Atlanta Motor Speedway

Quad-Oval (1997–present)
Location	Henry County, Georgia, at 1500 Tara Place Hampton, GA, 30228
Time zone	UTC−5 (UTC−4 DST)
Coordinates	33°23′0.58″N 84°19′4.28″W / 33.3834944°N 84.3178556°W / 33.3834944; -84.3178556
Capacity	71,000-125,000 (depending on configuration)[1]
Owner	Speedway Motorsports (1990–present)
Operator	Speedway Motorsports (1990–present)
Broke ground	1958
Opened	31 July 1960 (1960-07-31)
Construction cost	$1.8 million
Architect	Dr. Warren Gremmel, Bill Boyd, Jack Black, Garland Bagley
Former names	Atlanta International Raceway (July 1960–October 1990)
Major events	Current: NASCAR Cup Series Ambetter Health 400 (1960–present) Quaker State 400 (1960–2010, 2021–present) NASCAR All-Star Race (1986) NASCAR Xfinity Series RAPTOR King of Tough 250 (1992–present) Alsco Uniforms 250 (2021–present) NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Fr8Auctions 208 (2004–2012, 2015–present) E-Z-GO 200 (2005–2008) Former: IndyCar Series Atlanta 500 Classic (1965–1966, 1978–1979, 1981–1983, 1998–2001) Atlanta Marathon (2021) AMA Superbike Championship (1993–1994) IMSA GT Championship (1993)
Website	https://www.atlantamotorspeedway.com/
Quad-Oval (1997–present)
Length	1.540 miles (2.478 km)
Banking	Turns: 28° Straights: 5°
Race lap record	0:24.732 (224.163 mph) ( Billy Boat, Dallara IR-8, 1998, IndyCar)
Original Oval Circuit (1960–1996)
Length	1.522 miles (2.449 km)
Banking	Turns: 24° Straights: 5°
Road Course (1992–1996)
Length	2.522 miles (4.059 km)
Race lap record	1:13.514 ( Juan Manuel Fangio II, Eagle Mk III, 1993, IMSA GTP)

Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly known Atlanta International Raceway from 1960 to 1990) is a 1.540 mi (2.478 km) race track and entertainment facility in Hampton, Georgia, 20 mi (32 km) south of Atlanta. It has annually hosted NASCAR Cup Series stock car races since its inauguration in 1960.

The venue was bought by Speedway Motorsports in 1990. In 1994, 46 condominiums were built over the northeastern side of the track. In 1997, to standardize the track with Speedway Motorsports' other two intermediate ovals, the entire track was almost completely rebuilt. The frontstretch and backstretch were swapped, and the configuration of the track was changed from oval to quad-oval, with a new official length of 1.540 mi (2.478 km) where before it was 1.522 mi (2.449 km). The project made the track one of the fastest on the NASCAR circuit. In July 2021 NASCAR announced that the track would be reprofiled for the 2022 season to have 28 degrees (previously 24 degrees) of banking and would be narrowed from 55 to 40 ft (17 to 12 m), making the track one of NASCAR's three drafting tracks alongside Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway (hence using superspeedway rules), despite being significantly shorter than Daytona or Talladega. It is now the most steeply banked mile and a half track in America. Despite the reprofiling being criticized by drivers, construction began in August 2021 and wrapped up in December 2021.^[2][3] The track has seating capacity of 71,000 to 125,000 people depending on the track's configuration.

Racing

Aerial image of Atlanta Motor Speedway

2022 Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway

The track hosted a NASCAR Cup Series race weekend annually on Labor Day weekend from 2009 to 2014. The 2009 move from an October race date to Labor Day weekend was also accompanied by a change in start time, marking the first NASCAR Cup Series under the lights at Atlanta Motor Speedway and the return of Labor Day weekend NASCAR racing to the Southern United States.^[4]

Other highlights of the facility are a 0.250 mi (0.402 km) track between the pit road and the main track for Legends racing and a 2.500 mi (4.023 km) FIA-approved road course. In 1996, the speedway hosted the Countryfest concert, attracting over 200,000 fans.

