History

·        Originally called Atlanta International Raceway, the track was then a 1.5-mile paved speedway.

·        The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Atlanta was on July 31, 1960, won by Fireball Roberts from the pole.

·        The track was re-measured to 1.522 miles in the spring of 1970.

·        It was renamed Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1990.

·        The track layout was reversed and the track was re-configured to 1.54 miles between the two races in 1997.

Notebook

·        There have been 105 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Atlanta Motor Speedway since the first race there in 1960. Until 2010 there have been two races per year except 1961, which had three. This year marks the third season with only one event.

·        540 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway; 363 in more than one.

·        Richard Petty leads the series in starts at Atlanta with 65. Terry Labonte leads all active drivers with 55 starts, followed by Mark Martin with 52.

·        Fireball Roberts won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Atlanta in 1960 with a speed of 133.870 mph.

·        46 drivers have Coors Light poles at Atlanta, led by Buddy Baker and Ryan Newman with seven each.

·        Winning consecutive Coors Light poles has happened eight times at Atlanta, among six drivers.

·        Ryan Newman holds the record for most consecutive poles at Atlanta with six; spring of 2003 through 2005.

·        Youngest Atlanta pole winner: Terry Labonte (3/15/1981 – 24 years, 3 months, 27 days).

·        Oldest Atlanta pole winner: Harry Gant (11/14/1993 – 53 years, 10 months, 4 days).

·        43 different NSCS drivers have won at Atlanta Motor Speedway, led by NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt with nine wins. Bobby Labonte leads all active drivers with six; followed by Jeff Gordon with five.

·        11 drivers have posted consecutive wins at Atlanta Motor Speedway: Marvin Panch (1965 sweep), Bobby Allison (1972 sweep), David Pearson (1973 sweep), Richard Petty (1974 fall, 1975 spring), Cale Yarborough (1980 fall, 1981 spring), Bill Elliott (1985 sweep; 1992 sweep), Dale Earnhardt (1989 fall, 1990 spring; 1995 fall, 1996 spring), Bobby Labonte (1997 fall, 1998 spring), Jeff Gordon (1998 fall, 1999 spring), Carl Edwards (2005 sweep), Jimmie Johnson (2007 sweep).

·        Youngest Atlanta winner: Kyle Busch (03/09/2008 – 22 years, 10 months, 7 days).

·        Oldest Atlanta winner: Morgan Shepherd (03/20/1993 – 51 years, 5 months, 8 days).

·        Wood Brothers has the most wins at Atlanta in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with 12: Cale Yarborough (three), David Pearson (three), Marvin Panch (two), Neil Bonnett (two) A.J. Foyt (one) and Morgan Shepherd (one).

·        Nine different manufacturers have won in the NSCS at Atlanta; led by Chevrolet with 37 victories; followed by Ford with 29. Toyota has two wins at Atlanta.

·        14 of the 105 (13.3%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Atlanta have been won from the Coors Light pole; the most recent was Kasey Kahne in 2006.

·        The fifth starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (15) than any other starting position at Atlanta Motor Speedway; the most recent was Jeff Gordon in 2011.

·        26 of the 105 (24.7%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Atlanta have been won from the front row: 14 from the pole and 12 from second-place.

·        60 of the 105 (57.1%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Atlanta have been won from a top-five starting position.

·        83 of the 105 (79%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Atlanta have been won from a top-10 starting position.

·        Seven of the 105 (6.6%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Atlanta have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.

·        The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Atlanta is 39th, by Bobby Labonte in the fall of 2001.

·        No driver has swept the weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway across the three NASCAR national series.

·        Dale Earnhardt and David Pearson lead the series in runner-up finishes at Atlanta with seven each; Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with five.

·        Dale Earnhardt leads the series in top-five finishes at Atlanta with 26; Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 16.

·        Richard Petty leads the series in top-10 finishes at Atlanta with 33; Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 25.

·        Ryan Newman leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Atlanta with a 7.100.

·       Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at 11.095.

·       All 12 of the 13 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners at Atlanta Motor Speedway participated in at least one or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Kevin Harvick won at Atlanta in his first appearance (2001). Carl Edwards won in his second appearance (2005).     

·        Ken Schrader competed at Atlanta Motor Speedway 13 times before winning in the spring of 1991; the longest span of any the 13 active NASCAR Sprint Cup winners.

·        Among the 13 active NSCS Atlanta winners Ken Schrader (13), Denny Hamlin (12) and Mark Martin (11) all made 10 or more attempts before their first win.

·        Terry Labonte leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup starts at Atlanta without visiting Victory Lane at 55.

