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. – Fuel mileage strategy can be defined rather simply – a love-hate relationship.
In Saturday night’s Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, that often frustrating facet of racing smiled on Clint Bowyer and his Michael Waltrip Racing team, allowing the Kansas native to collect his first victory in the Chase and third [...]
By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
CONCORD, N.C. – When former NASCAR driver and now ESPN analyst Ricky Craven heard Dale Earnhardt Jr. was stepping out of his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet for two Sprint Cup races it resurrected a lot of memories for the 46-year-old Maine native.
That’s because Craven was driving a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet when [...]
By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
CONCORD, N.C. – Elliott Sadler vs. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Sound familiar? It should because this year’s NASCAR Nationwide Series championship battle involves the same players as last season’s with a rookie named Austin Dillon thrown into the mix.
With only four races remaining, Sadler possesses a 13-point lead over Stenhouse, the [...]
By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
CONCORD, N.C. – For 29-year-old Regan Smith, the last four weeks have been quite a roller-coaster ride.
During that time span he has lost his NASCAR Sprint Cup ride with Furniture Row Racing to Kurt Busch, gained a ride with Busch’s former team fielded by James Finch and been named [...]
CONCORD, N.C. – Several NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers said Thursday it’s their responsibility to get checked by a doctor when they believe they have suffered a concussion, but admitted it’s a difficult step to take knowing they may not be cleared to drive.
“For any race car driver not being in the car is your [...]
By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
CONCORD, N.C. – Dale Earnhardt Jr. admitted Thursday the concussion he suffered last weekend in the final lap 25-car pileup at Talladega Superspeedway was his second in the last six weeks and he knew for his own “well-being” he needed to follow a neurosurgeon’s orders and step out of [...]
For Erica Enders, drag racing comes naturally. After all, her father, Gregg, raced in Super Comp and Super Gas, and during her childhood years she was his “little crew chief.” At least, that’s what she thought as she ran around with a shop rag in her pocket assisting him with various tasks.
“He’s definitely the [...]
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, [...]