Race Fan’s Book Shelf: NASCAR Personalities Celebrate Their Pets

Credit: Paula Thompson/Skirts & Scuffs

Your first impression when looking through “Pit Road Pets: NASCAR Stars and Their Pets” and “Pit Road Pets: The Second Lap” will be “Awww, how cute!” But, once you start reading the anecdotes from these NASCAR drivers and personalities, you begin to realize just how important these animals are to the lives of their owners – or, in many instances, their “moms and dads.”

The original “Pit Road Pets” book was published in 2006 as a fundraiser for the Ryan Newman Foundation. The initial production run of 20,000 copies sold out and another publication of 20,000 soon followed. In 2010, the second book revisited some “family members” and introduced others to the NASCAR community. Each book purchased helped various charities that the Newmans, Ryan and his wife Krissie, held close to their hearts.

Some of the personalities you’ll meet in the “Pit Road Pets” books include: Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his pal Killer; Matt Kenseth’s buddies Lars, Charlotte, Miley and Sulley; Tony Stewart’s pups Kayle and Deuce along with cats Wyatt and Wylie; and, of course, Ryan and Krissie Newman’s half dozen - Digger, Harley, Socks, Fred, Mopar and Dunkin.

A portion of the proceeds from the first book went to the Humane Society of Catawba County in Hickory, NC. The proceeds from the second book went to both the Humane Alliance in Asheville, NC and towards the Ryan Newman Foundation’s goal of building a rescue ranch and animal and education center in North Carolina.

Copies of these books are still available through Amazon.com as well as through Ryan Newman’s website, www.ryannewman.org.