Then Tony Said to Junior: The Best NASCAR Stories Ever Told

Dale Earnhardt Sr., the intimidating driver who won seven NASCAR championships, crying? A big, bruising driver angrily slamming the hood of his race car with a pit tool? Drivers investing in a car that could cross a lake? Darrell Waltrip tossing pumpkins? Sardines in race cars?

 

Yes, all that-and much more-is part of the storied history of NASCAR, a sport born on the dirt tracks of America and that commands interest on a national scale and in the boardrooms of major international corporations.

 

"Then Tony Said to Junior..." explores the interesting inner workings, the trackside humor, and the unusual moments that have been a part of NASCAR's climb to national recognition. With a competition landscape that changes weekly and with a range of personalities from good ol' Southern boys to California speed demons, the sport is rich with stories and lore.

DAILY NEWS FLIPS FOR TWO TRIUMPH NASCAR TITLES
Louis Brewster of the Daily News, was so shocked last month by the inside dirt that longtime NASCAR journalist Terry Blount offers in that Brewster made it clear this is “no ordinary fan” offering these insights. Blount “pulls no punches,” Brewster wrote. “He's a veteran newspaper reporter and is on the panel for the prestigious Driver of the Year award. He's a regular on ESPN's various networks and has covered auto racing for 15 years.” More on The Blount Report.
Brewster is also quick to point out that Triumph Books is the publisher of NASCAR’s other big book of the season – “Then Tony Said to Junior …” by Mike Hembree, possibly the only other journalist to cover NASCAR as long as Blount, with 28 years to his credit. More on “Then Tony Said to Junior”.

Then Tony Said to Junior
True NASCAR fans have followed racing their entire lives and know most of the stories from both on and off the track. However, there are many interesting and humorous behind-the-scenes tales about some of NASCAR's most beloved and infamous drivers that many fans have never before heard.

Then Tony Said to Junior...The Best NASCAR Stories Ever Told by Mike Hembree (accompanied by an exclusive CD featuring interviews with Bobby Allison and Buz McKim) uncovers some of the greatest stories about the most important drivers and memorable races throughout NASCAR's history. Stories covered include:

• Dale Earnhardt's tearful moment remembering his father
• Donnie and Bobby Allison's unforgettable fight with Cale Yarborough
• The confusion surrounding the real winner of the 1978 Dixie 500
• The driver who won a race in Richmond with his eyes practically swollen shut
• Jeff Gordon's friendship with Dale Earnhardt and the lesson he learned as a rookie

Hembree has both heard and witnessed countless stories over the course of his 28 years covering NASCAR. He navigated through several decades of unforgettable anecdotes and never-before-told tales to highlight some of the all-time great memories from the most popular figures in the history of the sport. The dozens upon dozens of topics Hembree covers from old-school to modern day make for a fascinating read that NASCAR fans of all ages will both enjoy and remember for years to come.

So whether you're a fan of racing legends such as Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip or David Pearson or just want to learn some interesting facts from some of today's hottest drivers such as Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Matt Kenseth or Mark Martin, Then Tony Said to Junior has something for all NASCAR fans.

About the author:
Mike Hembree, a newspaper and magazine journalist in North and South Carolina for 35 years, has written or cowritten 13 books on a variety of subjects, including five on stock-car racing. He has worked in the news and sports departments of three newspapers in South Carolina and currently is an associate editor at Street and Smith¹s Sports Group in Charlotte, North Carolina. He has covered NASCAR for 28 years. Hembree has won numerous national, regional, and state writing and reporting awards, including a national first place in investigative reporting from the Associated Press Sports Editors Association. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association's Writer of the Year Award and also has won the Russ Catlin Award for Excellence in Motorsports Journalism twice. In 2008 he was named the winner of the Henry McLemore Award for career achievement in motorsports journalism.

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CONTACT: Bill Ames, Triumph Books, 312.252.1248, b.ames@triumphbooks.com   

 

Then Tony Said to Junior Review

Fans, read all about NASCAR

by Louis Brewster, 2/19/09, LA Daily News

Mike Hembree, an award-winning writer and editor for NASCAR Scene, and Terry Blount, who has also collected awards for ESPN.com, have a combined total of 43 years covering the NASCAR circuit.

They have each written a book about the sport that came out this month, and both should be taken seriously by any serious fan of stock car racing.

"Then Tony Said to Junior ... The Best NASCAR Stories Ever Told" is Hembree's work for Triumph Books. It is a collection of unique anecdotes and never-before-told stories collected by a man who has covered the sport for 28 years.

A winner of the Henry McLemore Award for career achievement, Hembree's style reflects the nature of his work, gaining insight from sources throughout the garage area, including drivers and team owners.

Hembree has 15 chapters of 235 pages that takes readers through decades of NASCAR folklore. Whatever the topic, Hembree offers memories ranging from old-school to the modern era.

Through his book, we learn:

--Cale Yarborough was the first to call Darrell Waltrip "Jaws" following a 1977 race at Darlington, where Waltrip spun him out.

Why R.J. Reynolds suggested Winston rather than Camel as the series sponsor beginning in the 1970s. According to the late Bill France Jr., RJR said, "You don't want camels. They're nasty and they'll spit at you."

--After a crash at the 1996 Brickyard 400, Kyle Petty screamed in pain after a crash when being liftedonto the ambulance. Seems like a safety worker had stepped on Petty's ponytail.

--Totally out of character for the circuit, Mark Martin is a fan of rap music, with Eminem his favorite. Martin, who attracts a few storylines, is honored in rapper Budda Early's "Start Your Engines."

--In 1993, after poking his finger into the chest of Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage during the Lowe's Media Tour, Dale Earnhardt beat Gossage to his office Monday of the following week to apologize. He also offered Gossage condolences following the death of his mother and cried when he recalled his father, Ralph Earnhardt.

Those warm and fuzzy stories make up the heart of Hembree's work.

Not so in Blount's offering.

"The Blount Report: NASCAR's Most Overrated and Underrated Drivers, Cars, Teams and Tracks" can be viewed as a fan's assessment, but Blount is no ordinary fan. He's a veteran newspaper reporter and is on the panel for the prestigious Driver of the Year award. He's a regular on ESPN's various networks and has covered auto racing for 15 years.

While it is one man's opinion, it's well thought-out, not just a collection of thoughts on a napkin. It provides NASCAR fans a base for their thoughts and opinions so they can compare their own list.

Blount pulls no punches. Among the overrated:

--Auto Club Speedway in Fontana. "Trying to sell ACS as being in the show of Tinseltown requires an acting job worthy of an Academy Award. ... The celebs gracing the covers of gossip magazines have never been to Fontana, unless it's passing through on a drive to Las Vegas."

--Martin as a driver. "He's just too nice, a gentlemen among barbarians in fire suits. Martin is the anti-Earnhardt."

Among the underrated:

--Paranoia: Jack Roush's fear of Toyota. "They will try to outspend everyone and place the rest of us in a catch-up scenario," is among the Roush quotes.

--Yesteryear Driver: Junior Johnson. According to Blount, "Here's all you need to know about Junior: He completed 51,988 laps in his career and led 12,651 of them, an incredible 24 percent." That's doing the research.

Among the lists:

--Top 10 Drivers: Dale Earnhardt. "Nothing was more important to Earnhardt than winning races," writes Blount. "He was three months shy of his 50th birthday when he died, but Earnhardt was still competing for victories and racing up front."