Synopsis (from Amazon.com): Who won the first Daytona 500? What do teams do to prepare their cars for 500 miles of hard, high-speed racing? Who gave the Daytona 500 the nickname the ""Great American Race""? Learn all about stock car racing's biggest event and the drivers and crew who make it possible in this fascinating, fact-filled book. You will join in the excitement of forty-three cars running nose-to-tail and side-by-side at almost 200 miles per hour. You'll also discover the rich history of stock car racing and find out why it's one of the most popular sports around.
My Thoughts: Okay, I have to admit here...I am not a huge NASCAR fan! In fact, before my 8 year old became completely obsessed with everything NASCAR, I had absolutely no interest in it. However, my son means the world to me so when he started becoming interested in it and wanted my husband and I to watch with him, I did and surprisingly, I enjoyed it!
I saw this book on NetGalley and immediately requested it so my son and I could read it together. My son loved the pictures of all the car wrecks! Besides that though, we really enjoyed reading about the history behind the Daytona 500. Did you know that the first Daytona race was actually held on the beach? I certainly didn't! My son loved the "Bullet" car that was one of the first to race in the Daytona (this was, of course, before NASCAR was an event).
What I liked most about this book was that it was easy for my 8 year old to listen too or just look at the pictures. He was not bored at all by the book and was thrilled to know all the facts behind the race. In fact, for days after we read the book he told everyone the history behind the Daytona and the "Allison Family Duel" amongst other facts! I liked that it had a glossary in the back so I could understand the different slang that was used (although my son already knew it all) and the interview with John Andretti.
The author obviously spent a lot of time researching and included a lot of the fun facts in sidebars. The pictures were amazing and I thought this book was much better than some of the previous ones my son had brought home from the library. My son is constantly asking me to look at the book so he can reread it. I think I am going to have to buy him his own copy!
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