See You In September!

Thanks for a great race everyone! What an exciting race weekend it was at Atlanta Motor Speedway!

The Kobalt Tools 500 race weekend produced exciting racing and good times, and we have our fans to thank for that! We hope to see all of you that joined us, and those who were unable to be with us - here at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Labor Day weekend when night racing returns to Atlanta!

We'll have the Nationwide Series on Saturday, Sept 4. Then, on Sept. 5, it's the Sprint Cup Series night race! 

See ya'll in September!

It's all about the atmosphere!

One of the best parts of a day at the racetrack is the racing. But there is so much more to it than that...

That is especially true here at Atlanta Motor Speedway as we get ready for the Kobalt Tools 500! Throughout the weekend, we'll have no shortage of activity for our fans outside the track!

We'll have driver souvenir rigs (located in the parking lot behind the Champions Grandstand), where you can buy your favorite driver's shirt, cap or other collectables and also get some Kobalt Tools 500 gear! Also, some drivers will be signing autographs at their souvenir haulers - check the white markerboards at each trailer to see if and when a driver is signing during race weekend!

So far, the following drivers are scheduled to sign autographs. But also be sure to check the white dry-erase board at each souvenir rig to see if a driver is signing autographs during the weekend, as many signings are announced at the last minute.

Sam Hornish Jr. 9:45 a.m. Sunday, Penske Souvenir trailer

Ricky Carmichael, 11 a.m., Friday, Team Chevy Display

Jamie McMurray's pit crew, 10:15 a.m., Sunday, Team Chevy display

David Ragan, 9:40 a.m., Sunday, UPS Souvenir Rig

Kurt Busch, 9:45 a.m., Sunday, Miller Lite Souvenir Rig

And just to the side of the souvenir rigs is the display lot (behind the Earnhardt Grandstands)! Here is where we'll have the Cornhole Tournament - the Scotts Turfbuilder Cornhole Classic all three days during race weekend with the finals on Sunday. The overall winner takes home $500 and four suite tickets to our Labor Day race!

This area is also where you will find the Speedway Children's Charities tent, which is where you can find info on charity events during race weekend including Sunday's Coca-Cola Family Track Walk! This is free if you have a race ticket! The walk begins at 9 a.m., so be registered by 8:45 a.m.! 

In this same area will be the fan stage, where we'll have music from bands such as Blackberry Smoke, games, entertainment and meet and greets with celebrities including Paul Sr. from Orange County Choppers and NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour drivers Burt and Jason Myers! The Myers Bros. will sign autographs around 11:15 a.m. Saturday.

Paul Sr. will sign autographs around 11: a.m. Sunday. Shortly after, we'll have the Olympic Bobsleds teams on site for a fan q and a!

Also in this area will be the SPEED Stage! This is where Trackside will be aired Friday with special guests Ryan Newman and Martin Truex Jr. 

Other SPEED stage events include:

Friday

12:00 PM NASCAR Live - Hosted by John Roberts

5:00 PM NASCAR Live - Hosted by John Roberts

6:00 PM SPEED Autograph Session - With SPEED Truck Series Talent

6:30 PM - NASCAR Smarts- With John Roberts, Kyle Petty, and Rutledge Wood

8:00 PM Trackside - Hosted by Steve Byrnes, Larry McReynolds, Jeff Hammond, and Darrell Waltrip

Guests: Ryan Newman and Martin Truex Jr.

Saturday

11:50 AM NASCAR Live - Hosted by John Roberts

8:00 PM - Fast Track to Fame - Be the first to see a LIVE taping of SPEED's brand new show!

Singers, dancers, comedians and a whole lot more perform in front of three judges, including Riki Rachtman, a former rock star and host of radio's NASCAR 24/7; Hollywood talent manager Kathy L. Carter, and a special guest judge. The show will be hosted by Michael Waltrip and Fox on-air personality Charissa Thompson

Sunday

9:00 AM PRN up to SPEED - Hosted by Doug Rice and Brad Gillie with special NASCAR Guests

10:00 AM NASCAR RaceDay - Hosted by John Roberts, Kenny Wallace, Kyle Petty, Wendy Venturini and Hermie Sadler

Excellent Weather Ahead for Race Weekend!

