ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS), a registered trademark of Speedway Motorsports and home of the Cracker Barrel 500 and the NAPA 500 was constructed in 1960. Three new grandstands have added more than 35,000 additional seats during past few years.

AMS along with its many NASCAR fans has seen a lot of great starts and finishes over the past four decades. Now it has become an ultra-modern, multi-purpose venue after being purchased by Bruton Smith in 1990, which has raised the bar of excellence. Among the various facilities, a nine-story office/condominium complex, improved parking, over 53,000 additional permanent seats, a road course, a four-color electronic message center, a new ticket office and gift shop are included. Atlanta Motor Speedway has come a long way since its beginning. One can easily make out the differences in track today. Today Atlanta Motor Speedway situated on 870 acres in Hampton, GA., just 25 miles south of Atlanta, is one of the country’s top sports, corporate, family and entertainment facilities.

HISTORY OF ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Founded in 1960 Atlanta Motor Speedway was later purchased by Bruton Smith and renamed it in 1990. The 1.5-mile track finally made its debut on July 31, 1960 and became the seventh super speedway—a paved facility of one mile or more—to play host to a Winston Cup race. Only three of the original seven – Darlington Raceway, Daytona International Speedway and Lowe’s (then Charlotte) Motor Speedway – are still in operation

Atlanta track’s future was huddled when it experienced the financial difficulties. In 1970s Chapter Ten bankruptcy proceedings acknowledged the track. After that it has gone through several general managers before settling down with Walt Nix. However, Atlanta had managed to attract the attention of local figures and celebrities during financial difficulties. Jimmy Carter, an avid race fan and former ticket vendor at the track in the 60s, promised a barbecue dinner at the governor’s mansion if he won the election for governor of Georgia. He fulfilled his promise and improved on it by inviting the racing community to another cookout in 1978 at the White House. Even though having great racing and national attention, Atlanta International Raceway was still a meager facility struggling to get by.

AMS has undergone massive expansion with dramatically increased menu under Smith’s stewardship. Now, it is hosting everything from Busch Series, ARCA and Indy car racing to dog shows, concerts and business conventions. The reconstructed AMS is comprised of 9-story building Tara Place with 46 luxury condominiums, Tara Ballroom, the speedway office complex and more luxury suites. The North Turn Grandstand took two years, which completed in 1997. The luxury suites were increased to 137 after the addition of Champions Grandstand. After the construction of Champions Grandstand was completed, the start/finish line was replaced from the west to the east side of the track with the addition of two doglegs to the front stretch to form a 1.54-mile quad-oval replacing the original oval. In the process of making a modern motor sports palace, new media facilities, garages and countless fan support buildings were also added. The suite tower and the Weaver Grandstand, situated on the backstretch are the only reminders of the track left.

Now Atlanta Motor Speedway has become a top-notch in the field of racing. Over 53,000 additional permanent seats have been added, along with a road course and a four-color electronic message center after mid '90s. The track changed its old configuration in the middle of the 1997 race season and placed the start/finish line on the other side of the track and in front of a brand new Champions Grandstand. The new Legends camping area near Entrance E was created after this change. The rows of this camping area are named after some of racing's most legendary drivers.

The legends, who have honored the tracks with their performances and has entered into the record books of AMS can be enumerated as listed below:

July 30, 1960:Fireball Roberts

August 1971-77: Richard Petty

November 1998-1991: Dale Earnhardt

November 13^th 1995: Earnhardt wins his 7th Winston Cup points title.

November 15, 1997: Geoffrey Bodine set a qualifying track record of 197.478 mph at Atlanta Motor Speedway

March 2001: Kevin Harvick edges Jeff Gordon by .006secs to win his first Winston Cup race, the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500

TRACK INFORMATION

Features Diagram With 1.54-mile quad-oval track Atlanta Motor Speedway, is one of the leading motor sports facilities in the country. Atlanta Motor Speedway, constructed in 1960, is nestled on 870 acres located just 30 minutes south of Atlanta. Every year AMS hosts two NASCAR Winston Cup races, the largest single-day sporting events in the state of Georgia. Despite of having only two weekends of racing, Atlanta Motor Speedway is the main contributor to the local sports economy, which brings more than $455 million annually to the country. The other highlights of the year are Busch Series and ARCA racing at AMS, and Thursday Thunder Legends and Bandolero racing, showcasing the talent of the region’s up-and-coming drivers for 10 weeks of the summer. Presently, the track of AMS is in use more than 300 days each year hosting various events and shows.

