The Complete Statistical History of Stock-Car Racing

by Sowers, Richard

• ISBN13: 9781893618060
• ISBN10: 1893618064
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-06-01
• Publisher: David Bull Pub

Summary

Author Richard Sowers gives fans a single tool, the Performance Index, to help settle their endless debates. Was Fireball Roberts a better superspeedway driver than Dale Earnhardt? How does Jeff Gordon rate against Junior Johnson on short tracks? The Performance Index uncovers the surprising answers.

Organized in three sections -- a comprehensive year-by-year review, a statistical biography of more than 400 of the sport's greatest drivers; and a complete listing of NASCAR statistics and records -- The Complete Statistical History of Stock-Car Racing also contains answers to questions like these:
-- Who are the oldest and youngest race winners?
-- Why does NASCAR credit Bobby Allison with 84 wins while this book counts 85?
-- Who has the most consecutive poles on a superspeedway?
-- Who were NASCAR's most successful racing families?

No other book offers this information. And with some of its controversial findings, it may provoke as many arguments as it settles. If you buy only one book on NASCAR racing, this is the one to have.

Table of Contents

Preface	17	(2)
A Guided Tour of Terms and Definitions	19	(17)
Year by Year
1949 Roots	36	(4)
1950 First Glimpse of the Future	40	(3)
1951 All in the Family	43	(5)
1952 Thomas Reached His Lone Milestone Early; Gant Aged Like a Fine Wine	48	(5)
1953 A Rare Feat for the King and Silver Fox	53	(5)
1954 No One Ever Dominated on Dirt Like Tobacco Farmer Herb Thomas	58	(4)
1955 The 'Fabulous Flock Family'	62	(6)
1956 Eight Car Owners Have Held Keys to Success	68	(6)
1957 There's No Bucking Baker's Place in History	74	(5)
1958 Was Turner the Best? Record Says No	79	(5)
1959 The Patriarch of Petty Enterprises	84	(5)
1960 Grand Slam: a Grand Achievement	89	(5)
1961 Marty Robbins Was the Only Genuine Article	94	(5)
1962 Great Scott, Other Minorities	99	(6)
1963 Was Championship 'Stroke' of Luck?	105	(5)
1964 Fireball: Fastest on the Big Tracks	110	(6)
1965 Few Careers Can Equal Gentleman Ned's Six Years in Spotlight	116	(5)
1966 'The Last American Hero'	121	(5)
1967 The Golden Boy	126	(5)
1968 Stock-Car Racing's Greatest Rivalry	131	(6)
1969 Yarbrough: 'It Might Have Been'	137	(5)
1970 A 'Voice' Ended Isaac's Time Among the Elite	142	(5)
1971 'Like a Marriage Made in Heaven'	147	(5)
1972 Foyt Leads Parade of 10 Indy-Car Winners Who Also Earned Winston Cup Glory	152	(4)
1973 Parsons Was NASCAR's Most Popular Driver Among His Rivals in the Garage	156	(5)
1974 The Silver Fox	161	(6)
1975 NASCAR's King	167	(7)
1976 The Greatest Race in NASCAR History	174	(6)
1977 Some Drivers' Considerable Achievements Have Been Unfairly Overlooked	180	(5)
1978 Was Yarborough the Best Driver Ever?	185	(5)
1979 There's No Easy Definition for Rookies	190	(5)
1980 Baker's Size Overshadowed Long Career of Consistent Productivity	195	(6)
1981 The Drivers Fans Have Loved to Hate	201	(5)
1982 Successful Transitions	206	(4)
1983 Allison's Faith Was Tested More Than Job's	210	(6)
1984 Classic Success Stories	216	(4)
1985 'Jaws' Took a Very Big Bite Out of NASCAR's Record Book	220	(5)
1986 Playboy of the Pits	225	(4)
1987 The Easiest to Tame?	229	(5)
1988 'Awesome Bill From Dawsonville'	234	(4)
1989 'Bad to the Bone'	238	(5)
1990 Nobody's Come as Close as Often as Mark Martin	243	(4)
1991 Safer at Any Speed	247	(5)
1992 History's Greatest Title Chase	252	(5)
1993 From Triumphs to Tragedies	257	(4)
1994 The 'Intimidator'	261	(5)
1995 Strictly Stock? Not These Days	266	(5)
1996 The Iceman	271	(5)
1997 Only on Regular Visits to Victory Lane Is Rudd Recognized as a Superstar	276	(5)
1998 'Wonder Boy'	281	(6)
1999 Dale Jarrett: Late Bloomer	287	(6)
Driver Resumes	293	(127)
Miscellaneous Records
Performance Index	371	(22)
Victory Records	393	(12)
Victories From the Pole Records	405	(4)
Pole Records	409	(11)
Sites of Winston Cup Races During the 20th Century	420	(4)
Acknowledgments	424