The Ghosts of NASCAR: The Harlan Boys and the First Daytona 500

This is a very informative book. Mr Havick obviously did extensive research and did a commendable job of compiling it. The information he presents, however, leaves this reader pondering many questions that are never answered. Maybe the answers just aren't there any more since so much time has passed, and, as he states in the final chapter, much of the truth about the early days of racing has been pushed aside by legend.It seems clear that, like so many other larger than life racers and car builders from the early stock car days, Beauchamp, Swanson, and Lund were treated as outsiders by the NASCAR hierarchy. Big Bill France may have been considered a benevolent dictator by some, but to many others, he was just a dictator.

Perfect gift for my husband. Thanks

Great reading and no doubt true. Excellent job of writing about those little known facts in the early days before NASCAR became the giant it is today. IMCA racing was in it' prime and boy was it fun reading about Playland Park in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Both Tiny and Johnny got their start at the Shelby County Fairgrounds and at Playland Park. Outstanding book and well written. I grew up in Harlan, Iowa and recall delivering newspapers to Tiny Lund's Mothers beauty shop and went to school with Billy and Bobby Beauchamp. If you like racing and history then this book is a bargain

I just happened to hear of this book from a local media source. I got on Amazon and was very pleased it was available. As an "old" NASCAR fan I found this book very interesting. I personally knew some of the drivers that are written about. Those were the "Good Old Days" of NASCAR before all the big money arrived. Guys working in a small garage in a small Iowa town could actually compete at the highest level. And...YES...I still believe Johnny Beauchamp won the initial Daytona 500!

I bought this because my husband requested it. He never reads a book all the way though before so I wasn't very enthused about ordering it. He was glued to this book until he had read the entire thing. However he knew some of the people mentioned in the book so that made it even more interesting to him. Our son couldn't wait for him to finish the book (he doesn't'[t know any of the people mentioned) and he also loved this book. If you are a NASCAR fan I think you will really like it.

It has articles on the upcoming Nascar stars of yesterday. The old racers of yesterday. Well written and the author did his research. I would recommend this for anyone interested in auto racing. You have always heard of one make the statement, a book is hard to put down once you start reading it. Well, this is such a book. Open it up and fasten your seat belt. You are in for some good old time midwest racing with drivers you can relate to and remember seeing race on the dirt short tracks of the midwest.

My dad doesn't just sit and read-but when I got him this for Christmas, he immediately sat down and started to read it. You can't go wrong with it-being from Iowa, this tells the story of the Harlan boys-from Harlan-Iowa, which intrigued my dad even more.

Having grown up in Harlan, I was knew of these three guys especially Tiny as my dad was a high school friend of his. I wasn't aware of the partnership between Dale and Johnny nor the untold accomplishments they racked up. Great reading, very entertaining and hard to put down.

Very well written. The facts and stories are amazing. Now I understand and appreciate the calling of a race car driver and the passion involved.