Oh welcome sweet springtime, we greet thee with racing!

If you live in the South, you have likely endured a cold winter. But this weekend, springtime temperatures are rolling in, and it's just in time for racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway! Don't let weather scare you from joining us for the Kobalt Tools 500 race weekend, because the weather forecast looks fantastic!

The latest forecast from accuweather.com calls for spring-like temperatures with little chance of rain, which should make race weekend all the more fun for all of our fans.

Sunny weather is predicted for all three days of race weekend with Friday's high being 52, Saturday's high temperature being 62 and for Sunday....a high of 70 degrees! 

In fact, Brian Neudorff, who refers to himself as 'an unofficial Twitter Meteorologist for NASCAR" had this to say on Tuesday, March 2 about the Kobalt Tools 500 race weekend: "This may be the best looking weekend we've seen for any race this season."

In other words, it looks to be a beautiful weekend for racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway!

Race Week Is Here!

One of the neatest things about working at Atlanta Motor Speedway is how the track evolves as the race gets closer...

Just within the past couple of days, the track has changed from a quiet facility to a sleeping giant waiting to explode. With a quick look out our windows facing Highway 19/41, we can easily see the unreserved campground close to full with a handful of other RVs scattered throughout the facility. 

On the backs of grandstands, banners are hung, with images of Dale Earnhardt Sr., Richard Petty and Bill Elliott marking the grandstands named for them. Inside the track itself, the lines on pit road are freshly painted, and Kobalt banners are also being put up...including a massive one on top of the Sprint Cup Series garage. 

Yes, that time has arrived. It's race week at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and we can't wait to welcome many of our fans back! Even more exciting is the weekend weather forecast which calls for high temperatures in the 60s with little chance of rain. That's certainly welcome news after the cold winter many of us have endured!

As the sun rises on the Kobalt Tools 500 race week, we're rolling out the welcome mat for many of you and cannot wait to see many of our fans, from the veterans of AMS to the first-timers, this weekend!

See you at the track!

Looking For a Place To Stay? Check These Folks Out!

If you are traveling long distances to a race, finding a place to stay can at times be stressful...

Let's face it - you're away from home and not only are looking to find a place to crash, but also one that's reasonably priced.

One of our employees at AMS has told us the story of when he and about 10 friends went to the Sugar Bowl and shared one hotel room to save money. When hotel room prices are higher, it certainly can make it hard for some fans.

But that's where our hotel partners come in! Atlanta Motor Speedway has partnered with area hotels that have agreed to keep their prices down in order to make it easier on fans' cash flow on race weekend!

Hotels as close as Griffin and as far away as Macon are participating, and rooms are priced as low as $59! To see a list of our partner hotels, go to this link! 

Atlanta to be a big holder of momentum

Ask anyone, especially in racing, and they will be quick to tell you that momentum is an important thing...

For many teams in NASCAR, building momentum to start the season can be important, especially if they have championship aspirations. If a team starts the season with a handful of good finishes, it can pave the way to a good season.

If a team starts the season on the wrong foot, however, it can make things worse.

And with the Kobalt Tools 500 being the fourth race of the season, it will be especially important for teams seeking a rebound. Let's take Ryan Newman, for example. Two DNFs have put his team in a deep early hole. A strong run in Atlanta would help cure some of those ills. Dale Earnhardt Jr. could also use a strong finish in Atlanta. As good as it was for him to finish second at Daytona, mechanical issues in California set the No. 88 team back, and they will likely be looking to Atlanta as a means to rebound. 

Sure, the Kobalt Tools 500 may be early in the season. But drivers sure do have a lot at stake when they come to Atlanta each spring. This year's event is no different.

The Heat is Picking Up

More and more, you can tell race weekend is getting closer at Atlanta Motor Speedway...

It's hard to believe, but within a few short weeks, it'll be time for the Kobalt Tools 500 race weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. You can, undoubtedly, tell that race weekend is getting closer with a quick look around the AMS facility. 

