November 11, 2024 • 31 mins
‘NASCAR Mavericks: The Rebels and Racers Who Revolutionized Stock Car Racing’ is the latest coffee table book for fans to explore the history of their favorite sport. Holly Cain, a long-time NASCAR writer and one of the co-authors of the books, shares how one begins to dig into what makes a maverick; the process of working with another author, and the personal battles Cain was going through during the project; the importance of the Smokey Yunick chapter; his Hall of Fame chances; including Mario Andretti; memories of Bill France Jr. and his famous expressions; the unrecognizable names in the book; anything that was left out of the book; the parts Cain enjoyed writing the most; the hope or goal with the book; information on another book Cain has written and where to follow her current work.
Original music created by Tony Monge.
Follow me here: https://linktr.ee/kellycrandall
Original music created by Tony Monge.
Follow me here: https://linktr.ee/kellycrandall
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Hey, everyone, Welcome to the Racing Writers Podcast. I'm your host,
Kelly crandall. Our guest today is Holly Kane of the
NASCAR Wire Service, a longtime beat reporter in this sport,
one of the most accomplished and well respected members of
the NASCAR Media corp. But Holly is here today to
talk about a new book she has co authored with
her BRANDUM. It's called Nascar Mavericks, The Rebels and Racers
who Revolutionize Stock Car Racing. Available now still on pre
(00:29):
order if you are listening to this when the episode
drops on November eleventh, but starting tomorrow November twelfth, it
will be in bookstores wherever books are sold, as well
as online. It is an absolutely fantastic and beautifully done
coffee table book. And that's what we're going to talk
about with Holly today, how the book came together, when
it's co authored, between herself and HERB putting the project together,
what constitutes a maverick. And then we're going to dig
(00:51):
into specific sections of the book because there were things
in there that stood out to me and I wanted
to get Holly's thoughts on. So we are digging into
a brand new piece of work for NASCAR fans to enjoy.
It's perfect as the holiday season is coming up. And
as you will learn in our conversation, it's not a
book that you have to read cover to cover. It
is a coffee table book with tons of beautifully illustrated
(01:12):
pictures and you can jump around and learn about different
people and things in this sport over the years that
have made it great. So I hope you enjoy the conversation,
maybe you learn something along the way, and in the
end go pick up the book. Let's jump in with
Holly Kane right here on the Racing Writer's Podcast. All Right,
(01:35):
the wonderful Holly Kane is here. I'm so excited about
this because I get to talk to you at the
racetrack and now I get to sing your praises you
and Herb about this wonderful book. As we jump into
this and I don't even know, really, hollywork to start
other than let me make a statement. It's a fantastic
looking coffee table book. The publisher did a great job,
of course with the pictures. The stories in this book
(01:57):
are awesome. So when I talk about where to begin here,
how about for you when you get involved in a
project like this, and you wrote different sections. How do
you even start with something like this because the title
is NASCAR Mavericks and I'm thinking, gosh, that's kind of broad.
So where are did you start in that regard?
Speaker 2 (02:17):
It's broad and there are several of them, right, I mean,
there was no problem finding Mavericks for this NASCAR Mavericks book,
no doubt about that. You know, my co writer, Herb Branham,
and I just to give you a little bit of background,
we worked together at the Tampa Tribune my first job
out of college, and actually we worked on the auto
(02:39):
racing beat, and then eventually I took it over for
him as he moved on to do some other beats.
So we go way back, and racing is kind of
our common bond, and he's the one that got me
real involved. I started covering racing in nineteen ninety nineteen
ninety one, so knowing him and kind of how he
(03:00):
looks at it, and as I joked, I mean, there's
no shortage of mavericks in a sense. This whole sport
is based on the idea of being a maverick, right,
It was based on you know, one person's vision. Bill
France Senior's vision and let's make it go of it
with something that had never been done before.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
As we talk about NASCAR mavericks, and I know I
asked this in Darlington to you and Herb, but I
want to get it on the podcast for folks who
maybe didn't hear that press conference trying to define what
a NASCAR maverick is or just trying to put together
a book of who do we include, who doesn't get included?
Who do we leave out? Oh, we got to make
sure this person gets in. What was that like for
(03:41):
you or was that predetermined before you even got involved
type of thing like? Was it determined by other people
or was that something you and Herb had to work
through of how do we go about figuring out who
gets included in this?
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Right? Right? Absolutely? Well, I think certainly with the idea
for the book, there were some op people to include,
and Herb had some ideas and I had some ideas,
and so it really was a conglomeration of the publisher,
Herb and I and even as we started going, we thought,
you know, what, this person would be good And what
I honestly love about it is that it's not not
(04:18):
always just necessarily it's someone that just kind of maybe
thought of something new that was very inbented. And it
could also be somebody that went against the grain and
was willing to right and those are all very interesting.
And what I like about the format of the book
is that the chapters are very short, and so what
you can do is if you were interested maybe in Okay,
(04:39):
well you know, what did Humpy wheel or bring to
the table that was so interesting? Or what about the
wood brothers pitting cars at the ndy five hundred, you know,
you can go and you can read it. You can
just find it and go and see what that was
all about. So it's it's mavericks, somebody that you know,
or people that brought something to the sport, but also
people that dared to challenge.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
One thing that is really interesting for me is how
co authors will work together. I had a little bit
of experience with that doing the Nascara seventy five book
last year or almost two years ago now, and when
I started the project, you mentioned you and Herb already
have a relationship, but when you're trying to co author
and work on something together, can you share with us
(05:21):
what is that like, what's the process like? Of you
both splitting up who's doing what. You also had some
personal things you were going through, if you want to
share that, So just take us inside the world of
what it's like to not be the sole author and
having to co create with someone.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Sure, well, you're right. I had just been diagnosed with
cancer for the second time in December of twenty twenty three,
and this book was due early in twenty twenty four,
and Herb came to me and said, you know, I'd
really like you to work on this book with me.
And so what we did is we kind of looked
at ideas that maybe I had, you know, background or
(06:00):
some experience in that I thought, you know, would would
suit me better. And then Herb had some as well.
And he's written several other books, and you know, he
ended up leaving the journalism business and going to work
for NASCAR and knows you know, the Frances very well
and Jim Hunter, and so he kind of had that,
and he's written books on Bill France, so he had
(06:22):
a different kind of insight that obviously lended itself to that.
