Driver #8

My husband is a huge Nascar fan & this was a birthday gift. I ordered as new & the book arrived obviously used. The pages were yellowed with age & several pages were torn or pulled loose from the binding. He decided to keep the book as he really wanted to read it. It was expensive for a used book at $25.00.I was disappointed but he was happy which is what was important.

It is a thrilling, first-hand account by Dale Earnhardt Jr. of his first year in NASCAR Cup series racing. It starts with how he got started in the sport and then how he overcame the tragedy of his father’s death to keep racing.

As a Dale Jr. fan I'd read anything he does but this is simply a well written piece of work. He may be a youngster in the sport but Dale Jr. can write with a maturity while still maintaining his youthfull sense of style and humor. Although those that don't follow races every week may not understand some things he talks about or find the summary of races a bit boring....NASCAR fans will enjoy getting a behind the scenes feel for what drivers and their crew go through week after week, be it the thrill of victory or the low points after a heartbreaking bad day. I especially loved Dale's honesty about the things he does off the track, like the appearances he makes, how he feels about them and the fun he has with friends at Club E. After reading this book I'd give anything to see Dale at Halloween as "Dirk Diggler".....what a hoot!!DON'T get this book if you are looking for a "life story" about his childhood or a biography about Dale's life after losing his dad. Although he touches on it in the Epilogue, this is a book about Dale JR, not SR and as Jr says in the beginning, that book may be coming years down the road.I'm proud to be a fan of one of NASCAR's rising stars and this book will make the upcoming 2002 season all the more enjoyable.

I was excited to read this book...it is written as if Dale Jr. was talking right to you. It is plain written and does not "juice up" anything to make the story line more exciting. The book goes through his rookie season of 2000, race by race. He speaks about race car set up, run in's with fans, the media, actions taken on the track during a race, and what is was like to race with his father. The book also gives a small glimpse into his personal life as far as an overview of his years growing up and the things that he encountered. I was so hoping for more intimate details of romance in his life...or things about women that he has dated. He mentions this particular subject with regards to the "Bud" girls and a few others but that is it. He is truly a party type guy and speaks often in the book about being drunk/hung over and "hanging out with friends." He does not give specific details about partying or going out though. If you are a race fan then this book will be enjoyable. I found myself skipping some of the minute by minute race recap though. So I was jumping around through the book...which you can easily do...especially if you remember the 2000 season. And that is exactly what the book is about (no mention of his father's death in retrospect or anything like that). There is an epilouge included at the end of the book that reflects on his father's death and the Pepsi 400 in 2001. Junior talks about that special victory and what it meant to him. I feel like I know this driver better. He is a typical 26 year old man that is good at driving stock cars and has been thrust into the limelight because of a very famous father. He likes to drink beer, play video games and hang out with friends. And that is as deep as it gets (or at least as deep as this book gets). I am a NASCAR fan but also an avid book reader...I gave this book 3 stars because there are better biographies/autobiographies than this. If I was rating this in regards to NASCAR books only, I would give it a 5.

I love the book. My only issue is that the WorldShop took 4 weeks from the shipping date (Dec 6) to get it to me (Dec 29). If there are other products being sold by them, I will not purchase them. From California to Louisiana does not take that long through USPS for anything!

What you see is what you get with Junior. He puts on no airs; he's just a good old boy with a 21st century twist. People pretty much love him or hate him. You can practically hear Junior's voice in your head as you read this, as he writes just as he speaks. This book is not a biography; it is a chronicle of his first season of Winston Cup racing back in 2000. Does it seem possible that he has been racing for 14 seasons?! Be forewarned that when he wrote this book he was young, kind of cocky and a bit immature. This was before his father was killed, before he had to do some growing up. I wished that he would have talked more about other drivers to give us some inside scoop. Also, I wished for some pictures. All in all, this is a fun, light read for NASCAR fans.

Book came in wonderful condition! The price was expensive considering if you look on eBay no one is even selling it for what I paid for. I looked to see if it was in stores and just couldn't find it. My husband is a huge fan and did not have this as part of his collection.

It took a little while to get the book but it came as they had expected

Poorly written but somewhat interesting, this is an autobiography which serves as advertising for many of Dale Earnhardt Jr's old sponsors. It's pretty funny to read in terms of it being an MTV Cribs style introduction to the legendary driver and sometimes there's solid insight into the races which filled that year's calendar. Still, would be good if a properly written autobiography comes out without constant mentions of Sharpie and Budweiser and more of a personal touch now that he's retiring.