Casey Atwood
Atwood at the 2004 Stater Bros. 300
Born	(1980-08-25)August 25, 1980 (age 44) Antioch, Tennessee, U.S.
Achievements	Youngestpole sitter inBusch Series history
Awards	1996Fairgrounds Speedway Rookie of the Year
NASCARCup Series career
75 races run over 4 years
Best finish	26th (2001)
First race	2000Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 (Richmond)
Last race	2003Brickyard 400 (Indianapolis)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 4 1
NASCARXfinity Series career
158 races run over 10 years
2009 position	44th
Best finish	8th (2000)
First race	1998GM Goodwrench Service Plus 200 (Rockingham)
Last race	2009Able Body Labor 200 (Phoenix)
First win	1999DieHard 250 (Milwaukee)
Last win	1999MBNA Gold 200 (Dover)
Wins Top tens Poles 2 30 6
NASCARCraftsman Truck Series career
4 races run over 2 years
Best finish	52nd (2005)
First race	1996Federated Auto Parts 250 (Nashville)
Last race	2005World Financial Group 200 (Atlanta)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 0 0
Statistics current as of July 3, 2012.

Casey Lee Atwood (born August 25, 1980)^[1][2] is an American formerstock car racing driver. A former competitor inNASCAR competition, he is the youngest pole winner inBusch Series history, earning a pole start at the age of 17.^[3]

Atwood had his most success in the Busch Series in 1999 and 2000, driving the No. 27 Chevrolet forBrewco Motorsports. Atwood became the youngest winner in series history in 1999 at 18 years, 313 days (the record would later be broken in 2008 byJoey Logano at 18 years, 21 days old).^[3][4][5] Atwood's performance led many to label him as "the nextJeff Gordon," and landed him a factory-backedDodge ride in theWinston Cup Series withEvernham Motorsports for 2001. His struggles at the Cup level over two seasons, however, derailed his career, with his last Cup start coming in 2003 at the young age of 22.^[3] After spending parts of seven seasons back in the Busch Series, Atwood's national series career ended in 2009.

Growing up inAntioch, Tennessee outside ofNashville,^[1] Atwood became interested in racing at a young age. By the age of ten, Atwood was racinggo-karts. He later progressed to Late Model Stock racing by the age of 15. He was the 1996 rookie of the year atNashville Speedway USA.^[4][6] Casey attendedJohn Overton High School in Nashville until he dropped out in 1999 to pursue his racing career.

Atwood debuted in theNASCARBusch Series in 1998 atNorth Carolina Speedway with a modest 21st-place finish,^[7] but stunned the racing world upon his next attempt. At his home trackNashville Speedway in March, the 17-year-old Atwood qualified on the pole position, making him the youngest pole winner in NASCAR history, a record that still stands in the Busch/Nationwide/Xfinity series, but in NASCAR in total, it had been surpassed in 2014 by a 16-year-oldCole Custer in the Truck Series.^[3] A brilliant performance would follow, as Atwood led 104 laps and ultimately brought his No. 28Red Line OilChevrolet home in second-place toMike McLaughlin.^[7] Atwood made sporadic starts over the course of the year, none equal to his second race, but after moving fromLarry Lockamy's part-time team toHensley Racing in September, the driver had strong showings at Atlanta (where he started 36th but made his way to the front) and Homestead (where he claimed his second pole). By the end of 1998, he had won two poles and five Top 20s in 13 races.^[1]

In 1999, he joined theBrewco Motorsports No. 27Castrol GTX Chevrolet team for his first full season in the NASCAR Busch Series.^[1] Atwood flipped during the first race of the season atDaytona International Speedway, after he was tapped byAndy Hillenburg coming to the white flag.^[8] Atwood became the youngest winner in Busch Series History when he won at theMilwaukee Mile at the age of 18 on July 4, 1999, which would stand untilJoey Logano bested Atwood's mark by winning theMeijer 300 atKentucky Speedway on June 14, 2008 at the age of 18 years and 21 days.^[3] Atwood won another race at Dover in September and scored two pole starts. He finished 1999 with two wins, five Top 5s and nine Top 10s. He finished 13th in points. 2000 proved to be another good year for Atwood, as he managed to have two poles and eight top 10s, finishing eighth in points.^[3]

In 2000, Atwood made his Winston Cup debut in the No. 19MotorolaFord forRay Evernham atRichmond International Raceway.^[9] He started 35th and finished 19th, two laps down. He made two more starts that year and earned his first Top 10, a 10th atHomestead. Atwood moved up to NASCARWinston Cup full-time in 2001 in the No. 19Dodge Dealers/UAW car for Evernham's teamEvernham Motorsports, a newly formed team under theDodge banner, to compete forRookie of the Year honors. Atwood was the youngest driver in the series in 2001.^[6][10][11] He was nicknamed the "NextJeff Gordon," due to Gordon's similar rise from Busch to Cup at a young age,^[4] 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.^[4] A week later at Homestead, he was leading with five laps to go, but was passed by Elliott and Michael Waltrip. Atwood would place third, his career-best Cup finish.^[4] Atwood also finished third in theWinston Cup Rookie of the Year standings (behind future Cup championsKevin Harvick andKurt Busch),^[12] and 26th in Cup standings.

