Wide Open

This book is a race through the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup season, mainly focusing on drivers Dave Marcis, Brett Bodine and Bobby Hamilton.

Marcis is struggling just to make races, Bodine is dealing with sponsorship and family issues for the team he purchased from Junior Johnson and Hamilton is battling with his image as a guy who just can't get it done.

Assael goes in depth with each of the featured drivers through their struggles on and off the track. Richard Petty, team owner for Hamilton at the time, is also prominently featured in the book as he runs for public office.

Each driver seems to have a run-in with John Andretti during 1996, casting the former IndyCar jockey in a negative light. Robby Gordon and Ernie Irvan are also cast in a negative light.

Unfortunately, Assael was new to NASCAR at the time and it shows through glaring statistical errors throughout the book.

The book also takes a look at the various tracks and track owners on the circuit, including a history of North Wilkesboro which featured its last Cup race in 1996. Billionaire track owner Bruton Smith and his ventures are also an interesting tale, namely how he and New Hampshire International Speedway owner Bob Bahre took Wilkesboro off the schedule.

Overall, it was a good read and learning experience. Whether it be Marcis looking for an extra tenth of a second or Hamilton dropping an F-Bomb, every chapter was enjoying.

Amazing! A true page turner! I never imaged what a nascar driver goes through in a typical season. The book truely captures the essence of nascar. I will recommend this book to all my friends.

Wide Open offers great insight into the lives of three of Nascar's not-as-big stars. It gives fans a look behind the scenes in the good times and bad, and shows what these guys go through to put on a show for the fans for 34 races a year. The best part in my opinion, is who the stories are about. Anyone can write about the hotshot racers in the series but to show what Dave Marcis and Brett Bodine do on and off the track to make the show in my opinion, is far more interesting.

This book is filled with minor errors (such as the misuse of certain racing terms) that shows Mr Assael is an author, not a fan. Although this book is a good read (especially for new fans), I'd save it for after I had finished either of Peter Golenback's books.

This is a must if you are interested in NASCAR. I chose a group of books as research for starting a race team, this is one I chose. You will be in the scene of some of NASCAR Winston Cup teams for the year, the up's and down's the excitement and the heartache of a year behind owning, running and surviving the "Cup". Think you can handle a year in NASCAR? Read this to find out, it will change your perspective.