Fans Can Experience More Than Just Racing

Fans Can Experience More Than Just Racing
at Atlanta Motor Speedway Labor Day Weekend

HAMPTON, Ga. (August 20, 2013) –  Three nights of exciting night racing highlight the AdvoCare 500 Labor Day race weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but there are more activities and events leading up to the race for fans to experience as part of the Biggest Labor Day Party in the USA.

“There is more to the AdvoCare 500 Labor Day weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway than just racing,” said Ed Clark, President and General Manager of AMS. “There are opportunities for fans to meet drivers, get behind the scenes and take part in unique activities leading up to the race.”

Among the activities beyond the race include the Reed Sorensen Charity Golf Classic at Crystal Lake Golf Club in Hampton on Thursday, August 29th.  Registration begins at 8:00 a.m. and golfers tee off with a shotgun start at 10:00 a.m. Fans will have the opportunity to interact with over a half dozen NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide series drivers who have volunteered to participate in the tournament to benefit Speedway Children’s Charities.

The first NASCAR Hauler Parade in conjunction with the AdvoCare 500 will be held by the City of Hampton on Thursday, August 29^th at 7 p.m.  The parade will begin on Speedway Boulevard outside of Atlanta Motor Speedway and will continue through downtown Hampton.  In addition, the City of Hampton will recognize Fayetteville resident and the 1960 NASCAR Grand National Series Champion Rex White at 4:30 p.m. as part of Hampton’s Speed Lane dedication.

The NRA David Ragan Shootout will take place on Friday, August 30th at Cherokee Rose Sporting Resort.  Registration begins at 10 a.m. followed by a meet & greet with participating drivers while on-course shooting will begin at 11 a.m.  The Shootout benefits Speedway Children’s Charities and the awards presentation will take place at 2 p.m.

Take the first lap of race day and enjoy some active, family fun at the Coca-Cola Family Track Walk benefiting Speedway Children’s Charities on Sunday, Sept. 1 beginning at 11:30 a.m. Enter the track through Gate 15 beginning at 11 a.m. and follow the Coca-Cola Family Track Walk signs leading to the start/finish line. Admission is free for all race fans with an AdvoCare 500 race ticket. Coca-Cola Family Track Walks is a program that encourages health and happiness and brings the community together. This is your chance to celebrate healthy living at the track and experience its 24-degree turn banking before your favorite drivers fire up their engines. Special driver appearances by Coca-Cola Racing Family drivers, plus free Coca-Cola refreshments.

Fans can take home a piece of NASCAR history or get the ride of a life time as part of the Speedway Children’s Charities memorabilia auction on Sunday.  The auction begins at 12:30 p.m. in the Bruton Smith Park located in front of the Speedway and includes a plethora of NASCAR memorabilia as well as rides with NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers that will take place during introductions prior to the AdvoCare 500.

Country Music fans will not want to miss the Fast Cars and Guitars pre-race concert featuring Georgia native Billy Currington presented by Bad Boy Buggies.  The performance starts at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 1 and stagefront access is $49 – and includes stagefront access to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Driver introductions.

Plus, fans can check out the Fan Zone with interactive NASCAR displays, sponsors and souvenir stands or check out the Coca-Cola Fan Stage throughout the weekend with performances and entertaining acts.  Or fans can spend time with family and friends camping and tailgating on the grounds of Atlanta Motor Speedway.  All these events along with three great races help make the AdvoCare 500 race weekend the Biggest Labor Day Party in the USA.

NASCAR night racing returns to Atlanta Motor Speedway on Labor Day Weekend for the AdvoCare 500 race weekend. Tickets are on sale now and adult tickets start at $39. Student tickets cost just $19. Other specials are available while supplies last. For more information, visit www.atlantamotorspeedway.com or call the AMS Ticket Office at (877) 9-AMS-TIX or (770) 94

Michigan International Speedway:

Michigan International Speedway:

History

·       Michigan International Speedway sits on more than 1,400 acres in the "Irish Hills" of Southeastern Michigan. Ground-breaking took place on Sept. 28, 1967.

