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. – Prior to mid-July, Alex Bowman wasn’t a familiar name to most race fans.
The 23-year-old Arizona native had enjoyed success in ARCA, winning six races in 21 starts over a two-year period, but when it came to NASCAR he possessed no victories. He had produced top-five and top-10 […]
Thirty years before Charlotte Motor Speedway became the first race in the Chase’s second round, Dale Earnhardt and his Richard Childress Racing team steamrolled into the 1.5-mile track in October 1986 with a season as hot as the sweltering temperatures that blanketed the facility that fall.
With only four races left in the 29-race season. Earnhardt […]
By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
CONCORD, N.C. – With Hurricane Matthew bearing down on the Southeast, NASCAR teams at Charlotte Motor Speedway viewed Thursday’s practice sessions as perhaps their only ones for this weekend’s races.
Friday’s Xfinity Series race and Saturday’s Sprint Cup event were expected to be completed this weekend, but there was a […]
CONCORD, N.C. – Top Fuel winner Antron Brown and Funny Car victor John Force gave each other a congratulatory hug in the media center at zMAX Dragway shortly after receiving their Wallys at the NHRA Carolina Nationals.
Both have won championships in their respective classes, but each time they add to their victory total they exhibit […]
By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
CONCORD, N.C. – Doug Kalitta and Tommy Johnson Jr. maintained the No. 1 qualifying positions in Top Fuel and Funny Car, respectively, as qualifying for the NHRA Carolina Nationals concluded Saturday at zMAX Dragway.
Both drivers claimed the top spot in their respective categories Friday in second round qualifying and […]
By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
CONCORD, N.C. – All eight of Don Schumacher Racing’s NHRA teams earned positions in the Countdown to the Championship, but that doesn’t mean it will be DSR against the rest of the field in the Top Fuel and Funny Car categories.
In fact, Top Fuel defending champion and No. 1 seed […]
By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
RICHMOND, Va. – Austin Dillon could barely contain his excitement, Chase Elliott talked with reporters then quietly sat down beside his race car on pit road to catch his breath and drink fluids, Chris Buescher calmly dealt with the media bombardment and Kyle Larson assumed a seat on the outer […]
By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
RICHMOND, Va. – Pressure is a way of life for those competing in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series, but in Saturday’s Federated Auto Parts 400 it’s different for those already solidified in the Chase versus those still trying to gain a spot in the title run.
Chris Buescher possesses a victory, but […]
RICHMOND, Va. – Several teams received penalties following the Darlington NASCAR Sprint Cup race and Carl Edwards said Friday he believed penalties could impact the Chase, which begins next weekend at Chicago.
“I haven’t talked to many people about it in depth, but seeing the 31 car’s [Ryan Newman] penalty and realizing … that could affect […]
By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
DARLINGTON, S.C. – Two years ago Chase Elliott pulled off a major upset and won the NASCAR Xfinity race in his Darlington Raceway debut, but the Georgia native said that doesn’t mean anything today.
“We didn’t have a very strong run here last year, which was disappointing,” Elliott said prior […]