NASCAR National Series News & Notes - Atlanta Motor Speedway

02/19/2025 03:52 PM

NASCAR Cup Series
Next Race: Ambetter Health 400
The Place: Atlanta Motor Speedway
Track Length: 1.54 Mile Asphalt Oval
The Date: Sunday, February 23
The Time: 3 p.m. ET
The Purse: $11,055,250
TV: FOX & FOX Deportes, 2 p.m. ET
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 400.4 miles (260 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 60), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 160), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 260)

NASCAR Xfinity Series
Next Race: Bennett Transportation and Logistics 250
The Place: Atlanta Motor Speedway
Track Length: 1.54 Mile Asphalt Oval
The Date: Saturday, February 22
The Time: 5 p.m. ET
The Purse: $1,651,939
TV: CW, 4:30 p.m. ET
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 251.02 miles (163 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 45), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 163)

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series
Next Race: Fr8 Racing 208
The Place: Atlanta Motor Speedway
Track Length: 1.54 Mile Asphalt Oval
The Date: Saturday, February 22
The Time: 1:30 p.m. ET
The Purse: $782,900
TV: FS1, 1:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 207.9 miles (135 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 30), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 60), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 135)

How To Watch NASCAR This Week:

Friday, February 21

• NCTS Qualifying (FS1 at 3 p.m. ET)
• NXS Qualifying (CW App at 5 p.m. ET)

Saturday, February 22

• NCS Qualifying (Amazon Prime at 11 a.m. ET)
• NCTS Race (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM at 1:30 p.m. ET)
• NXS Race (The CW, PRN, SiriusXM at 5 p.m. ET)

Sunday, February 23

• NCS Race (FOX, PRN, SiriusXM at 3 p.m. ET)

NASCAR Cup Series

Atlanta Storylines and Insights:

• This weekend will be the seventh Atlanta Motor Speedway Cup race on the new surface and configuration (since 2022), and the 122nd NASCAR Cup Series race all-time at the 1.54-mile speedway.
• Atlanta Motor Speedway held two races a year from 1960- 2010 except for 1961 when three races were held. Atlanta held one race a year from 2011-2020, then starting in 2021 it once again hosted two races a year.
• Beginning in 2023, both Atlanta races were shortened to 400 miles.
• A total of 67 NASCAR Cup Series drivers have made their series debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway; most recent was Harrison Rhodes in 2018. Cody Ware (2017) and Ty Dillon (2014) are the two active drivers to make their debuts at Atlanta.
• The best finish by a driver making their NASCAR Cup Series career debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway was runner-up by NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace on March 16, 1980.
• In total five NASCAR Cup Series Atlanta Motor Speedway pole winners are active this weekend: Michael McDowell (2024 sweep), Joey Logano (2015, 2023), Kyle Busch (2018), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2013) and Denny Hamlin (2010).
• Michael McDowell swept both poles at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2024 driving for Front Row Motorsports, he is currently with Spire Motorsports in 2025.
• Ryan Newman holds the record for most consecutive poles at Atlanta with six; from the spring of 2003 through 2005.
• Chevrolet has not won a pole on a drafting track since Alex Bowman in the DAYTONA 500 in 2023. This 12-race streak is their longest such drought since 13 races between July 1984 — February 1988.
• The final green flag stretch was five laps or less in four of the last five Atlanta races, and the pass for the win came in the final two laps in four of the last five races at Atlanta.
• Ford won the last eight stages at Atlanta in the NASCAR Cup Series.
• Toyota is on a 15 race winless streak at Atlanta (Kyle Busch in 9/13 was the last) and has only five top-five finishes in the six races on New Atlanta
• Ford holds the record for the longest streak of consecutive Cup Series wins at Atlanta Motor Speedway with five straight from 2017-2021.
• Eight of the 49 NASCAR Cup Series Atlanta Motor Speedway race winners are active this weekend: Joey Logano (2023, 2024), William Byron (2022, 2023), Brad Keselowski (2017, 2019), Kyle Busch (2008, 2013), Daniel Suarez (2024), Chase Elliott (2022), Ryan Blaney (2021) and Denny Hamlin (2012).
• Both winners at Atlanta in 2024 led only nine laps in each race; Daniel Suarez won in February with a last lap pass and Joey Logano won in September by leading the final two laps.
• Ryan Blaney finished in the top-10 in the last five Atlanta races, the longest active streak at the track and his third longest streak at a single track.
• Kyle Busch finished top-10 in all four races at Atlanta with Richard Childress Racing, his most at a track since moving to the No. 8 car.
• Kyle Larson failed to finish five of the six races at Atlanta due to accidents, including the last four (he was involved in an accident in all six).
• Austin Cindric finished eighth in the DAYTONA 500, the best finish by a driver who led the most laps in the last 10 races on drafting tracks.
• Six drivers have posted their first Cup win at Atlanta: Bobby Johns (1960), Bob Burdick (1961), Jim Hurtubise (1966), Jerry Nadeau (2000), Kevin Harvick (2001) and Carl Edwards (2005).
• Since 2024, Team Penske drivers have run in first and second for 190 laps at drafting tracks — over six times more than any other team (Last week, they logged 34 laps in the top two positions, no other team had more than two).
• In the DAYTONA 500, Team Penske had all three drivers lead 20+ laps, only the fourth time in series history a team had three drivers lead 20+ laps in a race at a drafting track (The last time was in the February Atlanta race last year, also by Team Penske).
• Since 2023, Team Penske led 898 laps on drafting tracks — more than three times the laps led by any other team.
• Team Penske is the only team with three different drivers to win a drafting track race in the Next Gen era.
• Entering 2025, Team Penske won at least once on a drafting track in 11 straight seasons.
• The driver who led the most laps won the first three races at Atlanta in drafting track configuration, yet in the last three races has not finished higher than 10th.
• Martin Truex Jr will end his consecutive start streak this weekend at 685 (ranked 6th all-time). Joey Logano will now hold the longest active start streak in Cup with his 578th straight race this weekend.
• This is the fourth-time Hendrick Motorsports won the Clash and DAYTONA 500 to start the season, more than any other team (The only time in history that a team won the Clash and the first two races of the season was Hendrick Motorsports in 1997 with driver Jeff Gordon).
• 2025 is the 40th straight season Hendrick Motorsports won a race, the most all time.
• William Bryon‘s 12 wins in the Next Gen car rank second – only one behind Kyle Larson for the most.
• William Byron became the third driver to win multiple DAYTONA 500s for Hendrick Motorsports; the most different drivers for any organization to win the DAYTONA 500.
• William Byron has nine top-10s in the last 11 drafting track races including three wins. Plus, William Byron finished in the top-10 in the last three races on drafting tracks, the longest active streak.
• Wiliam Byron finished in the top-six in the last eight races becoming the third youngest driver with at least an eight race top-six streak behind Jeff Gordon and Richard Petty.
• This is the fourth Atlanta race with dual pit road speed limits during green flag stops. There has only been one green flag pit cycle (stage two of this race last year) since the rule was implemented in summer 2023.
• Drivers average 39.2 seconds of lap time loss due to pitting under green (not including stop time) at Atlanta, the largest time loss of any track.
• Each of the two races at Atlanta in 2024 had double digit speeding penalties (14 in February and 10 in September), the two most in a race last year.
• The 48 lead changes last February at Atlanta set a new track record, previous record was 46 (2022).
• The deepest in the field that an active race winner has started at Atlanta is 23rd, by Daniel Suarez in 2024.
• Suarez has finished in the top-two in the last three Atlanta races, including his win by 0.003 second in this race last year — the closest top-three finish in series history.
• Following Daytona, Riley Herbst leads Shane van Gisbergen by 16 points in the Sunoco Rookie standings.
• Josh Berry will make his 50th career NASCAR Cup Series start at Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend.

NASCAR Xfinity Series

Atlanta Storylines and Insights:

• 2025 is the 44th season of the NASCAR Xfinity Series (1982-2025) and this weekend marks the 38^th Xfinity Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
• The stage end laps for this weekend‘s race are 45, 90, 163. Last year, they were 40, 80, 163.
• Jesse Love‘s 300 laps led on drafting tracks is the most all-time through seven starts, his teammate Austin Hill ranks second with 208.
• Jesse Love won the pole for both races at Atlanta in 2024, while teammate Austin Hill won both races.
• Richard Childress Racing won the pole for six of the last seven races on drafting tracks with qualifying.
• Georgia native Austin Hill won four of the last five races at Atlanta and finished top-two in five of his six starts there. Can tie Kevin Harvick for most wins at Atlanta with a victory this weekend.
• 40% of Austin Hill‘s NASCAR Xfinity Series wins (four of 10) came at Atlanta, 70% came on drafting tracks (seven of 10).
• Austin Hill‘s four wins through his first six starts at Atlanta is tied for second-most through six races at a track all-time (Sam Ard had five wins through six starts at Martinsville)
• Austin Hill‘s seven wins on drafting tracks is tied for third all-time with Dale Earnhardt Jr and behind only Dale Earnhardt and Tony Stewart (eight each).
• 22% of Austin Hill‘s NASCAR Xfinity Series career laps led have come at Atlanta (218 of 976)
• Three of the six Xfinity races on the reconfigured Atlanta Motor Speedway have ended in overtime.
• The race winner led three total laps or less in three of the six races on the reconfigured Atlanta, 12 laps or less in four of the six
• Jesse Love led 157 of the 169 laps raced in this race last year but ultimately finished 12th. Race winner Austin Hill led only the final two laps as Love ran out of fuel as the lead on the restart of the second overtime.
• Austin Hill‘s 588 laps led on drafting tracks ranks second behind Dale Earnhardt Jr. (691)
• Ford has won only one of the last 33 NASCAR Xfinity Series races on drafting tracks (Austin Cindric — Daytona, Feb. 2021)
• Richard Childress Racing won at least one drafting track race in each of the last four seasons (won nine of 18 drafting track races in the last four seasons).
• Haas Factory Team was the only organization to have more than one driver finish in the top-15 at Daytona (Sam Mayer, second; Sheldon Creed, third).
• With Jesse Love‘s win at Daytona last week, Richard Childress Racing is now two wins away from becoming the third team to reach 100 wins in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (Joe Gibbs Racing-215, RFK Racing-138).
• Sheldon Creed, who finished third at Daytona, is riding a streak of five straight top 10s dating back to last season.
• Creed has posted the most Xfinity Series runner-up finishes since 2022 with 13, next most was Justin Allgaier with nine.
• Josh Williams has posted two top 10s in his last three Xfinity Series races at Atlanta.
• Dean Thompson (37) leads the NASCAR Xfinity Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings by one point over Taylor Gray (36) following Daytona. Just behind Gray in the rookie standings is Carson Kvapil (33), Christian Eckes (25), William Sawalich (12), Connor Zilisch (10), Nick Sanchez (10) and Daniel Dye (1).
• Veteran Aric Almirola will make the first of nine Xfinity Series starts he has scheduled for 2025 with Joe Gibbs Racing.
• If Justin Allgaier wins this season, he will tie Kyle Busch and Mark Martin for the longest streak of consecutive seasons with a win at nine each.
• Sammy Smith currently has the longest streak of Xfinity Series top-10 finishes at Atlanta with three.
• Jeb Burton can break the tie with Kevin Harvick for the most consecutive drafting track starts without a DNF this weekend. They are currently tied with 23 starts each.
• Five drivers from the state of Georgia are entered in this weekend‘s Xfinity Series race — Brandon Jones (Atlanta), Austin Hill (Winston), Kyle Sieg (Tucker), Ryan Sieg (Tucker), Mason Massey (Douglasville).
• Jeremy Clements is two starts away from becoming the fourth driver to hit 500 Xfinity Series starts.

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series

Atlanta Storylines and Insights:

• Kyle Busch is back, his schedule will be Atlanta, Charlotte, N. Wilkesboro, Nashville and Watkins Glen with the Spire Motorsports‘ No. 7 Chevrolet team in 2025.
• Kyle Busch leads the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series in wins with 66 — winning percentage of 38%. He has seven Truck Series wins at Atlanta, including last year.
• Daniel Dye, who is looking to rebound after finishing last at Daytona, became the sixth CRAFTSMAN Truck Series driver to win their first career Truck pole at Atlanta; joining Christopher Bell (2017), Ben Kennedy (2015), Ricky Carmichael (2015), Todd Bodine (2006) and David Reutimann (2004).
• Three different drivers have won the last three CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Atlanta races since the redesign — Corey Heim (2022), Christian Eckes (2023) and Kyle Busch (2024).
• The final lead change came with seven laps or fewer to in the track‘s three drafting races.
• The last eight drafting track races were won by different drivers; Corey Heim is the most recent winner (Daytona).
• Georgia native Corey Heim became the youngest driver to reach 12 wins after he was awarded the win in Daytona (22 years old). Heim has not gone more than four races without a win since his first win of 2024 at COTA.
• With a win this weekend, Corey Heim can become the fourth different driver to win the first two races of a Truck season; joining Ben Rhodes (2021), Johnny Sauter (2013) and Mark Martin (2006).
• Grant Enfinger (two races) is the only active driver with a current top-10 streak on drafting tracks.
• Matt Crafton won stage 2 at Daytona; it was his first stage win since Atlanta in March of 2023.
• Gio Ruggerio became the fourth different driver to finish in the top-2 in their series debut among drivers who didn‘t have a prior start in a higher NASCAR series joining Kyle Benjamin (2018), Bobby Pierce (2015), Kurt Busch (2000).
• Gio Ruggerio leads the Truck rookie standings by nine points over Frankie Muniz following Daytona.
• Three drivers from the state of Georgia are entered in the Truck race this weekend: Corey Heim (Marietta), Jake Garcia (Monroe) and Chandler Smith (Talking Rock).
• 17 or more lead changes have occurred in each of the three Atlanta drafting races (2022-2024).

NASCAR & Atlanta, Etc.

Significant Events at Atlanta Motor Speedway:

• 1958 – The Atlanta Constitution reported on April 8, 1958, that the First Georgia Securities Corporation, under the leadership of President Richard W. King, had unveiled plans to construct a $1 million racing complex known as Atlanta International Raceway.
• 1959 – A NASCAR-sanctioned race at Atlanta International Raceway, initially planned for November 22, 1959, was postponed due to construction delays and rescheduled for March 27, 1960.
• September 17, 1959 – The groundbreaking ceremony for Atlanta International Raceway occurred.
• June 1960 – The first NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, initially scheduled for late 1959, was held in June 1960 due to construction delays caused by bad weather.
• 1962 — First Movie Production – Atlanta Motor Speedway was first used for movie production in the 1962 film Thundering Wheels, featuring driver Jack Smith.
• 1965 – In 1965, track owner Bruce Weaver revealed plans for a $500,000 dragstrip to be added at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
• 1968 – In December 1968, Atlanta International Raceway merged with Michigan International Speedway, owned by Lawrence LoPatin. The merger included a $1 million investment for renovations, including a repaving, new dragstrip, expanded seating, and amenity upgrades.
• 1976 – After five years of bankruptcy proceedings, Atlanta International Raceway was officially turned over to a five-man board of directors on March 10, 1976. The move marked the end of a turbulent period for the speedway, with Jim Baker, Walter Nix, and L.G. DeWitt assuming majority ownership.
• 1980 – Atlanta Motor Speedway was featured in the film Smokey and the Bandit II in 1980.
• 1982 — Atlanta Motor Speedway was featured in the film Six Pack, directed by Daniel Petrie.
• 1983 – Atlanta Motor Speedway was used in the 1983 Hal Needham-directed film Stroker Ace.
• 1986 – In January 1986, Mike Helton announced $3 million in renovations ahead of the 1986 The Winston event. These improvements were part of efforts to enhance the Atlanta Motor Speedway’s facilities.
• 1990 – Motorsports mogul Bruton Smith (Speedway Motorsports) purchased the Atlanta International Raceway in 1990, renaming it to Atlanta Motor Speedway and leading the facility’s expansion and renovation under longtime general manager Ed Clark.
• 1992 – In September 1992, the newly constructed 2.5-mile road course at Atlanta Motor Speedway held its first races. This course included both the oval and specialized infield portions.
• 1993 – In 1993, Ed Clark announced a three-year plan to expand Atlanta Motor Speedway’s capacity to 180,000. This plan included the construction of Tara Place, a new condominium complex.
• 1997 – Atlanta Motor Speedway underwent a reconfiguration and repave in 1997. Developers added a 1⁄4 mile oval to Atlanta Motor Speedway’s frontstretch in 1997 to accommodate legends car racing.
• 2005 – In July 2005, an F2 tornado caused by Hurricane Cindy hit Atlanta Motor Speedway, causing an estimated $40 million in damage to its grandstands, condominium complex, and other amenities.
• 2017 – Atlanta Motor Speedway served as an evacuee center during Hurricane Irma in 2017.
• 2017 – In 2017, the film Logan Lucky used Atlanta Motor Speedway as a stand-in for Charlotte Motor Speedway.
• 2018 – In 2018, Atlanta Motor Speedway provided shelter for evacuees during Hurricanes Florence and Michael.
• 2021 – On July 6, 2021, a repave and subsequent reconfiguration of Atlanta Motor Speedway were officially announced. The changes included increasing banking in the turns and narrowing the racing surface.
• In 2021, the Atlanta Marathon was held at Atlanta Motor Speedway due to COVID-19 restrictions, and America’s Got Talent: Extreme filmed its first season at the facility.
• 2022-2023 – Atlanta Motor Speedway again served as an evacuee center, this time during Hurricane Ian and Idalia.