The other great thing was calling people and asking them
to give us interviews for whatever it may be, and
them being so willing to do it, you know, whether
it was darro Waltrip being like yep, I know, I
have ruffled feathers and I did this, or even sometimes
talking to journalists that had covered the sport, you know,
(06:45):
like Steve Wade was fantastic able to talk about all
sorts of things in the seventies and eighties, and you know,
so the people that we got to interview for the
different sections that we had were absolutely you know, it's
important to us, and I think that you were also
one of the people that we spoke with to kind
(07:05):
of help give us insight on this because your work,
well not only covering it, but your work on the
seventy fifth anniversary book had a lot of you know,
you were very prepared for it, and you were very
aware and familiar with a lot of the stories. So
that's really kind of how we went about it.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
I appreciate that. I want to jump into a few
things in particular that I pulled out from looking at
the book. I don't believe you wrote this section, but
I think that you're educated enough, Holly, you can speak
to it. Because he comes up all the time in discussion,
and that's Smoky Unit and I loved the section on Smokey.
First off, I love the way it was written, and
I don't want to spoil it for folks, but I
(07:44):
just loved the very upfront, straightforward way it was written.
And I was very, very surprised about how much he
actually contributed to the sport that maybe I think folks
don't know about. And then the discussion of course about
him being inducted into the Hall of Fame. As you know,
that conversation comes up all the time, is there a snub?
(08:07):
Is it the France family? And there's actually quotes in
there from Jim France. So how important and how surprising
do you think fans will be to read that section,
particularly the part where as I just said, it's going
to tackle is there an actual snub? And then again
I don't want to give it away, but having quotes
in there from Jim France is pretty impressive.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Well, and you know what you've hit on what I
think is one of the greatest chapters in there, because
he's certainly a person that everyone knows about. He's like legendary,
but you don't hear a whole lot about him in
terms of modern day and like you said, and I
think the fact that Jim France was willing to speak
to him about him, I'm sorry to speak about him
(08:52):
says a whole lot. And really, how can you write
a book on NASCAR mavericks and not have Smokey Unuch
included in it. I mean to me that discwual of
buys the whole book if he is not in there.
And you're right, I hope that will be one of
those places where people might go immediately like look through
the table of contents and be like, all right, let's
see what this has to say. And Jim was quite candid.
(09:12):
Jim Prance was quite candid about it. So that is
one of my favorite chapters as well. And I don't
know that people understand how significant Smoky Eunich was to
the sport and to the foundation of the sport and
how accomplished he was. He uh, not only helped build
cars for NASCAR, but he helped build a ninty five
hundred winning car. And so again it's not even just
(09:34):
NASCAR mavericks. There's several chapters and people in our book
that are really kind of across all the auto racing spectrum,
and he would be one of them. But it's always
an interesting story, and I think you were right. You've
really hit on a good one that people will be
very curious about. And the fact that Jim spoke about
it tells you, you know, he acknowledges as much.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
All Right, your personal opinion, Holly, do you think I
think Smokey will ever get a chance to a just
be on the ballot. I don't think he's ever been
on the ballot for the Hall of Fame and then
eventually get into the Hall of Fame. Could this book,
Could this help be the turning point of changing the narrative?
Speaker 2 (10:14):
That would be great to think. You know, I've got
to believe that at some point he is on the ballot.
You know. That's what's interesting about our sport. It's young
enough that everybody still knows everybody and has grudges, but
also has you know, very distinct thoughts about it. So
I would like to hope that he at least goes
(10:35):
up for consideration. And I don't think that I wouldn't
completely say that can't happen.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
Well, A good segue as you were talking there about
there's folks in this book that kind of go more
than just NASCAR, and I wanted to ask about another
specific person which I know you did write about, and
that's Mario Andretti. I was surprised that Mario was included,
and because you wrote the section interested in this discussion.
And the reason that I was surprised he was in
(11:04):
there is because I think everybody can agree Mario is
a very accomplished race car driver, a very accomplished individual.
He deserves to be all the accolades, right. But when
I thought of NASCAR Mavericks and NASCAR specifically, Mario just
never struck me as someone that did a whole lot here. Now.
I know he won the Daytona five hundred, right, he
(11:26):
ran some races. So you, as the person who wrote
that section, Holly, why is it important or why do
you think that he does deserve to be in this
category when you talk about NASCAR mavericks. What do you
think his stamp on the sport was that he should
still be considered as a NASCAR driver when most people
think of him as an open wheel driver for all
(11:46):
he did there.
Speaker 2 (11:48):
Well, to be honest with you, Kelly, that's exactly why
I think he's a maverick. His acclaim. People know him
for the Formula one title and obviously for his indiecar stuff.
And you know, I meet people all the time that
still don't even know that Mario Andretti won a Daytona
five hundred. And So to me, what more of a
maverick can there be than somebody that made their name,
(12:09):
that did all of these great things in their career
in other sports, but yet still came into NASCAR and
won the greatest race in the sport. So to me,
that's why Mario had to be included.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
That's interesting. I think again it's something because to your point,
and I do the same thing you think of Mario,
you think of open wheel, and yes, he won the
Daytona five hundred, So I kind of bridging that gap though,
of he's a guy that could probably do everything right
like in today's generation we think of Tony Stewart Kyle Larson.
(12:40):
So this could also be an educational chapter for folks.
I think, to your point right of who he is
and what he did, and the fact that you mentioned
that folks don't know he won a Daytona five hundred,
that just shocked me.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
Well, I really believe that. I mean, maybe more of
the younger generation, but certainly people forget that he won
a Daytona five hundred. And it's a similar story with
aj Foyd. He also wanted Daytona five hundred. I mean,
if you think about the greatest American open wheel racing
car drivers to have, those two have come into NASCAR,
(13:13):
not run very many races, and one the biggest race
that NASCAR holds. I mean, to me, that's absolutely amazing.
And I remember when I first started covering the sport,
allen'ser Junior would compete in the Daytona five hundred, and
that was at a time where he was like a
superstar and IndyCar and I will never forget that. So,
(13:34):
I mean it speaks to what NASCAR means and what
the Daytona five hundred in particular means in the world
of racing that you have guys that care that much
and also, by the way, have to be super talented
to come in and beat all these stock car drivers.
I mean, can you imagine how pissed off the rest
of the field is at that point?
Speaker 1 (13:52):
Yeah? All that, No, you're absolutely true another, of course,
or should I say the France family is littered throughout
the book, of course? Naturally I got a kick out
of the parts about Bill Junior, because there was a
whole section of like Bill Junior's words of wisdom, and
I've always heard that that he was good for some singers.
Right when you were covering the sport, did you ever
(14:13):
interact with him or do you remember particular moment.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
I want to hear some stories. Well, let me tell you.
When I worked at the Tampa Paper for many years
and then I went out to the Dallas Morning News,
so the Texas Motor Speedway became my track of records,
and at that time Bruton was running speedway motorsports, and
so he wanted two races at Texas Motor Speedway, and
(14:39):
at one point even offered to pay a million dollars
whatever he had to do for Bill Junior, who was
still running the sport at the time, to give him
two dates. And Bill was not going to do it.
