Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge
Denny named Enzo after Enzo Ferrari, the founder of Ferrari—you know, those really popular, sleek cars that everyone talks about but nobody you know actually drives. Enzo Ferrari was a big player in Formula One racing. (Source)
Denny is totally based on a real person. Garth Stein modeled Denny loosely on a friend of his who, like Denny, was a semi-professional racecar driver who was going through tough family times of his own. While Stein didn't copy Denny's life from the life of his friend—because that's not cool—Denny's situations were modeled after events in that dude's life. (Source)
Thinking of becoming a racecar driver? It's not all fun and games. It requires hours of work behind the wheel and plenty of patience, good reflexes, strong analytical skills, and above all, understanding of how the car moves—and of how to move with it. (Source)