushered in prohibition, and according to the narrator, Stick has been running bootleg liquor since he was old enough to reach the pedals on the car’s floorboard. Right away, after Stick makes his delivery to Anderson farm, his grandfather, Jack, encourages him to fix up a beat-up old Chevy so that he can race at a local dirt track. Even though he’s discouraged from entering the race when he walks up to register, he ends up winning, and in doing so, feels the rush of his life. He calls it “pure adrenaline,” and he is most definitely hooked.
Before Stick makes it to the bright lights and big-time celebrity that is the world of NASCAR, he spends most of his time bootlegging and learning how to fix cars. This is one of the novel’s charms: the author’s willingness to paint a picture of Southern culture in much the same way that we see in the work of other great writers from the region, such as Harry Crews or Walker Percy. We hear constant references to the swamps and the chiggers, we can almost feel the dust kicked up from the cars roaring down the dirty back roads, we learn about the bootlegging process, and best of all, we get to witness the never-ending games of one-upmanship that the bootleggers play with the local cops, making for interesting exposition early on.
Elvis is even mentioned at one point, which is kind of a prerequisite when writing about southern culture and mythos. When someone tells Stick that Elvis wanted to take a few laps on the track, he asks, “The Elvis?” (author’s italics). Also, with the careful attention paid to speech patterns and lexicon, Elliot really brings some grit and authenticity to the narrative. The names of some of the bootleggers are classic: Trigger, a fellow moonshiner, introduced the four members of his crew as Crank, Shortie, House, and Boomer. Growing up with Dad sure paid off in terms of verisimilitude.
In the middle of all the bootlegging and racing, Stick finds time to meet Annalee, with whom he has a daughter. Eventually, he gets his shot at being a NASCAR driver. But the risk of his chosen profession looms large, a constant source of concern. When the baby is born, he lights a cigar and turns to ask his grandfather if it wouldn’t be better for him to simply take a nine-to-five job and settle down.
This is the main conflict as the novel moves forward. What will Stick’s ultimate choice be? That question is answered, and some of the other weighty moral issues are dealt with over the course of Stick’s journey. I, for one, think it’s worth every penny for you to find out, and you’ll have fun doing so. Southern Stock by Gena Elliot is a tightly written novel, with sharp prose and witty banter, all set in what is, for me at least, the most exotic and in some ways most fascinatingly idiosyncratic region of the country.
January 15, 2026
📚Southern Stock
✍🏻Gena Elliott
Blurb:
What do Elvis, Earnhardt, and bootleggers have in common?
They all crossed paths with Stick Elliott, the best race car driver you never knew. A force to be reckoned with, he drives for money, women, pride, and glory. But he lives for speed. And he’s damn good at it. Stick can make a getaway with a trunk full of moonshine across the Carolina backroads faster than any man around. Now with the homemade liquor business running dry, Stick just needs to catch as many checkered flags as he can on the track, and maybe even the heart of the most beautiful woman he has ever seen.
Stick wants to win it all on the newly formed NASCAR circuit, but he feels something lurking in the shadows, at the edges of his consciousness. Can he outmaneuver it and keep his wheels spinning fast? Or will the wild ride come to an end?
My Thoughts:
Southern Stock is a beautifully written story full of heart, family, and Southern charm. Gena Elliott delivers a thrilling ride through 1950s North and South Carolina bootlegging and early NASCAR, inspired by her father Stick Elliott's real-life exploits.Southern Stock by Gena Elliot is a tightly written novel, with sharp prose and witty banter,. I recommend Nascar you'll enjoy this cute romance.
Thanks NetGalley, Greenleaf Book Group Press and Author Gene Elliott for the advanced copy of "Southern Stock" I am leaving my voluntary review in appreciation;
#NetGalley
#GreenleadBookGroupPress
#GeneElliott
#Southern Stock
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✍🏻Gena Elliott
Blurb:
What do Elvis, Earnhardt, and bootleggers have in common?
They all crossed paths with Stick Elliott, the best race car driver you never knew. A force to be reckoned with, he drives for money, women, pride, and glory. But he lives for speed. And he’s damn good at it. Stick can make a getaway with a trunk full of moonshine across the Carolina backroads faster than any man around. Now with the homemade liquor business running dry, Stick just needs to catch as many checkered flags as he can on the track, and maybe even the heart of the most beautiful woman he has ever seen.
Stick wants to win it all on the newly formed NASCAR circuit, but he feels something lurking in the shadows, at the edges of his consciousness. Can he outmaneuver it and keep his wheels spinning fast? Or will the wild ride come to an end?
My Thoughts:
Southern Stock is a beautifully written story full of heart, family, and Southern charm. Gena Elliott delivers a thrilling ride through 1950s North and South Carolina bootlegging and early NASCAR, inspired by her father Stick Elliott's real-life exploits.Southern Stock by Gena Elliot is a tightly written novel, with sharp prose and witty banter,. I recommend Nascar you'll enjoy this cute romance.
Thanks NetGalley, Greenleaf Book Group Press and Author Gene Elliott for the advanced copy of "Southern Stock" I am leaving my voluntary review in appreciation;
#NetGalley
#GreenleadBookGroupPress
#GeneElliott
#Southern Stock
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews