atlanta motor speedway Tag

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor It’s been a rough afternoon for Martin Truex, Jr. and his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing team, the defending Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champions, as pre-qualifying inspection at Atlanta Motor Speedway went from bad to worse for the Denver, Colorado based team. Failing inspection after three separate trips through NASCAR’s new Optical Scanning Station, the team was penalized with the loss of car chief Blake Harris for the weekend, as well as being docked 30 minutes of practice time. Fearing a fourth failure andRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service HAMPTON, Ga. – Ryan Newman was within seconds of breaking a pole drought that dates to 2013 – until Kyle Busch made his final-round qualifying run at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Covering the 1.54-mile distance in 30.024 seconds (184.652 mph) in the money round of Friday’s knockout qualifying session, Busch edged Newman by .038 seconds to win his first pole of the young Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, his first at Atlanta and the 28th of his career. Starting up front is certainly a benefitRead More

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer  Just one week after a record-setting finish, the NASCAR Xfinity Series is back in action at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Rinnai 250. Cup drivers, debuts, series regulars looking to rebound, and stage racing are just some of the storylines heading into the second race of the season. Coverage for the Rinnai 250 is scheduled to start Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. ET. Atlanta has hosted the second race of the season since the 2015 season. In 26 races at the 1.54-mile D-Shaped Oval, 18Read More

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer A top-10 start and finish in a driver’s first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is impressive for any driver. For Dawsonville, GA native Spencer Davis, yes that Dawsonville, GA, his Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway was a relative success. Davis returns to the Truck Series in the No. 51 Rheem Toyota Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Davis has just two prior starts on 1.5-mile tracks in the ARCA Racing Series. At Kentucky Speedway and Kansas Speedway, Davis finished 15th and seventhRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor After last Sunday’s barn burner of a finish in the Daytona 500, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series packs up and heads to Georgia for this weekend’s running of the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. With a track surface that is old and worn, having not been repaved since its reconfiguration in 1997, Atlanta always gets rave reviews from drivers who enjoy slipping and sliding around on the worn out asphalt. The track has been unpredictable when it comes to whichRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor The start of the 2001 season started off with a dark cloud hanging over the sport following the death of Dale Earnhardt in the Daytona 500, but as the series rolled into Atlanta, little did they know that the healing would start just 500 miles later. Kevin Harvick, who had taken over the seat left vacant by Earnhardt at Richard Childress Racing following his passing, was making his third start of his Cup Series career in the renumbered white No. 29 car and it did notRead More

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer With one race in the books, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will move from a track known for its’ history to a track known for its’ old and worn out surface. Drivers looking to rebound after Daytona, Kyle Busch’s first appearance of the season, and stage racing are just some of the storylines heading into the second race of the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Coverage for the Active Pest Control 200 is scheduled to start Saturday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. ET. 2018 marksRead More

By Ben Rhodes, Driver Columnist (Editor’s note: Ben Rhodes, driver of the No. 41 Alpha Energy Solutions Ford F-150 forThorSport Racing, one of the longest-tenured teams in NASCAR competition. Rhodes will contribute to Motorsports Tribune throughout the season, providing a firsthand look behind the scenes of his 2018 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series campaign from behind the visor.)  Rhodes outlines his season ahead and what he’d like to see accomplished with the No. 41 team, while reflecting on this past weekend’s NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway, andRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Ben Rhodes enjoyed a stout fourth-place finish in last Friday’s NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway, but it has since been overshadowed by an L1 penalty handed out by NASCAR Wednesday. The outcomes of the penalty have also led to the suspension crew chief Eddie Troconis for Saturday’s Active Pest Control 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Additionally, Troconis was fined $5,000 after the rear of Rhodes’ No. 41 Ford F-150 was too low during post-race inspection. ThorSport Racing will also be penalized 10Read More

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer After finishing second in the Daytona 500, Darrell “Bubba” Wallace, Jr. now has a sponsor for Atlanta Motor Speedway. Wallace will drive the No. 43 NASCAR Racing Experience Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Richard Petty Motorsports in the Folds of Honor Quik Trip 500 on Sunday, February 25. Wallace has three previous starts at the 1.5-mile D-shaped oval in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. His best finish was sixth in last year’s event. In the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, “Bubba” Wallace has one previous start onRead More