Atlanta Motor Speedway Announces 2013 Racing Schedule

Atlanta Motor Speedway Announces 2013 Racing Schedule

Sprint Car Racing To Make AMS Debut as Part of NASCAR Weekend

HAMPTON, Ga. (Nov. 30, 2012) – For the first time in Atlanta Motor Speedway history, Sprint Car racing will take to the track as part of the speedway’s fifth-annual Labor Day weekend date on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule, Aug. 30-Sept. 1, 2013.

The 54^th-annual AdvoCare 500 on Sunday night, Sept. 1 will highlight the yearly stop at the 1.54-mile speedway for NASCAR’s top two series during the Labor Day weekend. Kicking off the biggest Labor Day Party in the USA will be NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pole Qualifying on Friday night, Aug. 30, in addition to a United Sprint Car Series race that evening. This will be the first time that the lightning-fast Sprint Cars will race at the speedway. Saturday night, Aug. 31 will feature 300 miles of racing from the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

            “We are excited to host another year of great racing here at Atlanta Motor Speedway,” said Ed Clark, Atlanta Motor Speedway President and General Manager. “2013 will mark our fifth year of hosting the biggest Labor Day Party in the USA with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and our Thursday Thunder and Friday Night Drags seasons providing affordable, local racing each week.”

            The Thursday Thunder Legends racing series returns with eight weeks of action on the quarter-mile “Thunder Ring.” The series will run each Thursday night from June 6-July 25.

            The popular Friday Night Drags & Show-N-Shine season will begin on April 26 and run Friday nights through Aug. 16. There will be no racing on May 24 in observance of the Memorial Day holiday. The series will resume for a two week Fall Stampede on Sept. 13 and Sept. 20.

            For ticket and event information, plus a complete listing of the 2013 racing schedules at Atlanta Motor Speedway, call the AMS Ticket Office at (877) 9-AMS-TIX, (770) 946-4211 or visit www.atlantamotorspeedway.com.

Homestead-Miami Speedway:

Homestead-Miami Speedway:

History

·         Groundbreaking for Homestead-Miami Dade Motorsports Complex – as the track was originally named – began Aug. 24, 1993. The first race was a NASCAR Nationwide Series event on Nov. 5, 1995.

·         The original configuration was a four-turn, rectangular oval based on Indianapolis Motor Speedway's layout.

·         The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Homestead was held on Nov. 14, 1999.

·         2002 was the first season of the Championship Weekend at Homestead, with all three of NASCAR’s national series holding their season finale at the same track.

Notebook

·         Since the inception of the position-based points system in 1975, only four drivers have made up a points deficit in the season finale: Richard Petty in 1979 (made up two points on Darrell Waltrip), Alan Kulwicki in 1992 (made up 30 points on Davey Allison), Jimmie Johnson in 2010 (made up 15 points on Denny Hamlin) and last season Tony Stewart (made up three* points on Carl Edwards).

o    * - Stewart’s comeback was under the one-point-per-position format implemented in 2011.

·         There have been 13 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Homestead, one per season since 1999.

·         Four drivers have competed in all 13 races: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte, and Tony Stewart.

·         David Green won the first pole, in 1999 with a speed of 155.759 mph.

·         Tony Stewart won the inaugural race, in 1999 driving for Joe Gibbs Racing.

·         There have been nine different pole winners. Kurt Busch, Kasey Kahne and Jimmie Johnson lead all drivers, with two.

·         There have been eight different race winners, led by Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart, with three each.

·         Jack Roush has won seven races, most among owners. Joe Gibbs has the second most wins with four.

·         The race has been won from the pole twice: Bill Elliott (2001) and Kurt Busch (2002).

·         The race has been won from a top-10 starting position in nine of 13 races.

·         Denny Hamlin won in 2009 from the 38th starting position, the furthest back a race winner has started.

·         Two active drivers have averaged a top-10 finish: Carl Edwards (5.3) and Kevin Harvick (7.9).

·         Kasey Kahne (7.2) is the only driver to average a starting position in the top-10.

