The Atlanta Motor Speedway Races into Action!
Atlanta, GA -NASCAR's Nextel Cup Series races into the Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 12-14 with the Golden Corral 500. Forty-three of the nation's top drivers and plenty of "horse power" will take to the track in the fourth race of the season - the event which will help determine who takes home NASCAR's top honor, the Nextel Cup.
The action begins on Friday, March 12th, with the Georgia Power Qualifying Day . NASCAR's best drivers will hold their breath through the high-banked turns of the 1.54-mile quad-oval, gunning for a pole position at NASCAR's fastest track. Georgia Power Qualifying Day kicks off the action-packed race weekend with plenty of thrills.
On Saturday, the Craftsman Truck Series thunders into the speedway for its Inaugural 200-mile truck race. The spring race weekend really heats up with the inaugural NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series EasyCare Vehicle Service Contracts 200 ...that's quite a mouthfull but count on a mix of NASCAR veterans and young guns battling on the high banks of Atlanta for the first time in history....more BIG thrills!
The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup series has a reputation as one of the most exciting events of the year....every year in Atlanta...in March...ALL 500 miles of racing's very best! In 2003, Bobby Labonte beat out four-time series champion, Jeff Gordon, by a little over a second to take the checkered flag for the sixth time on the high banks of Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Atlanta Motor Speedway is one of the premier motorsports facilities in the country. Built in 1960, Atlanta Motor Speedway is nestled on 870 acres located just 30 minutes south of Atlanta. The speedway hosts two NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races per year, the two largest single-day sporting events in the state of Georgia. Even with just these two weekends of racing, Atlanta Motor Speedway is the main contributor to the local sports economy, bringing in more than $455 million annually to Atlanta.
ASA, Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series racing are also highlights of the year at AMS, and Thursday Thunder Legends and Bandolero racing takes over for 10 weeks of the summer, showcasing the talent of the region's up-and-coming drivers.
In addition to the racing action, the speedway's facilities include 141 luxury suites, a gift shop, and the popular Petty Garden - an homage to NASCAR's winningest driver in history, Richard Petty. Racing is definitely the main event at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but the track is also in use more than 300 days each year hosting corporate events, driving schools, concerts, air shows, dog shows, circuses, weddings and car shows. If camping is your thing, you'll find reserved camping spaces both inside and outside the speedway as well as unreserved camping outside that fills up on a first-come, first-served basis.
If, however, you're looking for the experience
of
a lifetime and you want your one BIG chance to slip on a fire suit and
put your hands on the wheel of a thundering stock car? Or if you simply
want to be able to say you've been on the same track as racing legends,
Jeff Gordon, Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt...then there's a school
for you and you either learn or...perish, shall we say? Simple enough!
There are different types of programs that you can choose from being driven
around the lightning fast 1.54-mile quad oval or taking the wheel yourself
around at speeds in excess of 150 mph. Atlanta Motor Speedway hosts four
companies that conduct driving schools at the speedway. Simply call to
purchase a program for yourself or buy a certificate for a friend or family
member:
FastTrack 704-455-1700
Richard Petty Driving Experience 1-800-BE-PETTY
Buck Baker Racing School 704-366-6224
Speed Tech Auto Racing School 1-877-80-SPEED
Atlanta Motor Speedway is located approximately 30 miles South of Atlanta on U.S. Highway 19 & 41 near Hampton. Here are some easy directions to the speedway...drive carefully and leave the speeding to the pros but don't be late for race day!
TRAVELING SOUTH:
I-75 South to Exit #235 (15 miles South of downtown Atlanta) and continue on
U.S. Highway 19 & 41 for 15 miles.
TRAVELING NORTH:
I-75 North to Exit #205. GA 16 West into Griffin. U.S. Highway 19 & 41 North
to Speedway. (20 miles)
I-75 to Exit #212. Hampton-Locust Grove Road West to GA 20. GA 20 to Speedway. (15 miles)
I-75 North to Exit #218. GA 20 West to
Speedway. (15 miles) 