Track Information
Features
Opened	1960
Track Length	1.54 miles
Banking in Corners	24°
Banking on Straights	5°
Length of Front stretch	1,415 feet
Length of Backstretch	1,320 feet
Grandstand Seating	124,000
Qualifying Record	Billy Boat, 224.145 mph (24.734 sec.) - 8/28/98
Race Record	Dale Earnhardt, 163.633 mph - 11/12/95
Laps	203 laps=312.62 miles, 325 laps=500.5 miles
Features
Racing surface	55-60ft wide
Pit Road	1320ft
First Race	July 31, 1960 (Dixie 200) Winner – Fireball Roberts Pole – Fireball Roberts (133.870 – four-lap average)
500-mile race record	163.633 mph (3 hours, 3 minutes, 3 seconds) set by Dale Earnhardt (11/12/95)
One-lap qualifying record:	NASCAR Winston Cup – Geoffrey Bodine · 197.478 mph, 28.074 seconds · Set Nov. 15, 1997 Indy Racing League – Billy Boat · 224.145 mph, 24.734 seconds · Set Aug. 28, 1998

Atlanta has received over $100 million from the parent company after Bruton Smith purchased it in 1990 and the luxurious 1500 Tara Place has been added as the one of the new features. Atlanta, being a versatile venue, is often used for automobile testing. Motion pictures and television commercials have also been made at the speedway. Other events held at this venue are corporate promotions and civic events. Atlanta hosted the Countryfest concert, where over 200,000 spectators had come in 1994. In June of 1999, the Hard Rock Cafe's Rockfest, a one-day music festival attracted the attention of over 100,000 fans.

Source: Atlanta Motor Speedway Official Website, NASCAR Online, 2003 Map

Area Info: Atlanta Motor Speedway is located on US Highway 19/41, 30 miles south of Downtown Atlanta in the town of Hampton, GA. From the north: I-75, exit 77, U.S. Highway 19/41. From the south: I-75, exit 70, follows signs toward Hampton. There is also plenty of free parking at the speedway with camping, allowed at a cost of $75-$90.

SEATING ARRANGEMENTS AND DETAILING

Atlanta Motor Speedway tracks have great seats for all events with the capacity of approximately 124,000. Coolers are allowed into AMS, but no larger than 14x14x14. No glass containers are allowed. Except the "family" sections in the grandstands, alcohols are allowed. For a fee of $410 spaces sold annually at the AMS. Vehicles larger than space size and tents or pop-ups are not allowed in the reserved area.

Source: Atlanta Motor Speedway Official Website, NASCAR Online, 2003

GATE ADMISSION: Gates open (Friday-Sunday) at 8 AM.

EAST TURN/WEAVER enter Gates 2-10 ONLY.

PETTY/CHAMPIONS/EARNHARDT enter Gates 1 or12-15 ONLY.

TRACKING RULES AND REGULATIONS

Every customer is required to have individual account numbers to keep, when calling the ticket office in order to expedite handling of your request. Except the motorized vehicles for the physically impaired, golf cars or ATVS are not allowed on speedway grounds. AMS welcomes families with having children’s reserved seat areas. For more information, ask about events and areas that carry reduced rates for children.

PRICING AND TICKETING INFORMATION

If you are interested in buying the tickets by charge plan, money order or certified check. Before the order is placed, 14-days clearance is required for the personal checks. Telephone orders are must be paid by credit card. The request for ticket orders will be filled as soon as possible. Children under 16 years will be admitted free on Friday but on the other weekdays all children must have a ticket to sit in the reserved grandstands.

The normal duration of the order process for Atlanta Motor Speedway ticket completes within 24 hours (Monday-Friday). If, the Atlanta Motor speedway tickets are not available, there is also an option to purchase other seats or to cancel the order. However, once the order is processed, there are no cancellations.