·       The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Michigan was held June 15, 1969 – won by Cale Yarborough at a speed of 139.254 mph.

·       The track was known as Michigan Speedway during the time Roger Penske was the primary owner (1996-99).

·       The 2-mile speedway underwent a repave in 2012.

Notebook

·       There have been 88 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Michigan International Speedway since the first race there in 1969. Other than 1973, which had just one race, there have been two races each season since 1969.

·       The first race was 500 miles in length; the second was scheduled for 600. The track was re-measured to 2.04 miles for the last race in 1970 and both races in 1971 – with the race distance being 402 miles. All other races have been scheduled for 400 miles.

·       365 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway; 267 in more than one.

·       Bill Elliott leads the series in starts at Michigan with 61. Terry Labonte and Mark Martin lead all active drivers with 55 starts each.

·       Donnie Allison won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Michigan in 1969 with a speed of 160.135 mph.

·       44 drivers have Coors Light poles at Michigan, led by David Pearson with 10. Bill Elliott leads all active drivers with six; followed by Jeff Gordon with five.

·       Six drivers have won consecutive Coors Light poles at Michigan. David Pearson holds the record for most consecutive poles at Michigan with five; fall 1976 through 1978.

·       Four active drivers have posted consecutive Coors Light poles at Michigan: Terry Labonte (1983 sweep), Bill Elliott (1984 sweep and 1988 sweep), Bobby Labonte (2003 sweep), and Brian Vickers (fall 2008 – 2009 sweep).

·       Youngest Michigan pole winner: Jeff Gordon (08/18/1995 – 23 years, 10 months, 14 days).

·       Oldest Michigan pole winner: Mark Martin (08/19/2012 – 53 years, 7 months, 10 days).

·       34 different NSCS drivers have won at Michigan International Speedway, led by David Pearson with nine wins. Bill Elliott leads all active drivers with seven; followed by Mark Martin with five.

·       Eight drivers have posted consecutive wins at Michigan International Speedway, including four consecutive by Bill Elliott (1985 sweep and 1986 sweep).

·       Youngest Michigan winner: Kurt Busch (6/15/2003 – 24 years, 10 months, 11 days).

·       Oldest Michigan winner: Harry Gant (8/16/1992 – 52 years, 7 months, 6 days).

·       Roush Fenway Racing has the most wins at Michigan in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with 13: Mark Martin (four), Greg Biffle (four), Carl Edwards (two), Matt Kenseth (two) and Kurt Busch (one).

·       Eight different manufacturers have won in the NSCS at Michigan; led by Ford with 33 victories; followed by Chevrolet with 20.

·       16 of the 88 (18.1%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Michigan have been won from the Coors Light pole; the most recent was Brian Vickers in 2009.

·       The Coors Light pole position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (16) than any other starting position at Michigan International Speedway.

·       24 of the 88 (27.2%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Michigan have been won from the front row: 16 from the pole and eight from second place.

·       66 of the 88 (75%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Michigan have been won from a top-10 starting position.

·       Six of the 88 (6.8%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Michigan have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.

·       The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Michigan was 32nd, by Mark Martin in the spring of 2009.

·       Jeff Gordon leads the series in runner-up finishes at Michigan with eight; followed by Darrell Waltrip with seven.

·       NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough leads the series in top-five finishes at Michigan with 21; Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin lead all active drivers with 18 each.

·       Mark Martin leads the series in top-10 finishes at Michigan with 31; followed by Bill Elliott with 29.

·       Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Michigan with a 9.565.

·       Carl Edwards leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at Michigan with an 8.222. Matt Kenseth (9.429) is the only other active driver with an average finish in the top 10.