In 2002, with the signing ofJeremy Mayfield to drive the No. 19, Atwood moved from Evernham's team to the No. 7 ofUltra Motorsports as part of an alliance between Evernham and Ultra ownerJim Smith, where Smith's team would switch from Ford to Dodge and receive equipment and engines from Evernham. The team was known as Ultra-Evernham Motorsports, and sponsored bySirius Satellite Radio.^{[4][13][14][15]} Atwood struggled throughout the year, having zero Top 10s, and just one Top 10 qualifying effort and finishing 35th in points.^[4] 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 byJason Leffler for the rest of 2002, and laterJimmy Spencer in 2003.^[16][17] Atwood ran the last race of the year in Evernham's No. 91 Dodge and qualified 12th, but finished poorly.^[6][16] Also during 2002, Atwood drove an EvernhamARCA car bearing his former No. 19 at Pocono and dominated, winning the race from the pole.^[18]

In 2003, he drove Evernham's No. 91 research and development car for two races. AtPocono Raceway with sponsorship fromMountain Dew LiveWire, Atwood finished 40th after engine troubles. He also ran in theBrickyard 400 without sponsorship, but was only able to muster a 31st-place finish.^[18][19] Atwood's most recent appearance in the series was a failed qualifying attempt in the No. 95 car for the 2006Ford 400 atHomestead. He was driving aBrewco-preparedScott Towels/KleenexFord forStanton Barrett.^[20][21]

After his release from Evernham Motorsports in the Cup Series, Atwood was expected to return to Brewco's 27 (recently vacated byJamie McMurray),^[6][16] but the ride instead went toChase Montgomery andJoey Clanton. Beginning atKentucky in June 2003, Atwood drove the No. 14Navy Chevrolet forFitzBradshaw Racing, a second car for the team. Atwood also ran three races in the team's third No. 82 Chevy. Atwood returned to the No. 14 full-time for FitzBradshaw in 2004. Atwood scored seven top ten finishes, but was inconsistent outside of those races. He nearly won atRichmond in September, leading 83 laps, but was tapped byMartin Truex Jr. with less than ten laps to go, allowingRobby Gordon to win. Atwood would finish second in the race. Atwood was diagnosed by ownerArmando Fitz of having "a lack of confidence and no aggression on the race track", proceeding to hire a psychologist for the driver. Atwood was released from the team with five races remaining in the season, replaced byChip Ganassi Racing development driverDavid Stremme (Fitz was the son-in-law of CGR co-ownerFelix Sabates).^[3][22][23] Atwood was 13th in points at the time, and he fell back to 19th by the end of the season. In 2005, he drove four races forEvernham Motorsports in the No. 6Unilever Dodge.

In early to mid-2006, Atwood practiced and qualified the No. 18Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet forJ. J. Yeley in select races, due to conflicts with Yeley'sNextel Cup Series schedule. Atwood would also occupy this role in 2009 forKyle Busch. Atwood would later say that these cars, prepared by former Brewco mechanicJason Ratcliff, were the best he'd ever driven.^[4][24] Beginning at Richmond in September, he returned to the No. 27 car forBrewco Motorsports for the rest of 2006. Atwood was replaced byWard Burton in the No. 27 car at Brewco for 2007. After a year away from the sport, he returned to Brewco (then known asBaker-Curb Racing) to pilot the 27 car in 2008.^[3] In 2009, Atwood qualified for 20 races in the No. 05 car for Wayne Day, and finished 44th in points.At Phoenix, he was involved in a grinding crash in which he took three separate hits. Atwood sustained minor injuries, and has not raced since (His injuries did not bring about the end of his career).

Atwood first appeared on the NASCAR scene in 1996, at the age of 16, in aCraftsman Truck Series race atNashville Speedway USA. He finished 32nd in the No. 48STPChevrolet. In 2005, Atwood was picked up byBobby Hamilton Racing to drive the first three races of theCraftsman Truck Series season in the No. 4Bailey's Cigarettes Dodge. Atwood ran well during the three race stint, but scored no top tens.

After three years away from racing, Atwood returned to competition in 2012, competing inlate model competition atNashville Fairgrounds Speedway in a car owned bySterling Marlin.^[4][24]

Atwood currently resides inNashville. He married his longtime girlfriend, Laura, in 2005. They have two daughters together.^[4]

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time.Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time.Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

* Season still in progress
¹ Ineligible for series points

• Casey Atwood driver statistics at Racing-Reference

• Living people
• 1980 births
• People from Antioch, Tennessee
• Sportspeople from Davidson County, Tennessee
• Racing drivers from Nashville, Tennessee
• NASCAR drivers
• ARCA Menards Series drivers
• Evernham Motorsports drivers

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from February 2025
• Use American English from January 2025
• All Wikipedia articles written in American English