Austin, Texas — New from award-winning book publisher Octane Press, Trophies and Scars is the profoundly personal and remarkably revealing story of the life and times of NASCAR Hall of Famer Ray Evernham, as told to New York Times bestselling author Joe Garner. With forewords by motorsport legends Jeff Gordon, Rick Hendrick, and Roger Penske, the book will officially launch in March at one of the automotive world’s most celebrated events, The Amelia, with author signings and appearances scheduled across the weekend at the Golf Club of Amelia Island and Ritz Carlton hotel.
Trophies and Scars traces all the twists and turns of Ray Evernham’s fascinating life. A son of the Jersey Shore, he was dedicated to fulfilling his boyhood dream of becoming a professional race car driver, and by age eighteen, he was banging fenders with good success on the Northeast short track circuit. When his dreams of becoming an Indy car sensation literally crashed and burned, he turned to Roger Penske’s International Race of Champions (IROC), before another brutal crash forced him to give up his Indy dream for good.
It was time to change careers.
As a technical crew leader rather than driver, he developed new skills and strategies critical to building successful racing organizations. A brief, ill-fated, and downright volatile stint on Alan Kulwicki’s crew, turned into a “right place at the right time” scenario, sparking a seminal partnership with racing phenomenon Jeff Gordon. They would prove to be one of the most potent racing duos in history. Evernham shares previously untold tales of how the pair led the No. 24 team to three championships in four seasons (1995, 1997, 1998) and an astounding forty-seven wins in just 216 starts, revealing in candid detail how and why their storied relationship came to an end.
The book also details his time spearheading the return of Dodge to NASCAR, building Evernham Motorsports into one of the most successful NASCAR teams, as well as his transformation into a TV personality with roles as a NASCAR analyst for SPEED, ESPN, ABC, FOX, and NBC and as host to his own TV series, AmeriCarna, on the Velocity channel.
Throughout all these stories he reveals how he buried himself in work to cope with the struggles he was facing in his personal life: his son Ray J.’s battle with leukemia and later autism diagnosis, and many other painful challenges that ultimately brought rich rewards, such as the formation of the Evernham Family Racing for a Reason Foundation which funds the IGNITE education and training programs for young adults with high-functioning autism or Asperger’s syndrome, his loving marriage to Erin, and the birth of their daughter Cate.
You needn’t be a racing fan to appreciate Evernham’s inspiring journey of tireless persistence, radical determination, steadfast leadership, and fearless reinvention. For as he believes, a life lived to the fullest is inevitably packed with trophies—and scars.
With an official launch date of March 5, 2024, Trophies and Scars is available for order from Octane Press, or wherever books are sold. Book signings with the author are scheduled at The Amelia for Friday March 1 through Sunday March 3.
A Note from The Author
This book provides a unique journey into the intricacies of my life. Offering a firsthand account in my own words. It offers a candid exploration of the highs and lows, providing a true understanding of the motivations and decisions that have defined me.
