The best writers create from head and heart.  They not only know the subject being discussed, but have genuine feelings about and for the topic at hand.  They put into practice proper writing skills, communicating information with clear efficiency.  Such writers are scarce commodities, so when one is discovered it's worth noting.  And when they're writing about something you're interested in, so much the better.

One Helluva Ride, the new book on NASCAR by veteran reporter Liz Clarke, doesn't merely meet the aforementioned criteria.  It exceeds them.  It is, without exaggeration, easily the best book I have ever read on NASCAR.  In fact, it's one of the best sports books I have ever read period.  And I've read a slew of them.  This book really is that good.

Clarke, who has covered NASCAR for different newspapers since the very early 1990s, has given us an overview of the sport's history both then and now that is all at once completely accurate, informative, easy to approach, and completely enveloping as it weaves first-hand stories from the people who made the history into the history.  Her writing style is clean and never dumbed down; easy to understand while being refreshingly intelligent.

Clarke personalizes the story not via manipulations but rather by unobtrusively allowing those involved to speak for themselves.  When she does incorporate herself into a particular person or event's narrative, it's because she was there and her experiences as a reporter not lacking in genuine affection for not only the people in the sport, but the sport itself dovetail perfectly into the time and place being covered.

If you are a longtime fan, this book is a comfortable and sometimes poignant look at NASCAR from its beginnings through today.  For more recent members of the NASCAR Nation, it is an invaluable history lesson plus reinforcement of the reasons why NASCAR fans are the most passionate fans in all of sports.  Whoever you are, give yourself a treat when the book is released next Tuesday (February 12th) by picking up a copy.  You won't be able to put it down once you do.  It's far too easy to say One Helluva Ride is one helluva book.  But it is.  It really is.

(The book's Website is here.)

Don't forget the "Diary For Dale" contest running throughout the month of February!  You can win one of two 2008 Dale Jr. diecast cars!  Click here for more information!