Author(s): Michael Waltrip & Ellis Henican
Copyright Date: 2011
The Good: The pre-NASCAR chapters are very interesting—remember, he grew up with his brother Darrell already on the Cup circuit. While the book focuses a LOT on the 2001 Daytona 500, I rather enjoyed hearing about it from the inside. Mikey also isn’t above poking fun at himself on occasion.
The Not-so-good: Apparently nothing is Michael Waltrip’s fault—his lengthy losing streak, his team’s (first) cheating scandal, anything. He also seems to be a bit too “go with the flow” when looking back on his career, as though having the last name “Waltrip” wasn’t at least a bit of an advantage. Also, there’s a few oddball tonal shifts in the book—like mentioning his first daughter randomly midway though, then only mentioning her one other time, or randomly insulting Steve Park and Johnny Benson.
What I’d Change: This book definitely needed either a different co-author or a massive re-do. At the end of the day, we’re talking about someone with a handful of Cup Series wins talking about his career like it’s one of the all-time best.
Read It?: No, unless you enjoy revisionist history.
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