Gold Thunder

Chevrolet fans were wishing for a hero and Rex White made their dreams come true. He took on big muscle cars and eventually won both the 1960 Winston Cup Championship and the Driver of the Year title and was selected as one of NASCAR’s Top Fifty Driving Champions. This autobiography is the story of his struggle. Set against the rough and tumble days of early racing history, it gives insight into the sometimes humorous and sometimes tragic experiences of motor sports pioneers. The autobiography also contains information gained through interviews with other racing professionals, including personal stories from NASCAR greats Junior Johnson and Ned Jarrett. The book is well illustrated.

Rex White makes numerous NASCAR–related appearances today and has appeared in recent radio, newspaper, and television interviews, as well as national motorsports magazines.

Writer Anne B. Jones lives in Jackson, Georgia. Her articles have appeared in numerous newspapers and magazines.

By Rex White as told to Anne B. Jones

Foreword by Rick Minter

Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 224
Bibliographic Info: 83 photos, appendix, index
Copyright Date: 2012 [2005]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-7175-1
eISBN: 978-0-7864-9346-3
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      vii
Foreword by Rick Minter      1
Preface by Anne B. Jones      3

1. Carolina Moonshine Country      7
2. Growing Up: A Life Filled with Deadlines and Speed      17
3. Motorsports Mania: Another Magical World      29
4. Racing Fever: Frankie Schneider Becomes My Mentor      45
5. Darlington: First Pass at the Lady in Black      57
6. The Early Years: Running with the “Hot Dogs”      67
7. On-Track and Off-Track Shenanigans: Racing’s Just Part of the Show      75
8. Fanfare and Friendships: A 300-Pound Kid Named Tiny Lund      85
9. Hot Dogs to Hamburgers, in a Hurry: At Last, Chevrolet Sponsorship      93
10. Staying Focused: Drivers Need a One-Track Mind      101
11. Daytona and Drafting: Beginning of the Super Speedway Boom      111
12. Sex and the Super Speedways: Motorsports Gain Media Attention      121
13. Chasing the Championship: Against the Giants      131
14. Hunting for Horsepower: Fighting Pontiacs with a 348      145
15. Battling with Brothers: A Rolling Racetrack Community      155
16. Giddy-Up 409: The Dixie 400      161
17. From Detroit to Despair: Chevrolet’s Mystery Engine      169
18. Death and Disappointment: Tragedies On and Off the Track      179
19. Motorsport as Megasport: The #2 Sport in the Country      187

Epilogue: Gold Thunder: A Moment Frozen in Time by Larry Hinson      203
Appendix: Rex White’s Career Statistics      205
Index      207

• “a terrific read”—Old Cars Weekly
• “interesting…well-illustrated…filled with fun…highly recommend…congratulations on a great book that both teaches and entertains”—Autos
• “a treasure…loaded with reminiscences”—Now & Then
• “terrific read”—Old Autos
• “few early Chevy drivers had as much success on the track as Rex White”—Christian MotorSports Illustrated
• “From 1959 through 1963 Rex White won more races than any other driver, and he competed among the best—Lee and Richard Petty, Ned Jarrett, Fireball Roberts, Junior Johnson, Joe Weatherly, Curtis Turner and Buck Baker. He was Chevrolet’s best driver in the early sixties and one of the most consistent drivers ever. If Richard Petty is the Babe Ruth of stock car racing, then Rex White is Joe DiMaggio.”—Doug Allan, Motorsport America