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
CONCORD, N.C. – Fifteen-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force describes daughter Courtney as an extrovert, daughter Ashley as an introvert and third daughter Brittany, well, he admits he has yet to figure out their 26-year-old sister.
However, there is one thing Courtney and Ashley have in common – both are [...]
CONCORD, N.C. – NHRA Top Fuel competitor Shawn Langdon led a quartet of zMAX Dragway first-time winners Sunday, narrowly defeating Tony Schumacher in the four-hour rain delayed O’Reilly Auto Parts Nationals.
Other winners at the dragway were: Funny Car, Ron Capps; Pro Stock, Jason Line; and Pro Stock Motorcycle, Andrew Hines.
Langdon, who was the No. 1 [...]
CONCORD, N.C. – Fifteen-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force doesn’t plan on retiring any time soon. The 63-year-old Force said at zMAX Dragway he was in meetings with sponsors Castrol and Auto Club about extending his contract.
“We’ve got two years left and we’re looking at pushing it out three more to five,” said Force, [...]
By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
CONCORD, N.C. – Most people in motorsports adhere to the philosophy that money buys speed, but sometimes a team’s heart and experience can overcome what many would consider insurmountable odds.
Such was the case Saturday at zMAX Dragway during qualifying for Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals.
Funny Car driver Tim [...]
By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
CONCORD, N.C. – The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series’ season comes down to six races as the Countdown to the Championship begins this weekend at zMAX Dragway. It’s an intense stretch where one bad race can quickly end a team’s championship hopes. And for the Countdown’s top seeds, Friday’s [...]
By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
RICHMOND, Va. – Five years ago Michael Waltrip failed to qualify for the September race at Richmond International Raceway. In the wee hours of Sunday morning 2012 one of his Toyotas sat in victory lane with Clint Bowyer and two of his three teams had qualified for the Sprint Cup [...]
By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
RICHMOND, Va. – Jeff Gordon never knew where Kyle Busch was in the running order throughout Saturday’s rain-plagued Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International; crew chief Alan Gustafson simply told him who he needed to pass.
With 10 laps to go Gustafson became animated on the radio, emphasizing to [...]
RICHMOND, Va. – Dale Earnhardt Jr. says parting ways with Tony Eury Sr., who was JR Motorsports’ competition director and a crew chief, was a “difficult decision that we had to make.”
“As a company, we just felt like we wanted to make some changes and I was telling Jeff [Gordon] earlier that the environment for [...]
By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
RICHMOND, Va. – Penske Racing’s Brad Keselowski admits he lobbied for Joey Logano to become the driver of the No. 22 car and notes the process to obtain the Connecticut native probably began 10 months ago.
“I felt like he had the right approach to be successful in so many [...]
By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
RICHMOND, Va. – Three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart possibly has never possessed as much power as he wields headed into Saturday night’s Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway.
Currently 10th in the standings, Stewart’s performance in the 400-lap race on the 0.75-mile track will affect eight [...]