Jeff MacGregor

This was a good book for me to read to dispel my ignorance of NASCAR as a sport. Like large parts of the rest of the general public, I have been aware of NASCAR in a vague way. And have seen some of the big ones (I learned from this book that that is the term for a large pile up of a bunch of cars crashing into each other) on televised highlights of races. I colleague with whom I worked for quite a few years followed NASCAR intently and so I heard some of his comments. I am glad that this was the book that I picked to find out about the topic because the author explained in terms that I could understand. Also, his comments were not value judgements boldly stated. Rather, the author wrote a basic account of facts and sensory data that he experienced, and let the reader judge the meaning of it. But I could not help thinking that underneath his calm demeanor, he thought that a lot of things were either amazing, or stupid, or wonderful, or zany, as the case may be. If you, like me, are starting out completely ignorant about some of the history of NASCAR, and want to find out to watch for when you are tuned in to TV, then definitely, please read this book.
I relished the parts of the book where the author talks about the good old days, when tickets were $10, and it was not over-run by media hype and phony hangers-on. I wonder if it is true that every good artistic or sports trend is ruined when big business invades and takes over the sponsorship. Probably. But all sentimental indulgence in old-times for old-times' sake. I also loved the story about the bootleg whiskey runners and their souped-up cars.
The stories of how he passed his time while driving back and forth across the country with his wife: they read books to each other.
Definitely worth it. I will seek out any other books that this author has written.… (más)

Need for speed
Outside of short glimpses in bars, restaurants and other places where the TV is not under my control, I've never watched a NASCAR race. But once I read even one page of Jeff MacGregor's "Sunday Money: A Hot Lap Around America with NASCAR" (HarperCollins, $26). I was strapped in tight, circling the track at 200 miles per hour, unable to put the book down.

MacGregor is a contributor to Sports Illustrated, and together with his wife, a photographer, rents a motorhome and travels the nation for one NASCAR season, following the sport that has "more fans than Turkey has Turks or Great Britain Brits," as MacGregor puts it, and "where there are as many ways to die as parts on the car."

Even if NASCAR isn't your speed, MacGregor's colorful, original language and knack for finding the perfect detail will keep you riveted. He describes a distinguished-looking car owner as looking "like the U.S. ambassador to Cary Grant." The hair color alone of a worker at the Richard Petty Driving Experience inspires him to go on and on for a page and a half speculating about the man's life. Like NASCAR, MacGregor's book never stops, never slows down, never lets up, but unlike NASCAR, there aren't endless hours during which absolutely nothing is happening.

MacGregor and wife criss-cross the nation from track to track, but less time is spent on the specifics of each race than on NASCAR as a whole. Readers learn of its short history, how it's forever tangled with the American South, and how attempts to corporatize it may ensure its monetary success while destroying the loyalty of its core fans. Yet none of that's presented in biz-school gobbledygook. It's as entertaining and lively, packed with examples and anecdotes and written by a sharp mind with a gentle hand. Put yourself on the fast track to the bookstore to buy "Sunday Money." —G.F.C.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7233782/… (más)