Two of my favorite things in the world...DVD and NASCAR. Needless to say, I let out a hearty "Yay!" when the our esteemed DVD Corner webmaster passed along this disc from Biography Software, containing highlights from their 12-disc boxed set. I couldn't wait to get it home and pop it into my player. Unfortunately, my elation was short-lived. I understand there's no way to condense a 12-volume series into a single 90 minute program, and the purpose of this disc is probably to entice fans to seek out the boxed set. But for a "highlight" film, there aren't many highlights; this plays more like an infomercial.

The main problem with this disc is, for much of its running time, we watch host John Kowalski quickly summarize NASCAR's colorful history, careers of legendary figures, and details about some of the famous tracks, with lots of photographs and previous few snippets of historical footage thrown in. Then it abruptly ends after the last chapter, with no summary or conclusion. The fact that the sport's true origins, which date back to prohibition-era bootleggers, is barely even mentioned, much less discussed, is unforgivable; Richard Petty's incredible 200-win racing career is mentioned like a footnote; and what about Alan Kuwicki's dramatic championship win by the narrowist points margin in NASCAR history? Many similar classic moments are merely touched upon before moving on. When we are treated to classic race footage, it's terrific...there's just damn little of it. The documentary is well-written, and Kowalski does a competent job of narrating, but I don't want look at him for two-thirds of the film; he could just as easily offer the same narration as a voice-over, leaving much more room for historical footage. Even as a selling tool, this disc comes up short. Biography Software's boxed-set may be comprehensive indeed, but you wouldn't know it from the evidence here. While it serves up enough information to be a good introduction to the sport, longtime fans will learn nothing new, and won't want to sit and watch a photogenic host. They'll want classic race footage, comprehensive stories and anecdotes, and detailed decade-by-decade facts they may not have known before. This single disc, which skims over entire decades of the sport's history within minutes (like an ESPN version of Cliff's Notes), doesn't bestow potential buyers with confidence in investing in a pricey boxed set - are we gonna get some real visual history, with interviews of the individuals involved, or simply endless hours of a talking head? Anyone can mention Richard Petty, Jeff Gordon or Dale Earnhardt (hell, my mother is familiar with those names), but will we learn anything more about Junior Johnson, the Wood Brothers, Fireball Roberts, David Pearson, Carl Turner, Ned Jarrett, Big Bill France, et al? If promoting the boxed set is indeed the agenda, Biography Software would have been better off simply releasing one of the 12 volumes.

Even though The History of NASCAR is presented in only a full-frame version, the overall picture is pretty good...clear, colorful and sharp. For the most part, the old footage looks pretty well restored. I was sort of disappointed in the sound, though. The quality isn't bad per se (no distortion or hissing), and considering the soundtrack is mostly narration, I guess it doesn't need to be rendered in 5.1 Surround. But the fact that the soundtrack from original race footage has been entirely replaced by voice-over narration is another missed opportunity. The very nature of motorsports would seem perfect for a roaring, multi-channel audio transfer.

There's an audio-only interview with Richard Petty, which isn't bad, but the sound quality of this old interview is lousy. Also included is a 15 question trivia quiz (I got 14 right...hooray for me!).

The History of NASCAR isn't a bad DVD; it's a decent enough historical summary for the casual fan. The problem is that casual fans aren't likely to invest $24.95 for a disc on the subject. As a huge NASCAR fan, this disc simply left me wanting more...a lot more. Here's hoping Biography Software's boxed set delivers.