Miracle: Bobby Allison and the Saga of the Alabama Gang

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 432 pages
• Published by: St. Martin's Griffin February 6, 2007
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0312340028
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0312340025
• Book Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Weighs: 15.2 ounces

From Booklist
The high-speed, violent nature of stock-car racing lends itself to tragedy, but the Allisons--NASCAR royalty along with the Pettys, the Earnhardts, and the Jarretts--seem to have endured more than their share, losing two sons and a close personal friend. Golenbock, veteran author of dozens of sports chronicles, frames the story of brothers Bobby and Donnie Allison around a seemingly bottomless trove of anecdotes detailing their hardscrabble beginnings on Florida dirt tracks. The account eventually covers the Allisons' current -multimillion-dollar presence within the NASCAR empire, but the early years are the most fun to read about, as the brothers relied on nerve and street smarts while they careened around the South's small tracks, occasionally winning just enough for a $2 steak and a hotel room. The Allisons' rise coincided with NASCAR's burgeoning popularity, so their story also works as a casual history of the sport. Where there's interest in auto racing--which is virtually everywhere--there will be significant demand for this crowd-pleaser. Wes Lukowsky
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Review
"[A] riveting oral history.  Miracle is the definitive chronicle of the Allisons' troubles and triumphs." --Dayton Beach News-Journal "Fascinating and dramatic." --Accent On Tampa Bay "There will be significant demand for this crowd pleaser." --Booklist "The Allison story, told with thrusting energy." --Kirkus "The Allisons were the heart and soul of stock car racing, in victory and in tragedy. Golenbock captures the heartbreak and the inspiration of their story, from the thrilling rides in big-time races to the true grit of an American family fighting to survive." --Robert Lipsyte, former New York Times sports columnist
"NASCAR is not just about sheetmetal and horsepower; it's about people. Bobby Allison is an American hero, and this book allows us to become temporary members of his family. By the last page, we all want to give Bobby and Judy Allison a hug. This is the best NASCAR book ever written." --Tom Cotter, NASCAR historian and author of "Holman Moody: The Legendary Race Team."
“You hold in your hands, reader, our family saga. It’s about racing, beating the odds, chasing your dream, making something out of nothing and, of course, the importance of family. Peter Golenbock has done a wonderful job telling our tale. We hope it entertains and inspires you.” --Judy Allison

