Atlanta Motor Speedway to Host 2012 U.S. Legend Cars Nationals

Atlanta Motor Speedway to Host 2012 U.S. Legend Cars Nationals

HAMPTON, Ga. (Oct. 29, 2011) – For the first time ever, Atlanta Motor Speedway will host to the 21^st Annual Asphalt Nationals and the 13^th Annual Thunder Car Nationals on Oct. 24-27, 2012.

Over 200 Legend Cars and Thunder Roadsters from all over the country will be on hand to compete in this yearly short track event. Pre-registration will open on Wednesday, Oct. 24. Thursday, Oct. 25 will be a practice day while qualifying will take place on Friday, Oct. 26. Saturday, Oct. 27 will be Championship Day.

Year in and year out, the Asphalt Nationals is the premier Legend Cars event in the country. Talented drivers of all ages compete for the national title with some of the most intense competition in American racing. The U.S. Legend Cars program is an affordable way for drivers to gain experience behind the wheel. This program has been a launching pad for countless NASCAR drivers, including Kyle and Kurt Busch, David Ragan, Reed Sorenson and Joey Logano.

“We are excited to welcome the U.S. Legend Cars Nationals to Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2012,” said Atlanta Motor Speedway President and General Manager Ed Clark. “The U.S. Legend Cars program has been successful throughout the United States and this event will bring out the best of the best and the future stars of NASCAR to compete here at AMS.”

For more information on U.S. Legend Cars, call (704) 455-3896 or visit www.uslegendcars.com. For more information on Atlanta Motor Speedway, visit www.atlantamotorspeedway.com.

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 125 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.

·         56 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.

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

·         Jeff Gordon leads active drivers with seven wins. Jimmie Johnson has six and 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. If HMS does win this weekend, it will also be the team’s 200th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory.

·         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 finish: Jimmie Johnson (5.6), Denny Hamlin (6.6) and Jeff Gordon (7.0).

·         There were 31 lead changes in the April Martinsville race this season, a track record.

 

Martinsville Speedway Data

Race #: 33 of 36 (10-30-11)

Track Size: .526 mile

Race Length: 500 laps/263 miles

·     Banking/Corners: 12 degrees

·     Banking/Straights: 0 degrees

·     Frontstretch: 800 feet

·     Backstretch: 800 feet

 

Driver Rating at Martinsville
Jimmie Johnson	121.9
Jeff Gordon	119.7
Denny Hamlin	113.0
Tony Stewart	102.4
Dale Earnhardt Jr.	98.9
Kyle Busch	94.3
Kevin Harvick	93.1
Jeff Burton	89.3
Mark Martin	89.3
Ryan Newman	88.8

Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2011 races (13 total) at Martinsville Speedway.

 

Qualifying/Race Data

2010 pole winner: Denny Hamlin (97.318 mph)

2010 race winner: Denny Hamlin, 71.619 mph, 10-24-10)

Track qualifying record: Tony Stewart (98.083 mph, 19.306 seconds, 10-21-05)

Race record: Jeff Gordon (82.223 mph, 09-22-96)

 

Talladega Superspeedway:

Talladega Superspeedway:

History

·         Construction began on what was then known as the Alabama International Motor Speedway on May 23, 1968.

·         The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on Sept. 14, 1969.

·         The name changed to Talladega Superspeedway in 1989.

·         Fourth repaving completed on Sept. 19, 2006.

 

Notebook

·         There have been 84 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Talladega Superspeedway since the track opened in 1969; two a year every year except the inaugural season, which had just one.

·         Richard Brickhouse won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

·         Bobby Isaac won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup pole in September 1969. Isaac won the first three poles there.

·         35 different drivers have won poles. Bill Elliott leads all drivers with eight poles.

·         41 different drivers have posted victories, led by Dale Earnhardt Sr. (10). Eighteen drivers have won more than once.

·         Jeff Gordon leads all other active drivers in victories, with six. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is second among active drivers in victories with five.

·         Richard Childress Racing and Hendrick Motorsports have won more than any other organization at Talladega with 11 wins each.

·         33 of 84 races have been won from the top-two starting positions, including 13 from the pole; 23 have been won from a starting position outside the top 10. The most recent driver to win from the pole was Jeff Gordon in 2007 (spring).

·         The furthest back in the field a race winner started was 36th, by Jeff Gordon in 2000.

·         Mark Martin’s pace in the 1997 spring race set an all-time NASCAR Sprint Cup record for the fastest race ever. He won the caution-free race with an average speed of 188.354 mph and covered the 500-mile distance in two hours, 39 minutes and 18 seconds.

·         The 2010 spring race set the all-time and track records for lead changes (88) and lap leaders (29). The lead change record was matched last April. The previous highs were 75 lead changes (set on May 6, 1984) and 28 lap leaders (set on Oct. 5, 2008). Both previous records also were set at Talladega.

·         Dale Earnhardt Jr. had four consecutive victories (October 2001 through April 2003), the most ever by a driver there. Buddy Baker (three – May 1975 through May 1976) is the only other driver to win more than two consecutive races there.

·         Since the inception of electronic scoring in 1993, every race that has ended under green has had a margin of victory under half a second.

·         The season’s spring race tied the March 16, 2003 Darlington race won by Ricky Craven for the all-time record of the closest series finish (0.002 seconds) since the inception of electronic scoring.

 

Talladega Superspeedway Data

Race #: 32 of 36 (10-23-11)

Track Size: 2.66 miles

·     Banking/Corners: 33 degrees

·     Banking/Frontstretch: 16.5 degrees

·     Banking/Backstretch: 2 degrees

·     Frontstretch: 4,300 feet

·     Backstretch: 4,000 feet

 

Driver Rating at Talladega 

Dale Earnhardt Jr.         92.7

 

Denny Hamlin                90.9

Joey Logano                 90.2

Jeff Burton                   88.9

David Ragan                 87.1

Kurt Busch                    86.9

Brian Vickers                 85.4

Jeff Gordon                  84.4

Jimmie Johnson                        83.8

Tony Stewart                 82.5

Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2011 races (13 total) at Talladega.

 

Qualifying/Race Data

2010 pole winner: Juan Pablo Montoya (184.640 mph, 51.863 seconds)

2010 race winner: Clint Bowyer (163.618 mph, 10-31-10)

Track qualifying record: Bill Elliott (212.809 mph, 44.998 seconds, 04-30-87)

Track race record: Mark Martin (188.354 mph, 05-10-97)