Not going to do it. And I remember one of
the races that was at Texas, there was trouble with
the track, and I remember mister France and Bruton kind
of going, you know, one on one, and it was
(15:02):
really very interesting. But I did know Bill Junior, and
I have to say he was always very kind to me.
But also very frank Let's just say, when you ask
him a question, you were going to get an answer.
And it was very interesting. I loved when he was around,
and I look back and I'm so grateful that I
was able to cover the sport at that time. It
(15:24):
was a different time. There is no question the personalities
and you know, how they went about things. It was
very different than the sport is today, right, But yeah,
he was. He was great to cover, and you know, frankly,
I feel like there was a story constantly going on
and the whole thing with Bruton and him, you know,
(15:47):
and Bruton also is in the book clearly. I mean,
you know, he has to be as well. And there
were days there in those mid nineties where Bruton was
trying to have races at his tracks and they built
all of these race tracks and it was very much
I don't know if it struggles the right word, but
a lot of strategy going on to see how they
(16:07):
could make those new tracks pay off.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
I've always heard great things about Bill Junior in that
sense of he did what he had to do to
run the sport, but he was great to cover, and again,
he was a character. So I loved the section of
this book where there was the Little Singers in the
Words of Wisdom, because I think that's true to form
for him. The book, as you said, it is littered
(16:30):
with a lot of names you expect in there, the Frances,
Humpy Wheeler, the Brutin Smith's, Chad Canouse's from a more
recent generation. But I was also surprised, Holly, because there's
quite a few names that, at least for me, I
didn't recognize. Right, I didn't recognize Soaphie Castle's I didn't
(16:52):
recognize ed Auto, I didn't recognize I hope I pronounced
the name right, Mamie Reynolds. So there's a few in
there that were new to me that I think a
younger generation is going to learn all about. Do you
think that's the case as well. I mean, I don't
want to put words in your mouth, but I feel
like those sections are going to be very educational because
(17:14):
it's very easy to think about, as I said, the
France family, the Smiths, the crew chiefs, and the drivers.
But there are some names and some characters in there
that are not as well known but had a huge
impact in the sport. When you sit and read those.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Sections, well, absolutely you bring up a great point and
a lot of times and we noticed this in life, right,
you don't always know the names of the people that
are doing the work behind the scenes or that have
done things, you know, because sometimes there's a bigger personality
that's willing to step into the spotlight or step into
whatever it is for me. I come out and I say,
you know, I was very interested in a lot of
(17:51):
the women that did things coming up. I learned things
doing this book, you know, with the Sarah Christian Lois Smith.
A lot of what they did in the early days
I was unaware of and found it very interesting. And
one of the people that you were bringing up, I'm
trying to think Alexis.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
Yes, Alexis Lyrics.
Speaker 2 (18:15):
I've heard the name.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
I've heard the name in recent years because I think
it's been brought up more in like the NMPA setting
and some folks. But that even that, So that's the
first though I've heard, even over the last couple of
years of that name. So, but that's another one too.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
And she got into it, like you and I. She
was a reporter. She eventually ended up being Bill Frantz
Junior secretary and then did a lot of stuff in
the public relations world. And I'm using the term secretary,
and you know, it's not a very modern way to
describe all of the different things that she did, but
she was responsible for a whole lot of running things
(18:52):
at NASCAR and a lot of ideas. She was kind
of an idea person, and she also had a marvelous
way with people, so she could kind of to maybe
make things, you know, Greece's skids a little bit, to
make things work among people and have different ideas come
to fruition, just because of her personality and what she
brought that way. So I thought, you know, you bring
(19:12):
up such a good point because I thought, you know,
there were people. I'm one of the authors of the book,
and I found out a lot of new information, so
that to me says a whole lot about it too.
And the other thing I really loved. And I apologize
if I'm jumping ahead, but there's some real characters in there, right,
I mean, there were some things that you couldn't even
believe happened. One of them was, I apologize, I'm looking
(19:36):
through my notes so that I get so that I
say his name correctly. One of them was driving for
he only competed in one race and then he went missing.
Does this so there to you l W to LW.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
Wright? I was gonna say.
Speaker 2 (19:52):
So. He bought a car from Cuckoo and Sterling, Marlin
and Tennessee to run one race at Talladega, ended up
getting parked in in the middle of the race because
he was too slow. He had never driven. How he
even got a NASCAR license is you know, up for debate.
And then he never finished paying for the car and
he disappeared for you know, decades. So I mean, you
(20:13):
read that and you think that can't be true, that's fictional,
but no, it was really true. And so those are
kind of some of the things that even if you
think you know everything about NASCAR, it's really interesting. And
again I'm not just saying this is an author, but
you know who knows. Attention spans these days are not
what they used to be. And in four or five
pages you can read a fantastic story that you probably
(20:36):
had no idea about, about someone that you didn't realize
or impact on the sport.
Speaker 1 (20:40):
Right, and the way the book is presented you mentioned
this earlier. You don't have to read it front to
back like a book. If you want to jump around
and look at different sections, or oh, I'm really interested
in this person or this car, which is another thing
to bring up. It's not just personalities. There were some
different cars and ingenuity things that were mentioned in this
book as well.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
So it's literally little Hudson hornets.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
Yes, it's a little bit of everything from the sport
that folks can take in. Is there someone Holly or
something that got left on the cutting room floor that
didn't get included, but anything that comes to mind, Well.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
I think that we did a really nice job of
getting interesting informational things out over the course. The book
is divided by decades. But I think obviously the first
thing Herb and I said is, you know, we could
already do a second volume right now, because so much
has happened in modern day NASCAR, right even the past
(21:38):
couple of years. You could do it. And there's just
been so many wonderful personalities and impactful people to write
about that you know, we could do a second book
immediately on different people for sure.
Speaker 1 (21:54):
All Right, Well this is on the record now, so
if there's a second book, I'm going to say I
was the first one to know about that that could
be a possibility. Who did you enjoy writing about in
the sections that you did. We talked about it off
air before we started recording. A lot of your stuff
is from a more recent generation, so the Bush Brothers
are included, Tony Stewart, Chad Canals.
Speaker 2 (22:14):
But of the.
Speaker 1 (22:15):
Things that you worked on, what did you really enjoy
getting to dig into?
Speaker 2 (22:19):
I you may laugh about this, but I find the
Flock family so interesting, you know. I mean it's absolutely
let alone that one of them had a monkey in
the car with him. That's the you know, that's the
legend we hear about all the time. But their sister
was one of the good early women that competed in NASCAR.
