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
By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – When I was a child my dad and I were sitting on the backstretch at Bristol during a race. He pointed to car No. 34 as it entered pit road and said, “Watch this.”
The driver positioned his race car in the proper pit box, turned off the [...]
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Exit Jeff Gordon. Enter Chase Elliott.
On Thursday, one week after Gordon announced 2015 would be his final full-time season in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series, team owner Rick Hendrick made it official that Elliott would be the four-time champion’s successor. The announcement surprised no one. After all, Hendrick had signed Elliott when he [...]
By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – NASCAR Hall of Famer and three-time champion David Pearson is recovering from a mild stroke he suffered Dec. 9 and a full recovery is expected, his family said Wednesday in a statement released by NASCAR during the Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour.
“The stroke affected his left side [...]
By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
After this year’s Roush Fenway Racing drivers were seated on stage for the Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour presented by Technocom’s opening event Wednesday, it became evident there was a different atmosphere among the competitors than had existed at the organization in previous years.
At past media tours, the organization’s drivers [...]
By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – At the end of each season in three of the last four years Greg Biffle has watched teammates exit Roush Fenway Racing; two moved to another organization while one had his sponsor withdraw from the sport.
It was a scenario that made the 45-year-old Biffle wonder if he [...]
By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Nearly two months after Brian Vickers once again found himself in open heart surgery, the Michael Waltrip Racing driver is focused on his return to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. However, the 31-year-old driver admitted Tuesday the scenario could have been much different.
“It was a pretty traumatic [...]
By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Touting NASCAR’s march towards innovation while balancing that with the cost and the benefits to the individual teams and to the sport, NASCAR Chairman Brian France said the rules for the cars would always evolve, but there would be no change this year to the Chase format.
“It [...]
By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
MARTINSVILLE, Va. – With Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s victory Sunday in the Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 at Martinsville Speedway, the third-generation driver secured the grandfather clock trophy he had wanted since he was a boy. He also provided a twist to the Chase’s Eliminator Round.
With only two races remaining to [...]
By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Six-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, former NASCAR champion Kurt Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch, Kasey Kahne and Greg Biffle; a stellar list of drivers that are always viewed as title contenders – but that’s no longer the case this season.
Johnson, Kyle Busch and Kahne were surprisingly [...]
MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Ten years ago race day at Martinsville Speedway dawned with a heavy fog enveloping the half-mile track and the surrounding countryside.
The fog was so thick on Oct. 24, 2004 that team owner Roger Penske’s plane was among those who diverted to Danville, Va. However, the Hendrick Motorsports Beechcraft Super King Air 200 [...]