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Amy Henderson

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Amy Henderson became a NASCAR junkie in 1997 when she got dragged to her first race of any kind, a Winston Cup race at New Hampshire International Speedway, because there was an extra ticket. She was hooked for life when she first heard the motors. The sound when the cars take the green flag is still her favorite part of any race she goes to.

Amy’s interest in racing goes back beyond 1997, however. She enjoys watching video of any old races she can get her hands on, and loves reading about the early days of the sport and the shenanigans of the drivers and crews in the days before NASCAR and the sponsors cared so much about what they did.

Amy came to Frontstretch in 2004 as a staff writer. She became an assistant editor in 2007, and she now leads the round table discussion in Mirror Driving every week as well as editing and writing her column, Holding A Pretty Wheel, which made its debut in 2007. In addition, she is the lead writer for Kenny Wallace’s official Website.

In her life apart from FS, Amy, who lives in Mooresville, North Carolina, teaches high school English and spends her summers watching as much racing of all kinds as possible and has also thoroughly enjoyed spending time as a volunteer counselor at Victory Junction Gang Camp. She loves to ride and show horses. In a past life, Amy worked in the Atlanta Braves minor league system. She has also held the Super Bowl trophy, skated with Bobby Orr and Cam Neely, worked on a Nationwide Series pit crew and visited Victory Lane-but not as a driver. She loves the Boston Red Sox-and saw something in 2004 and 2007 she never thought she would-two Sox World Series wins in her lifetime.

When You Can See Amy’s Frontstretch Columns:
Big Six: Mondays (Newsletter)
Holding A Pretty Wheel : Fridays (Website)

Q & A With Amy Henderson:

What Is Your Coolest Acquisition This Year? : A big goofy Golden Retriever-and-some-other-stuff-we-don’t-know-what-all-he-is named Howie. A shelter dog in his forever home-what could be better than that?!

What Is Your Favorite Racetrack? : Darlington. If only NAsCAR would see it clear to bring back the Southern 500..

What Is Your Favorite Restaurant? : Lancaster’s BBQ in Mooresville; Red Rocks in Huntersville/Charlotte

What Is Your Favorite TV Show(s)? : Homicide: Life on the Streets; CSI; Cold Case; Ghost Hunters; Numb3rs

Favorite Racing-related possession: One of the championship ribbons that I won with my horse, signed by both Chad Knaus and Jimmie Johnson at the beginning of the 2007 Chase…I just had a feeling…

