There will be plenty of pomp and circumstance welcoming NASCAR teams for their weekend stay on the grounds of Atlanta Motor Speedway this week. Drivers and fans will get an official welcome from Governor Sonny Perdue Thursday on the street outside his office. The governor normally gets to take a hot lap around the State Capitol with one of the NASCAR stars to kick off the high-speed antics in Georgia.
The Georgia speedway allows drivers to reach some of the highest racing speeds of the season and all three of NASCAR’s main divisions will compete here during the weekend. The Nextel Cup qualifying and the Craftsman Truck Series race are scheduled Friday night. The Busch Series race will be run Saturday afternoon and the mail event, the Kobalt Tools 500, is set for a green flag at 2:00 p.m. Sunday.
This will be the 47th year of NASCAR racing at the speedway located near Hampton. AMS, formerly known as Atlanta International Raceway, was planned to be the first major paved speedway for stock cars in the South. Rain and money problems apparently slowed construction and the tracks at Daytona, Darlington and Charlotte were all able to open before Atlanta’s first race in July 1960.
Glenn “Fireball” Roberts won that first race and he gets credit for the first pole at the speedway. Fireball clocked the fastest qualifying lap in five of the first seven races run at the Atlanta track.
There is little left of the old original speedway. What was opened as the frontstretch is now the backstretch and the shape of the speedway was changed with that flip-flop in 1997.
Bobby Labonte wears the crown as the new King of Atlanta Motor Speedway. Labonte has a half-dozen wins he has gathered since 1996. His last AMS win was in 2003. Dale Earnhardt (9) and Cale Yarborough (7) are the only drivers in AMS history to register more wins than Labonte.
Bill Elliott and Jeff Gordon are the next names on the Atlanta winner’s list among the drivers entered to run Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500. Elliott has claimed five wins at his home track, but his last trip to the AMS Victory Lane was in 1992 when he swept both events.
Gordon’s four wins at AMS were in 1995, 1998, 1999 and 2003.
Veteran driver Morgan Shepherd has filed an entry form for the Nextel Cup race. He has three Atlanta trophies from 1986, 1990 and 1993.
The two-time winners at Atlanta include Tony Stewart (2006 and 2002), Carl Edwards (2004) and Mark Martin (1991 and 1994).
Kasey Kahne (2006), Jimmie Johnson (2004), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2004), Kurt Busch (2002), Kevin Harvick (2001), Dale Jarrett (1997), Ken Schrader (1991) and Ricky Rudd (1987) are the active drivers with a single win at AMS.
The top-five finishers of last year’s March race were Kasey Kahne, Mark Martin, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart. Kahne won the race from the pole after leading 85 of the 325 laps.
Twelve drivers traded the lead 27 times during the 2006 event and Greg Biffle got the bonus points for leading the most laps (128) in his No. 16 Ford.
The other drivers leading more than five laps were Tony Stewart (50), Kurt Busch (22), Denny Hamlin (16) and Bobby Labonte (13).
There were eight caution flag incidents and the race took just over three hours and 24 minutes to complete.
AMS President Ed Clark boasts frequently about the level of competition at his facility. The speedway holds claim to two of the five closest finishes in NASCAR history since the race organization started using electronic timing.
The fifth-closest finish was the 2000 battle of Dale Earnhardt and Bobby Labonte. Earnhardt hit the finish line .010 seconds in front of Labonte.
The third-closest contest was the next year when one of the most emotional moments in NASCAR history was played out at the AMS finish line. Kevin Harvick was just .006 seconds ahead of Jeff Gordon when he captured his first Winston/Nextel Cup win as the driver of the car Dale Earnhardt had planned to drive at AMS.
Earnhardt had died in a crash during the Daytona 500 just a few weeks before and Harvick was chosen by Richard Childress to assume the driving duties of the seven-time champion.
Georgia Boys: Peachtree City’s Reed Sorenson scored the best finish for Georgia drivers in the Las Vegas. Reed started seventh and finished 31st in the Nextel Cup race and he finished 30th in the Busch race at Las Vegas. Sorenson is ranked 31st in Nextel Cup points as he heads to his home track for Busch and Nextel Cup runs this weekend.
David Ragan was in trouble early at the Nevada track. He slapped the wall on the third lap of the Nextel Cup race and fell several laps behind as his crew repaired the machine. Ragan finished 37th and fell from fifth to 19th in the point standings. Ragan finished 24th in the Las Vegas Busch race.
Ragan is leading the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings. His best finish came at the start of the season with a top-five run at Daytona and he followed up the next week with a 16th-place finish at California.
Ragan and Sorenson are signed up to run the Busch and Nextel Cup races this weekend. Ragan will also be racing in the Legends races following the Busch event on Saturday.
AMS race officials had also hoped to get an entry form from Bill Elliott for the Sunday race. Rockdale County driver Ron Young has also signed up to run Saturday’s Busch race.
The Georgia drivers entered in Friday night’s Craftsman Truck Series race include Bill Lester (Cobb County), Joey Clanton (Fayette County) and Chase Miller (Cherokee County).
Five-time Atlanta Motor Speedway Cup Series winner Bill Elliott will get behind the wheel of a Thunder Roadster following the Saturday, March 17 Nicorette 300 Busch Series race as part of the Winter Flurry racing series.
“I always get excited to race at my home track,” Elliott said of racing in front of the fans at AMS. “The fans are so great there and the racing is always exciting.”
