Carroll Smith has served as a crew chief or race engineer for a whole host of professional road racng teams in pretty much every series since the '60s. He currently wrote a tech column for Race Tech magazine and was the head judge for the Formula SAE competition held every year in Detroit.

Sadly, Carrol Smith passed on in the spring of 2003, but he left a legacy of some of the best racing engineering books ever written.

Carroll has a no-bullshit, this-is-the-way-it-is writing style that's very easy to read. This book is a no-nonsense description of what you need to do to become a successful race car driver. More than just a driving manual, it's a complete tutorial on developing a professional racing career.

If you are serious about racing, his is the first book you should own!

A rarity! A Solo-specific book. Lots of tips and techniques for driving at autocrosses. Dated in places, but still full of sound advice, and one of the few books written specifically for autocrossers

Heavily road-racing biased, but full of plenty of insight on how to go faster once the basics have been learned. Start with the Watts book to learn the basics, then move to the Barber book to pick up more advanced techniques.

Strictly speaking, this is more of a historical book than a driving how-to, but it's full of so many insights and and words of wisdom on being a race driver that you must read it. Mark Donahue invented the science of modern race car engineering, and was one of the few great driver/engineers. An absolute classic.

This is a nifty little book. George wrote down his first draft, and then gave out copies to a very unusual cast of characters (including former F1 driver Bertil Roos, and engineering legend Carroll Smith) He then included their comments in the book. The end result is sort of like sitting in a bar with all these racing masters while they talk shop. Educational, and a fun read!

Written in 1959 and since updated, this book covers not only driving techniques, it discusses mental preparation, the effects of stress, and the "will to win" required from a successful driver. Includes a Senna interview too. A classic.

Another classic since updated, this book contains highly advanced mathematical descriptions of the ideal line through various types of corners.

A book that concentrates on the mental aspects of the game, an under-reported subject if there ever was one. Techniques for tuning the part that lives between your ears. Not bad, but inferior to the Ross Bentley book.

Contrary to popular belief, there is no such animal as a "ready to race" race car. Even a brand-new Formula Ford, straight from the factory, will require many hours of careful preparation before it can turn a wheel in anger. This book is all about the steps required to make sure your race car is ready for track time.

This was Carroll's first book, so some of the information is a little on the dated side - racing technology has come a long way since the 70's. But even so, 90% of the information in this book is still entirely applicable to modern cars. Solid advice is not subject to fashion.

The next book in Carroll's "to Win" series. Now that, thanks to Prepare to Win your race car is surviving races and isn't falling apart, now it's time to learn how to make it go faster. This book covers tire theory, suspension kinematics, vehicle dynamics, and various techniques for sorting out the handling of a race car.

The third book in the "to Win" series, this book is about how to properly design your own parts, and how to identify flaws in the parts the car came with. Covers metallurgy, fatigue, stress, and the various ways to fasten things together.

The fourth book in the "to Win" series, this book is about the proper selection of fasteners, how to treat them and use them, and about fluid plumbing. There's a lot more to bolts than Home Depot.

A good summary of race car engineering issues. Paul writes for Racecar Engineering and is a true scientist. Lots of good stuff in here.

This is the definitive reference textbook on vehicle dynamics. Not for the beginner! More calculus and other math than you can shake a stick at, and somewhat disorganized, but this book contains every racing/handling concept, formula, and model yet published. If you don't own this book, then you're not serious about your engineering.

A behind the scenes look at more modern racing technology, mostly in the form of interviews with other race engineers. Mostly about aerodynamics, but some on tires, suspension, and computers.

Third edition, largely updated book on the design, construction, and tuning of race car suspensions

Second edition of the standard reference manual on the cornering behaviour of wheeled vehicles. 600 pages long with lots of diagrams.

A detailed discussion of how aerodynamics can be used to improve the performance of racing cars.

Finally, a book on the care, feeding, and tuning of shocks! The focus is primarily on passenger car issues, with a small sidebar on racing. If you're going to get into your own shock work you'll need this book, as it is heavy on the theoretical underpinnings, but if you're looking for a by-the-numbers manual on how to tune shocks for racing, this isn't it.

Another general "handling" book, but Herb goes into quite a bit more detail on chassis rigidity, and how to build rigid chassis, than the typical generalist. Good reading before you build your roll cage, and especially good for tube-chassis classes like CP.

The classic "generalist" handling book. Slightly dated, but otherwise an exhaustive treatment of handling and how to improve it, mostly from a modification of an existing car standpoint. A good first book.

The absolute bible on interpreting racecar data acquisition. If you are at all serious about racing, a data acquisition system of some sort is an absolute must, and Buddy's book is the manual on how to interpret that data once you have it. If you're planning on buying a data system, buy this book first. If you wonder why you should buy a data system, get this book and you'll be amazed.

Getting a little dated, but still the all-around best book for learning about turbochargers and designing engine turbo systems. Just skip the chapters on carbs.

Everything you've ever wanted to know about the design of racing motors. Includes extensive coverage of the computer simulation of engine performance. Not a book for beginners - know your thermo!

A collection of SAE papers on the design of various racing engines, including some early 90's F1 motors. Hardcore stuff.

OK, so now you've built your trick motor for racing. How do you test it? Recommended by Racecar Engineering

A study on the strange goings-on inside your intake manifold and headers, and how to design these parts to make maximum power. Slightly dated, but the physics is still good. A must for the naturally-aspirated crowd.

A good primer on the theory of modern electronic fuel injection, and how to modify it for increased performance. Helpful for those considering a stand-alone EFI computer or forced to wrestle with an OEM one. If you're still playing with carbs and distributors, buy this book and see what you're missing.

A reference on basic to mid-level engine tuning. Noteable for the appendices that contain specifications (bore, stroke, etc) on most modern engine models.

A more recent book on turbocharging than the MacInnes book, this book has lots of good information about turbocharging a car. Not as exhaustive as Turbochargers but has some newer information, and a discussion of the steps needed to turbo a non-turbo car.