The 11 Best Books About NASCAR Drivers

NASCAR, or the National Association of Stock Car Racing, is a sport unlike any other. With cars that usually only last one race and drivers that risk their lives with every turn, you’ll find that these athletes lead lives unlike any other. From autobiographies to personal accounts from the pit crew, these are the best books about NASCAR drivers available for you to read to learn anything you may want to know about the sport. Get ready to meet the good ol' boys of NASCAR, and indulge in the thrill of the sport as you race your way through these titles.

The autobiography from Jimmy Johnson, a NASCAR favorite, is candid, remarkably funny, and at times extraordinarily insightful. Jimmy Johnson shares stories from learning to drive on dirt tracks to his first time behind the steering wheel of an actual race car. He took the stock car racing world by storm, but quickly learned that a workaholic lifestyle doesn’t make for a good time.

This book is excellent for any NASCAR fan, or, surprisingly, any Cowboys fan. Jimmy Johnson shares fun stories that reveal how he used his particular coaching philosophy to help the Dallas Cowboys take the Super Bowl win in 1993.

Known as the only man who could make Richard Petty nervous on the track, David Pearson had an unexpected rise to fame. As a NASCAR driver, David Pearson took every race seriously, and that attitude led him to many victories.

After three championships and running the full NASCAR Grand National Series schedules for decades, David Pearson eventually wound down. 21 Forever was written in 1980, six years before his final race, and in it, David Pearson and writer Jim Hunter deliver excellent insight into stock car racing, personal experience, and the attitude it takes to be a consistent winner.

Few other names are mentioned in NASCAR with such fame as Dale Earnhardt Senior, otherwise known as the Intimidator; but Micheal Waltrip falls in these ranks. A startling change in the books about NASCAR drivers, this one circles the events of the 2001 Daytona 500 race which still stands as a landmark event in the NASCAR community. Micheal Waltrip's first win and Dale Earnhardt’s last race mark how the entirety of the NASCAR community changed.

Follow Waltrip from Kentucky dirt tracks to official stock car racing as he speaks on his mentor, driving, and honesty. You’ll have a hard time finding any other driver who had such a close friendship with Dale Earnhardt. Waltrip overcame his teammate's shadow and a 462 long losing streak in a day that he can never celebrate because of one of NASCAR's most unforgettable crash.

Part of a series called the Best Sports Stories Ever Told, this is one of the books about NASCAR drivers that highlights on the fascinating relationships in NASCAR, mainly focusing on both Dale Earnhardt Junior and Jeff Gordon. These two NASCAR drivers have gone through their entire careers with scandal, rumors, and ruined personal lives, but they’ve done it together as rivals and athletes.

These two came onto the scene as many of the good ol' boys of racing were retiring, or had seen terrible accidents such as Dale Earnhardt Senior's. Together, these two chased high-speed thrills while participating in a new level of celebrity sports that their older competitors and family members never thought could exist in stock car racing. This book delivers stories about those who were most active in the NASCAR community, straight from the inner circle, such as Enoch Staley and Dale Earnhardt Senior.

Steve Letarte is often forgotten about when the great names of NASCAR come up in conversations today. The stories, scandal, and revitalization of his career could stun anyone though, whether they are a NASCAR fan or not! Straight from the horse’s mouth, this book offers a rare opportunity to have an athlete explain, without justification or excuse, poor decision making, poor sportsmanship, and the long road it took to rebuild a career and reputation.

Steve Letarte eventually led his slumped team back to the winner's circle, but it was a struggle the whole way. As once the most successful driver in NASCAR history, he nearly lost it all; and just when fans thought he was out for good, he came back with a 2014 Daytona 500 victory.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a NASCAR career unlike any other, is one of the top NASCAR drivers, and he shares his final year of racing and eventual retirement from the sport in this autobiographical account. Dale Earnhardt Junior naturally grew up on the track, and followed in his father’s footsteps as a fierce competitor with a “win-at-all-costs” attitude. Unfortunately, the health risks of stock car racing, which are often left undiscussed, would haunt him always.

