Drag racing is so much fun to watch, the showmanship, the speed, the competition, the burnouts, the wheel stands and the most important thing is the accessibility. Drag racing is the only sport where you can buy a pass and go into the pits and talk to the drivers and actually watch the mechanics prepare the racecars. "The Book on African American Drag Racers" is not a comprehensive or a complete book on African Americans in the sport of drag racing. Why? Because every day, somewhere in America, there is a young man or woman who will discover this great sport and seek to try their hand at making a name for themselves, in the sport. I believe drag racing began when the first cars were produced by Ford Motor Company and two competitive guys wanted to know, whose Ford was the fastest. NHRA Top Fuel Champion, Antron Brown believes drag racing is so open for all races because it's "nothing but a foot race with vehicles." I believe drag racing is so popular in the African American community because there is such a great love for cars. Also drag racing, unlike NASCAR, CART, INDY, USAC, and ARCA, you don't have to have a special race car only, you can have any type of car as your race car. Drag racing is also a sport easy to learn. Over the past decade drag racing sanctioning bodies have done a great job growing their sport with the Junior Dragster programs. These programs allow kids to race their low horse powered reasonably priced cars and get them involved in the sport early. Some of those junior dragster racers are now competing in the professional ranks of the sport. As a matter of fact, Erica Enders-Stevens the new Pro Stock champ began in the Jr. Dragster class. This book was written to help young people learn about the contributions and history of African Americans in the sport of drag racing.

Starting a NASCAR team is hard work. Starting a NASCAR team as an African American is even harder. These are just a few of the lessons learned by Leonard T. Miller during his decade and a half of running an auto racing program. Fueled by more than the desire to win, Miller made it his goal to create opportunities for black drivers in the vastly white, Southern world of NASCAR. Racing While Black chronicles the travails of selling marketing plans to skeptics and scraping by on the thinnest of budgets, as well as the triumphs of speeding to victory and changing the way racing fans view skin color. With his father—former drag racer and longtime team owner Leonard W. Miller—along for the ride, Miller journeys from the short tracks of the Carolinas to the boardrooms of the "Big Three" automakers to find out that his toughest race may be winning over the human race.

Whether you're bracket racing your daily driver, tuning the new suspension setup on your weekend bracket racer, or competing in one of many pro classes, drag racing is the participation motorsport of choice. McKenna uses over 300 color photos to show you what to expect your first time out, how to set your street or racecar up for consistency and speed, and driving technique for enthusiasts at all levels. He talks tires, safety equipment, driving aids like line-locks and delay boxes, choosing a class, and advanced racer math. Special sections detail how to maximize your current setup and strategy bracket racing success.

Don "The Snake" Prudhomme reveals for the first time ever his incredible life and career on and off of the drag strip.

Imagine spending a year with Don "The Snake" Prudhomme, having coffee together and talking about his life, his racing, his friends, and his family. He’d tell you about how he rose from being a high school drop-out who was painting cars to a respected Top Fuel dragster driver and successful businessman. You’d hear how he toured the country with Tommy Ivo and "The Hawaiian" Roland Leong, racing all the legends from "Big Daddy" Don Garlits to "The Golden Greek" [Chris] Karamesines. He'd say how he met Tom McEwen and recall how they became the Snake and the Mongoose, leading to a career in Funny Cars that netted him four championships in a row. He'd talk about the thrill of first wins and owning his own teams but also the struggles of bad seasons, crashes and fires, broken parts, and broken contracts. Along the way, he’d speak about the people in his life, such as engine-builder Keith Black and NHRA president Wally Parks, and those who were killed in the wild and unpredictable sport of nitro racing. It wouldn’t be only racing, though. Prudhomme would share lessons he learned about business and life from such varied sources as a neighbor in Granada Hills to Ford GT40 driver Dan Gurney. He also would talk about the importance of family: how his wife, Lynn, and daughter, Donna, changed his world and how finding out about his African-American roots opened his eyes to a culture and inheritance he’d always wanted. This is the experience you’ll get in Don "The Snake" Prudhomme: My Life Beyond the 1320.

Looks at the history of drag racing, pioneers and personalities of the sport, and the different types of car classes.

This book showcases amazing machines and their riders in the ultimate acceleration sport – drag bike racing. Great photographs are combined with the author’s in-depth knowledge, to explore, for the first time, the sport in the UK, and chart its relentless pursuit for ever more speed. The diversity of motive power and machine design is examined, as is the influence of racers from the home of drag racing – America – in this unique and fascinating look at the most thrilling sports on two wheels.

The 1960s were a fascinating decade on the race scene. Relive the memories today through this wonderful new book. Drag racing has a long and storied history. Many have said that the first drag race happened shortly after the second car was made. While that may or may not be true, racing prior to World War II was mostly centered around dry-lake activities and top-speed runs. After the war, drag racing became organized with the formation of the NHRA, and during the 1950s, many tracks were built across America to accommodate the racers. Technology in the 1950s centered on the manufacturers updating old flathead designs into newer overhead-valve designs, and the horsepower race really started to heat up. In many forms of racing, the 1960s brought technological evolution. The decade began with big engines in even bigger stock chassis and ended with purpose-built race-only chassis, fiberglass bodies, fuel injection, nitro methane, and blowers. Quarter-mile times that were in the 13-second range in the beginning of the decade were in the 7-second range by the end. New classes were formed, dedicated cars were built for them, and many racers themselves became recognized names in the sports landscape. In Drag Racing in the 60s: The Evolution in Race Car Technology, veteran author Doug Boyce takes you on a ride through the entire decade from a technological point of view rather than a results-based one. Covered are all the classes, including Super Stocks, Altered Wheelbase cars (which led to Funny Cars), Top Fuelers, Gassers, and more.

Includes 10 illustrated punch-out paper dolls of the winning contestants from the first 8 seasons, including the winners from the first 8 seasons of the Emmy® Nominated RuPaul's Drag Race, and the winners of the first 2 seasons of Drag Race All Stars. 8 Winners - BeBe Zahara Benet, Tyra Sanchez, Raja, Sharon Needles, Jinkx Monsoon, Bianca Del Rio, Violet Chachki, and Bob the Drag Queen. 2 All-Star Winners: Chad Michaels, Alaska Thunderfuck 5000 Foreword by Michelle Visage. Featuring 10 board pages and 64 regular pages.

In The Story of Oklahoma, Deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves appears as the "most feared U.S. marshal in the Indian country." That Reeves was also an African American who had spent his early life enslaved in Arkansas and Texas made his accomplishments all the more remarkable. Black Gun, Silver Star sifts through fact and legend to discover the truth about one of the most outstanding peace officers in late nineteenth-century America--and perhaps the greatest lawman of the Wild West era. Bucking the odds ("I'm sorry, we didn't keep Black people's history," a clerk at one of Oklahoma's local historical societies answered one query), Art T. Burton traces Reeves from his days of slavery to his Civil War soldiering to his career as a deputy U.S. marshal out of Fort Smith, Arkansas, when he worked under "Hanging Judge" Isaac C. Parker. Fluent in Creek and other regional Native languages, physically powerful, skilled with firearms, and a master of disguise, Reeves was exceptionally adept at apprehending fugitives and outlaws and his exploits were legendary in Oklahoma and Arkansas. In this new edition Burton traces Reeves's presence in the national media of his day as well as his growing modern presence in popular media such as television, movies, comics, and video games.

* The story of the "Negro Speed King" and the African American racing car circuit* Chronicles the tragedies and triumphs of a dedicated group of individuals who overcame tremendous odds to chase their dreams