Customer Reviews
This is a book every Nascar fan should read. - By: , 19 Jul 1999 
Wide Open offers great insight into the lives of three of Nascar's not-as-big stars. It gives fans a look behind the scenes in the good times & bad, & shows what these guys go through to put on a show for the fans for 34 races a year. The best part in my opinion, is who the stories are about. Anyone can write about the hotshot racers in the series but to show what Dave Marcis & Brett Bodine do on & off the track to make the show in my opinion, is far more interesting.
A "Wide Open"look at NASCAR - By: , 17 Apr 1999 
I've been a NASCAR fan since a kid when my family was a member of Bob Bahre's Daytona entourage. We'd alll trek down from Maine in the late seventies & catch the big race. Even then, racing wasn't exclusive to south of the mason-dixon. Wide Open recognizes this. Assael, a former NYC Crime reporter, writes as a journalist hot on a story, & he finds lots of stories. Most are enlightening & interesting, like his look at the car wars or the discrepencies between the leading teams & the lesser ones. Some I could have lived without, like Junior Johnson's painful divorce & Richard Petty's election run. All & alll, though, this is a great look at racing. New fans & old fans will love it.
Incorrect, but interesting - By: , 07 Apr 1999 
This book is filled with minor errors (such as the misuse of certain racing terms) that shows Mr Assael is an author, not a fan. Although this book is a good read (especiallly for new fans), I'd save it for after I had finished either of Peter Golenback's books.
Great view of NASCAR from outside of the normal mass media. - By: , 24 Feb 1999 I am an avid NASCAR fan, who also happens to be a long time fan of Dave Marcis, one of the featured drivers in this book (the real reason I bought it). After I bought it, I read it straight through in one long sitting. It was fascinating! I watch the NASCAR races & racing TV shows, & read the magazines. This was much better; it shows the struggles of those not riding the wave at the top of the heap, both from newcomers & old timers. Definitely not the view normallly shown in the media. I thoroughly enjoyed it! I also have a much greater respect for the ability of those who run in the back of the pack for their struggles & what it takes. A special treat was the writing about the wives & families. An excellent book showing a different view on America's fastest growing & most popular sport.
Get inside a NASCAR team, can you handle it? - By: , 28 Jan 1999 This is a must if you are interested in NASCAR. I chose a group of books as research for starting a race team, this is one I chose. You will be in the scene of some of NASCAR Winston Cup teams for the year, the up's & down's the excitement & the heartache of a year behind owning, running & surviving the "Cup". Think you can handle a year in NASCAR? Read this to find out, it will change your perspective.