(22:39):
So I always thought that was kind of interesting, and
you know, of the modern day, just taking an extra
dive in, you know, the Bush Brothers, it's really a
pretty fantastic story. I tease Kyle because I found out
in speaking with his parents. You know, he was like
a fantastic student in school and his best subject was physics.
(23:02):
I mean, he was really smart, and I always thought
that was interesting. Now, obviously from that he went auto racing.
He didn't go get a degree in physics from Harvard
or something. But you know the fact, to find out
a little bit of where they came from to make
them what they are, Where did they get that passion,
that drive, and then once they had success, how did
(23:25):
it kind of manifest itself? And so for me, it's
it's the stories of people, ordinary people that have this
great talent and what separates them into being able to
succeed with that talent. Because a lot of us think
we have a great talent at something. We all think
we're good at something. But being able to have an
outlet for that and then become a champion at that
(23:48):
talent is another story. So I really enjoyed that, and
I have over the course of the years, loved telling
those stories anyway, but getting to dive a little deeper
in this book was great.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
The book again covers so much, It's presented so beautifully.
It's going to be very educational. What is the most
important thing that you and Herb wanted to accomplish or
that you hope comes through with this book.
Speaker 2 (24:12):
Well, thank you Kelly for saying such kind things about it.
I mean, what we really want is for people to
smile when they're reading it or to say, damn, I
didn't know that or you know, just to come away
with something. I feel like in life right now, there's
a lot to be able to kind of escape into something.
(24:33):
And you know, maybe somebody's never even been to a
NASCAR race but might find the book very interesting. Maybe
they aren't even into the sport necessarily, but they're like,
this is pretty crazy. These people are interesting, and maybe
that makes them become more a part of it. And
you know, I'm lucky and Herb as well. And I
(24:53):
feel like just because I got to cover some of
these great I mean when I covered it, Richard Teddy
was still racing, I covered Dale Earn Heart. I came
into the sport as it was really really burgeoning, and
I'm so grateful for that. And it's very interesting to
see now these decades later, where it's gotten to the top,
to see how it's continued to manifest itself and change
(25:16):
and grow, and it's really a big blessing. And I
of course my mom is going to say this, Oh,
I bought these books for all my friends. I'm like, well, Mom, okay,
And you know what though, I've shown them pre orders
and they are extremely fascinated by it. So that's what
we really hope is that it's the story and you know,
(25:38):
hopefully somebody says, I'm going to check out a NASCAR
race after they read some of those.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
It is available for pre order. I believe release day
is November twelfth, If I have that correct, I'm sure
it'll be available wherever books are sold. It's going to
be pretty popular. But for you, Holly, one thing I
wanted to ask about you specifically is because you said
about Herb he's written books. But I believe having you
also so previously authored a book, is there another book
(26:02):
out there folks can find by you.
Speaker 2 (26:05):
Yes, there is. I actually did a book on Rusty
Wallace on his final season, and what was really great
about that was it was something that Rusty and I
started going into speed weeks at the beginning of the
year and then we would talk on the phone or
I would see him at the racetrack every single week.
And so Rusty's Last calls the name of the book.
(26:27):
But it's really and even looking back at it now,
especially because it's a different era, if you think about it,
it's really very interesting. And it also has a whole
lot about his family and how he started racing, and
we just kind of take a lot of these competitors
and stars and look at him now and don't really
realize what they came through. And he had a fairly
(26:48):
humble background coming up. So thank you for even noting it.
But I think you can get a pretty good deal
on those now.
Speaker 1 (26:56):
I will actually be going and looking for it, because
I did not even know that until I was doing, obviously,
of course, my research for this conversation, and it said
that you had authored a book, and I had no
idea you had already authored one. So I will go
and look for it, and I'll be sure to tell
everybody where to find it once I find it, so
I'll help.
Speaker 2 (27:12):
Me spread the work. All right.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
As we wrap up this conversation, I said, November twelfth
is released day. Folks can pre order NASCAR Mavericks. Now
it'll be available everywhere for you, Holly. Just tell folks
where they can follow or engage with you, either about
the book or about racing, because I know that you
are on social and you are available, and I'm sure
you love like me just talking to people about racing I.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
Do, and you do a really good job of that, Kelly,
I must say, you're really so you know you engage
with people so much that they really really enjoyed. You
can see it when you look at your Twitter. But
I'm on Twitter at Holly Kane, but it's an underlined
at underline Holly Kane, c Ai N And I'm on
Instagram's Holly Kane as well, So those are the two
(27:57):
social platforms. And then I write for the NASCAR wire Service,
so hopefully I'm in your newspaper quite a bit on
the weekends during the season.
Speaker 1 (28:06):
Well not only that, but you are also on racer
dot com because there's times where we pull the wire service,
So Holly Kane has appeared on racer dot com as well.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
So funny, you're very proud, Kelly, and now you're that's
a big deal my son. Really it boots my standing
with my son when I'm on racer dot com.
Speaker 1 (28:23):
I don't know about that, but yes, I'm glad to
have your name alongside mine. I love getting to interact
with you in the media center. Once again, the book
is fantastic. I hope folks check it out. I'm still
even making my way through it because, as we talked about,
you can just jump around and go back and read
stuff because it's so unbelievable that I think you have
to read it maybe two or three times to believe
(28:45):
that it actually happens. So Holly, thanks for holding the
fork down today to have the conversation about the book.
I hope a lot of people buy it, and I
will see you at the track soon, my friend.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
I will see you there next week. Thank you, Kelly.
I really appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (29:05):
It's always a good day when I can talk to Holly,
and I really loved this conversation. Anything to promote this
fantastic piece of work, So go buy it is available now,
as I said at the top of the show, online
pre order or check it out in stores beginning tomorrow.
Make sure you follow Holly's work. Let me say one
more time. She is just a gem of a human being,
well respected, well accomplished in this sport. And you can
find her work on the NASCAR wire service, nascar dot
(29:27):
com picks it up, it's all over as I said,
it's on Racer as well, and follow her on social media.
Just an absolute pleasure to always get to see and
speak to Miss Holly. Herb couldn't join us but her brand.
I'm another accomplished individual in the NASCAR Space is the
co author of this book. We held down the fort
I think we made her proud talking about the book
and hopefully you will want to go buy it herb
(29:49):
again another excellent human being. I hate that he couldn't
join us for the conversation, but Holly and I had
a fun time. If you enjoyed what you heard today,
please leave a rating and review. You can also go
to social media and interact with me there. Handle is
at Kelly crandall. You can also find me buy that
name on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube. Appreciate you
clicking and listening, downloading, talking about the podcast, letting me
(30:11):
know what you think. It has been another fun year
and we will have one more episode to wrap up
the season and it's going to be another really good one.
