Swerve or Die

Life at My Speed in the First Family of NASCAR Racing

By: Kyle Petty, Ellis Henican

Narrated by: Kyle Petty

Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

This program is read by Kyle Petty and Includes his performance of his original song, "Under the Big Top."

Stock-car racing star, country singer, and sports broadcaster Kyle Petty shares his familial legacy, intertwined with NASCAR’s founding and history, in Swerve or Die—written with Pulitzer Prize-winner Ellis Henican, the New York Times bestselling coauthor of In the Blink of an Eye.

“Born into racing royalty. The only son of NASCAR’s winningest driver ever. The grandson of one of the sport’s true pioneers. The nephew of our very first Hall of Fame engine builder. It’s quite a family to represent, and through it all, I’ve somehow managed to keep being Kyle.”

Kyle Petty won his very first stock-car race, the Daytona ARCA 200, in 1979 when he was eighteen. Hailed as a third-generation professional NASCAR racer, he became an instant celebrity in circles he had been around all his young life. Despite being the grandson and son of racing champions Lee Petty and Richard Petty, Kyle didn’t inherit innate talent. Working in his family’s North Carolina race shop from an early age, he learned all about car mechanics and maintenance long before he got behind the wheel. And although Kyle continued the family business, driving “Petty blue” colored cars emblazoned with his grandfather’s #42—a number once used by Marty Robbins—his career took a different route than his forebears’.

In Swerve or Die: Life at My Speed in the First Family of NASCAR Racing, Kyle chronicles his life on and off the racetrack, presenting his insider’s perspective of growing up throughout the sport’s popular rise in American culture. In between driving and running Petty Enterprises for thirty years, Kyle took some detours into country music, voiced Cal Weathers in Pixar’s Cars 3, and started his annual motorcycle Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America. And when his nineteen-year-old son Adam, a fourth-generation racing Petty, tragically lost his life on the track, Kyle founded Victory Junction, a camp for children with chronic and serious medical conditions in Adam’s name—with help from Academy Award-winning actor and motorsports enthusiast Paul Newman.

Filled with NASCAR history, stories of his family’s careers, and anecdotes about some of stock-car racing’s most famous drivers, Kyle’s memoir also tackles the sport’s evolution, discussing how welcoming diverse racers, improving car and track safety features, and integrating green technology will benefit NASCAR’s competitors and fans in the future.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press.

©2022 Kyle Petty and Ellis Henican (P)2022 Macmillan Audio

absolutely great

Listening to Kyle tell his story was truly amazing. Hearing the stories from when he was a kid and through his life and the life he lived being the son to The King. Highly recommend.

ok

seems like a good guys. Has no illusions of grandeur has a borderline interesting life story and some interesting points of view. It’s worth the time.

Exactly what I wanted!

Lots of great history, plenty of personal experiences. We get to see Kyle for who he is beyond Richard Pettys son and Adams dad. He tackles grief and change in the sport with dignity. I loved it.

Great read!!

Great read. Kyle Petty at his best. I am a true nascar fan. Enjoyed this book very much

Petty at his best

This book was both surprising and totally enjoyable. It had informative elements that were both funny and sad. I highly recommend it.

Faithful kyle petty fan my whole life

I’ve been a kyle petty fan since mellow yellow days so since I’m 6 or seven never gave up on him and when Adam pasted I felt like a lost a older brother and never met him that’s how the petty make you feel being a fan like your part of the family.. still wear my 45 hat regularly ❤️

Incredible Stories

Thank you for taking us on your journey, through the ups and downs triumphs and tragedy. Hearing this story deepens the respect I have for Kyle Petty and his impact on the sport.

Great story & history telling

Kyle Petty’s story was heartfelt . No one would be able to read his story, as well as Kyle. Tone, inflection and emotion was spot-on! I laughed, and cried along with Kyle.

Listening is better than reading for this book!!

Do yourself a favor and listen to this book. To hear Kyle read this book you can feel the emotion in his voice on the funny stories you can also feel his hurt and sadness from the tragedies that have been in his life. This book really open my eyes to more of Kyle Petty his family Their trials and their triumphs. Do yourself a favor and listen to this book all the way to the end and to hear the song at the end well that was just an unexpected surprise. Kyle, I wish you and your family the very best I will be following you and your music and I look forward to riding motorcycles with you again, Sincerely Mark

A Must Listen

Wonderful !! Something educational, personal, and emotional. Kudos to Kyle for giving his all. Thanks for sharing !