Everyone has a little more buzz in their step in anticipation of race weekend and all that goes with it. There is an aura of excitement right now around Atlanta Motor Speedway. There is much to do, but there is also so much to get excited about! 

Part of that is a result of some exciting promotions we have going on.

Many of our fans have asked about our Daytona promotion that we have done the past two years. Well, it's back! On the morning of Feb. 15, we'll sell a total of 2,000 tickets priced at the winning Daytona 500 car number (1,000 at our ticket office and 1,000 more online and via phone). Also, the price will be capped at $50 to commemorate our 50th Anniversary, so don't despair if Carl Edwards wins the Daytona 500!

Also, one lucky fan in line to buy tickets Monday morning will have a chance to celebrate in Victory Lane at the Kobalt Tools 500!

For full info on our Daytona Racing Roulette ticket sale, go here!  

As the race gets closer, we'll have more cool promotions for our fans to announce, so stay tuned!

"It's just an awesome racetrack."

One of the best things about Atlanta Motor Speedway, according to many, is that drivers are able to race the high and low line all around the racetrack...

In other words, there is more than just one preferred line around Atlanta Motor Speedway's lightning-fast surface !

Clint Bowyer is among those who looks forward to racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where the track's surface lends itself to two, three and in some cases, four-wide racing. 

"It's just an awesome racetrack, it's a racer's racetrack. There are a lot of grooves that you can run on - you're running on the bottom, you're running on the rim. There are just so many options that you can run and that you think you have to run," Bowyer said. "You can catch somebody and they're  running on the bottom and they're holding you up, you ain't going to get around them, you've got to go outside and start looking around and a place like Atlanta gives you those options and to be able to do that and make a pass."

Don't miss out on seeing the stars of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series go wide-open at the Kobalt Tools 500 March 7, 2010 at Atlanta Motor Speedway! Tickets start at $39 and are available through 877-9-AMS-TIX or through the AMS Web site.

Also, don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Pros and Cons of Rear Wing Debated During Tire Test

Should the rear wing be removed? That issue was discussed by Carl Edwards and Alan Gustafson, crew chief for Mark Martin, on Tuesday at AMS.

Edwards and Gustafson discussed the Pros and Cons of the rear wing of the current car raced by NASCAR in the Sprint Cup Series.

The comments came during a break in the first day of a Goodyear tire test at Atlanta Motor Speedway. While Gustafson touted some qualities of the rear spoiler, Edwards spoke in favor of anything that will take downforce away from the car. 

Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Aflac Ford:

"I think whatever [NASCAR] can do to take downforce away is great for the sport, great for the racing and good for the fans. Atlanta is one of the last tracks where you can really manhandle a car, drive and slide the car sideways. Taking downforce away will make more tracks like that, which is good."

Alan Gustafson, crew chief for Mark Martin's No. 5 Kellogg's/Carquest Chevrolet:

"Aesthetically, I like the spoiler. I grew up watching cars with a spoiler on there. I think it aesthetically makes sense. But I think we just have to be careful; we have refined these cars now to where they drive good with a good aero balance. We can't throw that away for the aesthetics of the spoiler, so we have to make sure performance wise that the aerodynamic balance of the car is similar or better than what we have now."

Tire Testing Cranks Up 2010 at Atlanta Motor Speedway

At 9:31 a.m., Mark Martin made it official. When he took the track as at the start of a Goodyear Tire Test, it officially started racing in 2010 at AMS.

Although the first of two NASCAR weekends at AMS isn't until March 5-7, stock cars rumbled around the track Jan. 12, the first of two days of tire testing aimed at helping Goodyear come up wit h the right tire compound for races at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Martin is one of four drivers testing - the others are Sam Hornish Jr., Martin Truex Jr. and Carl Edwards. 

The test comes at a good time for drivers such as Martin and Edwards, who appeared in high spirits just before the day's activity began - emotions not much unlike the faces of youngsters on Christmas morning.

Thanks to temperatures in the mid-30s, all drivers benefited from stronger grip than they will likely see in March and therefore turned faster laps.

It may be just a testing session. But cars on the race track in January mean one thing - the season is not too far away!