·         Youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Homestead-Miami Speedway winner: Kurt Busch (11/17/2002 – 24 years, 3 months, 13 days). Oldest NSCS Homestead-Miami Speedway winner: Bill Elliott (11/11/2001 – 46 years, 1 months, 3 days).

·         Youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Homestead-Miami Speedway pole winner: Kurt Busch (11/17/2002 – 24 years, 3 months, 13 days). Oldest NSCS Homestead-Miami Speedway pole winner: Bill Elliott (11/11/2001 – 46 years, 1 months, 3 days).

 

Phoenix International Raceway:

Phoenix International Raceway:

History

·         Construction was completed in January 1964. The facility consisted of a one-mile oval and a 2.5-mile road course.

·         Alan Kulwicki won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix on Nov. 6, 1988.

·         The first spring race was held on April 23, 2005 and also the first night race, which was won by Kurt Busch.

·         The track underwent its first repave last year. The construction began in March and concluded in September of 2011.

·         The following changes were made during the construction period (March – Sept., 2011):

o    Widened the frontstretch from 52 to 62 feet

o    Reconfigured pit road with the installation of concrete pit stalls

o    Pushed the dog-leg curve between Turn 2 and Turn 3 out 95 feet

o    Tightened the turn radius of the dog-leg from 800 to 500 feet

o    Implemented variable banking to ensure the immediate use of two racing grooves, including 10-11 degree banking between Turn 1 and Turn 2; 10-11 degree banking in the apex of the dog-leg; and 8-9 degree banking in Turn 4

Notebook

·         There have been 32 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Phoenix International Raceway, one per season from 1988-2004 and two each season since.

·         Geoffrey Bodine won the first pole in 1988 at a speed of 123.203 mph (29.220 sec.).

·         There have been 19 different pole winners, led by Ryan Newman with four.

·         Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards are the only drivers to win consecutive poles. Newman won three straight (2002-04), while Gordon won the fall of 2006 and spring of 2007, and Edwards won the fall of 2010 and spring of 2011.

·         There have been 23 different race winners, led by Jimmie Johnson, with four – (’07 fall, ’08 sweep, ’09 fall).

·         The race has been won from the pole four times: Jeff Gordon (spring 2007), Jimmie Johnson (fall 2008), Mark Martin (spring 2009) and Carl Edwards (fall 2010).

·         The race has been won from a top-10 starting position in 17 of 32 events.

·         Denny Hamlin (November, 2005) won his first career pole at Phoenix International Raceway.

·         Ricky Rudd won the 1995 race from the 29th-place starting position, the furthest back a race winner has started.

·         Matt Kenseth won the 2002 race from the 28th-place starting position, the furthest back an active race winner has started.

·         Mark Martin has 20 top-10 finishes, more than any other driver. Martin (9.0 average finish) is one of two active drivers who average a top-10 finish. Jimmie Johnson (5.2) is the other.

·         Two perfect Driver Ratings of 150.0 have been recorded at Phoenix, Kurt Busch in April of 2005 and Kevin Harvick in November of 2006.

·         Five drivers have won consecutive races at Phoenix: Davey Allison (1991,1992); Jeff Burton (2000, 2001); Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2003, 2004); Kevin Harvick (swept 2006); Jimmie Johnson is the only one of the five to win three consecutive races (fall 2007, swept 2008).

·         Hendrick Motorsports leads the series in wins at Phoenix with nine, followed by Roush Fenway Racing with six.

·         Of the seven drivers with multiple wins at Phoenix International Raceway, Mark Martin is the only driver to win in two different manufacturers: Ford (1993) and Chevrolet (2009).

·         Youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Texas Motor Speedway winner: Phoenix International Raceway winner: Kyle Busch (11/13/2005 – 20 years, 6 months, 11 days). Oldest NSCS Phoenix International Raceway winner: Mark Martin (4/18/2009 – 50 years, 3 months, 9 days).

·         Youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Phoenix International Raceway pole winner: Kyle Busch (4/22/2006 – 20 years, 11 months, 20 days). Oldest NSCS Phoenix International Raceway pole winner: Mark Martin (4/18/2009 – 53 years, 1 months, 24 days).

