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| Chase Elliott is looking for his first Cup win at home track. |
Atlanta Motor Speedway
History
History
· Originally called Atlanta International Raceway, the track was then a 1.5-mile paved speedway.
· The first NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta was on July 31, 1960, won by Fireball Roberts from the pole position.
· The track was re-measured to 1.522 miles in the spring of 1970.
· It was renamed Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1990.
· The track layout was reversed, and the track was re-configured to 1.54 miles between the two races in 1997.
· From 1960 – 2010, Atlanta Motor Speedway hosted multiple NASCAR Cup Series races during each season; starting in 2011 the series began only visiting Atlanta once a year (2011-Present).
· From 1987 to 2000 Atlanta Motor Speedway held the final championship race of the NASCAR Cup Series schedule.
· In total there have been 112 NASCAR Cup races at Atlanta Motor Speedway since the first race there in 1960.
Starts
· A total of 574 different drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway; 389 have competed in more than one at Atlanta.
· Richard Petty leads the NASCAR Cup Series in starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway with 65; followed by Bill Elliott (62) and Dave Marcis (59).
NASCAR Cup Series
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First-Time Starters at Atlanta since 1990
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Drivers
|
First Start Date
|
Harrison Rhodes
|
February 25, 2018
|
Cody Ware
|
March 5, 2017
|
Jeb Burton
|
March 1, 2015
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Ty Dillon
|
August 31, 2014
|
Erik Darnell
|
September 6, 2009
|
Bill Lester
|
March 19, 2006
|
Reed Sorenson
|
October 30, 2005
|
Mike Garvey
|
March 20, 2005
|
Martin Truex Jr
|
October 31, 2004
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Scott Wimmer
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November 20, 2000
|
Buckshot Jones
|
November 16, 1997
|
Gary Bradberry
|
November 13, 1994
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Jeff Gordon
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November 15, 1992
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Wally Dallenbach Jr
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March 18, 1991
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Steve Grissom
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November 18, 1990
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· Kevin Harvick leads all active drivers with 29 starts at Atlanta; followed by Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch with 28 each.
· A total of 67 NASCAR Cup Series drivers have made their series debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
· Six active NASCAR Cup Series drivers have posted their first career start at Atlanta Motor Speedway: Martin Truex Jr. (10/31/2004), Reed Sorenson (10/31/2005), Ty Dillon (8/31/2014), Jeb Burton (3/1/2015), Cody Ware (3/5/2017) and Harrison Rhodes (2/25/2018).
· Fred Lorenzen leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Atlanta Motor Speedway with a 4.105 in 19 starts.
· Ryan Newman leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Atlanta with a 7.074 in 27 starts; followed by Kyle Larson with an 8.667 in six starts.
Top 10 in Average Starting Position at Atlanta (All-Time & Active)
Rank
|
All-Time Drivers
|
Avg Start
|
Starts
|
Rank
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Active Drivers
|
Avg Start
|
Starts
|
1
|
Fred Lorenzen
|
4.105
|
19
|
1
|
Ryan Newman
|
7.074
|
27
|
2
|
Fireball Roberts
|
4.500
|
10
|
2
|
Kyle Larson
|
8.667
|
6
|
3
|
Cotton Owens
|
5.000
|
2
|
3
|
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
|
9.143
|
7
|
4
|
Earl Balmer
|
5.500
|
4
|
4
|
Daniel Suarez
|
10.000
|
3
|
5
|
Dick Hutcherson
|
5.800
|
5
|
5
|
Jimmie Johnson
|
11.179
|
28
|
6
|
Banjo Matthews
|
6.500
|
6
|
6
|
Kyle Busch
|
11.429
|
21
|
7
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Joe Weatherly
|
7.000
|
9
|
7
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Denny Hamlin
|
11.850
|
20
|
8
|
Ryan Newman
|
7.074
|
27
|
8
|
Kurt Busch
|
15.179
|
29
|
9
|
Nelson Stacy
|
7.500
|
6
|
9
|
Martin Truex Jr
|
15.619
|
21
|
10
|
Junior Johnson
|
8.385
|
13
|
10
|
Brad Keselowski
|
15.818
|
11
|
Poles
NASCAR Cup Series
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Active Busch Pole Winners at Atlanta
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Active Pole Winners (9)
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Poles
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Ryan Newman
|
7
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Kevin Harvick
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2
|
Aric Almirola
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1
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Denny Hamlin
|
1
|
Joey Logano
|
1
|
Kurt Busch
|
1
|
Kyle Busch
|
1
|
Martin Truex Jr
|
1
|
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
|
1
|
· A total of 53 different drivers have won at least one Busch Pole Award at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series, 24 have posted more than one, nine are active this weekend.
