NASCAR racing is incredibly popular in the USA, but is often framed as being a rather low-brow form of motorsport. While the rest of the world prefers technical racing in the form of F1 or WRC, Americans love oval track racing with big, beefy V8 monsters roaring around the track.

While it can be funny to poke fun at NASCAR, the truth is that this form of racing is brutal and difficult. It also has a long, storied history that is fascinating and also teaches anyone quite a bit about US culture.

This is a mammoth, 628-page visual record of NASCAR. It tells the story of how this racing format has its roots in moonshine-running to its modern mega-money sponsor present.

You’ll find beautiful pictures of drivers, cars, adverts and more. The book covers 1949 to 2016 and by the time you get to the end of it, you’ll know all the most important facts about the origin and development of this sport.

Whether you’re a fan of cars, NASCAR, or motorsport in general, this is a great conversation piece and an essential read. So it’s a very good thing indeed that it also comes at a very reasonable price.