Daytona International, the capitol of the Nascar nation is where this DVD begins. Hosted by Dr. Jerry Punch and narrated by J.K. Simmons, this DVD takes you into the world and history of Nascar. This sport was born in the 1920’s rural south and Nascar was founded in 1958. Today, it boasts the highest per event attendance than any other sport.

This DVD first goes into a little about Bill France and how it took 3 days to come up with a framework for the sport in a small hotel in Daytona after the war. Then we get a little of the inner workings of Daytona International and Talledega. The police officers that patrol during the weekend reporting that there are typically approximately 160 DUI’s during a weekend a Talledega. The naked people at the infield parties, the drinking, the clothesline full of woman’s bra’s the next morning following the parties are all a part of the madness.

In 1971, RJ Reynolds formed a partnership with Nascar and the Grand National Division became the Winston Cup. In 2004, RJR left the sport. Nextel paid Nascar 700 million to attach its name to the sport. The sport is now in the hands of Brian France since his father (Bill France Jr.) passed. We get an introduction to some of the biggest names in the history of Nascar, including Darrell Waltrip, who has 7 championships and is now a Fox Nascar Analyst. “The King” Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, Donnie Allison, Richard Childress, Kenny Schrader, Mark Martin, and Michael Waltrip. And we get some of the younger names with, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne, and Jeff Gordon.

I think the most important point in this DVD is that Nascar has exploded into a major sport over the past decade. Merchandising alone is close to a billion dollars a year in profit for the sport. This was all started by Hank Jones, the unofficial mayor of Nascar, who started the track merchandising business in the early 1980s. Then sold the business to Dale Earnhardt, for 6 million. Earnhardt later sold it to Action Sports for 30 million. One can only imagine the profits now, especially for those advertisers that sponsor vehicles. It’s a statistic that 80% of fans base their purchases on brand loyalty by what they see on the track. So the race is basically just a 4-hour advertisement for 43 different (race teams) products.

What I liked most about this DVD is that it wasn’t boring. I happen to love Nascar obviously or probably would not have watched it. But it was interesting. ESPN has a way of combining history and present day to make it watchable thanks to the driver interviews, analyst interviews, family interviews, race highlights, and history to make it interesting and more real. I liked hearing the history behind the sport, I also liked how the drivers discussed their own lives. All of the information seems to flow and the interviews with the different people are inserted into the information as a good complement.

Some don’t realize that racing is a way of life and most of the drivers’ families have sacrificed a lot to get them where they are today. A lot of them did not grow up with a lot of money, and what they did have was dedicated to helping the boys realize their dream of racing. The dedication is wonderful. And the family involvement is something that is refreshing to see. The fans are more able to relate to this sport because it appeals to all kinds. One such example of this was Dale Earnhardt, who appealed to his fans because he was the hard working young man who built an empire for himself out of nothing. There are some emotional points in the DVD, such as the death of Dale Earnhardt at the 2001 Daytona race but other than that there isn’t too much fluff.

Like other DVD movies, this particular disc has bonus features that include: Extended Driver Interviews with Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart, and featurettes on Darlington Infield 1972, Talldega night 2006, the Evolution of Nascar on ESPN and courtesies. There is a scene selection available and advertisements for Nascar 08 from EA Sports.

If you aren’t interested in Nascar then you aren’t going to be interested in this documentary. If you aren’t interested in the history of the sport, then you aren’t going to be interested in this documentary. If you’re a newbie to Nascar, then watching this DVD would give you a good start to learning more about the sport and some of its more popular drivers. If you are an extreme Nascar fan then you’ll probably just watch it once and never again because most of it you should already know.

Fun Fact: Ernest Hemingway once stated that there were only 3 real sports, mountain climbing, bull fighting and auto racing…the rest are just games.

Release Date: July 2007
Running Time: 90 minutes
Rated: NR

~ Happy Racing!

Kim

Other Nascar Items:
Dale Jr. 4-pc. Coaster Set


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up to Age 4