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Atlanta Motor Speedway
Atlanta Motor Speedway (currently known as EchoPark Speedway for sponsorship reasons, formerly known as the Atlanta International Raceway from 1960 to 1990) is a 1.540 mi (2.478 km) quad-oval intermediate speedway in Hampton, Georgia. The track has hosted a variety of sanctioning bodies since its inaugural season of racing in 1960, including NASCAR and IndyCar. The venue has a capacity of 71,000 as of 2015 and includes various track layouts, including a 1⁄4 mile (0.40 km) oval on the track's frontstretch, and a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) roval road course layout. Atlanta Motor Speedway is currently owned Speedway Motorsports, LLC (SMI) and is led by track general manager Brandon Hutchison.
In the late 1950s, plans were made by the First Georgia Securities Corporation to build a facility that rivaled the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. After a months-long delay, the first races were held in 1960. Shortly after, the track faced heavy financial troubles, having to enter Chapter 10 bankruptcy in 1971. After periods of stability directed by Stacey Cotton and Walt Nix, the facility was bought out by motorsports mogul Bruton Smith in 1990, with Smith and his company, SMI, directing the facility's expansion and renovation under longtime general manager Ed Clark. The track has since gone through two major reconfigurations since Smith's purchase: one in 1997 that changed the layout of the track, and one in 2021 that changed the style of racing to produce pack racing seen at superspeedways.
The track in its current form is measured at 1.54 miles (2.48 km), with 28 degrees of banking in the turns and five degrees of banking in the straightaways. The racing surface width varies, with a recorded 52 feet on the frontstretch, 42 feet on the backstretch, and 40 feet in the turns. From 1997 to 2021, the racing surface was at a recorded 55 feet with 24 degrees of banking in the turns. When the track first opened as a true oval, it was advertised to be banked at 24 degrees in the turns, with the straightaways being "banked slightly".
In 1992, developers added a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) road course layout that combined the main oval with a specialized infield portion to create a "roval". As part of the 1997 reconfiguration, developers added a 1⁄4 mile (0.40 km) oval on the track's frontstretch to accommodate legends car racing.
Atlanta Motor Speedway is next to the concurrent U.S. Route 41 and U.S. Route 19, along with Georgia State Route 20. As of 2015, the track had a reported capacity of 71,000, with recent estimates being unknown due to the track's parent company, SMI, refusing to release capacity statistics as late as 2021. At its peak, the facility held a maximum of 124,000 according to a 2010 report by the Atlanta Magazine. The track complex also features a nine-story condominium complex called Tara Place. It was completed in 1994 and features 46 units along with a ballroom. In total, the facility covers around 850 acres of land.
On April 8, 1958, The Atlanta Constitution reported that the First Georgia Securities Corporation, led by president Richard W. King, announced plans to build a $1 million (adjusted for inflation, $10,898,501), 50,000-seat, 400-acre racing facility 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta along a location near U.S. Route 41. Atlanta International Raceway, Inc. (AIR) was formed to head the project. Two months later, King and racing promoter of the nearby Lakewood Speedway, Carl Queen, opened a stock sale to the general public, with 479,550 shares being offered at $4 each; along with the announcement, the duo stated hopes of hosting NASCAR and United States Auto Club (USAC)-sanctioned races. King later stated hopes of expanding the facility's uses to include "almost any conceivable outdoor show", with developers hoping to host four major races annually. With the announcements, it was slated to become the second-biggest racing facility in the United States at the time, only behind the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The stock sale stagnated, with only $40,000 worth of shares being sold by the end of July. In August, drivers Curtis Turner and Joe Weatherly were announced by King as racing directors within the track's leadership, replacing Queen and Ernie Troutman, whose stock in the company was bought by track directors. With Queen sacked, he and King entered into a dispute over future race dates between Lakewood Speedway and Atlanta International Raceway, with both stating that they weren't willing to give up dates if they happened to run races on the same day. Groundbreaking occurred on September 17 at 1 PM EST, with King stating plans to host the first races at the facility "sometime in 1959"; actual work on the facility, however, did not start until late November.
By February 1959, Turner and Weatherly both threatened to resign from their positions and file lawsuits against the company, with Weatherly stating that they did not pay them enough for stock sold at meetings, a claim which King refuted. In addition, Weatherly claimed that he only hired to promote and did not want to be involved with selling stock, but was later forced to; he also implied that the financial situation and opening date of the track was unstable, stating, "They painted us a pretty picture... that picture isn't so pretty anymore". Four months later, although stock sales saw further stagnation, the project was able to secure a $400,000 loan, with King claiming that construction progressed enough that construction crews started building the grandstands. The number of flagship races for the track later decreased to three.
