Book offers glimpse into NASCAR vault

Remember when Geraldo Rivera covered the opening of Al Capone's vault on prime time TV? All he had to show for two hours of airtime was an empty bottle, a lot of dirt, and a pretty hefty blow to his credibility as a serious journalist.

Well, NASCAR has a vault of its own, so to speak. And this one isn't empty. In fact, it's filled with treasures from more than 50 years of stock car racing.

The NASCAR Vault Book, published by becker & mayer! Books, showcases a myriad of photos and memorabilia that spans the history of NASCAR.

Now available in the NASCAR.com SuperStore, the 192-page publication is part of the new NASCAR Library Collection. The NASCAR Vault Book features more than 150 photographs complemented by more than two dozen pieces of reproduced memorabilia from NASCAR's own archives. The removable memorabilia are packaged in plastic sleeves to make for easy viewing.

With the price of original examples of memorabilia often being cost-prohibitive, this publication affords most fans their only opportunity to see those artifacts up close. These items represent the true collectibles of motorsports.

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"You can actually the memorabilia out of the book, hold it and get a feel for what racing was like in the early days," said becker & meyer! associate editor Connor Risch. "It energizes the reader like being at an actual race. You'll find things like reproductions of old stickers, tickets from races that were held on the sand at Daytona, a program from the first-ever NASCAR race... The assortment of memorabilia comes right on up through the years to present day with replica items like a program from the first awards banquet in New York City and a ticket from Dale Earnhardt's Daytona 500 victory."

Here is a synopsis of some of the items found in The NASCAR Vault:

The NASCAR Vault Book was co-authored by Herb Branham of NASCAR Public Relations and Buz McKim of NASCAR Archives.

"Both are longtime racing fans and NASCAR employees," said Risch, "so they did an outstanding job of documenting the history of the sport for The NASCAR Vault Book. We also worked closely with Motorsports Images and Archives in securing memorabilia that was key to some of the most important events and time periods for NASCAR."

With more than 40 million books in print worldwide, becker & mayer! has been a leader in the publishing arena for more than 25 years, specializing in nonfiction topics. The company has long been recognized as one of the industry's great innovators. Hence, the concept of removable memorabilia found in the NASCAR Vault Book.

"One of our recent books, entitled 'Lennon Legend,' is about John Lennon," explained Anna Johnson, sales and marketing director for the publisher. "It has removable reproductions of handwritten song lyrics, artwork and rare memorabilia from the Lennon family collection. We're also working on a similar book about Frank Sinatra. The removable memorabilia format has gotten a tremendous response from readers. It is a perfect fit for NASCAR. For someone who is a true fan of NASCAR, this is a book you have to have. It brings to life the NASCAR experience. It isn't just a collector's book; it's a fan's book. NASCAR Vault is essentially a museum in a book."