NASCAR Xfinity Series News & Notes – Atlanta Motor Speedway

NASCAR Xfinity Series
Next Race: Bennett Transportation and Logistics 250
The Place: Atlanta Motor Speedway
Track Length: 1.54 Mile Asphalt Oval
The Date: Saturday, February 22
The Time: 5 p.m. ET
The Purse: $1,651,939
TV: CW, 4:30 p.m. ET
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 251.02 miles (163 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 45),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 163)

How To Watch NASCAR This Week:

Friday, February 21

NCTS Qualifying (FS1 at 3 p.m. ET)
NXS Qualifying (CW App at 5 p.m. ET)

Saturday, February 22

NCS Qualifying (Amazon Prime at 11 a.m. ET)
NCTS Race (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM at 1:30 p.m. ET)
NXS Race (The CW, PRN, SiriusXM at 5 p.m. ET)

Sunday, February 23

NCS Race (FOX, PRN, SiriusXM at 3 p.m. ET)

NASCAR Xfinity Series

Atlanta Storylines and Insights:

2025 is the 44th season of the NASCAR Xfinity Series (1982-2025) and this weekend marks the 38^th Xfinity Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The stage end laps for this weekend’s race are 45, 90, 163. Last year, they were 40, 80, 163.
Jesse Love’s 300 laps led on drafting tracks is the most all-time through seven starts, his teammate Austin Hill ranks second with 208.
Jesse Love won the pole for both races at Atlanta in 2024, while teammate Austin Hill won both races.
Richard Childress Racing won the pole for six of the last seven races on drafting tracks with qualifying.
Georgia native Austin Hill won four of the last five races at Atlanta and finished top-two in five of his six starts there. Can tie Kevin Harvick for most wins at Atlanta with a victory this weekend.
40% of Austin Hill’s NASCAR Xfinity Series wins (four of 10) came at Atlanta, 70% came on drafting tracks (seven of 10).
Austin Hill’s four wins through his first six starts at Atlanta is tied for second-most through six races at a track all-time (Sam Ard had five wins through six starts at Martinsville)
Austin Hill’s seven wins on drafting tracks is tied for third all-time with Dale Earnhardt Jr and behind only Dale Earnhardt and Tony Stewart (eight each).
22% of Austin Hill’s NASCAR Xfinity Series career laps led have come at Atlanta (218 of 976)
Three of the six Xfinity races on the reconfigured Atlanta Motor Speedway have ended in overtime.
The race winner led three total laps or less in three of the six races on the reconfigured Atlanta, 12 laps or less in four of the six
Jesse Love led 157 of the 169 laps raced in this race last year but ultimately finished 12th. Race winner Austin Hill led only the final two laps as Love ran out of fuel as the lead on the restart of the second overtime.
Austin Hill’s 588 laps led on drafting tracks ranks second behind Dale Earnhardt Jr. (691)
Ford has won only one of the last 33 NASCAR Xfinity Series races on drafting tracks (Austin Cindric – Daytona, Feb. 2021)
Richard Childress Racing won at least one drafting track race in each of the last four seasons (won nine of 18 drafting track races in the last four seasons).
Haas Factory Team was the only organization to have more than one driver finish in the top-15 at Daytona (Sam Mayer, second; Sheldon Creed, third).
With Jesse Love’s win at Daytona last week, Richard Childress Racing is now two wins away from becoming the third team to reach 100 wins in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (Joe Gibbs Racing-215, RFK Racing-138).
Sheldon Creed, who finished third at Daytona, is riding a streak of five straight top 10s dating back to last season.
Creed has posted the most Xfinity Series runner-up finishes since 2022 with 13, next most was Justin Allgaier with nine.
Josh Williams has posted two top 10s in his last three Xfinity Series races at Atlanta.
Dean Thompson (37) leads the NASCAR Xfinity Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings by one point over Taylor Gray (36) following Daytona. Just behind Gray in the rookie standings is Carson Kvapil (33), Christian Eckes (25), William Sawalich (12), Connor Zilisch (10), Nick Sanchez (10) and Daniel Dye (1).
Veteran Aric Almirola will make the first of nine Xfinity Series starts he has scheduled for 2025 with Joe Gibbs Racing.
If Justin Allgaier wins this season, he will tie Kyle Busch and Mark Martin for the longest streak of consecutive seasons with a win at nine each.
Sammy Smith currently has the longest streak of Xfinity Series top-10 finishes at Atlanta with three.
Jeb Burton can break the tie with Kevin Harvick for the most consecutive drafting track starts without a DNF this weekend. They are currently tied with 23 starts each.
Five drivers from the state of Georgia are entered in this weekend’s Xfinity Series race – Brandon Jones (Atlanta), Austin Hill (Winston), Kyle Sieg (Tucker), Ryan Sieg (Tucker), Mason Massey (Douglasville).
Jeremy Clements is two starts away from becoming the fourth driver to hit 500 Xfinity Series starts.

