Rick Minter, Senior Writer
Rick Minter joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 1991, where he covered motorsports as well as serving as a bureau chief. From 2000-2008 he focused on racing exclusively, traveling the NASCAR circuit as the paper’s motorsports writer and winning awards from several organizations including the Georgia20 Automobile Racing Hall of Fame Association and the City of Atlanta. Minter and his wife Joanne live on the family farm in Inman, Ga. In his spare time he collects and restores antique tractors and trucks.
Articles by Rick Minter
By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
Jason Leffler’s fifth-place finish at Nashville Superspeedway on Saturday, on top of his remarkable consistency so far this season, has created the possibility of a Nationwide Series points championship battle involving a driver who’s not also a full-time Sprint Cup competitor.
Leffler currently sits third, 188 points behind leader Kyle Busch [...]
By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
When it comes to Camping World Truck Series wins as an owner, Jack Roush has blown by his chief competitors, many of whom no longer field entries in NASCAR’s No. 3 circuit.
He has 49 wins with 10 different drivers. Greg Biffle has the most, with 16. Mark Martin got the [...]
By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
Over the years, Dale Earnhardt made Richard Childress look mighty good as a car owner.
Now his son, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is indirectly helping to keep Childress from looking pretty bad.
Earnhardt’s struggles at Hendrick Motorsports and his recent crew chief swap have overshadowed the struggles of Richard Childress Racing, a story [...]
By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
There are several schools of thought on the best way for up-and-coming racers to break into the upper divisions of NASCAR.
One is to start out in the Camping World Truck Series, or the Nationwide Series, in a middle-of-the-pack car or truck. The equipment generally isn’t the best, but the expectations [...]
By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
For Dale Earnhardt Jr., Sunday’s race at Dover International Speedway must have seemed like the first day of working a new job.
There were new ways of doing things to get accustomed to, new voices replacing familiar ones, and high expectations all around.
By all accounts, his 12th-place finish earned him a [...]
By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
The reunion of Tony Eury Jr. and his cousin Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Hendrick Motorsports came to an end Wednesday night, with Eury being replaced as his cousin’s crew chief by a group of Hendrick veterans – Lance McGrew, Brian Whitesell and Rex Stump.
The news isn’t surprising, given the poor [...]
By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
Changing race teams is always a risky move for a driver. Sometimes it pays off in a big way. Kyle Busch went from Hendrick Motorsports to Joe Gibbs Racing last year and has won 11 races since then after winning a total of four at Hendrick.
His older brother Kurt Busch [...]
By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
Concord, N.C. – There may be a bright future for Dale Earnhardt Inc. after all, thanks to a sometimes overlooked branch of the famous family.
Last week at the unveiling of the Walk of Fame in downtown Mooresville, Teresa Earnhardt represented her late husband Dale Earnhardt Sr. and was flanked by [...]
By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
With NASCAR battling big issues like a sagging economy and drops in TV ratings and attendance at tracks, the last thing the sport needed was another showcase event cut short by rain.
The premature end of the Daytona 500 this year because of rain has been blamed by many for the [...]
By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
Concord, N.C. – The 50th running of the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway will have to wait until Memorial Day. The green flag is set to fly at noon, with FOX carrying the broadcast.
Persistent rain throughout the afternoon on Sunday forced officials to make the call at about [...]