·        Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway was the March 11, 2001 race won by Kevin Harvick over Jeff Gordon with a MOV of 0.006 second. It is the fifth closest finish scored by electronic scoring in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

·        There have been three NASCAR Sprint Cup races resulting with a green-white-checkered finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway (Scheduled No. of Laps/Actual No. of Laps): fall of 2007 (325/329); spring of 2010 (325/341) and fall of 2012 (325/327).

·        Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway five times; most recently the fall of 2010.

·        One active driver has posted his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light pole at Atlanta Motor Speedway: Terry Labonte (3/15/1981).

·        Two active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers have posted their first career start at Atlanta Motor Speedway: Jeff Gordon (11/15/1992) and Martin Truex Jr. (10/31/2004).

·        Two active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers have posted their first career win at Atlanta Motor Speedway: Kevin Harvick (3/11/2001) and Carl Edwards (3/20/2005).

·        Cale Yarborough leads all drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at Atlanta with 3,283 laps led in 47 starts. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in laps led at Atlanta with 1,280.   

·        Three female drivers have competed at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Janet Guthrie, Shawna Robinson and Danica Patrick.

Driver	Starting Position	Finishing Position	Date
Janet Guthrie	34	30	3/20/1977
Janet Guthrie	19	16	11/6/1977
Janet Guthrie	23	10	3/19/1978
Shawna Robinson	31	34	3/10/2002
Danica Patrick	23	29	9/2/2012

NASCAR in Georgia

·        There have been 164 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races among12 different tracks in Georgia.

Track Name	City	NSCS
Atlanta Motor Speedway	Hampton	105
Augusta International Speedway	Augusta	12
Lakewood Speedway	Atlanta	11
Savannah Speedway	Savannah	10
Middle Georgia Raceway	Macon	9
Central City Speedway	Macon	7
Valdosta 75 Speedway	Valdosta	3
Jeffco Speedway	Jefferson	2
Oglethorpe Speedway	Savannah	2
Augusta International Raceway	Augusta	1
Columbus Speedway	Columbus	1
Hayloft Speedway	Augusta	1

·        176 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Georgia.

·        11 of the 176 have posted at least one victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

·        Bill Elliott (five wins) is the only Georgia native to have won at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Driver	Hometown	NSCS	NNS	NCWTS
Bill Elliott	Dawsonville	44	1	0
Tim Flock	Atlanta	39	0	0
Jack Smith	Sandy Springs	21	0	0
Fonty Flock	Decatur	19	0	0
Bob Flock	Atlanta	4	0	0
Frank Mundy	Atlanta	3	0	0
David Ragan	Unadilla	2	2	0
Gober Sosebee	Atlanta	2	0	0
Harold Kite	East Point	1	0	0
Sam McQuagg	Chatsworth	1	0	0
Jody Ridley	Columbus	1	0	0
Reed Sorenson	Peachtree City	0	4	0
Buckshot Jones	Monticello	0	2	0
Ronald Cooper	Statham	0	1	0

 

 

ATLANTA-SPECIFIC STATISTICS

 

Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford)

·        Three top fives, nine top 10s; one pole

·        Average finish of 16.0

·        Average Running Position of 13.3, ninth-best

·        Driver Rating of 92.6, 10th-best

·        237 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most

·        881 Green Flag Passes, ninth-most

·        3,249 Laps in the Top 15 (71.0%), fifth-most

·        509 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), third-most

 

Kurt Busch (No. 78 Furniture Row/Beautyrest Chevrolet)

·        Three wins, four top fives, nine top 10s

·        Average finish of 17.2

·        Average Running Position of 14.8, 13th-best

·        Driver Rating of 94.6, seventh-best

·        255 Fastest Laps Run, third-most

·        885 Green Flag Passes, eighth-most

·        2,628 Laps in the Top 15 (57.4%), 12th-most

·        461 Quality Passes, eighth-most

 

Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota)

·        One win, three top fives, four top 10s

·        Average finish of 16.9

·        Average Running Position of 13.9, 10th-best

·        Driver Rating of 92.8, ninth-best

·        217 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most

·        918 Green Flag Passes, sixth-most

·        Average Green Flag Speed of 171.196 mph, ninth-fastest

·        2,751 Laps in the Top 15 (60.1%), 11th-most

·        446 Quality Passes, ninth-most

 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 National Guard ‘Race To Achieve’ Chevrolet)

·        One win, eight top fives, 11 top 10s; two poles

·        Average finish of 12.5

·        Average Running Position of 13.1, eighth-best

·        Driver Rating of 93.3, eighth-best

·        223 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most

·        944 Green Flag Passes, third-most

·        Average Green Flag Speed of 171.204 mph, eighth-fastest

·        2,897 Laps in the Top 15 (63.3%), ninth-most

 

Carl Edwards (No. 99 Subway Ford)