NASCAR & Atlanta, Etc.

Significant Events at Atlanta Motor Speedway:

1958 – The Atlanta Constitution reported on April 8, 1958, that the First Georgia Securities Corporation, under the leadership of President Richard W. King, had unveiled plans to construct a $1 million racing complex known as Atlanta International Raceway.
1959 – A NASCAR-sanctioned race at Atlanta International Raceway, initially planned for November 22, 1959, was postponed due to construction delays and rescheduled for March 27, 1960.
September 17, 1959 – The groundbreaking ceremony for Atlanta International Raceway occurred.
June 1960 – The first NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, initially scheduled for late 1959, was held in June 1960 due to construction delays caused by bad weather.
1962 – First Movie Production – Atlanta Motor Speedway was first used for movie production in the 1962 film Thundering Wheels, featuring driver Jack Smith.
1965 – In 1965, track owner Bruce Weaver revealed plans for a $500,000 dragstrip to be added at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
1968 – In December 1968, Atlanta International Raceway merged with Michigan International Speedway, owned by Lawrence LoPatin. The merger included a $1 million investment for renovations, including a repaving, new dragstrip, expanded seating, and amenity upgrades.
1976 – After five years of bankruptcy proceedings, Atlanta International Raceway was officially turned over to a five-man board of directors on March 10, 1976. The move marked the end of a turbulent period for the speedway, with Jim Baker, Walter Nix, and L.G. DeWitt assuming majority ownership.
1980 – Atlanta Motor Speedway was featured in the film Smokey and the Bandit II in 1980.
1982 – Atlanta Motor Speedway was featured in the film Six Pack, directed by Daniel Petrie.
1983 – Atlanta Motor Speedway was used in the 1983 Hal Needham-directed film Stroker Ace.
1986 – In January 1986, Mike Helton announced $3 million in renovations ahead of the 1986 The Winston event. These improvements were part of efforts to enhance the Atlanta Motor Speedway’s facilities.
1990 – Motorsports mogul Bruton Smith (Speedway Motorsports) purchased the Atlanta International Raceway in 1990, renaming it to Atlanta Motor Speedway and leading the facility’s expansion and renovation under longtime general manager Ed Clark.
1992 – In September 1992, the newly constructed 2.5-mile road course at Atlanta Motor Speedway held its first races. This course included both the oval and specialized infield portions.
1993 – In 1993, Ed Clark announced a three-year plan to expand Atlanta Motor Speedway’s capacity to 180,000. This plan included the construction of Tara Place, a new condominium complex.
1997 – Atlanta Motor Speedway underwent a reconfiguration and repave in 1997. Developers added a 1⁄4 mile oval to Atlanta Motor Speedway’s frontstretch in 1997 to accommodate legends car racing.
2005 – In July 2005, an F2 tornado caused by Hurricane Cindy hit Atlanta Motor Speedway, causing an estimated $40 million in damage to its grandstands, condominium complex, and other amenities.
2017 – Atlanta Motor Speedway served as an evacuee center during Hurricane Irma in 2017.
2017 – In 2017, the film Logan Lucky used Atlanta Motor Speedway as a stand-in for Charlotte Motor Speedway.
2018 – In 2018, Atlanta Motor Speedway provided shelter for evacuees during Hurricanes Florence and Michael.
2021 – On July 6, 2021, a repave and subsequent reconfiguration of Atlanta Motor Speedway were officially announced. The changes included increasing banking in the turns and narrowing the racing surface.
In 2021, the Atlanta Marathon was held at Atlanta Motor Speedway due to COVID-19 restrictions, and America’s Got Talent: Extreme filmed its first season at the facility.
2022-2023 – Atlanta Motor Speedway again served as an evacuee center, this time during Hurricane Ian and Idalia.