· Buddy Baker and Ryan Newman are tied for the NASCAR Cup Series most poles at Atlanta with seven each.
· Fireball Roberts won the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series Busch Pole Award at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1960 with a speed of 133.870 mph in a Pontiac.
· Youngest Atlanta pole winner: Terry Labonte (03/15/1981 – 24 years, 3 months, 27 days).
· Oldest Atlanta pole winner: Harry Gant (11/14/1993 – 53 years, 10 months, 4 days).
· Winning consecutive poles has happened 10 times at Atlanta in the NASCAR Cup Series, among six different drivers:
o Fireball Roberts (1960 sweep, 1961 second & third race),
o Cale Yarborough (1969, 1970, 1978 sweep),
o Dave Marcis (1975, 1976),
o Buddy Baker (1979 sweep, 1980),
o Alan Kulwicki (1989 sweep),
o Ryan Newman (2003 sweep, 2004 sweep, 2005 sweep).
· Ryan Newman holds the record for most consecutive poles at Atlanta with six; from the spring of 2003 through 2005.
· A total of nine drivers have posted their first NASCAR Cup Series pole at Atlanta.
NCS Drivers with First Pole at Atlanta
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Drivers
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Date
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Ricky Stenhouse Jr
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9/1/2013
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Kevin Lepage
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11/21/1999
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Kenny Irwin Jr
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11/8/1998
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Robby Gordon
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3/9/1997
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Johnny Benson
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3/10/1996
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Rick Mast
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11/15/1992
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Terry Labonte
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3/15/1981
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Sam Sommers
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11/6/1977
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Cale Yarborough
|
4/2/1967
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Wins
· A total of 44 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at Atlanta Motor Speedway, 25 have won more than one, and six former Atlanta winners are active this weekend.
NASCAR Cup Series
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Active Race Winners at Atlanta
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Race Winners (6)
|
Wins
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Jimmie Johnson
|
5
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Kurt Busch
|
3
|
Brad Keselowski
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2
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Kevin Harvick
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2
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Kyle Busch
|
2
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Denny Hamlin
|
1
|
· NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt leads the NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Atlanta Motor Speedway with nine victories (1980, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1996, 2000).
· Jimmie Johnson leads all active series winners at Atlanta with five victories (2004, 2007 sweep, 2015, 2016).
· Youngest Atlanta winner: Kyle Busch (03/09/2008 – 22 years, 10 months, 7 days).
· Oldest Atlanta winner: Morgan Shepherd (03/20/1993 – 51 years, 5 months, 8 days).
· A total of seven different drivers, including one active NASCAR Cup Series driver, have posted their first career win at Atlanta Motor Speedway:
First-Time Winner
|
Season
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Carl Edwards
|
2005
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Kevin Harvick
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2001
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Jerry Nadeau
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2000
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Jim Hurtubise
|
1966
|
Bob Burdick
|
1961
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Bobby Johns
|
1960
|
· 11 drivers have won consecutive races at Atlanta in the NASCAR Cup Series:
Drivers
|
Seasons
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Marvin Panch
|
1965 Sweep
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Bobby Allison
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1972 Sweep
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David Pearson
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1973 Sweep
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Richard Petty
|
1974 Fall
|
1975 Spring
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Cale Yarborough
|
1980 Fall
|
1981 Spring
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Bill Elliott
|
1985 Sweep
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1992 Sweep
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Dale Earnhardt
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1989 Fall
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1990 Spring
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1995 Fall
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1996 Spring
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Bobby Labonte
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1997 Fall
|
1998 Spring
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Jeff Gordon
|
1998 Fall
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1999 Spring
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Carl Edwards
|
2005 Sweep
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Jimmie Johnson
|
2007 Sweep
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2015, 2016
| ||
· The most proficient starting position in the field at Atlanta Motor Speedway is the fifth starting position – it has produced more wins (16) than any other starting position.
