First published 2014
Bill France stands on the grounds of a former World War II Air Force base in Alabama, envisioning something unprecedented. The NASCAR founder plans to construct a racing facility that will dwarf every existing track in speed, size, and spectacle. Construction crews break ground on May 23, 1968, beginning a sixteen-month race against time and engineering limits. France battles skeptics, budget constraints, and the technical challenges of creating 2.66 miles of asphalt with banking nearly three stories high. His dream track must handle cars exceeding 200 miles per hour while accommodating crowds so massive they transform rural Alabama into a temporary metropolis every race weekend. As opening day approaches in September 1969, France faces the ultimate test of whether his vision for the most advanced speedway ever conceived can deliver on its revolutionary promise. Whitaker captures the ambition and determination required to build what would become known simply as "Dega."
Genres: history, 20th-century, sports, non-fiction, engineering, american-history
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: ambition, determination
Setting: Alabama, Talladega Superspeedway
Period: 1968, 1969
128 pages · Kindle Edition · Arcadia Publishing