Kyle Petty to Publish Memoir

Member of First Family of American Auto Racing Discusses the Sports Origins, Navigating Important Issues of the Day, And What the Future Will Be

Coming in August 2022: “Swerve Or Die:” Life at My Speed in the First Family of NASCAR Racing

 

Kyle Petty will publish his memoir, SWERVE OR DIE: Life at My Speed in the First Family of NASCAR Racing, with St. Martin’s Press on August 9, 2022, co-written with bestselling author Ellis Henican.

 

Kyle Petty is NASCAR royalty. Son of the legendary “King,” Richard Petty, and grandson of one of the founders of the sport, Lee Petty, he has dedicated his life to the most popular form of American auto racing. St. Martin’s Publishing Group senior editor Michael Homler acquired North American rights from Peter McGuigan at Ultra Literary. The book will be available in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.

 

A champion on, and off, the track, Kyle Petty presents the most thoughtful insider’s account of NASCAR that has ever been written. Not just a “I raced here, I won there,” SWERVE OR DIE will take a rare deep dive into how the great American racing circuit has become so controversial and how it’s Southern-bred worldview is shaking American life yet again. In the book he presents deeply personal stories from his racing career: what it was like following in the footsteps of his father, the greatest driver the sport has ever known (Richard), his grandfather (Lee), credited as one of the sport’s founders, and also the moment he learned his young son Adam was killed in a crash during a practice run. By taking us through the history of the sport and it’s many dramatic moments, Petty pulls back the curtain of why today’s NASCAR is dealing with many wrenching societal issues and how it will go about handling them.

 

Petty also lays out his vision for the future of the sport in a quickly changing world. How will it keep its long-time fans while growing their future fan base after seeing the rapid rise of the sport in the early part of the 21st century come to a huge slow down? Could the sport, whose roots started in the dirt tracks of America's hinterlands, become a global leader in “green” vehicles?

 

NASCAR's King Richard Petty with Young Kyle Petty

 

 

Kyle Petty is a former NASCAR racer and current commentator on NBC Sports. He is the son of 7 time NASCAR champion Richard Petty, the grandson of racer Lee Petty, credited as one of the founding fathers of the sport, and the father of the late racer Adam Petty, tragically killed in a practice crash in May of 2000. Kyle last drove the #45 Dodge Charger for Petty Enterprises, where he formerly served as CEO. He is an in-demand public speaker and is active in many charitable causes, including Victory Junction, a camp that serves children with serious medical conditions, founded in honor of his son, Adam. He also leads an annual motorcycle ride, the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America.

 

Ellis Henican is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, a popular TV pundit and a multi-New York Times bestselling author.

 

SWERVE OR DIE is available for preorder now: CLICK HERE

 

Kyle’s story is a uniquely American one about a uniquely American sport. I highly recommend it.
Jay Leno

Kyle has a powerful voice, a bottomless heart and a real gift for bringing people together. His life story is packed with lessons for all of us.
Herschel Walker

I’ll tell you what: Kyle doesn’t believe in keeping secrets.
Richard Petty

 

Who saw The King on @kylepetty’s TV show @dinnerdrivekp? pic.twitter.com/yr9ZpDDuJo

— Richard Petty (@therichardpetty) September 29, 2021

 

 

 

source: NASCAR Media