Reader Reviews
I have been a Bobby Allison fan for more than 50 years as I saw him race in his very early years in South Florida, so I was very much looking forward to this book. Sadly the errors that are rampant throughout the book ruined the story. Other reviews here have noted some errors, but the number is truly staggering--and utterly inexplicable in this age of Google and instant info. Here are the errors I found: Page 30: Gil Hearn Correct spelling is Hearne Page 34: He started thirty-ninth, and he finished thirty-ninth, still running at the end of the race. He started thirty-first and finished thirty-sixth. Page 40: Deal Ford Correct spelling is Deel Ford. Page 66: (James Hylton) led the 300-lap Islip race from lap 147 to lap 282. Hylon led from 147 through 292. Page 68: a lap after Bobby passed Buddy Baker to take the lead in the race it blew up. Allison never led a lap in the race--and neither did Buddy Baker. Page 100: Donnie entered two superspeedway races, finishing twenty-seventh at Rockingham and ninth, twenty-two laps behind winner Fred Lorenzen, at Charlotte. Exactly the opposite, Donnie was ninth at Rockingham, twenty-seventh at Charlotte. Page 102: What made winning the World 600 even more remarkable was that he also entered the Indianapolis 500 the same weekend. (Donnie was the only driver ever to do that until 1993, when Jeff Gordon did it.) Jeff Gordon has never raced in the Indianapolis 500. Page 105: What made the June twenty 1971 Riverside race notable was that Bobby had arranged with Motorola to put a two-way radio in the car so that during the race he could talk directly with Eddie. It was the first time a driver didn't have to rely on a chalkboard, and it wasn't long before all the drivers were doing it. Though Allison popularized the two-way radio, it was first used in 1952 by Al Stevens in a Modified/Sportsman race on the famed beach/road course. Page 129: Describing a test session in an Indy car at Ontario Speedway, one sentence begins "When he arrived at the Ontario track," followed by Allison saying "I arrived at Indy." Page 130: Later in the test at the Ontario track, "Bobby went out on the famed Indianapolis track." Page 133: Driver Art Pollard had gotten killed on the first day of practice at the Brickyard Pollard was killed during the first day of qualifying on May 12, after more than a week of practice. Page 140: His Champ car team has won a hundred races with driver Gils deFerran Penske Racing has won more than a hundred Indy-car races, but Gil deFerran won just seven of them for the team. Page 148: After Donnie finished fifth in the Firecracker 500 There has never been a Firecracker 500, it is the Firecracker 400 Page 160: When Smokey Yunick had a fallout with the France family in 1976, Smokey decided to quit NASCAR and run at Indianapolis. The fallout was in 1970. Yunick's cars raced at Indianapolis from 1958 to 1975, and one driven by Jim Rathmann won in 1960. Page 164: Eddie Allison was watching the race on television. Page 166: I was watching TV and Dave Despain was interviewing Ryan Newman It's doubtful Dave Despain was interviewing Ryan Newman on race day. Newman was not yet two years old at the time. Page 191: Bobby and Gary Nelson put the Monte Carlo on the wind tunnel skid, and after they cranked the fan up, the wind started to blow the car off the skid pad. It was clear to everyone that the Buick was not going to be able to perform. Of course Monte Carlo is a Chevrolet model. Page 193: On May 17 at Dover The race was May 15 Page 194: At Richmond, Waltrip was second, Bobby third. It was at Long Pond. Tim Richmond won the race. At Richmond, Bobby won his second race in a row. Ricky Rudd was second, Waltrip fourth. Waltrip was third. Page 202: Terry Labonte didn't win a single race but became the new racing champion. That season Labonte won on June 3, 1984 at Riverside and August 25, 1984 at Bristol. Page 204: After two top ten finishers at Pocono and Michigan, the team went to Daytona for the Firecracker 500. There has never been a Firecracker 500, it is the Firecracker 400 Page 205: A couple of other things happened in the Firecracker 500 There has never been a Firecracker 500, it is the Firecracker 400 Page 206: Bobby finished twenty-first. He finished twenty-seventh. Page 223: Neil Bonnett had raced in 1972 but it took another three years for him to take a crack at Grand National racing. Bonnett's first season was 1974, when he appeared in two races. Page 230: Hillin himself had begun his driving career in 1982 at age sixteen Bobby Hillin holds the NASCAR record as young competitor at 17, just 48 days shy of his eighteenth birthday. Page 257: "Because of Butch Lynley." Correct spelling is Lindley Page 280: Ken Squire Correct spelling is Ken Squier Page 282: "I passed him clean on the outfield" Since they weren't racing in a baseball stadium, I'm pretty sure he was on the outside Page 304: Robert Yates's and McReynolds s scenario, which had the blessing of NASCAR... (next paragraph) Yates and McReynolds objected. It was Yates' and McReynolds' scenario--but they objected? Page 313: He kicked a record 89 PATs in a row, a Memphis State record. Joe Allison kicked a then-record 81 PATs in a row Page 328: Red, whose whole life revolved around arcing, had traveled to Hueytown to race against Bobby and Donnie thirty years earlier and had become family. As has been well-documented in the preceding 328 pages, the Allisons knew Farmer from their days in South Florida where he had mentored both Donnie and Bobby. Page 333: Just after seven o'clock on the morning of July 12, 1993, Davy was pronounced dead. Allison died on July 13, the day after the accident. Page 355: Bonnett first announced his return to racing at a press conference at Talladega the morning of July 13, 1993. Later that afternoon, Davey Allison crashed his jet helicopter at the track and died. Allison crashed on July 12. Page 360: On Monday, February 13, 1994 Monday was February 14, 1994 Page 369: When the team arrived for the inaugural NASCAR Indianapolis 500 The NASCAR race at Indianapolis is the Brickyard 400 In addition, there is a great deal of careless editing--if indeed there is ANY editing.