Book Details

Jeff Gordon, Racing Back to the Front: My Memoir

After his win in 1998, things seemed to go south for Gordon. Having won three championships in five years, he split with Ray Evernham, his longtime crewchief -- think personal coach in the golf world -- and his Hendricks team couldn't get a break. The one-time golden child of NASCAR was struggling, and critics lined up to blame him for Evernham's departure. But by 2001, the team had clicked once again, and Gordon went on to dominate the season, winning his fourth championship, albeit against the backdrop of the tremendous loss of Dale Earnhardt Sr. at Daytona.

But what this tragic death signalled was that NASCAR had become one of the major sports in America. Gone were the days of NASCAR being a southern boys weekend pursuit; the terrible accident at Daytona just happened to occur during the first race of a multi-million dollar deal between NASCAR and Fox TV. Since that time, NASCAR has captured the imaginations of millions of Americans who don't necessarily live in the south or have any affinity with motor sports. The NASCAR organization has heavily marketed itself across the country, with the result being that someone like Jeff Gordon is considered ahead of Britney Spears in Pepsi's ranking of its celebrity endorsers. And as of next season, they're also jettisoning their sponsorship with Winston and going with Nextel, so bringing a less controversial backing to the sport.

This book chronicles not only Gordon's extraordinary career, but also takes readers right inside what it's like to drive a car at 200 mph, 39 times a year. One only has to see

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