Need For Speed Atlanta Preview 3/5/09
By Sheri Vegas on Mar 5, 2009 in Nascar Sprint Cup, Need For Speed
Fast-lanta is on the schedule this weekend as the tough trucks & cup series head to the Atlanta Motor Speedway. The Nationwide Series will enjoy a weekend off.
Track Length: 1.54 Miles (325 laps = 500.5 miles)
Race Length: 500 Miles (1/2)
Grandstand Seating Capacity: 124,000
First Race: July 31, 1960 – Dixie 300
Banking: 24 degrees in corners, 5 degrees on straights
Frontstretch: 2,332 feet
Backstretch: 1,800 feet
The track qualifying record belongs to Geoffrey Bodine on Nov.15, 1997 – Ford, 197.478 mph (28.074 sec.). The race record belongs to Bobby Labonte on Nov. 16, 1997 – Pontiac, 159.904 mph (3:07:48).
After the first 3 races of the (Sprint Cup Series) season, Jeff Gordon is on top of the point standings. It’s the first time since Oct. 28, 2007 that Gordon has been the points leader. It’s the first time since his championship season of 1997 that he has been the series points leader at this point in the season after the first 3 races. He finished 13th at Daytona; 2nd at Auto Club Speedway and 6th last week at Las Vegas. Gordon has 4 wins; 13 top 5′s and 21 top 10′s in his 33 career starts at Atlanta; yet he must snap his 44 race winless streak. Jeff Gordon won the pole for this event last year.
Rewind to this race a year ago, it was the first of eight series wins for Kyle Busch for the ’08 season. It marked the first for Toyota in the Cup Series. Kyle will once again race in both, the Camping World Truck & Sprint Cup Series races this weekend. Kyle has won 3 out of his 4 truck races at AMS.
Some of us might’ve expected this season to start out with the Jimmie Johnson & Carl Edwards show – much like it was closing out the season last year. Jimmie Johnson is currently 19th in the standings. Carl Edwards has posted just one top 10 finish this season and has led only 3 laps. It could change this weekend. Jimmie Johnson has scored 3 wins and posted 9 top 5′s in his 15 starts at AMS. Carl Edwards won the fall Atlanta race which was also his 3rd win at the track. Edwards is currently 9th in the standings. His first Sprint Cup win was at this track on March 20, 2005.