Past articles by Amy Henderson

November 2008
11/21: Not Yarborough vs. Johnson; Yarborough AND Johnson [3]
11/14: One To Go, Boys-And What A Ride It Has Been
11/07: Amen, Junior: Why NASCAR Needs to Trim the Fat [21]
October 2008
10/31: Just Thinking About...Lean Times, Junior as The Future of HMS, and Making a Violation Go Away-and Some Other Stuff [8]
10/24: Tragedy Only Fueled Hendrick's Triumph In Their Darkest Hour [4]
10/17: Lean Times or Cash Cow-NASCAR Meets the Economy [6]
10/10: A Tale of Two Drivers: Will the Real Carl Edwards Please Stand Up? [39]
10/08: Top Ten Ways You Can Tell You've Just Been In the "Big One"
10/03: Some Guys Have It, Some Guys Don't: The Intangible That Makes Champions [1]
September 2008
09/26: Eight Great NASCAR Books You Probably Haven't Read [8]
09/19: When Is a Fight Not a Fight? Only When It's Between Cup Drivers. [5]
09/12: Chase "Excitement" Nothing But Smoke and Mirrors [11]
09/05: In Stremme, Penske Gets Marketability - But What About Driving Ability? [5]
August 2008
08/29: New Bud Shootout? More Like Shooting Yourself In the Foot [19]
08/22: It's a Mix of Cheers and Boos for NASCAR's 2009 Schedules [4]
08/15: First Year Blues and Fantastic Freshmen
08/08: What Owners Should Expect From Drivers-And What Expectations Go Too Far [1]
08/01: Is There a 48 in Kyle Busch's Mirror? [6]
July 2008
07/25: Junior or Patrick--Marketability Matters [2]
07/24: Beyond the Cockpit: Casey Mears On His Past, His Future, And His Family [1]
07/18: Picking Today's Top Cup Talent [5]
07/17: Beyond the Cockpit : Brian Vickers Talks Turnaround, Teamwork, And ... Skydiving?
07/11: Has NASCAR Finally Found A Race It Could Fix? [6]
07/10: Beyond the Cockpit: Marcos Ambrose
07/04: Holding A Pretty Sign: My Day On a NASCAR Pit Crew [3]
07/03: According To Bruton Smith, New Hampshire Offers Bright Future ... Not A Means To An End [4]
June 2008
06/20: CoT Myths: Busted or For Real? [14]
06/13: Boston Ventures Could Give Petty Enterprises a Bright Future-If They Remember the Past [4]
06/06: Best of Holding A Pretty Wheel: Ten Things I Hate About You, NASCAR [6]
May 2008
05/30: It's Not All Junior All the Time [22]
05/23: Three Shots Heard 'Round the World: NASCAR's Defining Week [4]
05/22: Beyond the Cockpit: Elliott Sadler
05/16: And the Winner of the No. 5 Ride Should Be... [11]
05/15: Beyond the Cockpit : A.J. Allmendinger [1]
05/09: Ken Schrader: A Lot Like a Rock [5]
05/02: Crime and Punishment Not Always Equal in NASCAR [3]
April 2008
04/25: Time for Junior to Clean the Slate [3]
04/18: Boring? What Race Were You Watching? [13]
04/11: The More Things Change [2]
04/04: Convenient Crashes: Karma or Coincidence? [3]
March 2008
03/28: Fan's Reactions to Junior, Jeff, Jimmie and Jack-Not What You Might Expect [17]
03/21: Dog and Pony Show for Sponsors Can Leave Fans With a Flea Circus [5]
03/14: A Scarlet...Asterisk? Giving Illegitimate Wins Their Due [2]
03/07: No Cries of "Cheater" on this Playground? [25]
February 2008
02/29: An Open Letter to the Unsung Heroes of Racing [9]
02/22: Change is Both Necessary and Evil in Today's NASCAR [10]
02/15: Wallace, Vickers and Andretti Are The Best Story of Speedweeks So Far [3]
02/08: Time to Put This Bud on Ice [12]
January 2008
01/25: The Best Of The Frontstretch : Two Little Brothers, Public Mourning, and a Kid Named Junior-Victory Lane Revisited
01/24: The Best Of The Frontstretch : White Flag: Junior's Last Lap at DEI
01/18: NASCAR Has 21 Reasons to Up Minimum Age [12]
01/11: Warning: This Is Only A Test [1]
November 2007
11/30: Imagine if the NASCAR Banquet Was Actually Fun? [7]
11/15: White Flag: Junior's Last Lap at DEI [13]
11/08: NASCAR ER-It's Time to Bring Reality to the Show [7]
11/01: Casey Mears is NASCAR's Invisible Man-And He Looks Just Fine [1]
October 2007
10/25: Polishing NASCAR's Bad Penny: It's Time to Fix the Chase [14]
10/18: Whatever NASCAR Does, They Can't Stop the Dance [10]
10/11: Best of Holding A Pretty Wheel: Two Little Brothers, A Public Mourning, and A Kid Named Junior [3]
10/04: NASCAR Probation? No Problem! Do What You Want, And Don't Pay Later! [13]
September 2007
09/20: NASCAR Needs Tougher Drug Testing Policies-Before It's Too Late [8]
09/14: It's Better To Be Marketable Than Good [8]
09/06: Dale Junior and Casey Mears: Not Just Numbers [8]
August 2007
08/31: NASCAR Simply Heading In the Wrong Direction This Weekend [21]
08/23: Ten Things I Hate About You, NASCAR [37]
08/16: Breaking the Rules Just Ain't What It Used To Be [11]
08/09: Best of Holding a Pretty Wheel : Sunscreen, Bowling for Junior, and The Porta-Potty Story
08/02: Gordon won AGAIN?! And Is Dale Earnhardt Junior Going to Be Any Good? It was Ten years Ago... [7]
July 2007
07/26: Kyle Busch and the Five Amazing Mentors: A Tale of Speed and Impertinence [11]
07/19: A Sunday Without Racing?! Whatever Shall I Do? [2]
07/12: Dragged A Jeff Gordon Beanie Around Lately?: A Reality Check [25]
07/05: Best of: Holding a Pretty Wheel - Hate the 48? It's Totally Undeserved [6]
June 2007
06/28: Your Only Job is Fairness: An Open Letter to NASCAR [22]
06/21: Just Racin'- And Happy About It [5]
06/13: Junior Grows Up - And His Future With HMS Is Brighter Than Ever [7]
06/07: Goodbye, Bill and a Championship for Junior? Thoughts at the Crossed Flags [1]