 

PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY GROOMS TRACK’

PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY GROOMS TRACK’S SURFACE FOR ADVOCARE 500

Phoenix International Raceway President Bryan R. Sperber announced today the completion of a pre-event track grooming program in advance of the November 11 AdvoCare 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race, the semi-final race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

“Last year we made a commitment to NASCAR and the drivers to groom the race surface for three races using the tire rotator machine,” said Sperber. “This weekend we completed the last installment of the process and look forward to presenting a championship surface for the AdvoCare 500.”

PIR hired Colorado-based Bandimere Speedway to have a tire rotator machine burnish additional rubber into PIR’s surface, enhancing the racing groove. The process is a continuation of the track’s reconditioning effort that also took place prior to the SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500™ event weekend at PIR last March.

“We have received great feedback from the drivers who have said our process has helped improve the quality of racing at PIR,” said Larry Crispe, executive vice president of operations for Bandimere Speedway. “We are proud to again be a part of the preparations for what will be another great race in Phoenix.”

Last fall, with pre-race input from NASCAR and many of the Series’ top drivers, PIR groomed the race surface using a different tire dragging device.  That effort was augmented by six professional drivers running more than 3,000 laps on the new surface prior to the November race weekend. The PIR grooming program was widely lauded by the drivers during the 2011 November NASCAR weekend.

General admission tickets for the November 11 AdvoCare 500 Semi-Final NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, as well as tickets to all other events throughout the November race weekend at Phoenix International Raceway are available at www.phoenixraceway.com or by calling 1-866-408-RACE (7223).

About Phoenix International Raceway

Since 1964, Phoenix International Raceway has served race fans as the premier motorsports venue in the Southwest. Watch the AdvoCare 500 on Sunday, Nov. 11. Tickets for the entire Nov. 8-11 NASCAR event weekend at Phoenix International Raceway can be purchased online at PhoenixRaceway.com/Tickets or by calling 1-866-408-RACE (7223). For more information, visit PhoenixRaceway.com, Facebook.com/PhoenixRaceway and Twitter.com/PhoenixRaceway.

– PhoenixRaceway.com –

Texas Motor Speedway:

Texas Motor Speedway:

History

·         Construction began in 1995.

·         The first NASCAR race was a NASCAR Nationwide Series event on April 5, 1997.

·         The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was on April 6, 1997.

Notebook

·         There have been 23 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Texas Motor Speedway, one per season from 1997 through 2004 and two races per year since 2005.

·         Four drivers have competed in all 22 Texas races: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Mark Martin.

·         Jeremy Mayfield was the first pole winner, in 1998. Qualifying for the inaugural race in 1997 was canceled.

·         Jeff Burton won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

·         16 drivers have scored poles, led by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bobby Labonte, Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon and Martin Truex Jr. with two.

·         16 drivers have won races, led by Carl Edwards, with three. Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart, Jeff Burton and Greg Biffle each have two wins.

·         17 of 23 races have been won from a top-10 starting position. Only one has been won from the pole - Kasey Kahne in 2006.

·         Matt Kenseth started 31st en route to his victory at Texas in 2002, the deepest in the field that a race winner has started.

·         Both Jeff Burton (1999) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2000) scored their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win at Texas, and 2011 Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne made his first series start at Texas (11/07/10).

·         Martin Truex Jr. (11/04/07) and David Ragan (04/09/11) scored their first series poles at Texas.

·         Matt Kenseth (8.6) and Jimmie Johnson (9.7) are the only active drivers to average a top-10 finish at Texas.

·         Jimmie Johnson (9.2) is the only active driver to average a top-10 starting position at Texas.

·         Roush Fenway Racing leads all owners in victories, with nine. Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports have three wins each.

·         There has been two season sweeps, by Carl Edwards in 2008 and Denny Hamlin in 2010.

·         Youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Texas Motor Speedway winner: Ryan Newman (3/30/2003 – 25 years, 3 months, 22 days). Oldest NSCS Texas Motor Speedway winner: Dale Jarrett (4/1/2001 – 44 years, 4 months, 6 days).

·         Youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Texas Motor Speedway pole winner: Brian Vickers (11/5/2006 – 23 years, 0 months, 12 days). Oldest NSCS Texas Motor Speedway pole winner: Bill Elliott (4/8/2002 – 46 years, 6 months, 0 days).

