As manager of racing public relations for Goodyear, Bill Neely accumulated a lot of interesting and outrageous stories—especially from the rough and tumble world of NASCAR. By 1973, Neeley and friend Bob Ottum wove some of these tales into a semi-fictional novel titled “Stand on It”, which they penned under the pseudonym Stroker Ace. Not only was the book a hit, but soon it was made into a movie starring Burt Reynolds and Lonnie Anderson. Recently, VRJ’s Richard Nisley spoke with Neely about how his experiences on the NASCAR and Indy car circuit, with legends like A.J. Foyt and Otis Turner, helped form the foundation for this uproarious book and the disappointing movie that it spawned.
How did you and Bob Ottum come to write “Stand On it?”
