Little Bit Sideways: One Week Inside a NASCAR Winston Cup Race Team

by Scott Huler

Follows the driver, owner, crew chief, sponsors, spouses, and pit crew for a week, offering a look at the sport of stock car racing, the fans, the marketing gurus, the smells, and the sounds which... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0760304556
• ISBN13: 9780760304556
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: Motorbooks International
• Length: 255 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Best of the bunch!

If you want to read one book about NASCAR, I recommend this one. Not because it's a hand-holding introduction, but because it's the best. It just does such a great job describing so many aspects of NASCAR. The organizing principle of the book is to examine a week in the life of Kenny Wallace's Square D Racing Team, but along the way, the author looks at NASCAR's personalities, history, technology, tracks, and fans. Huler has a real flair for description, and a genuine but not fawning affection for the sport.I've also read Shaun Assael's "Wide Open" and Paul Hemphill's "Wheels," which are similar in many ways but to my mind are both inferior. Assael's book seemed flat compared to Huler's, though fans of Dave Marcis and Bobby Hamilton may enjoy the coverage that those drivers receive in "Wide Open." Hemphill's book spent a lot of time on a thesis that I soon found repetitively handled: NASCAR was once the province of the Southern working man but is now corporate entertainment. Both Assael and Hemphill follow NASCAR for a whole season and seem to get bored with it. Huler stays focused on a shorter timespan to much better effect.I've read some more technical approaches to NASCAR as well, and found that Huler almost always snuck the information in those books into "A Little Bit Sideways."Although I find this the best introduction to NASCAR because it's so engaging to read and so comprehensive in the bargain, those who are interested in learning more about NASCAR might also try "NASCAR for Dummies" by Mark "Awesome!" Martin and Juliet Macur. That book lacks Huler's style and story-line, but it does have a lot of interesting information about NASCAR, including some tidbits on strategy and technology that I haven't seen elsewhere.

Highly recommended for fan and non fan, alike

I lived in the South all my life, always aware of NASCAR, watching races every now and then. Even so, I haven't tuned into to a NASCAR race in probably 25 years. Because of this book, I will when the next season starts.One can truly begin to understand the mystique of NASCAR after reading A Little Bit Sideways. Scott Huler's obvious love for the material really shines through. His writing transforms what, in lesser hands, could have been a dry and boring recitation of minute details into an interesting and compelling human interest story.Read it. You won't be disappointed.

a great book for all die-hard Nascar fans!

I loved this book! It taught me a lot about what goes on in one week of a racing team.I always respect what the drivers have to do-but I also gained a new respect for the hard working pit crew!This is a must have book for Nascar fans!

When you think it's all glitz and glory...

If you think NASCAR racing is just a Sunday afternoon chase-your-tail, READ THIS BOOK. If you think all the driver has to do is point and shoot, READ THIS BOOK. If you lay on the couch watching a pitcrew perform on TV and say "I can do that", READ THIS BOOK. Sure, you've watched Jeff, Dale, Rusty & Mark in interviews always thanking the crew back at the shop, and this book is why. What about the teams that don't have big sponsors, millions to spend, teammates to run with and winning drivers to thank them all on TV? They struggle furiously with raw talent, determination, grit and total faith. These little teams are the underdog in every battle, but they are the majority of what makes NASCAR racing interesting. Like "Rocky" or "Rudy", you just pull for them 110%. What a ride...

Superb writing!

I have no interest what-so-ever in NASCAR. However, I recognized Scott Huler from a former life and had to pick up the book when I spotted it at Borders. Mr. Huler is an excellent writer who manages to bring his readers to the scene of his subject matters. He makes anything he writes sound interesting. I hope that Mr. Huler continues to write more, and would read anything he writes! I wish him success in his book. A must-read if you're into NASCAR, or just looking for a good read!