What are the Atlanta Motor Speedway Races?
Hampton, Georgia, is home to one of the most iconic tracks in stock car racing. Atlanta Motor Speedway has been in operation since 1960, and its 1.54 mile quad-oval track has long been known as one of the fastest in motorsports. In addition to hosting the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 in the spring, Atlanta Motor Speedway is home to a Saturday doubleheader of the NASCAR Xfinity Series EchoPark 250, and the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Vet Tix/Camping World 200. Throughout the spring, summer and fall, AMS also hosts O'Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags, a series of drag races involving both street racers and motorcycles on its 1/8 mile pit road. Depending on the configuration, Atlanta Motor Speedway has a capacity between 71,000 and 125,000.
Atlanta Motor Speedway History
Ground was broken in 1958 for what was originally known as Atlanta International Raceway, opening on July 31, 1960, with Fireball Roberts winning the inaugural Dixie 300. From 1960 until 2011, the Speedway was home to two annual NASCAR events: the Atlanta 500 in the spring, and the Dixie 500 in the fall. In 1990, Speedway Motorsports Inc. bought the track, adding condominiums to the course in 1994 and almost completely rebuilding the track in 1997. A 2011 realignment of the NASCAR schedule eliminated what was then known as the Kobalt Tools 500, leaving what is now called the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 as Atlanta Motor Speedway's sole NASCAR event.
Some of the most iconic moments in NASCAR history have taken place at the Speedway. Before the advent of the Race to the Cup, AMS was often the last stop on what is now known as the NASCAR Cup circuit, leading to some incredible finishes to the season. The 1992 Hooters 500 featured Richard Petty's final NASCAR race, Jeff Gordon's NASCAR debut, and a legendary ending in which Bill Elliott won the race, but Alan Kulwicki won the Winston Cup title. From 2015 to 2019, Atlanta was home to the second race in the NASCAR Cup season, preceded only by the Daytona 500. In 2019, Brad Keselowski held off Martin Truex Jr. to win the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500.
