AMS’ 100th Sprint Cup Race Stats and Facts
The 2009 Kobalt Tools 500 will mark the 100th Sprint Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Below are a number of interesting and unusual statistics and facts surrounding the 100th running of the Sprint Cup cars at Atlanta Motor Speedway:
- The most lead changes in a single Atlanta Motor Speedway race is 45 in 1982.
Click Here For More NASCAR Images
- Fireball Roberts won the inaugural pole at AMS with a speed of 133.87 mph. Geoffrey Bodine holds the track qualifying record at 197.478 mph, set in the fall 1997 race.
- Chevrolet leads all manufactures in Atlanta Motor Speedway wins with 35. The cars which accounted for wins in the previous 99 races at AMS are: Chevrolet (35), Ford (30), Pontiac (11), Mercury (7), Dodge (6), Buick (4), Plymouth (4), Oldsmobile (1) and Toyota (1).
- The Wood Brothers lead all owners with 12 victories in Atlanta. Hendrick Motorsports is second with 10 wins, while Richard Childress Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing both have nine wins.
- A driver has won a race at Atlanta from the pole position 14 times, with the most recent occurrence in March of 2006 when Kasey Kahne won.
- Richard Petty has started the most races in Atlanta Motor Speedway history with 65, but Bill Elliott trails close behind and leads active drivers with 59.
- The quickest race in Atlanta Motor Speedway history was three hours, three minutes and three seconds, when Dale Earnhardt won in the fall of 1995 driving car No. 3.
- The most driver to lead in a single Atlanta Motor Speedway race was 17 in 2000.
- The most cautions in a single race was 14 in 2007.
- Atlanta Motor Speedway has witnessed two of the seven closest finishes in NASCAR history, with the closest being Kevin Harvick’s .006 second margin over Jeff Gordon in the 2001 Kobalt Tools 500.
Click Here For More NASCAR Images
Sprint Cup Regulars Set to Battle in American Commercial Lines 200
A pair of Sprint Cup regulars will add star power to Saturday’s American Commercial Lines 200 as Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick compete in the door-banging action of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
In 2008, both competitors found their way to Atlanta Motor Speedway’s Victory Lane competing in the Truck Series – Busch as a driver in the 2008 American Commercial Lines 200 and Harvick as an owner when Ryan Newman won the fall’s E-Z-GO 200. Now, Harvick and Busch will compete head-to-head in the 2009 American Commercial Lines 200.
In the 2008 E-Z-GO 200, Newman won on last lap pass of Ron Hornaday Jr. and the duo, each racing for Kevin Harvick Inc., traded the lead twice in the final eight laps.
Loaded Entry List Increases Intrigue for Georgia Power Qualifying Night
Qualifying at Atlanta Motor Speedway has always been significant, with 14 race winners coming from the pole position. But with 49 entrants for this year’s Georgia Power Qualifying Night and home-state hero Bill Elliott in the field, qualifying for the 2009 Kobalt Tools 500 may prove to be one of the most entertaining nights of qualifying on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit.
Click Here For More NASCAR Images
Because the Kobalt Tools 500 falls within the first five races of the 2009 season, the top-35 drivers from the 2008 season are locked into the Kobalt Tools 500 field, leaving eight open positions for 14 competitors.
Among those 14 teams vying for eight spots is Elliott, the six-time race winner at Atlanta Motor Speedway who calls the facility his home track. After Elliott’s mesmerizing qualifying effort before in Daytona earlier this season – the 53-yard old, part-time competitor posted the fifth-quickest time (187.739 mph) – the local legend may be prepped for another outstanding qualifying effort during Friday’s Kobalt Tools 500 race weekend.
Sunscreen a Necessity for Kobalt Tools 500 Race Weekend
With weather forecasts calling for the first spring-like weather of the season during the Kobalt Tools 500 race weekend – sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s – Atlanta Motor Speedway is encouraging fans to plan to bring sunscreen or purchase theirs at the track. Atlanta Motor Speedway souvenir stands have been stocked with additional sunscreen supplies to meet the anticipated demand during the weekend.
| 
|