Next week we're gonna chat with a group of folks
behind the RFK Racing social media channels, because if you
are like me and follow social media religiously with this
job and with this sport, I think you will notice
(30:31):
that RFK Racing has a lot of fun and they
are a little bit different in how they approach their
social media and their updates. And I wanted to dig
into that and go behind the scenes of how it works.
So that's coming to you next week on the final
episode at least of right now, of this season on
the Racing Writers podcast, Story
Hey, everyone, Welcome to the Racing Writers Podcast. I'm your host,
Kelly crandall. Our guest today is Holly Kane of the
NASCAR Wire Service, a longtime beat reporter in this sport,
one of the most accomplished and well respected members of
the NASCAR Media corp. But Holly is here today to
talk about a new book she has co authored with
her BRANDUM. It's called Nascar Mavericks, The Rebels and Racers
who Revolutionize Stock Car Racing. Available now still on pre
(00:29):
order if you are listening to this when the episode
drops on November eleventh, but starting tomorrow November twelfth, it
will be in bookstores wherever books are sold, as well
as online. It is an absolutely fantastic and beautifully done
coffee table book. And that's what we're going to talk
about with Holly today, how the book came together, when
it's co authored, between herself and HERB putting the project together,
what constitutes a maverick. And then we're going to dig
(00:51):
into specific sections of the book because there were things
in there that stood out to me and I wanted
to get Holly's thoughts on. So we are digging into
a brand new piece of work for NASCAR fans to enjoy.
It's perfect as the holiday season is coming up. And
as you will learn in our conversation, it's not a
book that you have to read cover to cover. It
is a coffee table book with tons of beautifully illustrated
(01:12):
pictures and you can jump around and learn about different
people and things in this sport over the years that
have made it great. So I hope you enjoy the conversation,
maybe you learn something along the way, and in the
end go pick up the book. Let's jump in with
Holly Kane right here on the Racing Writer's Podcast. All Right,
(01:35):
the wonderful Holly Kane is here. I'm so excited about
this because I get to talk to you at the
racetrack and now I get to sing your praises you
and Herb about this wonderful book. As we jump into
this and I don't even know, really, hollywork to start
other than let me make a statement. It's a fantastic
looking coffee table book. The publisher did a great job,
of course with the pictures. The stories in this book
(01:57):
are awesome. So when I talk about where to begin here,
how about for you when you get involved in a
project like this, and you wrote different sections. How do
you even start with something like this because the title
is NASCAR Mavericks and I'm thinking, gosh, that's kind of broad.
So where are did you start in that regard?
Speaker 2 (02:17):
It's broad and there are several of them, right, I mean,
there was no problem finding Mavericks for this NASCAR Mavericks book,
no doubt about that. You know, my co writer, Herb Branham,
and I just to give you a little bit of background,
we worked together at the Tampa Tribune my first job
out of college, and actually we worked on the auto
(02:39):
racing beat, and then eventually I took it over for
him as he moved on to do some other beats.
So we go way back, and racing is kind of
our common bond, and he's the one that got me
real involved. I started covering racing in nineteen ninety nineteen
ninety one, so knowing him and kind of how he
(03:00):
looks at it, and as I joked, I mean, there's
no shortage of mavericks in a sense. This whole sport
is based on the idea of being a maverick, right,
It was based on you know, one person's vision. Bill
France Senior's vision and let's make it go of it
with something that had never been done before.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
As we talk about NASCAR mavericks, and I know I
asked this in Darlington to you and Herb, but I
want to get it on the podcast for folks who
maybe didn't hear that press conference trying to define what
a NASCAR maverick is or just trying to put together
a book of who do we include, who doesn't get included?
Who do we leave out? Oh, we got to make
sure this person gets in. What was that like for
(03:41):
you or was that predetermined before you even got involved
type of thing like? Was it determined by other people
or was that something you and Herb had to work
through of how do we go about figuring out who
gets included in this?
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Right? Right? Absolutely? Well, I think certainly with the idea
for the book, there were some op people to include,
and Herb had some ideas and I had some ideas,
and so it really was a conglomeration of the publisher,
Herb and I and even as we started going, we thought,
you know, what, this person would be good And what
I honestly love about it is that it's not not
(04:18):
always just necessarily it's someone that just kind of maybe
thought of something new that was very inbented. And it
could also be somebody that went against the grain and
was willing to right and those are all very interesting.
And what I like about the format of the book
is that the chapters are very short, and so what
you can do is if you were interested maybe in Okay,
(04:39):
well you know, what did Humpy wheel or bring to
the table that was so interesting? Or what about the
wood brothers pitting cars at the ndy five hundred, you know,
you can go and you can read it. You can
just find it and go and see what that was
all about. So it's it's mavericks, somebody that you know,
or people that brought something to the sport, but also
people that dared to challenge.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
One thing that is really interesting for me is how
co authors will work together. I had a little bit
of experience with that doing the Nascara seventy five book
last year or almost two years ago now, and when
I started the project, you mentioned you and Herb already
have a relationship, but when you're trying to co author
and work on something together, can you share with us
(05:21):
what is that like, what's the process like? Of you
both splitting up who's doing what. You also had some
personal things you were going through, if you want to
share that, So just take us inside the world of
what it's like to not be the sole author and
having to co create with someone.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Sure, well, you're right. I had just been diagnosed with
cancer for the second time in December of twenty twenty three,
and this book was due early in twenty twenty four,
and Herb came to me and said, you know, I'd
really like you to work on this book with me.
And so what we did is we kind of looked
at ideas that maybe I had, you know, background or
(06:00):
some experience in that I thought, you know, would would
suit me better. And then Herb had some as well.
And he's written several other books, and you know, he
ended up leaving the journalism business and going to work
for NASCAR and knows you know, the Frances very well
and Jim Hunter, and so he kind of had that,
and he's written books on Bill France, so he had
(06:22):
a different kind of insight that obviously lended itself to that.
The other great thing was calling people and asking them
to give us interviews for whatever it may be, and
them being so willing to do it, you know, whether
it was darro Waltrip being like yep, I know, I
have ruffled feathers and I did this, or even sometimes
talking to journalists that had covered the sport, you know,
(06:45):
like Steve Wade was fantastic able to talk about all
sorts of things in the seventies and eighties, and you know,
so the people that we got to interview for the
different sections that we had were absolutely you know, it's
important to us, and I think that you were also
one of the people that we spoke with to kind
(07:05):
of help give us insight on this because your work,
well not only covering it, but your work on the
seventy fifth anniversary book had a lot of you know,
you were very prepared for it, and you were very
aware and familiar with a lot of the stories. So
that's really kind of how we went about it.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
I appreciate that. I want to jump into a few
things in particular that I pulled out from looking at
the book. I don't believe you wrote this section, but
I think that you're educated enough, Holly, you can speak
to it. Because he comes up all the time in discussion,
and that's Smoky Unit and I loved the section on Smokey.
