Racing to the Finish by Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

I think at this point most people who know me know my history in local motorsports and my love of all things racing.  So of course I bought, and will donate, this! I'll probably put it next to his sister Kelley's!

I was a big fan of Dale, Sr.  The day he died was my first real date with the man who would become my husband.  I almost cancelled, and honestly might have if cell phones were really a thing yet.  He was already en route to my house in West Haven from Orange when the crash happened, as we planned to eat after the race.  I wasn't missing the Daytona 500 for nobody.

When Dale, Sr. died most of his fans became Dale, Jr. fans (and most of them became Chase Elliot fans when Jr. retired...), myself and my now-husband included.  Jr. would never achieve the success his father did, and many chalked it up to just not having the same talent.  Jr. is very open about his treatment for concussions and anxiety now.  He wasn't then.  He kept his symptoms and feelings a secret from most of the world.  

Jr. didn't want to appear weak.  He was afraid of losing his ride in the ultra-competitive top tier of racing.  He ignored troubling feelings like rage and physical problems like bouncing vision, while getting behind the wheel of a 2 ton machine traveling at speeds up to 200 miles an hour. 

This book isn't an autobiography.  There are no long chapters about his childhood (which was troubled, as most NASCAR fans know--Dale, Sr. would never be father-of-the-year material to any of his 4 kids by 3 wives) or his early years coming up the ranks in racing.  This is truly a memoir, the story of the life-changing series of events that ended his career in racing, but started his career in broadcasting, and, unintentionally, his role in bringing the discussion about traumatic sports brain injuries and mental health to the spotlight.  He is outspoken on the need to study the brain, and injuries sustained to it, and now talks openly about his anxiety and depression and use of medication.  

Find this in the next display!

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs W.