Book Review: A Trio by David McGhee

Hi Phil. THis is up. One thing we don’t have is a byline. Have a look and let me know what you think. Thanks. BIll Bill Pratt Draglist.com On Sun, Jul 10, 2022 at 4:35 PM Bill Pratt <bilden> wrote: Bristol Dragway Bristol Motor Speedway Kingsport Speedway If you want to know something about racing […]

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Hi Phil. THis is up. One thing we don’t have is a byline. Have a look and let me know what you think. Thanks. BIll

Bill Pratt

Draglist.com

On Sun, Jul 10, 2022 at 4:35 PM Bill Pratt <bilden> wrote:

Bristol Dragway

Bristol Motor Speedway

Kingsport Speedway

If you want to know something about racing in eastern Tennessee, there is one go-to guy to ask – David McGee.

I met David in the 1980s on the sidelines of the IHRA Winter Nationals at Darlington. I had just accepted the gig of producing the AHRA house organ, DragWorld, and was riding cross-country to Kansas City. David was the editor of IHRA’s similar newspaper, Drag Review. During normal down time, we had moments to discuss what these jobs entailed.

McGee is a relocated Kentuckian, living in and around Bristol, Tenn., not only producing newspapers for IHRA but announcing at the Bristol dragstrip and oval track, and spending “spare” time at other local tracks as well. Eventually, as IHRA changed hands and ideologies, McGee moved on to the stability of daily and weekly newspapers, including the Bristol Herald-Courier and the Sullivan County News. Plus, he kept up his popular announcing chores in the region.

Over the decades, David McGee has watched, met, interviewed, and interacted with just about every local or invading racer in his backyard. He has also aimed his cameras at them all as well. So, when a project such as a history book on Bristol Dragway or Bristol Motor Speedway was broached, who could possibly be more qualified than David McGee?

Indeed.

I am remiss in not reviewing McGee’s books some years ago. The BMS volume was published in 2006, and the Dragway edition followed a year later. But, I am happy to state that each is still in print and available through a variety of sources. Both books are historically accurate, with some 200 photos detailing the evolution of each track; from seemingly delusional dreams by one Larry Carrier and groundbreaking, right through ownership, philosophy, design, reconstruction and sanctioning changes.

The entire campus, with its adjacent tracks, was carved out of a narrow forested ravine not far from where northeast Tennessee meets southwest Virginia. Though born a few years apart, the oval and dragstrip basically grew up together. As siblings fathered by forward-thinking Carrier, there were growing pains and rivalries, but both struggled through whatever adversities they faced and survived to remain at the pinnacle of their individual mountains. And, McGee covers it all.

But don’t get the idea that these are ho-hum history books, overfilled with boring facts and long-fulfilled statistics. No, these are photo albums with extensive and fun-filled captions describing the happenings, people and racing that we all love. And, if you didn’t know some of the items covered, you will after you sit down with them. They will become favorites within an hour of your receiving them.

Beyond the two volumes about the super tracks in Bristol, McGee also tackled a similar project on nearby Kingsport Speedway, published in 2015. Kingsport is another historic facility in eastern Tennessee that has seen its share of major action. As a dirt oval, it was on NASCAR’s schedule back when their premiere series still raced on a variety of surfaces, including clay and dirt, and hosted all those stars during its formative years. Kingsport too, like its more famous neighboring tracks, has undergone myriad changes, and McGee’s coverage reflects it all.

I’m not suggesting the necessity for purchasing all three, unless of course like me, you’re a race fan that cannot be satiated. What I will say is that the trio will give a comprehensive overview of racing in that region that cannot be found elsewhere.

The best way to purchase these treasures is to type DavidMcGeeAuthor into your browser, and it will take you to his Ebay site or the Etsy sales search window.

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