atlanta motor speedway Tag

By David Morgan, Associate Editor After a three-week stint out west, the NASCAR Cup Series is much closer to home this weekend as it heads to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the second superspeedway race of the season – Sunday’s Ambetter Health 400. Atlanta’s aging racing surface, which had been in place since 1997, held together as long as possible, but the 260 laps around the 1.5-mile track in July 2021 were the last on that particular surface as the track underwent a repave and reconfiguration for the 2022 season. The 24-degreeRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor HAMPTON, Ga. – They knew he was here. While the final rundown shows the No. 7 Chevrolet in 21st place, that doesn’t tell the whole story of the run by Corey Lajoie and Spire Motorsports on Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. After finishing fifth at the track back in March, Lajoie was confident they could be a factor again this time around, even starting deep in the field in 30th place. By the end of the second stage, Lajoie had worked his way into the top-10Read More

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service Chase Elliott is a former NASCAR Cup Series champion and currently the 2022 title leader. But finally scoring a dramatic victory Sunday afternoon at his home track – Atlanta Motor Speedway – in front of a vocal and adoring home crowd ranks right up there as far as he’s concerned. Elliott’s No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet led a race best 96 of the 260 laps and held off a charging field to win Sunday’s Quaker State 400 Presented by Walmart, ultimately securing the trophyRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor HAMPTON, Ga. – Michael McDowell is no stranger to success on the superspeedways and with Atlanta Motor Speedway now in that category, he is hoping to be in a position to strike when the checkered flag falls on Sunday’s Quaker State 400. The winner of the 2021 Daytona 500 is in the midst of one of his best seasons in recent years, even though he has yet to score a win thus far. Through the first 18 races of the season, McDowell has captured one top-fiveRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor HAMPTON, Ga. – Win and you’re in. Those four words have defined the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs in recent years, but the 2022 season has been one for the record books and when it’s all said and done, just having a win might not be the ticket to the postseason. Of the 16 available spots in the Playoffs, 13 different drivers have won a race to claim their spot, but with eight races remaining in the regular season, including Sunday’s Quaker State 400 at Atlanta, evenRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor HAMPTON, Ga. – Ryan Truex is making the most out of the opportunities in front of him Running a part-time schedule behind the wheel of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Saturday’s Alsco Uniforms 250 was the last of his starts this season with the team and he ended his six-race stretch on a high note, finishing third – his best NASCAR Xfinity Series finish of the year. Truex was originally only scheduled for five races this season, but Auto Owners Insurance, who also sponsorRead More

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service Radio trouble prevented driver Austin Hill from being able to speak to his Richard Childress Racing crew during the Alsco Uniforms 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race Saturday afternoon at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but he sure understood the final hand signal. Number one. The Georgia native, 28, won at his hometown track for the first time in his NASCAR career – holding off JR Motorsports driver Josh Berry by a mere .111-second –the closest Xfinity Series race finish in track history and another fitting numberRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor HAMPTON, Ga. – William Byron was victorious the last time the NASCAR Cup Series visited Atlanta Motor Speedway back in March and as the series returns for Sunday’s Quaker State 400, he’s hoping to parlay that success into breaking his mid-season slump. Byron came out of the gate on fire when the 2022 season started, banking wins at Atlanta and Martinsville, but since scoring his second win, the driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet has struggled, only finishing in the top-10 once in the 10 racesRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor HAMPTON, Ga. – There’s no place like home. Coming off a win two weeks ago at Nashville and a runner-up finish at Road America, Chase Elliott would love nothing more than to add a third victory to his resume this season and pad his points lead with a win in Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The Dawsonville, Georgia native and 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion watched his father, Bill Elliott, win at the track five times over the course of his Hall of Fame worthy career,Read More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor HAMPTON, Ga. – A week after Noah Gragson and Sage Karam tangled at Road America in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race, the incident is still the talk of the garage as the series has moved on to Atlanta. The multi-car crash that was triggered after Gragson intentionally turned Karam in the final stage of last Saturday’s Henry 180 led to a penalty being handed down days later by NASCAR, fining Gragson $30,000 and taking away 30 driver and owner points from the No. 9 JR MotorsportsRead More