 

GRANDSTANDS SOLD OUT FOR ADVOCARE 500

GRANDSTANDS SOLD OUT FOR ADVOCARE 500 AT PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

PHOENIX — Phoenix International Raceway President Bryan R. Sperber announced today that the track’s grandstands are sold out for the AdvoCare 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race on November 11.  

“We’re delighted that NASCAR fans have chosen to attend the AdvoCare 500 and have snapped up the available seats for the event,” Sperber said. “We recognize that fans have a lot of choices as they decide where to go, we’re honored that they have chosen to support Phoenix International Raceway.”

Race fans wishing to attend NASCAR’s final West Coast race of the season – the semi-final race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup – may still purchase general admission tickets to PIR’s hillside area by calling 866-408-RACE or visiting PhoenixRaceway.com.

Tickets are still available for the Great Clips 200 NASCAR Nationwide Series Race, Saturday, Nov. 10 at 2 p.m. at PIR. Fans purchasing Saturday tickets will also be able to watch the Casino Arizona 50 NASCAR K&N Pro Series - West Race which will drop the green flag at 5 p.m. Tickets are also still available for Friday, Nov. 9 for fans to watch Gatorade Pole Qualifying for the AdvoCare 500, beginning at 4:10 p.m., and for the Lucas Oil 150 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race at 6 p.m.

About Phoenix International Raceway

Since 1964, Phoenix International Raceway has served race fans as the premier motorsports venue in the Southwest. Watch the AdvoCare 500  on Sunday, Nov. 11. Tickets for the entire Nov. 8-11 NASCAR event weekend at Phoenix International Raceway can be purchased online at PhoenixRaceway.com/Tickets or by calling 1-866-408-RACE (7223). For more information, visit PhoenixRaceway.com, Facebook.com/PhoenixRaceway and Twitter.com/PhoenixRaceway.

– PhoenixRaceway.com –

TRACK NEWS UPDATE

• Little to no damage to tracks from hurricane: Racetracks that play host to NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in areas impacted by Hurricane Sandy do not report significant damage from the storm as of Tuesday morning. Dover International Speedway, which is less than 10 miles west from Delaware Bay and 45 miles northwest of Rehobeth Beach, Del., did not sustain any significant damage, track spokesman Gary Camp said Tuesday morning. Pocono Raceway, which is 100 miles west of New York City and about 100 miles north of Philadelphia, was without power Tuesday morning but only lost one of the steeples that towers above its grandstands, according to a tweet from track president Brandon Igdalsky. New Hampshire Motor Speedway, about 80 miles northwest of Boston and 50 miles west northwest of Portsmouth, reported no damage and no loss of power.(Sporting News)(10-30-2012)
  
• 
  
• Daytona gets final approval to move forward on site changes: Daytona International Speedway and International Speedway Corporation got the final yes vote they needed out of City Hall to charge forward with their plan to tackle a major overhaul of the Speedway's front stretch grandstands. The unanimous approval of the site plan Thursday night from the city's Planning Board was the last of several hurdles ISC and DIS had to clear before they could move from engineers' drawings to bulldozers in their hopes of redesigning the front stretch grandstands, adding new vendors, creating five new fan entrances, possibly doubling seating and renovating restrooms. The sprawling complex could include up to 2 million square feet of retail space, 1,785 hotel rooms, 1,500 multi-family residential units and movie theaters with a combined 5,000 seats. Speedway officials say it could take decades to reach that full vision, and they're just now beginning to talk to potential developers and businesses. Those future phases of the project will also require the city to approve additional site plans.(Daytona Beach News-Journal)(10-27-2012)
  

Martinsville Speedway:

Martinsville Speedway:

History

·         Opened in September 1947 by H. Clay Earles, Martinsville, originally a dirt track, is one of the oldest continuously-operating race tracks in the United States.

·         The first NASCAR-sanctioned race at Martinsville was on July 4, 1948.

·         The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was Sept. 25, 1949.

·         The track was paved in 1955.

·         The first 500-lap event at Martinsville was in 1956.

·         Concrete corners were added atop asphalt in 1976.

