Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets

Atlanta Motor Speedway

Atlanta Motor Speedway opened in 1960 in Hampton, Georgia, 20 miles south of Atlanta. It is a Superspeedway, which means it is a paved facility of one mile or more. Originally created by Walker Jackson, Lloyd Smith, Garland Bagley, Ralph Sceiano, and Ike Supporter in 1958, the current structure has been modified and has a totally different look from the earlier structure. Before construction of the proposed Superspeedway had been completed, insufficient funds forced four of the founders to abandon ship. Dr. Warren Gremmel, Bill Boyd, Jack Black, and Art Lester joined Bagley in the venture and spent $1.8 million to get the facility ready.

The speedway was first known as the Atlanta International Raceway and made its debut on July 31, 1960, becoming the seventh Superspeedway in America. The name was changed to the Atlanta Motor Speedway by Bruton Smith, when he purchased the Speedway. Atlanta Motor Speedway�s first NASCAR Winston Cup Series race was the Dixie 300. Since being purchased by Bruton Smith on October 23, 1990, Atlanta Motor Speedway has become an ultra-modern, multi-purpose venue that has raised the bar of excellence. Amenities at Atlanta Motor Speedway include a nine-story office/condominium complex, improved parking, over 53,000 additional permanent seats, a road course, a four-color electronic message center, a new ticket office, and gift shop.

Since the 1997 renovation of the track, Atlanta Motor Speedway has become the fastest and one of the most competitive tracks on the Winston Cup circuit. Qualifying speeds at the track have exceeded 190 miles per hour in recent years, and the races themselves invariably feature more than thirty lead changes, almost double the average for a Winston Cup race.

The races that take place at the Atlanta Speedway are Golden Corral 500 (NASCAR Nextel Cup) , Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 (NASCAR Nextel Cup), Aaron's 312 (NASCAR Busch Series), EasyCare Vehicle Service Contracts 200 (NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series), ASA 150 (American Speed Association Series) and Fourth race (International Race of Champions). The circuit has two faster tracks, the far longer Talladega Superspeedway and Daytona International Speedway; however, NASCAR mandates the use of restrictor plates on the carburetors of all cars that run on those tracks, and does not currently require the devices at Atlanta.

Highlights of the facility are a quarter-mile track between the pit road and the main track for Legends racing, a 2.5 mile FIA-approved road course, a 4,000-foot dragstrip, paved and dirt short tracks, motocross circuits, go-kart and stadium truck racing facilities, and a junior drag strip.

The Atlanta (ATL) Motor Speedway�s multiple winners include Jeff Gordon, Fred Lorenzen, David Pearson, and Darrell Waltrip (each with three wins); Bobby Allison and Bill Elliott (each with five wins); Bobby Labonte and Richard Petty (each with six wins); Cale Yarborough (seven wins); and the late Dale Earnhardt, who holds the record with nine wins. The best NASCAR qualifying record ever made on the Atlanta Motor Speedway was made by Geoffrey Bodine, at 197.478 mph, in 1997 and the best NASCAR race record is still held by the late Dale Earnhardt, at the speed of 163.633 mph, on November 12, 1995.

The current Atlanta Motor Speedway is now one of the country�s top sports, corporate, family, and entertainment facilities. In 1994, the speedway hosted the Countryfest concert, attracting more than 200,000 fans. The track is a 1.54 mile quad-oval track with a seating capacity of over 125,000 and has 46 condominiums built in 1994 over the northeastern side of the track. Atlanta Motor Speedway also regularly hosts car shows, corporate functions, outdoor concerts, and even dog shows.

The Atlanta Speedway has been guest to many celebrities. While running for governor of Georgia, Jimmy Carter, an avid race fan and former ticket vendor at the track in the 1960s, promised a barbecue dinner at the governor�s mansion if he won. He kept that promise, then added to it by inviting the racing community to another cookout in 1978, this time at the White House.

In early September 2004, Atlanta Motor Speedway was used as 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.

For more information on NASCAR visit (www.nascar.com).