Whatever Happened to Casey Atwood? Racing FOR & WITH Sterling Marlin at Nashville Fairgrounds!

A nice piece in the "Whatever Happened To?" category:

Atwood Gets Back On Track
Larry Woody | Senior Writer, RacinToday.com Friday, 13 April 2012

Nashvilles Casey Atwood, once billed as NASCARs next Jeff Gordon, is back where he started over a decade ago: running Saturday night fender-benders at Fairgrounds Speedway.

I havent been in a race car for about three years now, and Ive missed it, says Atwood, 31, who will buckle in for Saturday nights season opener at the 54-year-old track.

Ive always loved racing, and especially enjoyed it at the Fairgrounds. Ive had a lot of success there, and itll be good to get back.

Atwood will drive a car provided by two-time Daytona 500 champion Sterling Marlin, who will also be in the lineup.

Track promoter Tony Formosa Jr. says familiar names like Atwood and Marlin will appeal to area fans and hopefully set the turnstiles spinning again.

Our goal is to bring racing back to the level that it once was, Formosa says, and it all starts with the drivers.

When Atwood was racing in NASCARs second-tier Nationwide Series he was sizzling. Personable, charismatic and talented, Casey became the sports youngest pole winner when he captured the pole for a Nationwide race at the Fairgrounds in 1998. He came back and won the pole again the following season.

In 2000 Atwood was signed by Ray Evernham to be a teammate of superstar Bill Elliott, driving the new Dodges that were re-entering the sport. Atwood ran a few Cup races at the end of 2000, then plunged in full-time the next year.

In that 2001 season he came close to winning at least two races, losing one late lead due to a blown tire and another when a caution came out 10 laps to go. The next year Evernham decided to put Jeremy Mayfield in Atwoods primary car and move Atwood to a backup a move that effectively de-railed his career.

Atwood has always refused to fault Evernham for his career setback.

Looking back there were a lot of things that happened, Atwood says. I should have stayed in Nationwide another year or two and got more experience before going to Cup. There were some things that I could have done better (in terms of decision-making). But thats all in the past and it doesnt do any good to look back. I dont blame anybody for what happened.

Atwood is married and the father of two daughters, six and four. He spends his time piddling around and occasionally helping his father Terry with his electronics company.

The last time he was in a race car was in 2009 when he helped set up Nationwide cars for some Cup double-dippers at now-closed Nashville Superspeedway.

Itll feel good to get back out on the track, says Atwood, who holds out hope of racing again professionally. I started racing karts as a little kid and Ive never got it out of my system. I dont guess I ever will.

Larry Woody can be reached at lwoody@racintoday.com

That was an exceptionally potent Busch Series team Clarence Brewer assembled when he paired Casey Atwood and the late Kevin Grubb. Two very talented race car drivers. A sad ending for one... maybe a comeback for the other.

Yes... and no.

The "g" got added by sportswriters many years ago and Sterlin/Sterling quit fighting it and started using his name that way - with the g.

He even spells it with the g now on his own racing web site:

http://sterlingmarlinracing.com/

And he used the g when he ran his now closed Dodge/Jeep dealership:

I'm with you., Jim, and I can relate to Sterlin's dilemma.

Both of our daughters (thanks to my wife and I) have names that can be spelled a variety of ways and used for both male and female.

Their names are Gwyn and Stacey and they have seen them spelled every way imaginable. We have been asked many times by the girls why we did that. You always knew if Stacey was particularly mad at Gwyn because she'd call her Gwendolyn! That was sure to set Gwyn off.

As Richard Petty's career started waning, I hitched my wagon to Tim Richmond. As it turned out, Petty's career outlasted Tim's. Then I went through a dry spell where I tried to follow Kyle - son of The King, Sterling - started watching at the fairgrounds, all the troubled drivers who piloted the 43 after RP, etc.

Then Casey came along with Brewco. A true Nashville guy. THIS was going to be my new fave. Plus, he had a great looking car with that Castrol 27. I'd follow him to success in Cup. Instead *poof* his career was almost over before it began with Evernham.

I've been surprised that Castrol really hasn't surfaced much as a sponsor since those days. About the only thing we've heard from them was that annoying commercial where the guy striped folks across the back of the knees with the dipstick.

I always wondered about Castrol, too. They've had a huge presence in drag racing for decades.

Two of these four talented drivers are no longer with us. Too young to leave.

Absolutely. Was thinking on the roundy-round circuits. I guess their racing ad budget is pretty well committed to the Force family. Can't say I blame them as that outfit has stockpiled plenty of trophies and championships. But just disappointing how they didn't have the success needed to stick around on the NASCAR side of things - or at least at a favorable cost.

With Sunday's Rockingham Renaissance, its interesting to reflect who may have either bump drafted or stole the air from Casey's rear wheels in the 1999 Daytona Busch race. Not laying blame - just chuckling a bit at the coincidence.

I saw Casey and Sterlin"g" Saturday outside next to the hauler, but didn't get a chance to stop and talk as I was trying to chase down a handling problem with my car. Good to see Casey is back into racing...and back at the Fairgrounds too. Maybe this is a good omen!!

(P.S. - Got some in car from our race if you're interested....)