Looking for a Real Racing Collectable.True Race Fans go to Coastal 181
By Dino Oberto
For years the
motorsports fan market has been flooded with an
overdose of die cast race cars with the foremost being NASCAR Sprint Cup
cars. However, for the true aficionado you may want to look into racing
books and Coastal 181, an online store, has a wide array of motorsports
volumes, DVD's and artwork.
Located in Newburyport, Massachusetts, Coastal 181 opened for business in
2001 and is dedicated to offering racing books, DVDs, and artwork to the
racing community. They have been involved in motorsports since the early
sixties and have evolved into one of the biggest book retailers in oval
track racing.
Coastal 181 covers open wheel, NASCAR, and one of the best short track reads
at a regional level. Many of the publications have been written and
published by the company. One of their specialties is titles that preserve
the history of the sport of auto racing with a strong emphasis on the
eastern seaboard.
The latest title
to hit the self is Win It or Wear It -
All-time Great Sprint Car Tales. The book is written by Joyce Standridge,
one of racing's most credentialed authors. Coastal 181 has previously
published two highly acclaimed books with Standridge, GOTTA RACE! with Ken
Schrader and INSIDE HERMAN'S WORLD with Kenny Wallace.
Win It or Wear It is a headlong rush into the wild world of sprint cars, the
pinnacle of racing on America's dirt tracks. Standridge profiles the sport,
mid-20th century to present, illustrating it with hundreds of captivating
images from drivers' personal files and many of racing's foremost
photographers. The soul of Win It or Wear It, however, is in the intimate
and heartfelt interviews with some of the most colorful and legendary
characters ever to wheel a sprinter.
>From 82-year-old Hooker Hood to 28-year-old Daryn Pittman, a fascinating
spectrum of drivers share memories of personal and public triumph and
disappointment. Legendary stars like Bobby Allen and Rick Ferkel share space
with Saturday Night aces Lenard McCarl and Mares Stellfox, the accomplished
female for whom sprint cars were the destination instead of a stepping
stone. Other captivating drivers profiled include Shane Carson, Richard
"The Gas Man" Griffin, Johnny Herrera, Skip Jackson, Bubby Jones, Lealand
McSpadden, Curt Michael, Lynn Paxton, Jimmy Sills, Danny Smith and Gary
Wright, among others.
Standridge approaches the book with unusually deep knowledge and enthusiasm.
She has been on the Election Committee of the National Sprint Car Hall of
Fame since its inception and has written extensively for the open wheel
media. Her courtship with husband Rick, an active and highly respected
racer, was spent in a garage rebuilding a sprint car.
The tales from the Standridge clan alone would make for a great novel.
This book is an excellent read in the fact that Standridge captures the true
essence of the life and times of America's Sprint Car drivers. It's not so
much about the races rather the racers and their livelihood.
There are never before heard stories that will bring you right back to the
time it happened. For example in the "Fights" chapter there is a great
recollection of an incident between one of my early heroes, Johnny Crawford,
Sr., and LeRoy Felty as told by Lynn Paxton. Unfortunately for Crawford he
came out on the bad side of that particular deal.
Paxton, by the way, contributes many great stories.
It was great to reminisce as well from the many names in the sport not heard
in a long time. Every story is fascinating in its own right.
Sprint Car Hall of Fame member Dick "Dr. Dirt" Berggren has written the
foreword.
For any devotee the Sprint Car racing this is a must have book. To anyone
else who has a passion for short track racing, ditto.
Win It or Wear It, with 256 pages and 375 photographs, will be shipped in
early November. The price is $24.95 plus $6.00 S&H. Pre-orders are being
taken now at $22.50, a 10% discount.
Some other great books available include The Old Master - The Frankie
Schneider Story. Arguably one of the all-time greats in eastern short track
racing.
Schneider was the king of the former Nazareth Raceway and another book
details the history of the fabled ½-mile. Paved Track/Dirt Track is a dual
writing that also looks at New Jersey's Old Bridge Speedway.
Another new arrival that veteran eastern race fans can truly appreciate is
Langhorne! No Man's Land. This book covers the history of one of the world's
toughest one-mile speedways, from its inception in 1926 to its closing in
1971.
Biographies include such racing luminaries as Cale Yarborough, Chris
Economaki, Doug Wolfgang, Rick Mears, Richie Evans, Tim Richmond, Ed Flemke
and Bugsy Stevens to name a few.
There is even a selection of children's books.
Worthwhile DVD's include Stock Car Classics which looks at the evolution of
the stock car from the "Bugs" of Central Pennsylvania to the coupes &
couches of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Connecticut.
Asphalt Memories and Short Track Memories have great historical footage from
the 1960s and '70s.
If you're in the market for the race fan on your Christmas list or yourself,
forget about buying another die cast and instead look at the wonderful
selection offered by Coastal 181.
You can call Coastal 181 at 877-907-8181 toll free during business hours or
by visiting www.coastal181.com.
Last Updated on 12/08/08
By George Campbell or Greg Fish
Email: neracing@neracing.com