May 2007
05/31: Two Little Brothers, Public Mourning, and a Kid Named Junior-Victory Lane Revisited [7]
05/24: CoT in 2008? Bring It!
05/17: Put the Past Champion's Provisional Where It Belongs-In the Past! [7]
05/12: Busch Breakdown: Diamond Hill Plywood 200 [1]
05/10: From "Wherefore, Junior?" to "Where For Junior?" [1]
05/09: Find Yourself "Inside Herman's World"
05/03: Junior and Jeff Staying Home on Sunday? Maybe Not That Drastic, but Qualifying Needs Changing [10]
April 2007
04/26: Dale Earnhardt's Class Still Shines Bright [5]
04/19: Junior Doesn't Owe You A Thing-And Neither Does Anyone Else [7]
04/13: NASCAR Letting Hendrick Win? And I'm an Underground Aviator [7]
04/06: Mad at Jimmie, Jeff, Or Junior? Don't Wreck It For the Rest of Us! [15]
March 2007
03/29: Sunscreen, Bowling for Junior, and The Porta-Potty Story
03/22: Hello, Car of Tom...Er, Today [1]
03/15: NASCAR Practices Unfair Practice [11]
03/08: Dude! Where's My Race?
03/01: WARNING! Invisible Debris Is Hazardous To Your Health! [14]
February 2007
02/22: A Plateful of Trouble [4]
02/15: Before It's Too Late [1]
02/14: NASCAR On the Right Track With Penalties [7]
02/08: DEI's Impossible Dream [16]
02/01: Split Personality [1]
January 2007
01/19: This Is Only a Test
01/15: Best of Amy Henderson : Five Years To One Blaise ... And Gone
01/08: Best of That's History : Jimmie's Gift
01/05: If It Ain't Broke...Don't Break It Worse! [9]
01/01: Best of That's History : Never Prewrite NASCAR History
December 2006
12/18: Best of That's History : Biggest Fish In The Pond
12/12: Another Season In the Books: Part II
12/04: Best Of That's History : Ready Or Not, Busch And Truck Drivers Move Up
November 2006
11/30: Hate the 48? It's Totally Undeserved [28]
11/28: Best Of That's History : A Matter Of Perspective
11/20: Another Season In the Books ... Part I
11/17: Race Trax: Ford 400
11/13: Five Little Pigs And A Lifetime
11/09: To Buschwhack Or Not To Buschwhack [3]
11/09: Race Trax: Checker Auto Parts 500
11/06: Time In a Bottle [1]
11/02: Race Trax: Dickies 500
October 2006
10/30: B.S. History...Texas Style! [1]
10/26: Race Trax: Bass Pro Shops 500
10/23: Never Prewrite NASCAR's History
10/19: Race Trax: Subway 500
10/16: Biggest Fish in the Pond [2]
10/12: Battle Royale...with Trucks? [2]
10/12: Race Trax : Bank of America 500
10/09: NASCAR, Fix the Future...NOW! [7]
10/05: Race Trax: UAW-Ford 500
10/02: Five Years To One Blaise... and Gone [3]
September 2006
09/28: Race Trax: Banquet 400
09/25: Chase This! [1]
09/21: No Chase? Great! [2]
09/21: Race Trax: Dover 400
09/18: That's History
09/14: Race Trax: Sylvania 300
09/11: Jimmie's Gift [6]
09/07: Race Trax: Chevy Rock 'N Roll 400
09/04: The Company You Keep, Denny... [5]
August 2006
08/31: Race Trax: Sony HD 500
08/28: Two for the Road
08/24: Race Trax: Sharpie 500
08/21: Bristol This! [1]
08/10: Race Trax: AMD at the Glen
08/07: Some Kid Named Johnson Who Can't Buy A Brake
08/03: Ready or Not, Busch and Truck Drivers Move Up [2]
08/03: Race Trax : Allstate 400 At the Brickyard
08/01: NASCAR Cheaters Never Prosper...Okay, Sometimes They Do: Part II [2]
July 2006
07/24: NASCAR Cheaters Never Prosper...OK, Sometimes They Do: Part I [4]
07/20: Nope, No Cost-Cutting Here [6]
07/20: Race Trax: Pennsylvania 500
07/17: Pit Now! Just Don't Run Over Ralphie Again On Your Way to the Checkered Flag
07/13: Race Trax : Lenox Industrial Tools 300
07/10: Under the Rainbow [4]
07/06: Race Trax: USG Sheetrock 400
07/03: Attack of the Giant Fruit [4]
June 2006
06/29: Just Asking - Burning Questions In NASCAR's "Other" Top Series [2]
06/29: Race Trax: Pepsi 400
06/26: The Best Labonte Story...Never
06/22: Race Trax: Dodge/Save Mart 350
06/19: My, How (Busch) Times Have Changed [4]
06/15: Race Trax: 3M Performance 400
06/15: Race Trax: Meijer 300
06/12: Welcome to Brooklyn (No, the OTHER Brooklyn)
06/08: Random Summer Busch and Truck Thoughts
06/08: Race Trax: Pocono 500
06/08: Race Trax: Federated Auto Parts 300
06/04: Monster Mile Rough Ride For Many At Back of Top 35
06/02: Race Trax: Neighborhood Excellence 400 Presented by Bank of America
06/01: Race Trax: StonebridgeRacing.com 200
May 2006
05/22: Yesterday's NASCAR News...or is it?
05/18: Busch and Truck Races Aren't Sold Out...Why? [4]
05/18: Race Trax: Nextel Open / Nextel All-Star Challenge
05/08: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Darlington Stripes
05/04: Race Trax: Crown Royal 400
05/04: Race Trax: Circuit City 250
05/02: Life at the Track: Genius Burns A Lot of Calories [1]
05/01: Buschwhacking At Its Best [2]
April 2006
04/27: Race Trax: Aaron's 499
04/27: Race Trax: Aaron's 312
04/24: Looking Back On Restrictor Plates and Other Things to Make Talladega Racing Safe [1]
04/20: Race Trax: Subway Fresh 500
04/20: Race Trax: Bashas' Supermarkets 200
04/17: NASCAR's Future Considerations [1]
04/13: Gentlemen, Start Your Engines...and Play Ball!
04/13: Race Trax: Pepsi 300
04/11: The More NASCAR Changes, the More They Stay The Same [1]
04/07: Race Trax: Samsung/Radio Shack 500
04/07: Race Trax: O'Reilly 300
04/04: Martin's Kid [2]
March 2006
03/30: Race Trax: DirecTV 500
03/28: Selling Memories
03/23: Race Trax: Food City 500
03/23: Race Trax: Sharpie Mini 300
03/23: NASCAR: The first step is admitting you have a Buschwhacking problem. [10]