For most of the 1990s and 2000s, the track boasted the highest speeds on the NASCAR circuit, with a typical qualifying lap speed of about 193 mph (311 km/h), first posted by driver Breton Roussel on June 22, 1990, and a record lap speed of over 197 mph (317 km/h). In 2004 and 2005, the similarly designed Texas Motor Speedway saw slightly faster qualifying times, and as the tracks' respective racing surfaces have worn, qualifying speeds at Texas have become consistently faster than at Atlanta.^[5] The NASCAR circuit has two tracks, the longer Talladega Superspeedway and Daytona International Speedway, that were once faster than Atlanta or Texas, with lap speeds usually exceeding 200 mph (320 km/h), but restrictor plates were mandated for use on those tracks in 1988 after Bobby Allison's violent crash at Talladega the year before, reducing average lap speeds to about 190 mph (310 km/h). Prior to the 2021 reconfiguration project, NASCAR did not require restrictor plates at Atlanta, which helped lead to the adoption of Atlanta's commercial slogan, "Real Racing. Real Fast."

On August 5, 2010, speedway president Ed Clark announced that Atlanta would be scaling back its NASCAR event schedule for 2011. The track kept its Labor Day weekend dates but lost its spring race. The race was given to Kentucky Speedway, another track owned by SMI, giving that track its long-awaited and desired Cup race, the Quaker State 400.^[6]

Every year from spring until fall, the speedway hosts "Friday Night Drags" where participants drag race down the pit road. The racing is conducted on an 1/8-mile stretch.

The facility also hosts several driving schools year-round, such as Richard Petty Driving Experience, where visitors have the opportunity to experience the speedway from a unique point-of-view behind the wheel of a race car.^[7] The track also hosts Speed Tech Driving School, which allows individuals to race 6 or more laps on the track when it is not in use for NASCAR or other events.

NASCAR president Mike Helton was once the track's general manager. Ed Clark is the current President and CEO of the track.

In late 2015 Atlanta Motor Speedway announced that they would install SAFER barrier around the whole of the outside and large portions of the inside around the track.

2021 marked a return to two NASCAR Cup Series weekends after Kentucky Speedway's event was given back, but also because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Speedway, in Henry County, has been able to host events traditionally held in Fulton County. In November 2020, the Atlanta Track Club announced that the Publix Atlanta Marathon would move from downtown Atlanta to the Speedway premises. The three races (5,0000 meter, 21,097.5 meter, and 42,195 meter) were based around access roads, with the marathon being a two-lap race, the half being a one-lap race, and the 5,000 meter race utilising the same perimeter roads and parking lots, starting behind the Jimmie Johnson Grandstand and winding around track premises. At the end of the first (half) or second (full) laps, the courses then proceeded to make a loop around the Turn 1/2 tunnel and infield campground roads before finishing with one (5,000 meter) or two (half and full) laps around the oval, finishing on pit lane facing the start-finish line.^[8][9] Molly Seidel, who a year previously had qualified for the United States Olympic Marathon Team and in the Atlanta Track Club-organised Olympic Trials in downtown Atlanta, won the women's half marathon at the Speedway with the eighth-fastest half marathon time for an American, 1:08:29.^[10]

Likewise, in December 2020, Feld Entertainment announced that the AMA Supercross Championship and Monster Jam would move from Mercedes-Benz Stadium to the Speedway premises for 2021 because of the pandemic. The event would be held in frontstretch quad-oval. Another motorcycle racing event would be held at the Speedway due to pandemic restrictions. American Flat Track would move the Atlanta round from Dixie Speedway to the Speedway. This race would be known as the Atlanta Super TT.^[11]

It was announced on July 20, 2021 that the 2022 AMA Supercross Championship will stay at the Speedway instead of in Fulton County.

