Gold Thunder: Autobiography of a NASCAR Champion Book

Acknowledgments vii

Foreword Rick Minter 1

Preface Anne B. Jones 3

1 Carolina Moonshine Country 7

2 Growing Up: A Life Filled with Deadlines and Speed 17

3 Motorsports Mania: Another Magical World 29

4 Racing Fever: Frankie Schneider Becomes My Mentor 45

5 Darlington: First Pass at the Lady in Black 57

6 The Early Years: Running with the "Hot Dogs" 67

7 On-Track and Off-Track Shenanigans: Racing's Just Part of the Show 75

8 Fanfare and Friendships: A 300-Pound Kid Named Tiny Lund 85

9 Hot Dogs to Hamburgers, in a Hurry: At Last, Chevrolet Sponsorship 93

10 Staying Focused: Drivers Need a One-Track Mind 101

11 Daytona and Drafting: Beginning of the Super Speedway Boom 111

12 Sex and the Super Speedways: Motorsports Gain Media Attention 121

13 Chasing the Championship: Against the Giants 131

14 Hunting for Horsepower: Fighting Pontiacs with a 348 145

15 Battling with Brothers: A Rolling Racetrack Community 155

16 Giddy-Up 409: The Dixie 400 161

17 From Detroit to Despair: Chevrolet's Mystery Engine 169

18 Death and Disappointment: Tragedies On and Off the Track 179

19 Motorsport as Megasport: the #2 Sport in the Country 187

Epilogue: Gold Thunder: a Moment Frozen in Time Larry Hinson 203

Appendix: Rex White's Career Statistics 205

Index 207