·        Three wins, eight top fives, 10 top 10s

·        Average finish of 15.1

·        Average Running Position of 13.1, seventh-best

·        Driver Rating of 99.8, fourth-best

·        Series-high 341 Fastest Laps Run

·        Average Green Flag Speed of 171.526 mph, third-fastest

·        3,484 Laps in the Top 15 (76.1%), third-most

·        479 Quality Passes, seventh-most

 

Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet)

·        Five wins, 16 top fives, 25 top 10s; two poles

·        Average finish of 11.9

·        Average Running Position of 10.0, second-best

·        Driver Rating of 104.8, second-best

·        238 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most

·        Average Green Flag Speed of 171.329 mph, fifth-fastest

·        3,765 Laps in the Top 15 (82.3%), second-most

·        Series-high 549 Quality Passes

 

Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Sport Clips Toyota)

·        One win, two top fives, five top 10s; one pole

·        Average finish of 16.2

·        Average Running Position of 11.1, third-best

·        Driver Rating of 99.7, fifth-best

·        241 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most

·        Average Green Flag Speed of 171.527 mph, second-fastest

·        2,976 Laps in the Top 15 (70.0%), eighth-most

 

Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Jimmy John's Chevrolet)

·        One win, five top fives, eight top 10s

·        Average finish of 19.2

·        Driver Rating of 86.4, 13th-best

·        179 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most

·        806 Green Flag Passes, 11th-most

·        400 Quality Passes, 13th-most

 

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's Dover White Chevrolet)

·        Three wins, 11 top fives, 13 top 10s

·        Average finish of 11.1

·        Series-best Average Running Position of 8.0

·        Series-best Driver Rating of 108.3

·        272 Fastest Laps Run, second-most

·        Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 171.699 mph

·        Series-high 4,043 Laps in the Top 15 (88.3%)

·        532 Quality Passes, second-most

 

Kasey Kahne (No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet)

·        Two wins, six top fives, eight top 10s; two poles

·        Average finish of 18.6

·        Driver Rating of 88.9, 12th-best

·        234 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most

·        2,609 Laps in the Top 15 (57.0%), 13th-most

 

Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Home Depot Husky Toyota)

·        Eight top fives, 14 top 10s

·        Average finish of 12.7

·        Average Running Position of 12.5, sixth-best

·        Driver Rating of 96.4, sixth-best

·        164 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-most

·        919 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most

·        Average Green Flag Speed of 171.263 mph, sixth-fastest

·        3,268 Laps in the Top 15 (71.4%), fourth-most

·        496 Quality Passes, fifth-most

 

Mark Martin (No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet)

·        Two wins, 14 top fives, 24 top 10s; two poles

·        Average finish of 18.5

·        Average Running Position of 16.0, 16th-best

·        Driver Rating of 83.5, 17th-best

·        97 Fastest Laps Run, 15th-most

·        2,555 Laps in the Top 15 (55.8%), 14th-most

·        351 Quality Passes, 19th-most

 

Martin Truex Jr. (No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota)

·        One top five, three top 10s; one pole

·        Average finish of 21.5

·        Average Running Position of 11.9, fifth-best

·        Driver Rating of 90.8, 11th-best

·        Average Green Flag Speed of 171.355 mph, fourth-fastest

·        3,217 Laps in the Top 15 (75.7%), seventh-most

·        506 Quality Passes, fourth-most

 

Chase Contenders

The Top 10

Following Race 24 of 36

                                                                                Rank          Season

                                                                                                    Last            Driver

Driver                                    Points    Wins       Poles         Week         Rating

1. Jimmie Johnson          821       4           2              1           108.7

2. Clint Bowyer                803       0           0              2             93.4

3. Carl Edwards               768       1           1              3             93.6

4. Kevin Harvick              760       2           0               4             92.7

5. Kyle Busch                  739       3           3               5           101.9

6. Matt Kenseth.              736       5           2               6          109.2

7. Dale Earnhardt Jr.        714       0           1               7             94.9

8. Kasey Kahne               701       2           0            11           101.2

9. Greg Biffle                  698       1           0             10             82.3

10. Joey Logano               685       1           1            13             88.8

 

ADDITIONAL DRIVERS

11. Brad Keselowski                681          32. David Stremme          341

12. Kurt Busch                          679          33. David Reutimann       329

13. Jeff Gordon                        674          34. Travis Kvapil                319

14. Martin Truex Jr.                  663          35. JJ Yeley                        317

15. Ryan Newman                   659          36. AJ Allmendinger         278

16. Jamie McMurray                647          37. Michael McDowell      118

17. Paul Menard                       638          38. Timmy Hill                   114

18. Aric Almirola                       616          39. Michael Waltrip           102

19. Tony Stewart                      594          40. Ken Schrader                85

20. Jeff Burton                          592          41. Terry Labonte                77

21. Juan Pablo Montoya         590          42. Boris Said                       48

22. Marcos Ambrose               590          43. Ron Fellows                   31

23. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.          582          44. Alex Kennedy                21