03/21: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Spring Cleaning
03/16: Race Trax: Golden Corral 500
03/16: Race Trax: Nicorette 300
03/14: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: How Useless Can You Be? [2]
03/10: Frontstretch Phone-In: Aaron Fike
03/09: Race Trax-UAW Daimler-Chrysler 400
03/09: Race Trax-Sam's Town 300
03/07: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Another Matter of Perspective [1]
03/02: Race Trax: Telcel/Motorola 200
February 2006
02/27: A Matter of Perspective:
02/24: Race Trax: Auto Club 500
02/23: Race Trax: Stater Bros. 300
02/20: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Daytona Dreamin'
02/16: Race Trax-Daytona 500
02/16: Race Trax-Hershey's Kissables 300
02/13: NASCAR Rules! Qualifying [1]
02/13: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Beach Dreams
02/09: Race Trax: Budweiser Shootout
02/06: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: First Time's the Charm [2]
January 2006
01/08: Best of That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Minor Adjustments
December 2005
12/22: Best of That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Sometimes, it's Personal
12/16: Best of That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Useless and Proud of It
12/08: Best of That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Payback Time
12/01: Best of That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Cheese Wheels
November 2005
11/17: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Not Just Useless; Championship Useless [1]
11/10: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Rookie This
11/08: Caution Flag for NASCAR: Race Directors Getting Way Too Conservative in Throwing the Yellow [12]
11/03: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Four For the History Books
October 2005
10/27: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Marginal [1]
10/20: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: One Year Later
10/13: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) past, One Story at a Time: Homecoming Game [1]
10/07: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Switch-up
September 2005
09/29: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, one Story at a Time: Super Speedway
09/22: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Come Here, Dale IV, and I'll Tell You a Story
09/16: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Chase-ing Useless
09/08: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Useless, Just in Time for Fall
09/01: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Driving in Circles
August 2005
08/25: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: You Might Be Surprised
08/18: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Time Changes
08/11: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Sometimes, it's Personal
08/04: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Past Perfect
July 2005
07/28: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Two to Go
07/21: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: The Road Not Taken [1]
07/14: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Tomorrow's History Today
07/07: Best Of: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Name Game
June 2005
06/30: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: All the Answers
06/23: Best of That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Payback Time
06/16: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: To the Test
06/09: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Useless and Proud of It
06/02: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Making History
May 2005
05/26: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Driving in Circles
05/20: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Mr. Popularity's Legacy [1]
05/12: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Wishful Thinking
05/08: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Safety Firsts
April 2005
04/28: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Parking Shots
04/21: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Once Over
04/15: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Payback Time
04/08: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Tomorrow's History [1]
04/01: That’s History! NASCAR’s Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story At a Time: This is NOT Your High School History Class
March 2005
03/24: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Name Game
03/17: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Homework, Tennis Shoes, and that Kid Down the Street
03/10: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Numbers Game [1]
03/03: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Two to Go [3]
February 2005
02/23: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Minor Adjustments
02/17: Frontstretch 2005 Preview: 2nd-Jimmie Johnson
02/17: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Cheese Wheels
02/15: Frontstretch 2005 Preview: 8th-Kasey Kahne
02/10: That's History! NASCAR's Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story at a Time: Valentine Harts [1]
02/04: Graveyard Shift: That’s History! NASCAR’s Checkered (Flag) Past, One Story At a Time [1]