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
It was a scene that would make even the most cynical person feel good about the sport of NASCAR racing. Michael McDowell, who lost his Sprint Cup ride last year and is running a partial Nationwide Series schedule this year, had just rolled to a stop after putting his No. [...]
By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
The NASCAR world moves at a rapid pace, on and off the track. Today’s heroes can quickly become tomorrow’s zeroes. The focus moves from one issue to the next, with seemingly minor incidents getting major play at times.
Oftentimes, fans and the media find themselves about a week behind the curve [...]
By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
Gladeville, Tn. – NASCAR’s biggest star and the people of Huntsville, Ala., have something in common these days. They both recognize Huntsville resident Jimmy Means as a true American hero.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. for years has been vocal and enthusiastic in his support of Means, a journeyman driver in the series [...]
By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
For reasons that no one can fully explain, Nashville Superspeedway, one of the finest facilities in motorsports, struggles to attract paying customers. Saturday’s 300-miler was no exception.
But if everyone’s Nashville memories were as cherished as mine, the grandstands would be overflowing.
On two occasions in the past, I’ve chosen Nashville races [...]
By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
GLADEVILLE, Tn. – As a driver/owner with limited sponsorship in NASCAR’s Nationwide and Sprint Cup series, Joe Nemechek has to watch every dollar that’s spent.
On Lap 216 of Saturday’s Nationwide 300 at Nashville Superspeedway, he saw about 60,000 of them go up in a big cloud of dust and smoke. [...]
By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
Fame and good fortune can be fleeting things, especially in racing. Scott Wimmer knows all about that. He’s shown flashes of brilliance behind the wheel in NASCAR’s top divisions, but he can’t seem to capitalize on them.
It’s been that way for years. In the fall of 2000, Wimmer came to [...]
By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
Some comeback stories are almost too good to be true. Patrick Sheltra’s falls in to that category.
His saga begins at Daytona International Speedway back in February, where he competed in the 200-mile ARCA race.
ARCA races at Daytona can be risky ventures as relatively inexperienced drivers take on one the fastest [...]
By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
The voice on the phone was strong and clear, confident yet pleasant and conversational. It was hard to imagine it coming from a 13-year-old seventh grader.
“Hi, this is Chase Elliott,” he said. “I hear you want to interview me.”
Elliott, the son of Sprint Cup driver Bill Elliott, has gotten lots [...]
By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
The fireworks that some folks expected from Tony Stewart this season have fizzled like a wet sparkler. Six races into his first Sprint Cup season as both driver and car owner, Stewart is sailing along free of controversy, even without a strong boss to ride herd on him.
Granted there haven’t [...]
By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
If race fans think it’s good for the Wood Brothers Racing team to still be a viable entity after 59 years in the sport, one of the first people to thank is the Woods’ current crew chief, David Hyder.
Hyder, who drove his own short track cars before injuries at Myrtle [...]