Joining Elliott Saturday night will be his son, Chase driving a Bandolero and nephew, Trey Poole racing a Legends car. Elliott’s Roadster will be sponsored by the Dawsonville Pool Hall and Georgia Racing Hall of Fame, Thunder Road USA
Unadilla, Ga. native and Thursday Thunder AMS track champion David Ragan will also race in the Legends event. Ragan, who drives the No. 6 car for Roush Fenway racing in the NEXTEL Cup Series, is scheduled to run Saturday’s Nicorette 300 and Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500.
“Atlanta will be a big highlight. I’ve got a lot of hometown family and friends that will be there,” said Ragan. “Thursday Thunder wasn’t long ago at all and I’m looking forward to Saturday night.”
High Speed TV:
Thursday March 15 5:00 p.m. 2000 Cracker Barrel 500—ESPN Classic 6:30 p.m. NASCAR Now—ESPN2 Friday March 16 12:00 p.m. NASCAR Live—Speed 12:30 p.m. Atlanta Craftsman Truck Practice—Speed 1:30 p.m. NASCAR Live—Speed 2:00 p.m. 1993 Hooters 500—ESPN Classic 2:00 p.m. Atlanta Busch Practice—Speed 3:30 p.m. Atlanta Nextel Cup Practice—Speed 6:00 p.m. Trackside—Speed 6:30 p.m. NASCAR Now—ESPN2 7:00 p.m. Atlanta Nextel Cup Qualifying—Speed 9:00 p.m. Atlanta Craftsman Truck Series 200—Speed Saturday March 17 11:30 a.m. Atlanta Busch Series Qualifying—Speed 1:00 p.m. Atlanta Nextel Cup Happy Hour—Speed 3:00 p.m. Atlanta Busch Nicorette 300—ABC (ch.2) 7:00 p.m. Speed News—Speed Sunday March 18 8:00 a.m. NASCAR Performance—Speed 10:00 a.m. NASCAR Now—ESPN2 11:00 a.m. Tradin’ Paint—Speed 11:30 a.m. NASCAR Raceday—Speed 1:30 p.m. Atlanta Kobalt Tools 500—Fox (ch.5) 7:00 p.m. Speed News—Speed 8:00 p.m. NASCAR Victory Lane—Speed 9:00 p.m. Wind Tunnel—Speed Channel
The Allan Vigil Ford 120 will air Saturday and Sunday programs live from Atlanta Motor Speedway. The Saturday broadcast will air from 1:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. The Sunday pre-race program will be on from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. on Newstalk 750 WSB Radio and www.wsbradio.com. For more race information visit our Fastcar Newsdesk at www.captainherb.net.
Atlanta Motor Speedway Schedule
Friday March 16
2:00 p.m. Gates Open
2:15 p.m. Busch Series Final Practice
3:30 p.m. Nextel Cup Practice
5:15 p.m. Craftsman Truck Qualifying
7:10 p.m. Nextel Cup Qualifying
9:00 p.m. Craftsman Truck American Commercial Lines 200 (130 laps)
Saturday March 17
9:30 a.m. Gates Open
10:00 a.m. Nextel Cup Practice
11:05 a.m. Busch Series Qualifying
1:20 p.m. Nextel Cup Happy Hour Practice
3:00 p.m. Busch Series Nicorette 300 (195 laps)
6:00 p.m. Legends Racing
Sunday March 18
9:00 a.m. Gates Open
12:00 p.m. Drivers Meeting
1:00 p.m. Driver Introductions
2:00 p.m. Kobalt Tools 500 (325 laps)
Atlanta Motor Speedway provides a free shuttle and tram service from all parking lots to each gate.
Fans will be shuttled to their seat regardless of where they park.**
Basic Traffic Plan for the Kobalt Tools 500 weekend (March 16-18):
Fans have a choice of which major route to take, either Hwy. 19/41 or Hwy. 20 from I-75 southbound. I-75 northbound race fans can exit at either Exit 212 Hampton-Locust Grove Road or Exit 212, Hwy 20. Please choose which route to take based on where you would like to park on property, because fans will be directed to a certain lot based on which way they enter the speedway. Trams, shuttle buses and sidewalks will allow fans to get to their seats easily regardless of where they park on property. Be advised that the direction fans enter speedway property is the same direction they will exit.
ENTERING THE SPEEDWAY:
From Hwy. 19/41:
FROM THE NORTH: Those traveling from the North (traveling southbound on Hwy. 19/41) will be directed to parking lots on the north side of the property and should utilize Speedway Blvd.
· Those traveling south on Hwy. 19/41 need to be in the right lane and will turn right at Speedway Boulevard and park in the parking lots off of Speedway Blvd. Those with vehicle credentials need to stay in the left lane and enter the speedway at Entrance G off of Richard Petty Blvd.
FROM THE SOUTH: Those traveling in from the South (traveling northbound on Hwy. 19/41 from Griffin) will turn at main speedway entrance and will be directed to parking lots.
From Hwy. 20:
Those traveling in on Hwy. 20 will be directed to parking lots on the south side of the property.
For those interested, GRTA will provide express bus service from Avalon Park in McDonough, off I-75 exit 218. Turn right at exit 218, Turn left at the first stop light and Avalon park is located on the left. This express bus service will have a bus depart at 11 a.m., 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. and end two hours after the conclusion of the Kobalt Tools 500.
EXITING THE SPEEDWAY:
Fans will leave the same way they came in. If they entered from the North, they will be directed to northbound. Those who enter from the South will be directed out on the same roads.
ONLY BUSES WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXIT AT ENTRANCE E – NO CAR TRAFFIC ALLOWED
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