NASCAR fans like to boast that auto racing began the moment after the second car was built. NASCAR's crown jewel event, Florida's Daytona 500, recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. Narrated by Kevin Costner, filmmaker Rory Karpf's colorful CMT network documentary The Ride of Their Lives recounts the thrills, triumphs, tragedies, and feuds that have transformed this once modest event into a key race in one of America's favorite spectator sports. Back in the late 1950s, racers met on Daytona Beach, where founder Bill France soon realized that for safety and crowd control—not to mention profit—a large raceway was needed. In the early days, the sport remained true to its “racing by day, moonshining by night” Southern roots, and quickly evolved into (for many) a multi-generation family affair, both on the track and in the pit. Lee Petty and his son “King” Richard set the standard, and before long the crowds found themselves drawn to the personalities as much as the danger and spectacle, with the intense sense of competition sometimes spilling over into taunts before (and brawls after) the race. Founder France and his son Bill Jr. were determined to bring racing to national attention, with live television coverage, corporate sponsorship, and lucrative endorsement deals. The documentary also illustrates how NASCAR often reflected tensions in modern American society, particularly during the early, segregated days. Combining extensive interviews of Daytona racers past and present with a generous selection of racing (both vintage and contemporary) and behind-the-scenes footage, this will definitely appeal to serious fans, but casual observers will also enjoy this entertaining historical survey. DVD extras include over an hour's worth of bonus and extended interviews. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (S. Rees)
The Ride of Their Lives
(2009) 93 min. DVD: $24.99. Paramount Home Entertainment (avail. from most distributors). Closed captioned. ISBN: 1-4157-1731-1. Volume 24, Issue 3
The Ride of Their Lives
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