Atlanta Motor Speedway
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Atlanta Motor Speedway is a superspeedway in Hampton, Georgia, USA, 20 miles south of Atlanta. It is a 1.54 mile quad-oval track with a seating capacity of over 125,000. It opened in 1960, and added 46 condominiums over the northeastern side of the track in 1994. The track was almost completely rebuilt in a project that was completed in 1997, becoming one of NASCAR's fastest tracks in the process.
Other 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 4000 foot dragstrip, paved and dirt short tracks, motocross circuits, go-kart, and stadium truck racing facilities, and a junior drag strip. In 1994, the speedway hosted the Countryfest concert, attracting over 200,000 fans.
Until recently, the track boasted the highest speeds on the NASCAR circuit, with a typical qualifying lap speed of about 193 mph (310 km/h); in very recent times (2004 and 2005), the similarly designed Texas Motor Speedway has seen slightly faster qualifying times. 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 (or Texas).
In early September 2004, AMS found an unexpected use: 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.
See also: list of NASCAR race tracks
Current races
- NASCAR Nextel Cup - Golden Corral 500
- NASCAR Nextel Cup - Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500
- NASCAR Busch Series - Aaron's 312
- NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series - EasyCare Vehicle Service Contracts 200
- American Speed Association Series - ASA 150
- International Race of Champions - Fourth race
Records
- NASCAR Qualifying: Geoffrey Bodine, 197.478 mph, 1997.
- NASCAR Race: Dale Earnhardt, 163.633 mph, November 12, 1995.
External link
- Atlanta Motor Speedway Official Site (http://www.atlantamotorspeedway.com)