Read J D The Life and Death of a Forgotten NASCAR Legend Brock Beard Brock Beard 9781643707952 Books

Product details Paperback 320 pages Publisher Waldorf Publishing (July 15, 2018) Language English ISBN-10 1643707957

J D The Life and Death of a Forgotten NASCAR Legend Brock Beard Brock Beard 9781643707952 Books Reviews

• The story of how J.D. McDuffie persisted in NASCAR to pursue his passion against all odds is one that is long overdue to be told. Brock does a wonderful job of weaving together interviews and anecdotes to paint a detailed portrait of this forgotten racing legend. The stories of how J.D. kept persisting on a shoe-string budget to do what he loved are inspiring and often humorous. But this book is about more than just J.D. - it's about a bygone era of racing, when a man with strong work ethic, never-give-up attitude, and a love of racing could build a car and compete against more heavily funded teams. The stories of these small teams make up an important part of NASCAR history, and this book gives great insight into the difficulties they overcame to live their dreams.
• I absolutely love this book. It is a one of a kind. Such a shame that the statistical works of #70 is forgotten, yet this book captures the spirit and essence of a man who stuck with it no matter the odds, for better or worse. He did what he loved to do and passed on to another world with his racing gloves on. I will reread this book over and over in the next decade. Not sold on JD? Well you get a great deal of NASCAR history along with a whole chapter on Jimmy Means....so how can you go wrong?
  The author did an incredible job blending together the complex narratives of auto racing along with the personal stories of those who knew him directly along with those who only knew him from afar. Truly an excellent read and I would give this 6 stars if I could. God bless JD and thank you Brock for writing this excellent story. I do love the Poconos stories!
• Even as a lifelong race fan, i was initially skeptical as to how interesting a book about J.D. McDuffie could be. I mean, how much is there really to tell about a guy who never won in 653 career Winston Cup starts? But I was blown away by Brock Beard's profile of McDuffie. This book ranks right up there with Art Garner's "Black Noon" as the best racing book I have read in recent years.
  
  The book really makes me think differently about McDuffie and all the independent Cup racers of that era. About half the book is about McDuffie's overall racing career and his struggles as racing in the Cup series became increasingly expensive in the 1980s, while the other half of the book is about the fateful weekend at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) during which McDuffie lost his life. The book also touches on the hardship of his family following his death and what so many of the people involved with his team did in the decades since.
  
   When I look at what the Cup series is now, McDuffie's story seems like it happened a million years ago.
  
  Among the things that really stood out to me
  
  * McDuffie had difficulty reading and writing, and he typically allotted himself one stogie for each 100 miles of a race. A good day was when he smoked all five cigars during a 500 miler because it meant that he finished the race.
  
  * I had known about McDuffie winning a match race in a Late Model at Shangri-La (N.Y.) Speedway among various crew guys the night before the Watkins Glen race, but the night at Shangri-La is really fleshed out in the book. McDuffie drove the car of track points leader Tom Schwarz that night. For the first time in decades, McDuffie felt what it was like to have the best car in the field; he started last in the eight-car field that night and took the lead on the second lap. In Victory Lane, promoter Dale Campfield gave McDuffie a handshake with a $100 bill in it.
  
  The next morning at a local diner for breakfast, McDuffie, still beaming from the night before, grabbed the breakfast check, pulled out the $100 bill and said simply "Winners buy." The ragtag crew that helped McDuffie typically paid for their own meals because they knew how tight money was for the driver.
  
  At the Watkins Glen drivers meeting on the fateful Sunday morning, McDuffie's win at Shangri-La the previous evening was brought up. Ernie Irvan, who would win the tragedy-marred Cup race, joked with McDuffie, "You've been holding out on us all these years, J.D."
  
  * One of the further tragedies of the McDuffie accident was that a North Carolina scammer by the name Jeff Tobias Bennett posed as McDuffie's brother and was given the driver's uniform and other effects he was wearing that day. Bennett then sold McDuffie's uniform to a hobby shop for $150. The bubble goggles McDuffie was wearing that day and the tire that broke off his car to cause the accident have never been seen since.
  
  * His family remains deeply troubled by NASCAR's insinuation that McDuffie died because he was driving junk. He obviously raced used parts, but he did not use stuff that was worn out because he knew it was his life at stake.Since the tire and attached suspension parts disappeared shortly after the accident, it was impossible to ascertain exactly what broke on McDuffie's car -- not that NASCAR was much into thorough investigations prior to Dale Earnhardt's death.
  
  Again, the book is far greater than I expected a book about J.D. McDuffie to be. After finishing the book, I find myself wishing the Cup series still had guys like that racing weekly.
• Read this cover to cover in one shot! I found it to be well written by someone who has extensive first knowledge of J. D. His life, his family, and his circumstances.
  Now before I get into the details, I think it wise to share a bit of my own history. I was there at the track the day J. D. Died (I was only 5, but still to this day I believe that was the day my love hate relationship with motorsports began) I also feel it is important to share that I am an active member of the safety team at Watkins Glen International, and have been for over a decade. So I already have a basis of knowledge from a different perspective than some race fans.
  I was so very pleased with the quality of content in this book, so much more than what I ever imagined about this tragically lost legend. From day one in J.D.'s career to that final green flag in 1991. The longevity of his career as a "independent" is something we will never ever seen again in Nascar. The inevitable evolution of the sport has made it impossible to be a true "independent". My favorite tale in the book was the glory of J. D. 's final checker flag, it was a heart warming tidbit before the ultimate tragedy would befall him.
  Along with the history of J. D., we also got a well painted picture of Jimmy Means. (the other driver involved in the incident). Then on top of that there was a good bit of information about the track itself and many of the other horrific incidents that took place in at turn 5, including the a very recent crash (just weeks prior) when Tommy Kendall was so gravely injured. We got to hear his thoughts about it afterwards, something sadly we did not get from J. D.
  Rest in Peace J. D.
  Your legacy will never be lost because of this book, and thank you Brock for sharing!
• I never forget the day I watched JD McDuffies fatal wreck watching the race that day on TV. At that time I was shocked but I knew little of him. This book goes into JD the man and the racers and recounts all the details on his final day on earth... a must read for every nascar fan!