No Fear: Ernie Irvan: The Nascar Driver's Story of Tragedy and Triumph

This book starts out with a bang -- literally. Imagine driving into a concrete wall at 190 mph (and this in the days before racing safety innovations such as SAFER barriers, HANS devices, etc.). When Ernie Irvan arrived at the hospital after his crash at Michigan International Speedway, he was given only a 10-15% chance of survival -- and, had it not been for perfect care by the track physician, he would not have made it to the hospital alive.

This book grabs the reader's attention by beginning with this most dramatic moment of Irvan's life, and his rehabilitation from his injuries. Later chapters pick up the story of all that led up to that moment, and subsequent developments.

For the most part, Irvan's story is told in a show more straightforward, easy-to-follow way. There were some structural weaknesses and inconsistencies -- at times he would refer to another driver by only first or last name without any lead-in. Readers who know NASCAR well (particularly NASCAR of the 1990's) could follow those references (I could) but others might wonder, in at least one case, "who??" Irvan also repeadely refers to race team owner Rick Hendrick as Rick "Hendricks." I commonly hear the name mispronounced that way -- I think it started with people talking about Mr. "Hendrick's" race team. But I expect accuracy in print on such a basic matter.

The book has the strength of a memoir -- hearing things from the subject's point of view -- and the weakness of a memoir -- hearing things ONLY from the subject's point of view at the time of writing. Surely there is more to some of the stories Irvan tells. He paints a rather negative picture of some big names in NASCAR; of course, there are at least two sides to every story. It is interesting to hear Irvan's take on various events and controversies.

The book was over a decade old at the time I read it. It's often fascinating and sometimes poignant to be reminded of how much things have changed in NASCAR since the book's publication in 1999: the name of the NASCAR series, many basic rules of the sport, the race teams that participated and, of course, those drivers who are no longer with us. And it made me want to review elements of Irvan's life story beyond the point at which this book was written.

I think ANY reader would find the account of Irvan's injury and subesequent (almost miraculous) recovery fascinating; probably only NASCAR fans would be interested in some of the ground covered in this book. show less