Notebook

·         There have been 127 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Martinsville Speedway, one in the inaugural year and two races per year since 1950.

·         Curtis Turner won the pole for the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Martinsville in 1949.

·         Red Byron won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

·         57 drivers have won poles, led by Darrell Waltrip with eight. Jeff Gordon, with seven poles, can tie that mark this weekend.

·         Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and Darrell Waltrip share the consecutive pole record, each with three.

·         47 different drivers have won, led by Richard Petty’s 15.

·         Jeff Gordon leads active drivers with seven wins. Jimmie Johnson hassixand Denny Hamlin has four.

·         19 races have been won from the pole, the last by Denny Hamlin in October 2010.

·         Petty Enterprises has won 19 races, more than any other organization. Hendrick Motorsports, with 18 wins, can tie that mark this weekend.

·         Kurt Busch won the 2002 fall race from the 36th starting position, the furthest back a race winner has started.

·         Three active drivers average a top-10: Jimmie Johnson (5.7), Denny Hamlin (6.4) and Jeff Gordon (7.0).

·         Youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Martinsville Speedway winner: Richard Petty (4/10/1960 – 22 years, 9 months, 8 days). Oldest NSCS Martinsville Speedway winner: Harry Gant (9/22/1991 – 51 years, 8 months, 12 days).

·         Youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Martinsville Speedway pole winner: Ricky Rudd (4/26/1981 – 24 years, 7 months, 14 days). Oldest NSCS Martinsville Speedway pole winner: Morgan Shepherd (04/26/1987 – 45 years, 6 months, 14 days).

Kansas Speedway:

Kansas Speedway:

History

·         Groundbreaking was held on May 25, 1999.

·         The official opening of Kansas Speedway was in 2001, with the first events being an ARCA race and a NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race on the same day – June 2.

·         The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was Sept. 30, 2001.

·         During the 2012 season, between the April race and this weekend’s event the 1.5-mile track underwent a repave adding variable banking in the corners and on the frontstretch.

Notebook

·         There have been 13 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Kansas since the track opened in 2001.

·         All of the races have been scheduled for 267 laps.

·         10 drivers have competed in all 13 races at Kansas. Mark Martin has completed the most laps at Kansas with 3,388.

·         Jeff Gordon won the first two NASCAR Sprint Cup races.

·         Jason Leffler won the first pole in September 2001.

·         10 different drivers have won poles, led by Jimmie Johnson with three.

·         Nine different drivers have posted victories, led by Greg Biffle, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart (each with two).

·         Hendrick Motorsports leads the series in wins at Kansas with four, followed by Roush Fenway Racing with three.

·         Seven of the 13 races have been won from a top-10 starting position.

·         Two drivers have won from the pole: Joe Nemechek in 2004 and Jimmie Johnson in 2008.

·         The furthest back in the field that a race winner started was 25th, by Brad Keselowski last season.

·         Two active drivers with more than one start have averaged a top-10 finish: Jimmie Johnson (7.9) and Greg Biffle (8.0).

·         Nine of the 13 races that ended under green had a margin of victory under one second. The 2007 race ended under caution.

·         The 2009 Chase race holds the record for most lead changes (26) among the most leaders (14) in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history at Kansas Speedway.

·         Jimmie Johnson has led the most laps (503) in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Kansas Speedway, followed by Greg Biffle with 346 laps led.

·         Denny Hamlin made his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start at Kansas Speedway on 10/09/2005.

·         Jimmie Johnson posted the highest NSCS Driver Rating performance at Kansas Speedway in this event last season with a 149.2. A perfect Driver Rating (150.0) performance in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Kansas Speedway has yet to be achieved.

·         Youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kansas Speedway winner: Ryan Newman (10/05/2003 – 25 years, 9 months, 27 days). Oldest NSCS Kansas Speedway winner: Mark Martin (10/09/2005 – 46 years, 9 months, 0 days).

·         Youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kansas Speedway pole winner: Jason Leffler (9/30/2001 – 26 years, 0 months, 14 days). Oldest NSCS Kansas Speedway pole winner: Mark Martin (10/04/2009 – 50 years, 8 months, 25 days).