New Book: 50 First Victories. Strap in for a riveting ride through the landmark first victories of NASCAR’s biggest stars

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Press release

New Book: 50 First Victories. Strap in for a riveting ride through the landmark first victories of NASCAR’s biggest stars

Austin, Texas. July 11, 2022. New from the motor racing stable of award-winning book publisher Octane Press, 50 First Victories chronicles the journey of NASCAR’s finest as they race their way to that landmark first victory. NASCAR's 75-year history is awash in unusual–and sometimes untold stories and incidents—did you know that Richard Petty’s first win was overturned due to a protest . . . by his dad? That Ned Jarrett won his first race in a car he bought with a bad check, banking on the winnings to pay it off? That Mario Andretti defied team orders to bag his first NASCAR win? That Tiny Lund nabbed his first NASCAR victory because he rescued a fellow driver from a fiery wreck? All this and more comes to light in this riveting and authoritative new book.

Authors and veteran motorsports journalists Al Pearce and Mike Hembree have been along for the ride for much of NASCAR’s long history. With a combined ninety years of coverage of one of America’s grassroots sports, they bring a wealth of insider knowledge and experience to the stories of these fast-and-furious heroes, drivers who ran to the ragged edge—and often past it—in pursuit of the checkered flag.

In 50 First Victories, you’ll read about Richard Petty at Charlotte, Dale Earnhardt Sr. at Bristol, Jimmie Johnson at Fontana, Chase Elliott at Watkins Glen, and more. Here are all the sport’s stars—Dale Earnhardt Jr., Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, Jeff Gordon, David Pearson, Junior Johnson—and the inside stories of their success. Strap in for a rollicking ride to victory lane!

With an official release date of August 1st, the book is available now from Octane Press or wherever books are sold. Please contact Jo Snyder at [email protected] or 1.512.507 7867 with interview requests, or for media review copies, images, excerpts for publication and any additional information.

A Note From the Authors

When you ask drivers about the race win they cherish the most, the answer often is their first win. Some struggle through many races, often recording a series of top-five finishes, before finally getting that breakthrough win. It usually is a crazy mix of joy and relief -- a goal finally reached. I've been present for more than a few of these first wins, and they always hold a certain magic. Mike Hembree

Drivers who have struggled to get their first NASCAR victory often are at a loss when they finally get to stand atop their car in Victory Lane. They usually say all the right things, but it might be months or years before they fully appreciate the importance of that first moment. Those are the special moments we've tried to capture in this book. Al Pearce

About Al Pearce

Al Pearce saw his first NASCAR race in 1966 in Daytona Beach, Florida. The first race he covered was in July of 1969 at Dover, Delaware, for The Times-Herald of Newport News, Virginia. Since then, he's covered thousands of races of all types—NASCAR, IndyCar, Formula One, NHRA and IHRA drag racing, APBA powerboats, SCCA, international sports cars and weekly short-track races for Tribune Co. (1969–2004) and Autoweek magazine (1973–current). Pearce has authored thirteen books on racing and has covered events throughout the United States and five foreign countries. He is an eight-time Virginia sports writing award winner and the recipient of a half-dozen national and regional sports halls of fame awards. He currently lives in Newport News, Virginia, with his wife, Francie. They also have an adult daughter, Annie, whose interest in horsepower is limited to the four-legged version with a Hunter/Jumper saddle.

About Mike Hembree

Mike Hembree has written about auto racing for four decades and is the author of fourteen books, including seven racing titles. He has won numerous awards, including the American Motorsports Media Award of Excellence. He also is a seven-time National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year and a three-time winner of the Russ Catlin Award for motorsports journalism excellence. Hembree has covered auto racing for Autoweek, USA Today, the Greenville News (SC), the Spartanburg Herald-Journal (SC), the SPEED Channel and NASCAR. His newspaper career also includes coverage of the NFL, the NBA, Major League Baseball, the Olympics and golf, and today he works for NBC Sports. He is a graduate of the University of South Carolina with a BA in Journalism and is a resident of Gaffney, South Carolina.

About Octane Press

Based in Austin, Texas, Octane Press is an award-winning, independently-owned book publishing company with worldwide trade distribution, aggressive direct-to-consumer sales and marketing, and created books in conjunction with Case IH, Ferrari, Caterpillar®, the Andretti family, and more. Founded by long-time book publishing professional Lee Klancher in 2010, the company has published more than 150 titles and their highly-regarded publications have won more than two dozen independent book awards.

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