·       All 16 active NASCAR Sprint Cup winners at Michigan International Speedway participated in at least one or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Tony Stewart won at Michigan in his third appearance, the fewest previous starts among the active NSCS winners.

·       Kevin Harvick competed at Michigan International Speedway 19 times before winning in the fall of 2010; the longest span of any the 16 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners.

·       Among the 16 active NSCS Michigan winners Kevin Harvick (19), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (17) Kyle Busch (13), Bill Elliott (13), Jeff Gordon (11) and Brian Vickers (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 Michigan 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 Michigan International Speedway was the June 10, 2001 race won by Jeff Gordon over Ricky Rudd with a MOV of 0.085 second.

·       There have been two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races resulting with a green-white-checkered finish at Michigan International Speedway (Scheduled No. of Laps/Actual No. of Laps): fall of 2011 (200/203); and fall of 2012 (200/201).

·       Four of the 88 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Michigan International Speedway have been shortened due to weather conditions; the most recent was the event on 6/18/2006.

·       Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Michigan International Speedway four times; most recently the spring of 2008 race.

·       Three drivers have posted their first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light pole at Michigan International Speedway: Jeff Burton (8/18/1996), J.J. Yeley (6/17/2007) and Marcos Ambrose (6/17/2012).

·       Two active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver have posted their first career start at Michigan International Speedway: Carl Edwards (8/22/2004) and Landon Cassill (6/13/2010).

·       Bill Elliott leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at Michigan with 1,004 laps led in 61 starts. Jeff Gordon has led the second-most with 954.

·       Four female drivers have competed at Michigan International Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Janet Guthrie, Robin McCall, Shawna Robinson and Danica Patrick.

Ticket Office Hours Extended through AdvoCare 500 Labor Day race weekend

Ticket Office Hours Extended through AdvoCare 500 Labor Day race weekend

HAMPTON, Ga. (August 15, 2013) – The “Biggest Labor Day Party in the USA” is fast approaching with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AdvoCare 500 and the NASCAR Nationwide Series Great Clips / Grit Chips 300 at Atlanta Motor Speedway August 30 to September 1. 

Extended Ticket Office Hours:

To better server customers purchasing event tickets and camping spaces, the Atlanta Motor Speedway ticket office has extended ticket office hours through the AdvoCare 500 on Sunday, September 1.

The extended ticket office hours are:  Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. During race weekend, the ticket office will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday.

Great Ticket Options Still Available!

The FANtastic Family four pack is a cost affordable opportunity for fans to catch the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Labor Day weekend.  For just $159, fans can get four (4) lower Elliott Grandstand tickets, four (4) hot dogs and four (4) Coca-Cola beverages. 

Kids ages 12 and under as well students with a valid student ID can purchase discounted tickets for the AdvoCare 500.  Kids and student tickets are $19 in the Elliott Grandstands and in the lower Winner’s Grandstands and $29 in the upper Winner’s Grandstands.

Fan Experience Upgrades

AdvoCare 500 weekend experience upgrade opportunities include pre-race pit passes and stage front passes for Sunday’s Fast Cars & Guitars pre-race concert featuring Billy Currington presented by Bad Boy Buggies. 

A pre-race pit pass for the Labor Day race weekend is $125.  A Saturday only pre-race pit pass is $75 and a Sunday only pre-race pit pass is $100.  Stage front access to the Fast Cars & Guitars pre-race concert featuring Billy Currington presented by Bad Boy Buggies is $49 and also includes stage front access to the NASCAR Sprint Cup driver introductions.

NASCAR night racing returns to Atlanta Motor Speedway on Labor Day Weekend for the AdvoCare 500 race weekend. Tickets are on sale now and adult tickets start at $39. Student tickets cost just $19. Other specials are available while supplies last. For more information, visit www.atlantamotorspeedway.com or call the AMS Ticket Office at (877) 9-AMS-TIX or (770) 946-4211.

-AMS-