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Atlanta Motor Speedway
Atlanta Motor Speedway (currently known as EchoPark Speedway for sponsorship reasons, formerly known as the Atlanta International Raceway from 1960 to 1990) is a 1.540 mi (2.478 km) quad-oval intermediate speedway in Hampton, Georgia. The track has hosted a variety of sanctioning bodies since its inaugural season of racing in 1960, including NASCAR and IndyCar. The venue has a capacity of 71,000 as of 2015 and includes various track layouts, including a 1⁄4 mile (0.40 km) oval on the track's frontstretch, and a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) roval road course layout. Atlanta Motor Speedway is currently owned Speedway Motorsports, LLC (SMI) and is led by track general manager Brandon Hutchison.
In the late 1950s, plans were made by the First Georgia Securities Corporation to build a facility that rivaled the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. After a months-long delay, the first races were held in 1960. Shortly after, the track faced heavy financial troubles, having to enter Chapter 10 bankruptcy in 1971. After periods of stability directed by Stacey Cotton and Walt Nix, the facility was bought out by motorsports mogul Bruton Smith in 1990, with Smith and his company, SMI, directing the facility's expansion and renovation under longtime general manager Ed Clark. The track has since gone through two major reconfigurations since Smith's purchase: one in 1997 that changed the layout of the track, and one in 2021 that changed the style of racing to produce pack racing seen at superspeedways.
The track in its current form is measured at 1.54 miles (2.48 km), with 28 degrees of banking in the turns and five degrees of banking in the straightaways. The racing surface width varies, with a recorded 52 feet on the frontstretch, 42 feet on the backstretch, and 40 feet in the turns. From 1997 to 2021, the racing surface was at a recorded 55 feet with 24 degrees of banking in the turns. When the track first opened as a true oval, it was advertised to be banked at 24 degrees in the turns, with the straightaways being "banked slightly".
In 1992, developers added a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) road course layout that combined the main oval with a specialized infield portion to create a "roval". As part of the 1997 reconfiguration, developers added a 1⁄4 mile (0.40 km) oval on the track's frontstretch to accommodate legends car racing.
Atlanta Motor Speedway is next to the concurrent U.S. Route 41 and U.S. Route 19, along with Georgia State Route 20. As of 2015, the track had a reported capacity of 71,000, with recent estimates being unknown due to the track's parent company, SMI, refusing to release capacity statistics as late as 2021. At its peak, the facility held a maximum of 124,000 according to a 2010 report by the Atlanta Magazine. The track complex also features a nine-story condominium complex called Tara Place. It was completed in 1994 and features 46 units along with a ballroom. In total, the facility covers around 850 acres of land.
On April 8, 1958, The Atlanta Constitution reported that the First Georgia Securities Corporation, led by president Richard W. King, announced plans to build a $1 million (adjusted for inflation, $10,898,501), 50,000-seat, 400-acre racing facility 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta along a location near U.S. Route 41. Atlanta International Raceway, Inc. (AIR) was formed to head the project. Two months later, King and racing promoter of the nearby Lakewood Speedway, Carl Queen, opened a stock sale to the general public, with 479,550 shares being offered at $4 each; along with the announcement, the duo stated hopes of hosting NASCAR and United States Auto Club (USAC)-sanctioned races. King later stated hopes of expanding the facility's uses to include "almost any conceivable outdoor show", with developers hoping to host four major races annually. With the announcements, it was slated to become the second-biggest racing facility in the United States at the time, only behind the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The stock sale stagnated, with only $40,000 worth of shares being sold by the end of July. In August, drivers Curtis Turner and Joe Weatherly were announced by King as racing directors within the track's leadership, replacing Queen and Ernie Troutman, whose stock in the company was bought by track directors. With Queen sacked, he and King entered into a dispute over future race dates between Lakewood Speedway and Atlanta International Raceway, with both stating that they weren't willing to give up dates if they happened to run races on the same day. Groundbreaking occurred on September 17 at 1 PM EST, with King stating plans to host the first races at the facility "sometime in 1959"; actual work on the facility, however, did not start until late November.
By February 1959, Turner and Weatherly both threatened to resign from their positions and file lawsuits against the company, with Weatherly stating that they did not pay them enough for stock sold at meetings, a claim which King refuted. In addition, Weatherly claimed that he only hired to promote and did not want to be involved with selling stock, but was later forced to; he also implied that the financial situation and opening date of the track was unstable, stating, "They painted us a pretty picture... that picture isn't so pretty anymore". Four months later, although stock sales saw further stagnation, the project was able to secure a $400,000 loan, with King claiming that construction progressed enough that construction crews started building the grandstands. The number of flagship races for the track later decreased to three.