The frustrations of a slow recovery and his personal determination wouldn’t be enough for him to recover from the many concussions he’d suffered through his driving career. Any NASCAR driver knows the risks when they get in their stock car, his support system would eventually be part of the reason he would walk away from his namesake in the sport of NASCAR forever.

If you’re looking for a light-hearted read that will engage you in every aspect of the NASCAR community, you need to read Flat Out and Half Turned Over. Buddy Baker exposes a new side of NASCAR history that goes beyond the wins and losses. Instead, he talks about the practical jokes that happen on pit road, and the teams behind the scenes that support every NASCAR driver.

Learn about the true essence of stock car racing from a legendary driver. He provides anecdotes and memories that will leave you with a new understanding of how much stock car racing is a team sport. Flat Out and Half Turned Over: Tales from Pit Road with Buddy Baker is a rare opportunity for any racing fan to experience NASCAR history, right between the good ol’ boys and the younger generation of drivers today.

From the NASCAR Wonder Boy Collector's Series, you’ll find a hilarious, insightful, and thought-provoking look at one of NASCAR's best-known names. Any NASCAR fan knows that you either love or hate Jeff Gordon, and you probably have a reason for either of those decisions. He started his time in the sport taking on Carl Yarborough and Dale Earnhardt head-on, with little regard for their reputation.

His career of victories, losses, and scandal make this for an exciting read though, no matter what you think of him. The NASCAR Wonder Boy Collector’s Series gives a thorough account of Jeff Gordon’s NASCAR career. Available in paperback and hardcover, this is among the books about NASCAR drivers that belongs on any NASCAR fan’s shelf, providing readers a valuable piece of NASCAR history since Jeff Gordon was a NASCAR driver unlike anyone before him.

Before Earnhardt Senior and Junior came along, NASCAR had seen plenty of brother duos. Earnhardt Nation: The Full Throttle Saga of NASCAR’s First Family explores what it took for the Earnhardt’s to become a stock car racing family through and through.

The family sporting event started for the Earnhardt family with Ralph Earnhardt, who would race on dirt tracks in North Carolina in local box car races. Dale, his son, would go on to be the Daytona 500 victory over the span of multiple years, with an untouched reputation as “The Intimidator,” starting a stock car racing dynasty. Dale Earnhardt Junior would carry on that legacy in the winner’s circle, and it all started on a cotton mill in North Carolina. This book offers rare insight into NASCAR history, and the dawn of the good ol’ boys like Dale Earnhardt Senior that would change the sport forever.

From author Angela Roberts comes the collection of the best drivers to ever hit the track, as well as the stories behind the many victories and occasional tragedies. Dive into NASCAR history, as the pages of this book will suck you into the biographies of great drivers from the inception of the sport all the way through to modern day.

You can review biographies of NASCAR greats such as Glenn Roberts, Richard Petty, and more. Although the Step into Reading series usually focuses on providing kids with exciting information, this book goes far beyond that. Any NASCAR fan will enjoy this small book as an addition to their library. The biographies give a big picture view of each drivers statistics, and explain how each became household names in a sport that didn't get very much coverage for many years.

The driver who won the NASCAR championship nine times, Richie Evans, too often goes unnoticed when it comes to listing off the most famous NASCAR drivers of all time. Bones Bourcier writes turns this thorough biography into one of the best books about NASCAR drivers. Throughout the career of Richie Evans, Bones Bourcier followed the NASCAR circuit as a journalist, eventually also securing himself as a friend of Evans' during the driver's career.

This book will transport you back in time, when NASCAR was split between modified and unmodified. Without a doubt, any racing fan would love to pour over this book for days and then return to it again and again through the years. Alongside a riveting biography are over 300 pictures, and there are even interviews from Richie Evans top competitors.