It was July 31, 1960 when it all began. The Atlanta International Raceway was open for business and close to 25,000 fans were in attendance for the first-ever race, the Dixie 500. It’s now 2010, and Atlanta Motor Speedway (the track’s name changed in 1990) is celebrating 50 years of racing in the south with the boys of NASCAR taking part in the Kobalt Tools 500 this weekend.
TAKING A LOOK BACK …
That first Dixie 300 would prove to be the first of many hundreds of exciting races at AMS. The winner of that race was Fireball Roberts, who led 28 of the 200 laps to win the race in the Grand National Cup, which is now called the Sprint Cup.
But there are a couple of races that still stick in the memories of race fans everywhere. Back in 2000, the late Dale Earnhardt was in a tight race with teammate Mike Skinner. Skinner’s engine went out midway through the race but Earnhardt was not in the clear because Bobby Labonte was right on his heels. At the final lap, Labonte was on the back of Earnhardt’s No. 3 Chevy, but Earnhardt was able to hold on and win by .01 seconds.
Another memorable event took place the following year when the racing world was grieving the loss of Earnhardt after he crashed his car at the Daytona 500 a month prior to the race at AMS. Rookie Kevin Harvick was driving Earnhardt’s car, which was now painted white and the number changed from No. 3 to No. 29. Like in 2000, Harvick was in the same position as Earnhardt, leading the race with a few laps to go with, this time, Jeff Gordon on his tail. And like in 2000 where Earnhardt was able to pull off a win, Harvick was able to edge Gordon by a margin of .006 seconds.
Earnhardt was a dominant NASCAR driver, especially at AMS when he won nine races and 26 top-five finishes. Labonte is the active leader with six AMS wins and the retired Richard Petty has the most top-10 finishes with 33. Earnhardt also has the record for the fastest time at an AMS race with a time of 3 hours, 7 minutes and 48 seconds, which was set in November of 1997.
The AMS has been a destination for great races, but it has also been a great venue for other forms of entertainment. For example, the track has been featured in the movies Smokey and the Bandit II and Stroker Ace. AMS also hosted the Dukefest in 2008, which was a celebration of the TV show the Dukes of Hazzard for fans. For an interesting bit of trivia, former President Jimmy Carter worked at AMS as a ticket taker when he was younger.
AS FOR THE RACE …
So far the 2010 NASCAR season has been what most fans thought it would be. Jimmie Johnson once again looks like the favorite to win the Sprint Cup and Danica Patrick has looked rough in her debut in her first three NASCAR races, being involved in two wrecks. Unfortunately for fans here in Atlanta, Patrick will not take part in the events going on this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but guys like Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kurt Busch will be in the mix to race in the Kobalt Tools 500, which is the first of two Sprint Cup races here in Atlanta.
So, based on what happened during the last two races this season, you would think that Johnson is the favorite to win this weekend, right? It’s a strong possibility with his last two wins in Atlanta coming in 2007, as he’s on his way to another phenomenal season. Overall, Johnson has won three races at AMS and is coming into this race with a lot of momentum.
But that doesn’t mean Johnson will not have any competition. Keep an eye on Busch, who won the Kobalt Tools 500 last year and is coming off a pole position win in Las Vegas last week. His brother, Kyle Busch, won at the Kobalt in 2008 and is looking to earn his first top-10 finish of the year.
Other drivers that could take the checkered flag are Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Dayton 500 winner Jamie McMurray. Edwards has won in Atlanta three times and has finished in the top 10 once this year, at Daytona. Jeff Gordon has claimed four victories at AMS and is coming off a third-place finish at the Shelby American GT 350 last week. Stewart has two AMS wins under his belt and is coming off two consecutive top-10 finishes. McMurray won an AMS race back in 2002 in the Nationwide Series and has only won four Cup races in his career. But with one of his best starts in his career with his win at the Daytona 500, he will be a driver to watch this Sunday.
Jones can be reached at bjones@scoreatl.com.
Loading ...
