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Here’s another nice Holiday Season gift for $59 you can get a High Speed Ride Along with the Richard Petty Driving Experience when you call 1.880.BE.PETTY or check www..1800.BEPETTY.com on the internet.

Here’s another group of books that will make a nice holiday gift. Over the past decade, there has been no bigger phenomenon in the sports world than the rise of NASCAR. With more than 75 million fans, the sport has surpassed baseball and the NBA on America’s list of national pastimes, and is fast catching up to the NFL for the top spot. Not bad for a 60 year old sport invented by bootleggers and farmers in the sleepy post-World War II rural south. Now, New York Times bestselling author and pop culture investigator Joe Garner has written the definitive history of America’s fastest-growing motor sport: SPEED, GUTS AND GLORY: 100 Unforgettable Moments in NASCAR History (Warner Books Hardcover/ November 1, 2006/$26.99), a generously illustrated coffee table book that also includes a thrill-packed DVD hosted by four-time NASCAR Cup champion and superstar Jeff Gordon.

NASCAR may have come a long way those souped-up jalopies that dueled on dirt tracks 60 years ago giving way to technologically sophisticated, custom- built monster machines that reach 200 mph on mammoth speedways from New Hampshire to California the sport remains steeped in the traditions, values and ideals of its humble origins. Attended by up to 200,000 fans, often including three generations of families, each NASCAR event represents a major cultural phenomenon unique in America. In SPEED, GUTS AND GLORY, Joe Garner puts the reader trackside to relive some of the greatest moments in the sport’s history. And with the accompanying DVD, fans will not only read about such highlights as the famous Richard Petty-David Pearson collision at the 1976 Daytona 500they’ll also be able to watch them!

Among the 100 unforgettable moments in NASCAR history are: ” The Closest Finishes, including Rickey Craven’s photo-finish victory (by a margin of .002 of a second!) at the 2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 in Darlington, and Cale Yarborough’s squeaker of a win (his 80th) at Talladega in ‘84 ” The Dominators profiles of such NASCAR legends as Bobby Allison, Rusty Wallace and Darrell Waltrip “They Actually Walked Away?!” a look at the most spectacular crashes ever survived, from Cale Yarborough’s “moon shot” at Darlington in ‘65 to the 28-car collision at Talladega in ‘05 ” Cinderella Men, or the unlikeliest victories in NASCAR history, including Derrike Cope’s 1990 “Daytona Surprise” and Mark Martin’s “lap lapse” at Bristol in ‘94

The author also looks at the many NASCAR Dynasties (the Pettys, the Allisons, the France Family, et al), unforgettable “One Win Wonders,” and the Best Rookies of the Year. He also devotes a chapter to the late, great Dale Earnhardt, Sr. “The Intimidator” whose son went on to win the very Daytona race that took his father’s life the year before. Culled from an exhaustive list of thrilling door-to-door finishes, come-from- behind victories, and barely-survived crackups, SPEED, GUTS AND GLORY is an authoritative history of NASCAR for both the die-hard fan and the curious novice.

Let’s see what’s on the tube this long Christmas Weekend. Here’s some of the highlights. On Friday at noon Speed offers the World SuperX Series from Vancouver, BC. Saturday’s offerings are all on Speed starting at 3 p.m. with the CASCAR Series from Vernon, BC then the Mazda Cup from Portland, OR and Trois Rivieres, Que. At 5 p.m. it’s Championship Off Road action followed by the IHRA Shootout at Rockingham, NC. Sunday’s offering is on ESPN2 with Michael Waltrip Racing: A New Era.(end)

NOTE: INFORMATION FOR THIS COLUMN CAME FROM VARIOUS REFERENCED SOURCES, PRESS RELEASES AND NOTES.