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NASCAR BGN: Casey Atwood: Coincidence or secret to his success?

7 October 1999

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
If Casey Atwood was superstitious, the 19-year-old driver of the No. 27 Castrol GTX Chevrolet Monte Carlo would arrive to the track a few minutes late for practice at every race. The Antioch, Tennessee resident has enjoyed much success in 1999, his first full season in the NASCAR Busch Series, scoring two wins. Both had a common occurrence - Atwood arriving to the track late for the first practice session.

"In Milwaukee, I pulled into the track in the morning and heard the cars running," said Atwood. "I knew it was the Busch Series practicing and it about made me sick. Luckily, we had a great car and it didn't hurt us. I didn't think about it much after we won."

Atwood thought about it again recently though. He missed 30 minutes of practice for the MBNA Gold 200 at Dover Downs International Speedway after being stuck in a traffic jam and arriving at the track late. The following day he scored his second career win.

"The guys on the Castrol team have asked me to sleep in on Thursday," joked Atwood. "They are just playing though. We need all the practice we can get. We are a young team and still have a lot to learn. Even though we are two-for-two when I'm late, I'm going to make sure it NEVER happens again."

ATWOOD TO COMPETE IN CELEBRITY LEGEND RACE: Casey Atwood, driver of the No. 27 Castrol GTX Chevrolet Monte Carlo in the NASCAR Busch Series, is scheduled to compete in a Legend car at the Sixth Annual Mark Collie Celebrity Race for Diabetes Cure at Nashville Speedway USA on October 26-27.

ATWOOD'S HOMECOMING: On October 1, Casey Atwood competed in a 100 lap Late Model Stock division race at Nashville Speedway USA. The Antioch, Tennessee resident started in 29th position and charged his way to a ninth place finish. "If the race was a little bit longer, I could've won," said Atwood. "It was a lot of fun racing again at Nashville Speedway."

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