24. Casey Mears                      503          45. Justin Marks                   14

25. Denny Hamlin                    456          46. Victor Gonzalez Jr.       10

26. David Ragan (1 win)         452          47. Scott Riggs                     10

27. Danica Patrick                    436          48. Brian Keselowski            9

28. David Gilliland                   414          49. Tomy Drissi                      8

29. Mark Martin                         403          50. Scott Speed                      4

30. Dave Blaney                       365          51. Jacques Villeneuve        3

31. Bobby Labonte                  343          52. Jason Leffler                    1                                    

Note: The first 26 races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season determine which 12 drivers qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, contested over the final 10 races of the season. After race No. 26, the top 10 earn a berth in the Chase. Spots 11 and 12 – the Wild Cards – will go to those drivers outside the top 10 with the most wins, provided they are in the top 20.

 

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2013 Top 12 at Atlanta Motor Speedway

	Driver	Races	Poles	Wins	Top Fives	Top 10s	DNFs	Average Finish	Driver Rating
1	Jimmie Johnson	21	0	3	11	13	2	11.1	108.3
2	Clint Bowyer	12	0	0	0	5	1	18.2	83.0
3	Carl Edwards	15	0	3	8	10	3	15.1	99.8
4	Kevin Harvick	22	0	1	5	8	4	19.2	86.4
5	Kyle Busch	15	0	1	3	4	1	16.9	92.8
6	Matt Kenseth	24	0	0	8	14	3	12.7	96.4
7	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	25	2	1	8	11	2	12.5	93.3
8	Kasey Kahne	16	2	2	6	8	3	18.6	88.9
9	Greg Biffle	18	1	0	3	9	2	16.0	92.6
10	Joey Logano	6	0	0	0	0	0	26.0	56.5
11	Brad Keselowski	4	0	0	1	2	1	17.5	83.7
12	Kurt Busch	22	0	3	4	9	3	17.2	94.6

* – Based on last 14 races at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

 

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2013 Wild Card Standings Following Bristol

Pos	Driver	Wins	Pts Pos	Points	Pts From 10th	Starts	Poles	T5s	T10s	DNFs
1	Martin Truex Jr.	1	14	663	-22	24	0	5	9	3
2	Ryan Newman	1	15	659	-26	24	1	4	10	5
3	Tony Stewart	1	19	594	-91	21	0	5	8	0
4	Brad Keselowski	0	11	681	-4	24	1	7	11	1
5	Kurt Busch	0	12	679	-6	24	1	6	11	2
6	Jeff Gordon	0	13	674	-11	24	0	5	10	5
7	Jamie McMurray	0	16	647	-38	24	1	1	5	0
8	Paul Menard	0	17	638	-47	24	0	1	6	1
9	Aric Almirola	0	18	616	-69	24	0	1	5	4
10	Jeff Burton	0	20	592	-93	24	0	2	5	2
11	David Ragan	1	26	452	-233	24	0	1	1	3

 

The top-10 drivers will make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.  Positions 11 and 12 in the 12-driver Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup are Wild Cards, and will go to drivers outside the top 10 with the most wins, as long as they are ranked in the top 20 in points. If multiple drivers outside the top 10 tie for wins, the tie-breaker will go to the race winner with the highest points position.

 

Atlanta Motor Speedway Data

Season Race #: 25 of 36 (09-01-13)

Track Size: 1.54-miles

Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 24 degrees

Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 24 degrees

Banking/Frontstretch: 5 degrees

Banking/Backstretch: 5 degrees

Frontstretch Length:  2,332 feet

Backstretch Length:  1,800 feet

Race Length: 325 laps / 500.5 miles

 

Top 12 Driver Rating at Atlanta

Jimmie Johnson....................... 108.3

Jeff Gordon.............................. 104.8

Tony Stewart............................ 100.2

Carl Edwards............................. 99.8

Denny Hamlin............................. 99.7

Matt Kenseth.............................. 96.4

Kurt Busch................................. 94.6

Dale Earnhardt Jr....................... 93.3

Kyle Busch................................. 92.8

Greg Biffle................................. 92.6

Martin Truex Jr.......................... 90.8

Kasey Kahne.............................. 88.9

Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2012 races (14 total) among active drivers at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

 

Qualifying/Race Data

2012 pole winner: Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 186.121 mph, 29.787 secs. 09-01-12

 

2012 race winner: Denny Hamlin, Toyota , 142.020 mph, (03:32:45), 09-02-12

 

Track qualifying record: Geoffrey Bodine, Ford, 197.478 mph, 28.074 secs. 11-15-97

 

Track race record: Bobby Labonte, Pontiac, 159.904 mph, (03:07:48), 11-16-97