Racing to the Finish: My Story

Written by Dale Earnhardt Jr and Ryan McGee

Narrated by Dale Earnhardt Jr and Gabe Wicks

Racecar driver Earnhardt was at the top of his game—until a minor crash resulted in a concussion that would eventually end his 18-year career. In his only authorized book, Dale shares the inside track on his life and work, reflects on NASCAR, the loss of his dad, and his future as a broadcaster, businessperson, and family man.

It was a seemingly minor crash at Michigan International Speedway in June 2016 that ended the day early for NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt Jr. What he didn’t know was that it would also end his driving for the year. He’d dealt with concussions before, but no two are the same. Recovery can be brutal, and lengthy.

When Dale retired from professional stock car racing in 2017, he walked away from his career as a healthy man. But for years, he had worried that the worsening effects of multiple racing-related concussions would end not only his time on the track but his ability to live a full and happy life.

Torn between a race-at-all-costs culture and the fear that something was terribly wrong, Earnhardt tried to pretend that everything was fine, but the private notes about his escalating symptoms that he kept on his phone reveal a vicious cycle: suffering injuries on Sunday, struggling through the week, then recovering in time to race again the following weekend. In this candid reflection, Earnhardt opens up for the first time about:

• The physical and emotional struggles he faced as he fought to close out his career on his own terms
• His frustration with the slow recovery from multiple racing-related concussions
• His admiration for the woman who stood by him through it all
• His determination to share his own experience so that others don’t have to suffer in silence

Steering his way to the final checkered flag of his storied career proved to be the most challenging race and most rewarding finish of his life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Release date: Oct 16, 2018
• ISBN: 9780785221500

Dale Earnhardt Jr

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is an American professional stock car racing driver, champion team owner, businessman, NASCAR analyst, and inductee into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. He won a record 15-straight NASCAR Most Popular Driver awards from 2003 to 2017, consecutive NASCAR Busch Series Championships in 1998 and 1999, and the prestigious Daytona 500 in 2004 and 2014. He is the author of the?New York Times?bestselling?Racing to the Finish?and?Driver #8, as well as the Buster the Race Car children's book series. Dale lives in Mooresville, North Carolina, with his wife, Amy, and their two daughters, Isla and Nicole.

Reviews for Racing to the Finish

[Kaylynn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A wonderful story of Junior's road to recovery after sustaining multiple concussions behind the wheel, and his journey of overcoming racing's traditional perceptions of injury. A great man and a great message.

[foof2you · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Dale Jr. concussions are the focus of this book. This book is an honest hard looking at one mans issues with dealing with concussions and they affected his life and what ultimately took him out of racing. It is not a woe is me story.

[jreynolds1959 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Because this book is written by Dale Earnhardt Jr, people will assume it is about racing. Don't put it down knowing that it is not. This is a very personal diatribe by Dale about the terrible personal issues he was having with concussions suffered as a racecar driver.
Dale has such a history in NASCAR, along with his whole family. I believe this was so important to him to let people know that there is so much that can be done to help anyone with head injuries, including concusssions. I am glad that I continued to read this.

[utbw42 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love NASCAR and while he was driving, Junior was my favorite driver, so naturally I gravitated towards this book. I kept my expectations in check before I read it, not really expecting a work of Shakespeare or Jules Verne, but this book really surprised me. It was informative, honest, well-written, and really had a "page-turner" feel to it. It also explains a lot of things that fans like me wondered about him during certain times late in his career. I would highly recommend it for people who like autobiographies, or even partial autobiographies, of athletes or others in positions of high visibility, as it is much better written than anyone would expect.

[nlb1050 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I found that this book while it has a lot of personal information it has even more information about concussions. It is a well written book. Even if you don't like auto racing this is book you can read and enjoy.