Deb Williams, Senior Writer
An award winning motorsports journalist, Deb Williams has covered auto racing for more than 30 years. She began her career covering weekly short-track races in Asheville, N.C., while a student at East Tennessee State University and continued after becoming the sports editor at the newspaper in Waynesville, N.C. Upon joining United Press International in Raleigh, N.C., as a general assignment reporter, she began covering NASCAR's top two series and continued to do so after being named UPI's Charlotte, N.C., bureau manager. After leaving UPI, she spent 18 years with the publication NASCAR Winston Cup Scene, serving as its editor for 10 years. Her numerous honors include the Henry T. McLemore Award, the Russ Catlin Award and the George Cunningham National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year award. She has received NMPA awards for columns, news, features and magazine stories. She has written three books. Her most recent, “The Evolution of NASCAR, A Historical Collection, was released in November 2010. Williams has taught the Evolution of Southern Motorsports at Appalachian State University, and has been interviewed for historical motorsports shows that have aired on ESPN and SPEED. She resides in Concord, N.C.
Articles by Deb Williams
CONCORD, N.C. – In the early morning hours of Monday on Memorial Day weekend, Austin Dillon silenced his critics.
The eldest grandson of team owner Richard Childress became the seventh driver to claim his first-ever Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory in Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Coca-Cola 600 – stock car racing’s longest race – and the […]
By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
CONCORD, N.C. – In February 1986, Kyle Petty snaked his Wood Brothers’ Ford through a multi-car crash to obtain his first NASCAR victory, but it wasn’t until slightly more than a year later when he won Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Coca-Cola 600 that he felt he truly deserved to be the […]
By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
CONCORD, N.C. – Two NASCAR drivers born one year and two weeks apart stole the spotlight Saturday in Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Hisense 4K TV 300 Xfinity Series race with one winning and the other finishing fourth in his series debut.
Ryan Blaney, 23, came from the rear of the field to […]
By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Will Power enters Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 knowing the Honda entries have more power than the Chevrolets, but this year’s Indy Grand Prix winner isn’t worried.
“Every time we have a session, every day a Honda engine blew, so they don’t have the reliability,” said Power, who starts ninth. […]
By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
CONCORD, N.C. – Dale Earnhardt Jr. said Thursday that Charlotte Motor Speedway was a special track to him because he grew up at the facility.
“I used to go to the dirt tracks with Dad when I was very small, but the first memories of actually being at a Cup […]
By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Robert Yates once had a Mars Hill College professor tell him he would never amount to anything because he spent his Sunday afternoon working on a farmer’s tractor instead of studying.
On Wednesday, Yates once again proved the professor wrong as he was elected to the NASCAR Hall […]
By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
CONCORD, N.C. – For several years, I have maintained NASCAR has over-regulated the sport and as a result, the racing has suffered. Jimmie Johnson supported my theory Saturday night after the Monster Energy All-Star race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
“The rule book is so thick and the cars are so […]
CONCORD, N.C. – Aric Almirola said Friday he was “pretty pissed off” about the photos that were taken of him as safety personnel removed him from his mangled race car following his horrendous crash that left him with a broken back last weekend at Kansas Speedway.
“I wasn’t going to talk about it unless somebody asked, […]
By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
CONCORD, N.C. – Aric Almirola knew immediately following his horrendous crash at Kansas Speedway that he had a spinal injury, but the NASCAR driver said Friday he didn’t realize the severity of his broken back until he talked with doctors and learned he would be sidelined for eight to 12 […]
By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
CONCORD, N.C. – For Austin Cindric, the date May 19, 2017 will forever be etched in his memory for two very important reasons. One, the 18-year-old will graduate Friday from high school. Two, he will compete in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte […]