Intensity of the Race to get in the Chase

Intensity of the Race to get in the Chase
Heats up this Weekend at the AdvoCare 500

HAMPTON, Ga. (August 26, 2013) – The AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend will play a pivotal role in determining who qualifies for the Chase for the Sprint Cup with numerous drivers in striking distance as they search for wins and points.

"Some drivers’ season will be determined this weekend," said Atlanta Motor Speedway President and General Manager Ed Clark. "A win can provide the necessary momentum needed to propel a driver into the chase while a bad showing could have dire consequences."

Joey Logano, former Atlanta Motor Speedway Thursday Thunder champion, moved into 10th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series point standings with a fifth place finish at Bristol on Saturday night.  Logano entered the race in 13th place in the point standings, 17 points out of the top 10.

After being involved in a crash, a 30th place finish at Bristol on Saturday night dropped Brad Keselowski three positions and he is now four points out of the Chase in 11th.  Other drivers on the outside include Kurt Busch, who fell from 8^th to 12^th following Bristol along with Jeff Gordon, who is currently in 13^th. Busch and Gordon are both past winners in Atlanta and join Keselowski in a must-win situation to keep their Chase hopes alive.

With one win apiece, Martin Truex Jr. in 14th place and Ryan Newman in 15th, are currently in the two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wild card positions.  A win by any of the three winless drivers ranked ahead in the standing could results in their elimination as a candidate to make the chase.

Major Change in Tire Construction to Debut at AdvoCare 500

Goodyear introduced a new tire that will be utilized during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the NASCAR Nationwide Series this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Announced just days after a 13-team tire test at AMS on August 6th, Goodyear will utilize "zone tread" technology to create a more durable tire that will also have grip for Saturday's Great Clips / Grit Chips 300 and Sunday's AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

"Atlanta is a track with multiple grooves, you can run the high groove, the low groove or even the middle - based off your tire wear," said Kurt Busch at the August 6th test.  "The tire wear element [at Atlanta] is so different than at any other track, I'm excited to see how the tires are going to be with the race, the re-starts and the long green flag runs."

The left side tires scheduled to be used at Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend will remain unchanged from the tire that ran the AdvoCare 500 last year.  The right side tires will utilize the "zone tread" technology to create the tire tread.  Two-thirds of the tire will be based on the previous tires used in Atlanta and will provide grip while the other third of the tire will utilize the tread similar to that used at Michigan that is designed to counteract heat produced from the high speeds.

For more information on the AdvoCare 500 Labor Day Race Weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, visit  www.atlantamotorspeedway.com or call the AMS Ticket Office at (877) 9-AMS-TIX or (770) 946-4211.