· A total of 13 of the 112 NASCAR Cup Series races (11.6%) have been won from the Busch Pole. 12 different drivers accomplished the feat, NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty is the only driver to do it twice (1975, 1977).
· NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt is the only driver to start from the first position due to qualifying being cancelled and win in the NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway (1990).
Wins by Starting Positions at Atlanta Motor Speedway
Starting Position
|
Wins
|
Winning %
|
Starting Position
|
Wins
|
Winning %
|
1
|
14
|
12.50%
|
14
|
2
|
1.79%
|
2
|
12
|
10.71%
|
15
|
1
|
0.89%
|
3
|
10
|
8.93%
|
17
|
2
|
1.79%
|
4
|
10
|
8.93%
|
18
|
1
|
0.89%
|
5
|
16
|
14.29%
|
19
|
3
|
2.68%
|
6
|
4
|
3.57%
|
20
|
2
|
1.79%
|
7
|
6
|
5.36%
|
21
|
2
|
1.79%
|
8
|
6
|
5.36%
|
22
|
1
|
0.89%
|
9
|
7
|
6.25%
|
31
|
1
|
0.89%
|
10
|
2
|
1.79%
|
35
|
1
|
0.89%
|
11
|
4
|
3.57%
|
37
|
2
|
1.79%
|
12
|
1
|
0.89%
|
39
|
1
|
0.89%
|
13
|
1
|
0.89%
| |||
Stats
|
Winning %
|
Wins
| |||
Winning from the Pole:
|
12.50%
|
14
| |||
Winning from the Front Row:
|
23.21%
|
26
| |||
Winning from a Top-5 Starting Position:
|
55.36%
|
62
| |||
Winning from a Top-10 Starting Position:
|
77.68%
|
87
| |||
Winning After Starting Outside the Top 20:
|
7.14%
|
8
| |||
· The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Atlanta is 39th, by Bobby Labonte in the fall of 2001.
· The deepest in the field that an active race winner has started at Atlanta is 37th, by Jimmie Johnson in 2015.
· Five of the six active NASCAR Cup Series winners at Atlanta Motor Speedway participated in at least one or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Kevin Harvick is the only active driver to win at Atlanta in his first appearance (2001).
· Denny Hamlin competed at Atlanta Motor Speedway 12 times before winning in the spring of 2012; the longest span of any of the six active NASCAR Cup Series winners.
· Among the six active NASCAR Cup Series Atlanta winners Denny Hamlin (12) is the only driver to have made 10 or more attempts before his first win.
· Ryan Newman leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Cup Series starts at Atlanta without visiting Victory Lane at 27; followed by Martin Truex Jr. with 21.
· No driver has swept the triple header weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway across all three NASCAR national series. Two drivers have won in multiple NASCAR national series in the same weekend at Atlanta:
o Carl Edwards (2005, NCS/NXS); (Fall 2008, NCS/NXS)
o Kyle Busch (Spring 2008, NCS/NGROTS)
Active Organization Winners
|
Wins
|
Hendrick Motorsports
|
14
|
Wood Brothers Racing
|
12
|
Joe Gibbs Racing
|
11
|
Richard Childress Racing
|
9
|
Roush Fenway Racing
|
6
|
Team Penske
|
5
|
Richard Petty Motorsports
|
2
|
Stewart-Haas Racing
|
2
|
· In total 41 different owners have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway; eight Atlanta winning organizations are active this weekend.
· The Hendrick Motorsports organization has the most wins at Atlanta in the NASCAR Cup Series with 14 victories:
· Nine different manufacturers have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta; led by Chevrolet with 40 victories; followed by Ford (32), Pontiac (11), Dodge (nine), Mercury (eight), Buick (four), Plymouth (four), Toyota (three) and Oldsmobile (one).
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