First off, I love the way it was written, and
I don't want to spoil it for folks, but I
(07:44):
just loved the very upfront, straightforward way it was written.
And I was very, very surprised about how much he
actually contributed to the sport that maybe I think folks
don't know about. And then the discussion of course about
him being inducted into the Hall of Fame. As you know,
that conversation comes up all the time, is there a snub?
(08:07):
Is it the France family? And there's actually quotes in
there from Jim France. So how important and how surprising
do you think fans will be to read that section,
particularly the part where as I just said, it's going
to tackle is there an actual snub? And then again
I don't want to give it away, but having quotes
in there from Jim France is pretty impressive.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Well, and you know what you've hit on what I
think is one of the greatest chapters in there, because
he's certainly a person that everyone knows about. He's like legendary,
but you don't hear a whole lot about him in
terms of modern day and like you said, and I
think the fact that Jim France was willing to speak
to him about him, I'm sorry to speak about him
(08:52):
says a whole lot. And really, how can you write
a book on NASCAR mavericks and not have Smokey Unuch
included in it. I mean to me that discwual of
buys the whole book if he is not in there.
And you're right, I hope that will be one of
those places where people might go immediately like look through
the table of contents and be like, all right, let's
see what this has to say. And Jim was quite candid.
(09:12):
Jim Prance was quite candid about it. So that is
one of my favorite chapters as well. And I don't
know that people understand how significant Smoky Eunich was to
the sport and to the foundation of the sport and
how accomplished he was. He uh, not only helped build
cars for NASCAR, but he helped build a ninty five
hundred winning car. And so again it's not even just
(09:34):
NASCAR mavericks. There's several chapters and people in our book
that are really kind of across all the auto racing spectrum,
and he would be one of them. But it's always
an interesting story, and I think you were right. You've
really hit on a good one that people will be
very curious about. And the fact that Jim spoke about
it tells you, you know, he acknowledges as much.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
All Right, your personal opinion, Holly, do you think I
think Smokey will ever get a chance to a just
be on the ballot. I don't think he's ever been
on the ballot for the Hall of Fame and then
eventually get into the Hall of Fame. Could this book,
Could this help be the turning point of changing the narrative?
Speaker 2 (10:14):
That would be great to think. You know, I've got
to believe that at some point he is on the ballot.
You know. That's what's interesting about our sport. It's young
enough that everybody still knows everybody and has grudges, but
also has you know, very distinct thoughts about it. So
I would like to hope that he at least goes
(10:35):
up for consideration. And I don't think that I wouldn't
completely say that can't happen.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
Well, A good segue as you were talking there about
there's folks in this book that kind of go more
than just NASCAR, and I wanted to ask about another
specific person which I know you did write about, and
that's Mario Andretti. I was surprised that Mario was included,
and because you wrote the section interested in this discussion.
And the reason that I was surprised he was in
(11:04):
there is because I think everybody can agree Mario is
a very accomplished race car driver, a very accomplished individual.
He deserves to be all the accolades, right. But when
I thought of NASCAR Mavericks and NASCAR specifically, Mario just
never struck me as someone that did a whole lot here. Now.
I know he won the Daytona five hundred, right, he
(11:26):
ran some races. So you, as the person who wrote
that section, Holly, why is it important or why do
you think that he does deserve to be in this
category when you talk about NASCAR mavericks. What do you
think his stamp on the sport was that he should
still be considered as a NASCAR driver when most people
think of him as an open wheel driver for all
(11:46):
he did there.
Speaker 2 (11:48):
Well, to be honest with you, Kelly, that's exactly why
I think he's a maverick. His acclaim. People know him
for the Formula one title and obviously for his indiecar stuff.
And you know, I meet people all the time that
still don't even know that Mario Andretti won a Daytona
five hundred. And So to me, what more of a
maverick can there be than somebody that made their name,
(12:09):
that did all of these great things in their career
in other sports, but yet still came into NASCAR and
won the greatest race in the sport. So to me,
that's why Mario had to be included.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
That's interesting. I think again it's something because to your point,
and I do the same thing you think of Mario,
you think of open wheel, and yes, he won the
Daytona five hundred, So I kind of bridging that gap though,
of he's a guy that could probably do everything right
like in today's generation we think of Tony Stewart Kyle Larson.
(12:40):
So this could also be an educational chapter for folks.
I think, to your point right of who he is
and what he did, and the fact that you mentioned
that folks don't know he won a Daytona five hundred,
that just shocked me.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
Well, I really believe that. I mean, maybe more of
the younger generation, but certainly people forget that he won
a Daytona five hundred. And it's a similar story with
aj Foyd. He also wanted Daytona five hundred. I mean,
if you think about the greatest American open wheel racing
car drivers to have, those two have come into NASCAR,
(13:13):
not run very many races, and one the biggest race
that NASCAR holds. I mean, to me, that's absolutely amazing.
And I remember when I first started covering the sport,
allen'ser Junior would compete in the Daytona five hundred, and
that was at a time where he was like a
superstar and IndyCar and I will never forget that. So,
(13:34):
I mean it speaks to what NASCAR means and what
the Daytona five hundred in particular means in the world
of racing that you have guys that care that much
and also, by the way, have to be super talented
to come in and beat all these stock car drivers.
I mean, can you imagine how pissed off the rest
of the field is at that point?
Speaker 1 (13:52):
Yeah? All that, No, you're absolutely true another, of course,
or should I say the France family is littered throughout
the book, of course? Naturally I got a kick out
of the parts about Bill Junior, because there was a
whole section of like Bill Junior's words of wisdom, and
I've always heard that that he was good for some singers.
Right when you were covering the sport, did you ever
(14:13):
interact with him or do you remember particular moment.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
I want to hear some stories. Well, let me tell you.
When I worked at the Tampa Paper for many years
and then I went out to the Dallas Morning News,
so the Texas Motor Speedway became my track of records,
and at that time Bruton was running speedway motorsports, and
so he wanted two races at Texas Motor Speedway, and
(14:39):
at one point even offered to pay a million dollars
whatever he had to do for Bill Junior, who was
still running the sport at the time, to give him
two dates. And Bill was not going to do it.
Not going to do it. And I remember one of
the races that was at Texas, there was trouble with
the track, and I remember mister France and Bruton kind
of going, you know, one on one, and it was
(15:02):
really very interesting. But I did know Bill Junior, and
I have to say he was always very kind to me.
But also very frank Let's just say, when you ask
him a question, you were going to get an answer.
