Casey Atwood
Encyclopedia
Casey Lee Atwood is an American
race car driver. Atwood is currently a free agent in NASCAR
. He married his longtime girlfriend, Laura, in 2005. Atwood and Laura have two daughters, Kaylee (born 2005) and Emma (born 2007). He is the youngest pole winner in NASCAR Busch Series history.
. His early passion for racing later progressed to Late Model Stock racing by the age of 15. He was the 1996 rookie of the year at Nashville Speedway USA. Casey attended John Overton High School in Nashville Tennessee until he dropped out in 1999 to pursue his racing career.
#27 Castrol GTX
Chevy team for his first full season in the NASCAR Busch Series. Atwood flipped at Daytona
after he got tapped by Andy Hillenburg coming to the white flag and almost got a top 5 finish that race. He became the youngest driver ever to win a Busch Series pole, taking pole position
at Nashville Speedway USA. He went on to finish second in what was only his second Busch Series race. By the end of 1998 he had won two poles and 5 top 20's in 11 races. He also became the youngest winner in Busch Series History when he won at the Milwaukee Mile
at the age of 18 on July 4, 1999, which would stand until Joey Logano
bested Atwood's mark by winning the Meijer 300
at Kentucky Speedway
on June 14, 2008 at the age of 18 years and 21 days. Casey won another race at Dover in September and acquired two poles.
He finished 1999 with two wins, five top 5's and nine top 10's. He finished 13th in points. 2000 proved to be another good year for him, as he managed to have two poles and 8 top 10's, finishing 8th in points. In 2003 and he drove the #14 Navy Chevy for FitzBradshaw Racing
. 2004 was a mediocre year for Atwood. He ran full-time for FitzBradshaw Racing. He had problems, but he still had seven top 10's. He nearly won at Richmond but got tapped by Martin Truex Jr. with less than ten laps to go, allowing Robby Gordon to win. Atwood was diagnosed by Fitz of having "a lack of confidence and no aggression on the race track". Fitz hired Flip Flippen to be Atwood's psychologist. Atwood was fired by Armando Fitz and Terry Bradshaw with five races remaining in the season. Atwood was 13th in points at the time, and he fell back to 19th. In 2005 he drove a few races for Evernham Motorsports
in the #6 Hellmanns Mayonnaise Dodge.
In early to mid 2006, Atwood practiced and qualified the #18 Busch Series car for J. J. Yeley
and Joe Gibbs Racing
in select races. Beginning at Richmond in September, he drove the #27 car for Brewco Motorsports
once again, for the rest of 2006. Atwood was replaced by Ward Burton
in the #27 car at Brewco Motorsports. After a year away from the sport, he returned to Brewco to pilot the 27 car again. He returned in 2009, qualifying for 20 races in the #05 car for Wayne Day, and finished 44th in points.
Ford for Ray Evernham
at Richmond International Raceway
. He started 35th and finished 19th, two laps down. He made two more starts that year and earned his first top 10, a 10th at Homestead
. He moved up to NASCAR Winston Cup full-time in 2001 in the #19 Dodge Dealers car for Evernham Motorsports
, which was a newly formed team under the Dodge
banner. He was nicknamed the "Next Jeff Gordon
" and was teammate to former Cup Champion, Bill Elliott
. Atwood struggled through the year, but improved as the season went on, winning the pole at Phoenix and was in contention to win the race, while leading the race a flat tire slowed his day as he was only able to make it back to 14th place by the end of the race. A week later at Homstead, FL he was leading with five laps to go, but was passed by Elliott and Michael Waltrip, to place third, his best Cup finish. Atwood also finished third in the Winston Cup Rookie of the Year
standings (behind Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch), and 26th in Cup standings.
In 2002, he moved from Evernham's team to the #7 Ultra Motorsports
Sirius Satellite Radio
-sponsored car as part of an agreement with Evernham and Ultra owner Jim Smith, where Smith's team would switch from Ford to Dodge, receive equipment and engines from Evernham, and change their name to Ultra-Evernham Motorsports. Atwood struggled throughout the year, having no top 10's, and just one top-10 qualifying effort and finishing 35th in points. With two races left in the season, he was fired by Jim Smith (which also brought an abrupt end to the Ultra/Evernham partnership) and was replaced by Jason Leffler
, and later, Jimmy Spencer
. Atwood ran the last race of the year in Evernham's #91 Dodge and qualified 12th, but finished poorly. Also during 2002, Atwood drove an Evernham ARCA car at Pocono and dominated, winning the race.