Historical Atlanta Motor Speedway Information:

• From the first race in 1960 through the SMI era the track came to be defined by weather, often all bad. The first race first scheduled for late 1959 was not run until the following July because bad weather delayed construction.
• An incomplete facility and muddy conditions greeted the 25,000 fans who saw Fireball Roberts win the inaugural NASCAR event.
• Rain impacted the race weekends for much of the remainder of the decade that contributed to the worsening financial condition and eventual bankruptcy in the 1970s.
• Among the numerous presidents and general managers of the track in its first 30 years was Vice Chairman of NASCAR Mike Helton who served as general manager in 1985-86.
• In a most bizarre occurrence, the 1993 spring race was postponed when the eastern seaboard got buried in over a foot of snow.
• In recent years, the track was hit by hurricanes and tornados. The September 2011 race was set to go at 9:15 PM when it started raining. Based on the forecast for Monday that tropical storm Lee would persist all day, it was ultimately postponed until Tuesday.
• In 1990, SMI acquired the track. Since then, it has undergone a complete transformation from one of the original 1960s undercapitalized superspeedways to one of the most modern and fastest tracks.
• In the fall of 1997, the most dramatic change in the track‘s history was made when the original 1.5 mile symmetrical oval was remodeled into the current 1.54 quad oval with the front stretch and backstretch switched.
• In 2013 Goodyear debuted a tire technology at AMS. The right side tire featured Multi-Zone Tread Technology, which combined two different rubber compounds in a single tread. With the combination of the high wear abrasive surface and the high speed, AMS had proved to be one of the most challenging tracks for Goodyear.
• The season ending race was scheduled at Atlanta from 1986 to 2001 (became next to last in 2001 due to the postponement of the New Hampshire race). In 2002, at management‘s request, the fall race was moved back a month to October in anticipation of better weather.
• In 2009, the fall race was moved to the Labor Day weekend and the track hosted its first night race. Beginning in 2011, the track‘s traditional spring race was dropped from the schedule. From 2012 to 2020 Atlanta held one race a year, with that single event being the 2nd race of the schedule from 2015 to 2019.
• Starting in 2021 Atlanta gained a second date, and the second race was run during the summer.

Latest Atlanta Motor Speedway Storylines:

• Diamond-selling recording artist, rapper, songwriter, producer, actor, and philanthropist Big Boi will lead NASCAR‘s stars to the green flag at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Feb. 23 as he serves as the Honorary Pace Car Driver.
• ZZ Top lead singer and guitarist Billy Gibbons will be the grand marshal for the upcoming Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Feb. 23. Over the course of more than five decades ZZ Top has sold more than 50 million albums.
• Atlanta Motor Speedway to host “NASCAR Dance Battle” during Ambetter Health 400 pre-race. The first contender announced for the speedway‘s dance competition is the dynamic Hip Hop and Popping dance duo Funkanometry. Recognized worldwide for their electrifying performances on World of Dance, America‘s Got Talent, and most recently Canada‘s Got Talent. They‘ll ultimately need to best two other dance squads to win the competition; those contenders will be announced at a later date.
• The Performance Racing Network (PRN) is thrilled to announce that it will be the exclusive streaming home of Trackside Live, the high-energy show featuring racing legend Kenny Wallace, and long-time hosting favorites John Roberts and Jose Castillo. Known for its electric atmosphere, Trackside Live brings fans closer to the action with engaging driver and celebrity interviews, interactive games, contests, and nonstop fun and laughter.

— NASCAR —