And it was very interesting. I loved when he was around,
and I look back and I'm so grateful that I
was able to cover the sport at that time. It
(15:24):
was a different time. There is no question the personalities
and you know, how they went about things. It was
very different than the sport is today, right, But yeah,
he was. He was great to cover, and you know, frankly,
I feel like there was a story constantly going on
and the whole thing with Bruton and him, you know,
(15:47):
and Bruton also is in the book clearly. I mean,
you know, he has to be as well. And there
were days there in those mid nineties where Bruton was
trying to have races at his tracks and they built
all of these race tracks and it was very much
I don't know if it struggles the right word, but
a lot of strategy going on to see how they
(16:07):
could make those new tracks pay off.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
I've always heard great things about Bill Junior in that
sense of he did what he had to do to
run the sport, but he was great to cover, and again,
he was a character. So I loved the section of
this book where there was the Little Singers in the
Words of Wisdom, because I think that's true to form
for him. The book, as you said, it is littered
(16:30):
with a lot of names you expect in there, the Frances,
Humpy Wheeler, the Brutin Smith's, Chad Canouse's from a more
recent generation. But I was also surprised, Holly, because there's
quite a few names that, at least for me, I
didn't recognize. Right, I didn't recognize Soaphie Castle's I didn't
(16:52):
recognize ed Auto, I didn't recognize I hope I pronounced
the name right, Mamie Reynolds. So there's a few in
there that were new to me that I think a
younger generation is going to learn all about. Do you
think that's the case as well. I mean, I don't
want to put words in your mouth, but I feel
like those sections are going to be very educational because
(17:14):
it's very easy to think about, as I said, the
France family, the Smiths, the crew chiefs, and the drivers.
But there are some names and some characters in there
that are not as well known but had a huge
impact in the sport. When you sit and read those.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Sections, well, absolutely you bring up a great point and
a lot of times and we noticed this in life, right,
you don't always know the names of the people that
are doing the work behind the scenes or that have
done things, you know, because sometimes there's a bigger personality
that's willing to step into the spotlight or step into
whatever it is for me. I come out and I say,
you know, I was very interested in a lot of
(17:51):
the women that did things coming up. I learned things
doing this book, you know, with the Sarah Christian Lois Smith.
A lot of what they did in the early days
I was unaware of and found it very interesting. And
one of the people that you were bringing up, I'm
trying to think Alexis.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
Yes, Alexis Lyrics.
Speaker 2 (18:15):
I've heard the name.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
I've heard the name in recent years because I think
it's been brought up more in like the NMPA setting
and some folks. But that even that, So that's the
first though I've heard, even over the last couple of
years of that name. So, but that's another one too.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
And she got into it, like you and I. She
was a reporter. She eventually ended up being Bill Frantz
Junior secretary and then did a lot of stuff in
the public relations world. And I'm using the term secretary,
and you know, it's not a very modern way to
describe all of the different things that she did, but
she was responsible for a whole lot of running things
(18:52):
at NASCAR and a lot of ideas. She was kind
of an idea person, and she also had a marvelous
way with people, so she could kind of to maybe
make things, you know, Greece's skids a little bit, to
make things work among people and have different ideas come
to fruition, just because of her personality and what she
brought that way. So I thought, you know, you bring
(19:12):
up such a good point because I thought, you know,
there were people. I'm one of the authors of the book,
and I found out a lot of new information, so
that to me says a whole lot about it too.
And the other thing I really loved. And I apologize
if I'm jumping ahead, but there's some real characters in there, right,
I mean, there were some things that you couldn't even
believe happened. One of them was, I apologize, I'm looking
(19:36):
through my notes so that I get so that I
say his name correctly. One of them was driving for
he only competed in one race and then he went missing.
Does this so there to you l W to LW.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
Wright? I was gonna say.
Speaker 2 (19:52):
So. He bought a car from Cuckoo and Sterling, Marlin
and Tennessee to run one race at Talladega, ended up
getting parked in in the middle of the race because
he was too slow. He had never driven. How he
even got a NASCAR license is you know, up for debate.
And then he never finished paying for the car and
he disappeared for you know, decades. So I mean, you
(20:13):
read that and you think that can't be true, that's fictional,
but no, it was really true. And so those are
kind of some of the things that even if you
think you know everything about NASCAR, it's really interesting. And
again I'm not just saying this is an author, but
you know who knows. Attention spans these days are not
what they used to be. And in four or five
pages you can read a fantastic story that you probably
(20:36):
had no idea about, about someone that you didn't realize
or impact on the sport.
Speaker 1 (20:40):
Right, and the way the book is presented you mentioned
this earlier. You don't have to read it front to
back like a book. If you want to jump around
and look at different sections, or oh, I'm really interested
in this person or this car, which is another thing
to bring up. It's not just personalities. There were some
different cars and ingenuity things that were mentioned in this
book as well.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
So it's literally little Hudson hornets.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
Yes, it's a little bit of everything from the sport
that folks can take in. Is there someone Holly or
something that got left on the cutting room floor that
didn't get included, but anything that comes to mind, Well.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
I think that we did a really nice job of
getting interesting informational things out over the course. The book
is divided by decades. But I think obviously the first
thing Herb and I said is, you know, we could
already do a second volume right now, because so much
has happened in modern day NASCAR, right even the past
(21:38):
couple of years. You could do it. And there's just
been so many wonderful personalities and impactful people to write
about that you know, we could do a second book
immediately on different people for sure.
Speaker 1 (21:54):
All Right, Well this is on the record now, so
if there's a second book, I'm going to say I
was the first one to know about that that could
be a possibility. Who did you enjoy writing about in
the sections that you did. We talked about it off
air before we started recording. A lot of your stuff
is from a more recent generation, so the Bush Brothers
are included, Tony Stewart, Chad Canals.
Speaker 2 (22:14):
But of the.
Speaker 1 (22:15):
Things that you worked on, what did you really enjoy
getting to dig into?
Speaker 2 (22:19):
I you may laugh about this, but I find the
Flock family so interesting, you know. I mean it's absolutely
let alone that one of them had a monkey in
the car with him. That's the you know, that's the
legend we hear about all the time. But their sister
was one of the good early women that competed in NASCAR.
(22:39):
So I always thought that was kind of interesting, and
you know, of the modern day, just taking an extra
dive in, you know, the Bush Brothers, it's really a
pretty fantastic story. I tease Kyle because I found out
in speaking with his parents. You know, he was like
a fantastic student in school and his best subject was physics.
(23:02):
I mean, he was really smart, and I always thought
that was interesting. Now, obviously from that he went auto racing.
