Description
By: Dr. John Craft .
In the early days of stock car racing, the cars lived up to their names. Many were, according to NASCAR rules in the fifties, "Strictly Stock." The cars ran with unmodified engines and stock suspensions, tires, interiors, and even their exterior brightwork.
The cars—and the NASCAR rules governing their makeup—evolved greatly over the next four decades. Increasingly sophisticated technology and safety equipment was introduced with each season—sometimes even between races. The result is today's "stock" cars that are actually special-built race cars in the sheep's clothing of bodywork that conforms to official templates.
The Anatomy & Development of the Stock Car traces the evolution of the NASCAR race car from the late-forties to today. It covers the development of chassis, suspensions, racing tires, engines, and safety equipment. It brings you inside the shops for the story of the winged and swept-back cars that battled in NASCAR's "Aero Wars." You'll learn the stories of the Mystery Motor and the downsized Chevelle that gave race officials fits.
The details of this fascinating history are covered in interviews with legends like Smokey Yunick, Ralph Moody, Dick Hutcherson, and Wayne Torrence, and modern influences such as Robert Yates, Mark Davis, and Bill Tower.
Significant cars through the years are profiled, including those driven by Fred Lorenzen, Junior Johnson, seven-time champion Richard Petty, Bobby Isaac, Bud Moore, Bill Elliott, and five-time champion Dale Earnhardt.
The author, Dr. John Craft, lets you climb inside the cars for a ride from the days of strictly stock cars on the beach at Daytona to today's superspeedway rockets.
