This full-throttle account of the rise and reign of NASCAR nation is motorsports reporter Clarke's chronicle of how stock car racing exploded from regional obsession to national phenomenon. In covering the sport for more than fifteen years, Clarke has developed a strong rapport with NASCAR's drivers, team owners, and hard-core fans. Through her reporting and analysis, we get to know the public and private sides of NASCAR's most iconic figures. Clarke shows NASCAR to be at a crossroads: in pursuit of a broader audience, NASCAR has abandoned racetracks in small markets in favor of speedways near glitzy major cities, and welcomed Toyota into a sport traditionally restricted to American-made sedans. As NASCAR races toward mass appeal, some suggest it is leaving its roots behind. To others, it is boldly extending its reach from the Southern workingman to every man, woman, and child in the world.--From publisher description.