Weather

Damage from tornadoes spawned by Hurricane Cindy

In March of 1993, the Atlanta Motor Speedway was getting ready to race the Motorcraft 500 on March 14, but had to be postponed after Mother Nature threw a monkey wrench and dumped snow causing both Superstorm 93 and the race to be held on March 20 with Morgan Shepherd winning the race.^[12]

In early September 2004, Atlanta Motor Speedway found another use: it became a shelter for evacuees from Florida fleeing Hurricane Frances. While there were no indoor facilities available, visitors waited out the extremely slow-moving storm parked in their recreational vehicles, after creeping along for hours in traffic on nearby Interstate 75. Atlanta Motor Speedway has also opened their campgrounds to evacuees of Hurricane Irma in 2017, Hurricane Florence and Hurricane Michael in 2018, Hurricane Dorian in 2019, Hurricane Ian in 2022, and Hurricane Idalia in 2023.^{[13][14][15][16][17][18]}

In 2005, the speedway received heavy damage on the evening of July 6, caused by an F2 tornado spawned from the remains of Hurricane Cindy. Roofs and facades were torn off buildings and the scoring pylon was toppled. In 2005 practices began to extend in to Friday night, and shortly afterwards both Cup races began featuring night qualifying. In 2006, the Bass Pro Shops 500 start time was adjusted to guarantee a night finish.

In popular culture

The opening scenes of the 1980 movie Smokey and the Bandit II were filmed at the track, as were scenes of the 1983 film Stroker Ace; a 40th anniversary stunt show to commemorate the 1977 filming of the original Smokey and the Bandit in nearby Jonesboro, Georgia, was held at AMS in 2017 and attended by Burt Reynolds. The track was featured in the 1982 Kenny Rogers movie Six Pack. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter once worked as a ticket taker at the track, and attended several races there as Georgia governor and as U.S. president.

The track was used as a filming location for the 2017 heist comedy film Logan Lucky as a stand-in for Charlotte Motor Speedway for some scenes. The outside barriers were repainted yellow to resemble those of the Charlotte track.^[19]

America's Got Talent: Extreme—a spin-off of NBC's reality competition America's Got Talent focusing on daredevil acts—filmed its first season at the track from September 27 to October 20, 2021.^[20][21]

Races

Pre-Race Events at the 2009 Pep Boys Auto 500.

Lap records

As of March 2023, the fastest official race lap records on the current layout at Atlanta Motor Speedway are listed as:

Track records

Classic oval (1.522 miles, 1960–1997)

Old layout used before March 1997

Record	Date	Driver	Time	Speed/Avg. Speed
NASCAR
Qualifying	March 8, 1997	Robby Gordon	29.378	186.507 mph (300.154 km/h)
Race	November 12, 1995	Dale Earnhardt	3:03:03	163.633 mph (263.342 km/h)
CART
Qualifying	April 16, 1983	Rick Mears	26.732	204.963 mph (329.856 km/h)
Race	September 30, 1979	Rick Mears	0:50:09	182.094 mph (293.052 km/h)
Source:[28]

Quad oval (1.540 miles, 1997-2021)

Current layout

Record	Date	Driver	Time	Speed/Avg. Speed
NASCAR Cup Series
Qualifying	November 15, 1997	Geoff Bodine	28.074	197.478 mph (317.810 km/h)
Race	March 14, 2004	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	3:09:15	158.679 mph (255.369 km/h)
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Qualifying	October 25, 2003	Greg Biffle	28.830	192.300 mph (309.477 km/h)
Race	February 28, 2015	Kevin Harvick	1:40:32	149.813 mph (241.101 km/h)
NASCAR Truck Series
Qualifying	March 17, 2005	Rick Crawford	30.339	182.735 mph (294.083 km/h)
Race	March 18, 2005	Ron Hornaday Jr.	1:27:35	142.424 mph (229.209 km/h)
IndyCar Series
Qualifying	August 28, 1998	Billy Boat	24.734	224.145 mph (360.726 km/h)
Race	July 15, 2000	Greg Ray	2:02:01	153.403 mph (246.878 km/h)
Source:[29]

See also

• List of NASCAR race tracks

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Atlanta Motor Speedway.

• Official website
• Atlanta Motor Speedway race results at Racing-Reference
• Atlanta Motor Speedway page on NASCAR.com