Declarations of Stock Car Independents: Interviews with Twelve Racers of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s Paperback – Illustrated, October 14, 2010

The author has managed to tell the previously untold story of early NASCAR racing through the eyes of the struggling independent low budget drivers as has never been told before. The vast majority of NASCAR history books involve stories about the sport's superstars like Petty, Pearson, Allison, Yarborough, and others. This one is fantastic because it is simply composed of interviews with 12 of NASCAR's unheralded independents in their own words.I consider myself as very knowledgable about NASCAR racing history,but many of these drivers were not familiar to me, and reading about their experiences and struggles in a tough sport was fascinating to say the least. Drivers such as Johnny Allen, Elmo Henderson, Joe Frasson, Raymond Williams, Reb Wickersham, and one James Harvey Hylton (who remarkably is still competing in ARCA at the age of 76!) among others.While talent is important in racing, so is dollars, and most of these guys just didn't have the deep pockets to compete evenly with the "big boys" Nonetheless, it takes more than a handful of cars to put on a race, and these drivers gave it all they had just to get on the track. The real shame is that most of these guys may have had talent equal to none, but were never able to showcase it and thus are a mere footnote to the sport's record books. After reading the book, you will have a great appreciation for what these drivers were able to accomplish in difficult circumstances.Highly recommended!