In 2003, he drove Evernham's #91 research and development car for two races. At Pocono Raceway
with sponsorship from Mountain Dew LiveWire, Atwood finished 40th after engine troubles. He also ran in the Brickyard 400 without sponsorship, but was only able to muster a 31st place finish. Atwood's most recent appearance in the series was a failed qualifying attempt for the 2006 Ford 400
at Homestead
. He was driving the #95 Scott Towels
Chevrolet
for Stanton Barrett
.
Atwood first appeared on the NASCAR scene in 1996, at the age of 16, in a Craftsman Truck Series
race at Nashville Speedway USA. He finished 32nd in the #48 STP
Chevrolet
. In 2005, Atwood had no ride. He was picked up by Bobby Hamilton
(whom some consider to be like a father to Atwood) to drive the first three races of the Craftsman Truck Series
season in the #4 Bailey's Cigarettes Dodge. Atwood ran well during the three race stint, but scored no top tens.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
race car driver. Atwood is currently a free agent in NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
. He married his longtime girlfriend, Laura, in 2005. Atwood and Laura have two daughters, Kaylee (born 2005) and Emma (born 2007). He is the youngest pole winner in NASCAR Busch Series history.
Career before NASCAR
At a young age, he became interested in racing. By the age of ten, Atwood was racing go-kartsKart racing
Kart racing or karting is a variant of open-wheel motorsport with small, open, four-wheeled vehicles called karts, go-karts, or gearbox/shifter karts depending on the design. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits...
. His early passion for racing later progressed to Late Model Stock racing by the age of 15. He was the 1996 rookie of the year at Nashville Speedway USA. Casey attended John Overton High School in Nashville Tennessee until he dropped out in 1999 to pursue his racing career.
Busch Series
In 1999, he joined the Brewco MotorsportsBrewco Motorsports
Baker Curb Racing, formerly known as Brewco Motorsports, is a racing team that competes in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, it is owned by Gary Baker, former owner of Bristol Motor Speedway and Nashville Superspeedway, and record executive Mike Curb...
#27 Castrol GTX
Castrol
Castrol is a brand of industrial and automotive lubricants which is applied to a large range of oils, greases and similar products for most lubrication applications...
Chevy team for his first full season in the NASCAR Busch Series. Atwood flipped at Daytona
Daytona
Daytona may refer to:* Daytona Beach, Florida* Daytona Beach Shores, Florida* South Daytona, Florida-Motor racing:* Daytona Beach Road Course* Daytona International Speedway, a NASCAR speedway, which hosts:** the Daytona 500 NASCAR race...
after he got tapped by Andy Hillenburg coming to the white flag and almost got a top 5 finish that race. He became the youngest driver ever to win a Busch Series pole, taking pole position
Pole position
The term "pole position", as used in motorsports, comes from the horse racing term where the number one starter starts on the inside next to the inside pole. The term made its way, along with several other customs, to auto racing. In circuit motorsports, a driver has pole position when he or she...
at Nashville Speedway USA. He went on to finish second in what was only his second Busch Series race. By the end of 1998 he had won two poles and 5 top 20's in 11 races. He also became the youngest winner in Busch Series History when he won at the Milwaukee Mile
Milwaukee Mile
The Milwaukee Mile is a -long oval race track in West Allis, Wisconsin that seats about 40,000 spectators. It operated as a dirt track until 1953. The track was paved in 1954....
at the age of 18 on July 4, 1999, which would stand until Joey Logano
Joey Logano
Joseph Thomas "Joey" Logano , nicknamed "sliced bread" by Randy LaJoie, is an American stock car auto racing race car driver who currently drives the #20 Home Depot Toyota Camry in the Sprint Cup Series and the #20 GameStop/Sport Clips Toyota Camry in the Nationwide Series for Joe Gibbs...
bested Atwood's mark by winning the Meijer 300
Meijer 300
The Feed the Children 300 is a NASCAR Nationwide Series race held at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Kentucky, United States. The distance of the race is 300 miles .-History:...
at Kentucky Speedway
Kentucky Speedway
Kentucky Speedway is a tri-oval speedway in Sparta, Kentucky, which has hosted ARCA, NASCAR and Indy Racing League racing annually since it opened in 2000. The track is currently owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports, Inc. and Jerry Carroll, who, along with four other investors, owned...
on June 14, 2008 at the age of 18 years and 21 days. Casey won another race at Dover in September and acquired two poles.
He finished 1999 with two wins, five top 5's and nine top 10's. He finished 13th in points. 2000 proved to be another good year for him, as he managed to have two poles and 8 top 10's, finishing 8th in points. In 2003 and he drove the #14 Navy Chevy for FitzBradshaw Racing
FitzBradshaw Racing
Trail Motorsports was a NASCAR team based in Mooresville, North Carolina, which is near Charlotte. The team is owned by Armando Fitz and Art Shelton, and was previously co-owned by Fitz's former wife Mimi...
