Driver #8 Book

In the growing world of NASCAR, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., is a new kind of star. His down-home modesty, rock-and-roll lifestyle, and blinding intensity on the racetrack represent the new face of this fast-paced sport. Now Dale Jr. straps you into the #8 car for a wild ride through his rookie year.

In this full-throttle story, Dale Jr. shares a tumultuous year of victory and joy, tragedy and heartbreak. At the age of twenty-five, he embarks on his first Winston Cup season. In a time filled with lofty expectations, when he tries to concentrate on winning, he is thrust into the limelight and forced to endure the crush of the media, huge crowds, endless travel, and faster and more dangerous cars than he has ever driven before. Week after week he goes bumper-to-bumper with his father and more than forty of the world's finest drivers -- all the while trying to carve out his own identity and win the respect of his peers.

Driver #8 takes you on NASCAR's inside track. You'll see how races are won and lost and the strategies that go into every lap and every race. You'll get a compelling look at the bond necessary between a driver and his team and understand how, come race day, the spotter is often the driver's best friend. And you'll learn how that bond can be stretched when the season begins to turn sour and the weight of racing against a man who is not only your father but also your boss, your toughest competitor, and a NASCAR legend takes its toll on a young driver.

Powered by a high-octane mix of bravado, humility, and a lot of beer, Dale Jr. captures the unique pressures of making split-second, life-and-death decisions behind the wheel of a racecar... and highlights the perks -- and often the drudgery -- that go along with being a rising star in the world's most colorful and exciting sport. Thrilling, vivid, and authentic, Driver #8 is one helluva ride.

About the Author Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the son of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt and the newest star of the racing family dynasty. He is a two-time champion of the NASCAR Busch Series and was the first rookie to win NASCAR's all-star race, the Winston. After his father died in the 2001 Daytona 500, Dale Jr. returned to that track five months later and won the Pepsi 400.

Book Magazine

Earnhardt Jr.'s enthusiastic account of his rookie year as a professional race car driver will appeal to NASCAR fans, though others may find some of the material, read by David Thomas, rather trite and cliché-ridden. Earnhardt, filled with youthful machismo, speaks lovingly of his father, who died in a crash at the 2001 Daytona 500. The more interesting sections of the book concern the difficulties faced by a son working in the shadow of his famous father.