He didn't go get a degree in physics from Harvard
or something. But you know the fact, to find out
a little bit of where they came from to make
them what they are, Where did they get that passion,
that drive, and then once they had success, how did
(23:25):
it kind of manifest itself? And so for me, it's
it's the stories of people, ordinary people that have this
great talent and what separates them into being able to
succeed with that talent. Because a lot of us think
we have a great talent at something. We all think
we're good at something. But being able to have an
outlet for that and then become a champion at that
(23:48):
talent is another story. So I really enjoyed that, and
I have over the course of the years, loved telling
those stories anyway, but getting to dive a little deeper
in this book was great.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
The book again covers so much, It's presented so beautifully.
It's going to be very educational. What is the most
important thing that you and Herb wanted to accomplish or
that you hope comes through with this book.
Speaker 2 (24:12):
Well, thank you Kelly for saying such kind things about it.
I mean, what we really want is for people to
smile when they're reading it or to say, damn, I
didn't know that or you know, just to come away
with something. I feel like in life right now, there's
a lot to be able to kind of escape into something.
(24:33):
And you know, maybe somebody's never even been to a
NASCAR race but might find the book very interesting. Maybe
they aren't even into the sport necessarily, but they're like,
this is pretty crazy. These people are interesting, and maybe
that makes them become more a part of it. And
you know, I'm lucky and Herb as well. And I
(24:53):
feel like just because I got to cover some of
these great I mean when I covered it, Richard Teddy
was still racing, I covered Dale Earn Heart. I came
into the sport as it was really really burgeoning, and
I'm so grateful for that. And it's very interesting to
see now these decades later, where it's gotten to the top,
to see how it's continued to manifest itself and change
(25:16):
and grow, and it's really a big blessing. And I
of course my mom is going to say this, Oh,
I bought these books for all my friends. I'm like, well, Mom, okay,
And you know what though, I've shown them pre orders
and they are extremely fascinated by it. So that's what
we really hope is that it's the story and you know,
(25:38):
hopefully somebody says, I'm going to check out a NASCAR
race after they read some of those.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
It is available for pre order. I believe release day
is November twelfth, If I have that correct, I'm sure
it'll be available wherever books are sold. It's going to
be pretty popular. But for you, Holly, one thing I
wanted to ask about you specifically is because you said
about Herb he's written books. But I believe having you
also so previously authored a book, is there another book
(26:02):
out there folks can find by you.
Speaker 2 (26:05):
Yes, there is. I actually did a book on Rusty
Wallace on his final season, and what was really great
about that was it was something that Rusty and I
started going into speed weeks at the beginning of the
year and then we would talk on the phone or
I would see him at the racetrack every single week.
And so Rusty's Last calls the name of the book.
(26:27):
But it's really and even looking back at it now,
especially because it's a different era, if you think about it,
it's really very interesting. And it also has a whole
lot about his family and how he started racing, and
we just kind of take a lot of these competitors
and stars and look at him now and don't really
realize what they came through. And he had a fairly
(26:48):
humble background coming up. So thank you for even noting it.
But I think you can get a pretty good deal
on those now.
Speaker 1 (26:56):
I will actually be going and looking for it, because
I did not even know that until I was doing, obviously,
of course, my research for this conversation, and it said
that you had authored a book, and I had no
idea you had already authored one. So I will go
and look for it, and I'll be sure to tell
everybody where to find it once I find it, so
I'll help.
Speaker 2 (27:12):
Me spread the work. All right.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
As we wrap up this conversation, I said, November twelfth
is released day. Folks can pre order NASCAR Mavericks. Now
it'll be available everywhere for you, Holly. Just tell folks
where they can follow or engage with you, either about
the book or about racing, because I know that you
are on social and you are available, and I'm sure
you love like me just talking to people about racing I.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
Do, and you do a really good job of that, Kelly,
I must say, you're really so you know you engage
with people so much that they really really enjoyed. You
can see it when you look at your Twitter. But
I'm on Twitter at Holly Kane, but it's an underlined
at underline Holly Kane, c Ai N And I'm on
Instagram's Holly Kane as well, So those are the two
(27:57):
social platforms. And then I write for the NASCAR wire Service,
so hopefully I'm in your newspaper quite a bit on
the weekends during the season.
Speaker 1 (28:06):
Well not only that, but you are also on racer
dot com because there's times where we pull the wire service,
So Holly Kane has appeared on racer dot com as well.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
So funny, you're very proud, Kelly, and now you're that's
a big deal my son. Really it boots my standing
with my son when I'm on racer dot com.
Speaker 1 (28:23):
I don't know about that, but yes, I'm glad to
have your name alongside mine. I love getting to interact
with you in the media center. Once again, the book
is fantastic. I hope folks check it out. I'm still
even making my way through it because, as we talked about,
you can just jump around and go back and read
stuff because it's so unbelievable that I think you have
to read it maybe two or three times to believe
(28:45):
that it actually happens. So Holly, thanks for holding the
fork down today to have the conversation about the book.
I hope a lot of people buy it, and I
will see you at the track soon, my friend.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
I will see you there next week. Thank you, Kelly.
I really appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (29:05):
It's always a good day when I can talk to Holly,
and I really loved this conversation. Anything to promote this
fantastic piece of work, So go buy it is available now,
as I said at the top of the show, online
pre order or check it out in stores beginning tomorrow.
Make sure you follow Holly's work. Let me say one
more time. She is just a gem of a human being,
well respected, well accomplished in this sport. And you can
find her work on the NASCAR wire service, nascar dot
(29:27):
com picks it up, it's all over as I said,
it's on Racer as well, and follow her on social media.
Just an absolute pleasure to always get to see and
speak to Miss Holly. Herb couldn't join us but her brand.
I'm another accomplished individual in the NASCAR Space is the
co author of this book. We held down the fort
I think we made her proud talking about the book
and hopefully you will want to go buy it herb
(29:49):
again another excellent human being. I hate that he couldn't
join us for the conversation, but Holly and I had
a fun time. If you enjoyed what you heard today,
please leave a rating and review. You can also go
to social media and interact with me there. Handle is
at Kelly crandall. You can also find me buy that
name on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube. Appreciate you
clicking and listening, downloading, talking about the podcast, letting me
(30:11):
know what you think. It has been another fun year
and we will have one more episode to wrap up
the season and it's going to be another really good one.
Next week we're gonna chat with a group of folks
behind the RFK Racing social media channels, because if you
are like me and follow social media religiously with this
job and with this sport, I think you will notice
(30:31):
that RFK Racing has a lot of fun and they
are a little bit different in how they approach their
social media and their updates. And I wanted to dig
into that and go behind the scenes of how it works.
So that's coming to you next week on the final
episode at least of right now, of this season on
the Racing Writers podcast, Story
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