. 2004 was a mediocre year for Atwood. He ran full-time for FitzBradshaw Racing. He had problems, but he still had seven top 10's. He nearly won at Richmond but got tapped by Martin Truex Jr. with less than ten laps to go, allowing Robby Gordon to win. Atwood was diagnosed by Fitz of having "a lack of confidence and no aggression on the race track". Fitz hired Flip Flippen to be Atwood's psychologist. Atwood was fired by Armando Fitz and Terry Bradshaw with five races remaining in the season. Atwood was 13th in points at the time, and he fell back to 19th. In 2005 he drove a few races for Evernham Motorsports
Evernham Motorsports
Richard Petty Motorsports is a two-car NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race team owned by seven-time NASCAR champion Richard Petty, Douglas G. Bergeron and financial company Medallion Financial. The team was founded as Evernham Motorsports in 2000, was renamed Gillett Evernham Motorsports in 2007 after...
in the #6 Hellmanns Mayonnaise Dodge.
In early to mid 2006, Atwood practiced and qualified the #18 Busch Series car for J. J. Yeley
J. J. Yeley
Christopher Beltram Hernandez Yeley is a NASCAR driver. Nicknamed "J. J." , he is currently a competitor in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, driving for Front Row Motorsports.-Open wheel:Yeley initially made a mark for himself in the world of auto racing when he took the Hoosier state by...
and Joe Gibbs Racing
Joe Gibbs Racing
Joe Gibbs Racing is a group of NASCAR racing teams owned and operated by former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs, who first started racing on the NASCAR circuit in 1991, and J. D. Gibbs, his son...
in select races. Beginning at Richmond in September, he drove the #27 car for Brewco Motorsports
Brewco Motorsports
Baker Curb Racing, formerly known as Brewco Motorsports, is a racing team that competes in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, it is owned by Gary Baker, former owner of Bristol Motor Speedway and Nashville Superspeedway, and record executive Mike Curb...
once again, for the rest of 2006. Atwood was replaced by Ward Burton
Ward Burton
John Edward Burton III is an American NASCAR auto racer, who has a total of five career Sprint Cup wins. He last drove the #4 State Water Heaters Chevrolet Impala SS for Morgan-McClure Motorsports in 2007. He is the older brother of fellow NASCAR driver Jeff Burton, against whom he first...
in the #27 car at Brewco Motorsports. After a year away from the sport, he returned to Brewco to pilot the 27 car again. He returned in 2009, qualifying for 20 races in the #05 car for Wayne Day, and finished 44th in points.
Winston Cup
In 2000, Atwood made his Winston Cup debut in a #19 MotorolaMotorola
Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
Ford for Ray Evernham
Ray Evernham
Ray Evernham is currently a consultant for Hendrick Companies. In 1999, Evernham won the NASCAR Winston Cup Illustrated “Person of the Year”.-Racer:...
at Richmond International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway is a 3/4-mile , D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series...
. He started 35th and finished 19th, two laps down. He made two more starts that year and earned his first top 10, a 10th at Homestead
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Homestead-Miami Speedway is a race track in Homestead, Florida southwest of Miami.Since 2002 Homestead has hosted the final races of the season in all three of NASCAR's series: the Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series, and the Camping World Truck Series...
. He moved up to NASCAR Winston Cup full-time in 2001 in the #19 Dodge Dealers car for Evernham Motorsports
Evernham Motorsports
Richard Petty Motorsports is a two-car NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race team owned by seven-time NASCAR champion Richard Petty, Douglas G. Bergeron and financial company Medallion Financial. The team was founded as Evernham Motorsports in 2000, was renamed Gillett Evernham Motorsports in 2007 after...
, which was a newly formed team under the Dodge
Dodge
Dodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....
banner. He was nicknamed the "Next Jeff Gordon
Jeff Gordon
Jeffery Michael "Jeff" Gordon is a professional NASCAR driver. He is the driver of the #24 Drive to End Hunger/DuPont/Pepsi Chevrolet Impala. He is a four-time Sprint Cup Series champion and a three-time Daytona 500 winner. He is third on the all-time wins list, with 85 career wins, and has the...
" and was teammate to former Cup Champion, Bill Elliott
Bill Elliott
William Clyde "Bill" Elliott , also known as Awesome Bill from Dawsonville or Million Dollar Bill, is a part-time driver and former champion of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Elliott was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America on August 15, 2007. He won the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup...
