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Big Time Bid
It's 1979, and NASCAR racing is still a sport peopled by weekend enthusiasts like driver Rick Venturi and his partner Ron Powers, two “good ol' boys” from the hills of Virginia, who use their auto repair shop in suburban Maryland to fund their passion for racing. Mentored by racing legend Richard Rhoads, they begin to taste success on the asphalt bullrings in Maryland and Virginia, hoping to make it to the big time circuit. Original.
344 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 3, 2014
You don't have to be a NASCAR fan to like this book, or even necessarily a car guy...though car guys should read it.
It's about a team of hobby racers running in the Late Modified Stock class (I guess you could think of it as the farm league for Winston Cup. Oops--that changed to Nextel Cup, and I don't know what it's called now) in the late '70s.
It's got romance, drama, and action. I thought the rivalry with Johnny Stefanic and some of the drama that played out on the track was nicely done--and sometimes with the flavor of ambiguity you get in real-life racing: Did this guy cheat or that guy cheat? Or since both were cheating, who was cheating more? Was the wreck this guy's fault or that guy's? Or is it just something that happens and there's no use worrying about it?
One member of the team is a likeable character, but has a big problem with his zipper. He does something so colossally stupid that I wanted to beat him half to death myself. When an author can get you that mad at a fictional character, he's writing well.
I highly recommend this novel for anyone with even a passing interest in racing.
It's about a team of hobby racers running in the Late Modified Stock class (I guess you could think of it as the farm league for Winston Cup. Oops--that changed to Nextel Cup, and I don't know what it's called now) in the late '70s.
It's got romance, drama, and action. I thought the rivalry with Johnny Stefanic and some of the drama that played out on the track was nicely done--and sometimes with the flavor of ambiguity you get in real-life racing: Did this guy cheat or that guy cheat? Or since both were cheating, who was cheating more? Was the wreck this guy's fault or that guy's? Or is it just something that happens and there's no use worrying about it?
One member of the team is a likeable character, but has a big problem with his zipper. He does something so colossally stupid that I wanted to beat him half to death myself. When an author can get you that mad at a fictional character, he's writing well.
I highly recommend this novel for anyone with even a passing interest in racing.
October 10, 2013
A must-read for stock car racing fans!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews