Читать книгу 1001 NASCAR Facts - John Close - Страница 6

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Wisconsin native John Close grew up with racing in the 1950s, cheering on his father’s Jalopy stock cars four or five nights a week around the Badger State.

After earning a Journalism/Mass Communications degree from the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh, Close began covering racing events in the early 1980s. He worked his first NASCAR race as a professional media member in 1986 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Since then, Close (a former Associated Press newspaper sports editor at the Daily Jefferson County Union in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin) has written countless articles for top racing publications including Stock Car Racing, Circle Track, NASCAR Illustrated, and Speedway Illustrated magazines. His work has also appeared in National Speed Sport, Winston Cup Scene, Checkered Flag Racing News, and Midwest Racing News industry trade journals/newspapers.

In 1994, Close became a full-time NASCAR media member and moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, to assume public relations duties for driver Bobby Labonte and the No. 22 Maxwell House Pontiac Winston Cup team. For the next two decades, Close facilitated and managed media and marketing projects for multiple NASCAR Cup, Xfinity, and Truck Series teams including Richard Petty Motorsports, Hendrick Motorsports, and Ultra Motorsports.

John Close sits in one of his father’s cars in the 1950s.

The biggest thrills in Close’s racing career came as a spotter in more than 150 NASCAR Cup, Nationwide, and Truck events from 1995 to 2008. His drivers finished in the top-10 in 25 percent of the NASCAR events he spotted; his best effort was a victory with driver Donny Lia in the 2008 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Mansfield, Ohio. Close also called many premiere short-track events around the country during this time including winning efforts in the Snowball Derby at Pensacola, Florida, and the Miller Nationals at Slinger, Wisconsin, with driver Rich Bickle.

Publisher’s Note: In reporting history, the images required to tell the tale will vary greatly in quality, especially by modern photographic standards. While some images in this volume are not up to those digital standards, we have included them, as we feel they are an important element in telling the story.