. Atwood struggled through the year, but improved as the season went on, winning the pole at Phoenix and was in contention to win the race, while leading the race a flat tire slowed his day as he was only able to make it back to 14th place by the end of the race. A week later at Homstead, FL he was leading with five laps to go, but was passed by Elliott and Michael Waltrip, to place third, his best Cup finish. Atwood also finished third in the Winston Cup Rookie of the Year
NASCAR Rookie of the Year
The NASCAR Rookie of the Year Award is presented to the first-year driver that has the best season in a NASCAR season. Each of NASCAR's national and regional touring series selects a RotY winner each year....
standings (behind Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch), and 26th in Cup standings.
In 2002, he moved from Evernham's team to the #7 Ultra Motorsports
Ultra Motorsports
Ultra Motorsports was a NASCAR Winston Cup & Craftsman Truck Series racing team. Jim Smith helped start the team and the Craftsman Truck Series. It ran full time in the Craftsman Truck Series from 1994 to 2005, earning many wins and a 2005 championship with Ted Musgrave...
Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of...
-sponsored car as part of an agreement with Evernham and Ultra owner Jim Smith, where Smith's team would switch from Ford to Dodge, receive equipment and engines from Evernham, and change their name to Ultra-Evernham Motorsports. Atwood struggled throughout the year, having no top 10's, and just one top-10 qualifying effort and finishing 35th in points. With two races left in the season, he was fired by Jim Smith (which also brought an abrupt end to the Ultra/Evernham partnership) and was replaced by Jason Leffler
Jason Leffler
Jason Leffler is a NASCAR driver from Long Beach, California. Leffler began racing in the open-wheel ranks before moving to NASCAR's three major series...
, and later, Jimmy Spencer
Jimmy Spencer
Jimmy Spencer is a current television commentator, and a former NASCAR driver. He formerly hosted the NASCAR inspired talk show, “What’s the Deal?”, on SPEED. He is the former co-host, with John Roberts and Kenny Wallace, of the SPEED's pre-race and post-race NASCAR shows NASCAR RaceDay and...
. Atwood ran the last race of the year in Evernham's #91 Dodge and qualified 12th, but finished poorly. Also during 2002, Atwood drove an Evernham ARCA car at Pocono and dominated, winning the race.
In 2003, he drove Evernham's #91 research and development car for two races. At Pocono Raceway
Pocono Raceway
Pocono Raceway also known as the Tricky Triangle, is a superspeedway located in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania at Long Pond...
with sponsorship from Mountain Dew LiveWire, Atwood finished 40th after engine troubles. He also ran in the Brickyard 400 without sponsorship, but was only able to muster a 31st place finish. Atwood's most recent appearance in the series was a failed qualifying attempt for the 2006 Ford 400
Ford 400
The Ford 400 is a NASCAR Sprint Cup stock car race held at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida.The race is relatively new on the NASCAR circuit, first being run in 1999. Since 2002, the Ford 400 has been part of the Ford Championship Weekend, the last week of the NASCAR season. Starting...
at Homestead
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Homestead-Miami Speedway is a race track in Homestead, Florida southwest of Miami.Since 2002 Homestead has hosted the final races of the season in all three of NASCAR's series: the Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series, and the Camping World Truck Series...
. He was driving the #95 Scott Towels
Scott Paper Company
The Scott Paper Company is a USA-based corporation which manufactures mostly paper based consumer products.Scott Paper was founded in 1879 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by brothers E. Irvin and Clarence Scott, and is often credited as being the first to market toilet paper sold on a roll...
Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
for Stanton Barrett
Stanton Barrett
Stanton Thomas Barrett is a NASCAR driver and Hollywood stuntman. He has driven in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series, as well in the IZOD IndyCar Series.-NASCAR:...
.
Craftsman Truck Series
Craftsman Truck Series
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing...
race at Nashville Speedway USA. He finished 32nd in the #48 STP
STP (motor oil company)
STP is an American brand and trade name for the automotive additives, lubricants and performance division of Armored AutoGroup.Founded in 1953 in Saint Joseph, Missouri, the company’s name, STP, was derived from “Scientifically Treated Petroleum”...
Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
. In 2005, Atwood had no ride. He was picked up by Bobby Hamilton
Bobby Hamilton
Charles Robert Hamilton, Sr. was a driver and owner in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series circuit and the winner of the 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship. Hamilton owned Bobby Hamilton Racing, which fielded three entries in each NCWTS event...
(whom some consider to be like a father to Atwood) to drive the first three races of the Craftsman Truck Series
Craftsman Truck Series
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing...
season in the #4 Bailey's Cigarettes Dodge. Atwood ran well during the three race stint, but scored no top tens.