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
HAMPTON, Ga. – Somewhere deep down, there’s always a reasonable explanation for events that seem to defy logic.
For instance, why have there been five first-time winners in the Sprint Cup Series and so many races decided by pit strategy and fuel mileage?
According to Denny Hamlin, the answer to that question, like many others in the [...]
HAMPTON, Ga. – The hot topic in the media center at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Friday wasn’t the Chase, or the Sprint Summer Showdown or Dale Jr.’s new contract or the latest sponsor move.
It was the decision by four drivers to decline invitations to meet President Obama at the White House next week.
The event is [...]
By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
BRISTOL, Tenn. – It seems just a short while ago that Scott Riggs was one of the promising young prospects in the Sprint Cup garage. In 2001, he won five truck series races then moved to the Nationwide Series where he won four times in the next two seasons. From [...]
By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
BRISTOL, Tenn. – The folks that run Bristol Motor Speedway are probably a little glad to see the timing of the official Danica Patrick-to-NASCAR announcement.
That ought to shuffle to the back burner some of the debate in the media over whether the changes to the Bristol track back in 2007 [...]
By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
RacinTodayt.com
There aren’t many days that go by lately that the late Beau Slocumb doesn’t come to mind. And most times those thoughts also include Ryan Newman, who was a great friend to Slocumb, in the good times and bad, all the way to the end.
I followed Slocumb’s career as he [...]
By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
It’s pretty certain that any remaining questions about whether Brad Keselowski would make it in the Sprint Cup Series were answered by his “Ironman” performance in winning on Sunday at Pocono Raceway while driving with a foot badly injured in a crash at Road Atlanta four days before.
But it’s not [...]
When the news broke that Nashville Superspeedway wouldn’t be seeking sanctions for NASCAR’s Nationwide or Camping World Truck Series races next year, it wasn’t much of a surprise. There have been better crowds for dirt Late Model races than what Nashville
pulled in recent races.
But there’s still a great sense of sadness, for the track and [...]
By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
The Georgia Racing Hall of Fame in Dawsonville is no match for the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, but for racing folks in the Peach State, it’s still a big deal.
And this year’s class of inductees show just how big a role Georgians have played in NASCAR – and [...]
By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
From the time David Ragan first started running Legends cars at Atlanta Motor Speedway’s quarter-mile track, the question was: “Will he ever make it to the Sprint Cup Series?”
His father, Ken Ragan, was a part-timer on the circuit now known as Cup, and once young David started racing, Ken moved [...]
There’s been news aplenty in the NASCAR world the past few days. Most of it has tended to be on the negative side, although the sport’s spin doctors have tried to make it appear otherwise.
One of the most fun weekends of the year, the truck and Nationwide races at Lucas Oil Raceway, is being shut [...]