The Earnhardts

Fueled by the extraordinary success of NASCAR, American stock car racing has grown into a multibillion dollar enterprise, drawing millions of television viewers and track fans every year. And for three generations, the Earnhardts have been at the center of it all, particularly with the tragic death of the legendary Dale Earnhardt, Sr. No other family has been more crucial to NASCAR's dramatic surge on the American scene.

The story of NASCAR's preeminent family and the multibillion dollar sport they helped create.

The story of NASCAR's preeminent family and the multibillion dollar sport they helped create.

From mid-century dirt tracks to today’s super speedways, The Earnhardts: A Biography tells the remarkable story of a racing family—Dale, his father Ralph, and son Dale Jr.—whose careers span the full history of NASCAR and whose accomplishments define this unique American motorsport.

Drawing on extensive research, including interviews with friends, family, and sports writers covering the NASCAR scene, Gerry Souter follows the Earnhardts’ story from Ralph’s short track racing in cars he built himself to Dale’s record-setting career and shocking death to Dale Jr.’s emergence as one of the sport's most popular figures today. Through the lives of the Earnhardts, and their unmatched legacy of hard work and victory, readers see American stock car racing evolve from its rural Southern roots into a nationwide phenomenon.

• A chronology putting high points in the Earnhardts’ careers in the context of pivotal moments in the rise of NASCAR and American motorsports
• A rich bibliography of resources for further reading including books, journalism, archives, and websites