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Rating: 
Summary: God,Pepsi,and Groovin on the High Side
Review: As an individual who does not know a lot about NASCAR, I found this book very interesting because it covers all aspects of the business. Mr Ernsberger has a great command of the English language and is smart enough to mix a little humor in with all of his facts and interviews.After reading the book I have a much greater appreciation for all of the people who participate in this business.He covers individual drivers, pit crews, owners, officials,and the fans who travel thousands of miles to party at the races. I really enjoyed his chapters on the anti Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon and the one on Bruton Smith and Humpy Wheeler as well as his coverage on the "inside" of this hugh business. You don't have to be a Nascar fan to enjoy this easy read. I highly recommend it to men and women of all ages.
Rating: 
Summary: Read Fixin' to Git Instead
Review: Every sport in America has become the target of the so-called "tales" books and NASCAR is no exception. Richard Ernsberger crosses the line with his rude and condescending portrayal of racing fans and Southerners.
If you are a fan of NASCAR racing you will find this book boring and slow. Ernsberger provides very little in the way of a great tale from the "circuit." He does manage to make fun, degrade, and belittle the people, culture and sport of stock car racing.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Read for a New Fan
Review: I am a sports fan who was always been bored with any kind of 'racing' especially NASCAR. But in the middle of the 2003 season, some friends introduced my wife and I to the sport, and we have really found it interesting (and fun).Even though I did notice some typos in the book (how does that happen?), the author did an excellent job of making the book interesting. I really enjoyed the author's analysis of the NASCAR subculture that includes millions of Americans. Some chapters were better than others, and they weren't really intertwined at all. The chapters could stand alone from the rest of the book and still be understood. I agree with some of the author's conclusions at the end of the book; the sport, fans, and racing teams are great. BUT there are some problems that should drive any sports fan nuts. First, the fact that NASCAR is inconsistent with their rules is annoying and unfair to a true concept of sport (what is also annoying is NASCAR's propensity to favor the popular drivers). And second, the commercialization of the sport is out of hand. Sponsorship and marketing DIRECTLY influence the outcome of the sport. I recommend the book to any NASCAR fan, especially new NASCAR fans like me who are clueless to the history and contemporary culture of the sport.
Rating:
Summary: Great Read for a New Fan
Review: I am a sports fan who was always been bored with any kind of `racing' especially NASCAR. But in the middle of the 2003 season, some friends introduced my wife and I to the sport, and we have really found it interesting (and fun). Even though I did notice some typos in the book (how does that happen?), the author did an excellent job of making the book interesting. I really enjoyed the author's analysis of the NASCAR subculture that includes millions of Americans. Some chapters were better than others, and they weren't really intertwined at all. The chapters could stand alone from the rest of the book and still be understood. I agree with some of the author's conclusions at the end of the book; the sport, fans, and racing teams are great. BUT there are some problems that should drive any sports fan nuts. First, the fact that NASCAR is inconsistent with their rules is annoying and unfair to a true concept of sport (what is also annoying is NASCAR's propensity to favor the popular drivers). And second, the commercialization of the sport is out of hand. Sponsorship and marketing DIRECTLY influence the outcome of the sport. I recommend the book to any NASCAR fan, especially new NASCAR fans like me who are clueless to the history and contemporary culture of the sport.
Rating: 
Summary: Get the Facts Right!
Review: The factual errors in this book are amazing, especially coming from a heavy-duty dude at Newsweek magazine. Contrary to what the book reports; the Cup all-star race and Coca-Cola 600 are not held in July, Terry Labonte did not win the 1990 Daytona 500 when Dale Earnhardt ran out of gas on the last lap and the 1996 championship was not settled by a margin of eight points.
The book also reads like a series of magazine articles strung together. Moving from one chapter to the next, the reader is forced to read through too much information that was already reported in the previous chapter. Yes, for example, I know Dale Earnhardt was killed in the 2001 Daytona 500; please don't feel required to tell me that in every chapter.
Confidential to the "Editor of the International Edition of Newsweek Magazine": Don't quit your day job.
Rating: 
Summary: This book needs a proofreader!
Review: This is a very good book with lots of different stories about NASCAR. I've not yet finished God, Pepsi and Groovin', but I like it because it covers the sport from many different angles, and it's written by a Newsweek journalist who's new to the sport. My husband and I have been sharing the book. He's not as big a NASCAR fan as I am, but liked the chapters on the scene at the Daytona 500, on crew chiefs, why Hendrick Motorsports is so good--and the chapter on drivers who never win races. I'm a HUGE NASCAR fan (isn't everybody in South Carolina) and liked the ones on Earnhardt (father and son) and the crazy rules system. If you like to read, and like NASCAR, you should enjoy this book."
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