Memorable Moments in 50 Years at Atlanta Motor Speedway:
Night Racing Comes to Atlanta and Bruton Buys AIR
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Marcy Scott
(770) 946-3951
Matthew Simmons
(770) 946-3917
Memorable Moments in 50 Years at Atlanta Motor Speedway:
Night Racing Comes to Atlanta and Bruton Buys AIR
Highlighting Atlanta Motor Speedway's 50th Anniversary Season as the
track's Labor Day NASCAR night racing weekend approaches, the following
release is the third in a five-part series featuring memorable moments
in Atlanta Motor Speedway's history.
HAMPTON, Ga. (Aug. 11, 2010) - As Atlanta Motor Speedway celebrates it's
50th Anniversary season, many moments from the track's past have come to
define the Speedway as one of the most storied in NASCAR's history.
Two such Atlanta Motor Speedway moments include Atlanta's
first-scheduled NASCAR night race and O. Bruton Smith purchasing the
then Atlanta International Raceway.
No. 6: Bruton Buys Atlanta Raceway to Add to Stable of SMI Tracks
Atlanta had always been known for hosting great NASCAR racing, but the
Speedway south of Atlanta was far from the racing paradise known today
when first purchased by O. Bruton Smith in 1990.
Bruton Smith purchased Atlanta International Raceway on Oct. 23, 1990
and renamed the facility Atlanta Motor Speedway. Armed with a vision for
the future, Smith immediately commissioned Project 2000, a long-term
renovation development aimed to make Atlanta the most-fan friendly
racing facility in the world.
Within his first year of ownership, Smith added the Turn 3 Elliott
Grandstand and increased the track's seating capacity by 25,000. Perched
above the Turn 3 grandstand, 30 suites rimmed the massive seating
structure and redefined "luxury" at the Speedway.
Ed Clark began overseeing Smith's project when he was named Atlanta
Motor Speedway general manager in 1992. In the immediate years,
renovations at the Speedway would include the erection of the nine-story
Tara Place condo building, the adjacent Tara Clubhouse building and the
construction of the Earnhardt Grandstand.
"Bruton's dedication to making Atlanta one of the nation's premier
sporting facilities was nothing short of remarkable. He acquired a basic
track and, in just a few short years, completely transformed Atlanta,"
explained Clark, now Atlanta Motor Speedway president and general
manager. "If you look at today's Atlanta Motor Speedway, it's almost
difficult to imagine how much Bruton changed - the track layout, the
construction of the condo building, the creation of Georgia State Route
20 - it's impossible to consider what Atlanta would be like today
without Bruton's influence."
Smith had Atlanta's track layout completely redesigned in 1997. The
track's frontstretch and backstretch were swapped, as the then Weaver
Grandstand becoming the backstretch grandstand and the newer Earnhardt
Grandstand now faced front. In an effort to standardize Atlanta with
Smith's other Speedway Motorsports, Inc. facilities, the track's
previous oval layout was tossed aside in favor of a quad-oval design
that would add two doglegs to the track's frontstretch.
And when completed, the redesign was a success: The first race in
Atlanta following the redesign, the 1997 ARCA Reese's 400, featured a
three-car wide photo finish, and was won by Georgia-native Harris
DeVane.
In all at Atlanta, Smith would add grandstands, new media facilities,
garages and an increased menu of entertainment that has featured NASCAR
racing, International Race of Champions (IROC) and Indy Car events,
concerts, car shows and more.
"Bruton told me before he ever bought the track, 'I'd like to see what
could be done with this place,'" said Frances Goss, the longtime Atlanta
Motor Speedway ticket manager who retired in 2003 after 38 years with
the raceway. "He's made it. I never would have believed Atlanta Motor
Speedway would look like it does today."
No. 5: Night Racing Finally Comes to Atlanta
After years of fans clamoring for night racing in Georgia,
NASCAR night racing finally came to Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2009.
The 2009 Pep Boys Auto 500 on Labor Day weekend marked
Atlanta Motor Speedway's inaugural NASCAR night racing weekend. Fans
showed their support, descending upon the Speedway en mass to
immediately make the Labor Day weekend festivities a marquee event on
the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule.
Locked into a fall race date for years, Atlanta Motor
Speedway coordinated a scheduling coup unmatched in recent history when
the track completed a three-date swap to exchange an October race date
for a night race on Labor Day weekend. In an event well received by
fans, drivers and NASCAR legends, Kasey Kahne took the checkered flag in
what might be the start of a new NASCAR tradition.
"It felt awesome to win at Atlanta, especially at that point
in the season where everything was coming together for the Chase," Kasey
Kahne recalled. "It was great to see the crowd that turned out at
Atlanta for that race. Since I've been racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup
Series, I haven't seen a crowd like that, especially one that excited."
Having seen the excitement surrounding the 2009 event,
five-time Atlanta winner and 1983 NASCAR champion Bobby Allison sees the
potential for the Labor Day race in Atlanta to become one of NASCAR's
top events.
"Having a Sprint Cup event at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Labor Day will,
over time, create its own storied past just like we've seen at
Darlington all those years," said the NASCAR legend. "There's an
incredible amount of great drivers who have enjoyed great wins at both
of those tracks. I honestly enjoyed racing on and winning on both
tracks, even though each of them went through changes to track surface
and layout at times during the past 50 years. But racing on Labor Day
has always been a tradition in NASCAR and fans have always and continue
to turn out to support NASCAR. That tradition will now continue at
Atlanta."
The new Labor Day NASCAR night racing tradition continues during the
Emory Healthcare 500 race weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Sept. 3-5.
-AMS-
EDITOR'S NOTE: High-resolution images of Bobby Allison, Bruton Smith and
Kasey Kahne to accompany this release can be downloaded from:
http://www.atlantamotorspeedway.com/photos
Photo credit: Atlanta Motor Speedway
Matthew Simmons
Marketing & Promotion Coordinator
Atlanta Motor Speedway | P.O Box 500 | Hampton, GA 30228 | P:
770.946.3917 | F: 770.707.7853 | www.AtlantaMotorSpeedway.com
High Speed Hits the High Banks at Night
Labor Day Weekend | September 3-5, 2010
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