Historical Atlanta Motor Speedway Information:

From the first race in 1960 through the SMI era the track came to be defined by weather, often all bad. The first race first scheduled for late 1959 was not run until the following July because bad weather delayed construction.
An incomplete facility and muddy conditions greeted the 25,000 fans who saw Fireball Roberts win the inaugural NASCAR event.
Rain impacted the race weekends for much of the remainder of the decade that contributed to the worsening financial condition and eventual bankruptcy in the 1970s.
Among the numerous presidents and general managers of the track in its first 30 years was Vice Chairman of NASCAR Mike Helton who served as general manager in 1985-86.
In a most bizarre occurrence, the 1993 spring race was postponed when the eastern seaboard got buried in over a foot of snow.
In recent years, the track was hit by hurricanes and tornados. The September 2011 race was set to go at 9:15 PM when it started raining. Based on the forecast for Monday that tropical storm Lee would persist all day, it was ultimately postponed until Tuesday.
In 1990, SMI acquired the track. Since then, it has undergone a complete transformation from one of the original 1960s undercapitalized superspeedways to one of the most modern and fastest tracks.
In the fall of 1997, the most dramatic change in the track’s history was made when the original 1.5 mile symmetrical oval was remodeled into the current 1.54 quad oval with the front stretch and backstretch switched.
In 2013 Goodyear debuted a tire technology at AMS. The right side tire featured Multi-Zone Tread Technology, which combined two different rubber compounds in a single tread. With the combination of the high wear abrasive surface and the high speed, AMS had proved to be one of the most challenging tracks for Goodyear.
The season ending race was scheduled at Atlanta from 1986 to 2001 (became next to last in 2001 due to the postponement of the New Hampshire race). In 2002, at management’s request, the fall race was moved back a month to October in anticipation of better weather.
In 2009, the fall race was moved to the Labor Day weekend and the track hosted its first night race. Beginning in 2011, the track’s traditional spring race was dropped from the schedule. From 2012 to 2020 Atlanta held one race a year, with that single event being the 2nd race of the schedule from 2015 to 2019.
Starting in 2021 Atlanta gained a second date, and the second race was run during the summer.

Latest Atlanta Motor Speedway Storylines:

Diamond-selling recording artist, rapper, songwriter, producer, actor, and philanthropist Big Boi will lead NASCAR’s stars to the green flag at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Feb. 23 as he serves as the Honorary Pace Car Driver.
ZZ Top lead singer and guitarist Billy Gibbons will be the grand marshal for the upcoming Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Feb. 23. Over the course of more than five decades ZZ Top has sold more than 50 million albums.
Atlanta Motor Speedway to host “NASCAR Dance Battle” during Ambetter Health 400 pre-race. The first contender announced for the speedway’s dance competition is the dynamic Hip Hop and Popping dance duo Funkanometry. Recognized worldwide for their electrifying performances on World of Dance, America’s Got Talent, and most recently Canada’s Got Talent. They’ll ultimately need to best two other dance squads to win the competition; those contenders will be announced at a later date.
The Performance Racing Network (PRN) is thrilled to announce that it will be the exclusive streaming home of Trackside Live, the high-energy show featuring racing legend Kenny Wallace, and long-time hosting favorites John Roberts and Jose Castillo. Known for its electric atmosphere, Trackside Live brings fans closer to the action with engaging driver and celebrity interviews, interactive games, contests, and nonstop fun and laughter.