Atlanta

CREED AT ATLANTA: Sheldon Creed takes his summer hot streak and his CW Sports Toyota GR Supra to Atlanta this weekend for the Focused Health 250. In five starts at the track, Creed has scored one top-five, two top-10s, 55 laps led, and an average finish of 16.2. In his last start at the track earlier this season, Creed scored his best finish at Atlanta, which was a fourth-place performance.

DARLINGTON RECAP: Creed showcased one of the greatest Xfinity Series performances as well as perhaps the worst heartbreak of his career last week at Darlington. After starting second, Creed ran in the top-five for the entire day, proving to be the class of the field along with teammate Christopher Bell. After a fifth-place finish in stage one, Creed came back to score his first stage win of the year in stage two. In the final stage, Creed chased down Bell from four seconds behind to take the lead with eight laps to go before a late-race caution sent the race in overtime. Creed lost the lead on the last minute round of pit stops and could not overcome the setback in overtime, leaving him to finish third despite leading 30 laps on the day. (more…)

Atlanta Motor Speedway to Jump Start 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs

Last time the NASCAR Cup Series came to Atlanta Motor Speedway, it set the closest top-three finish in series history with Daniel Suarez scantly beating Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch to the line in a photo-finish for the ages.

Now, with all the mounting pressures of the Playoffs, the NASCAR Cup Series returns to the 1.54-mile track to break-open the postseason with some high-speed, close drafting action in this Sunday’s Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart (3 p.m. ET on USA, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) – the first race of the 2024 Playoffs.

Atlanta Motor Speedway is the fifth different track to host the first race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. New Hampshire Motor Speedway hosted the first race of the Playoffs from 2004–2010, then Chicagoland Speedway held the first race of the Playoffs from 2011–2017, followed by Las Vegas Motor Speedway from 2018-2019 and then Darlington Raceway from 2020-2023. Prior to the 2024 season, Atlanta Motor Speedway has hosted five other Playoff races – the first event of the Playoffs’ Round of 8 (Race No. 33 of 36) from 2004-2008.

NASCAR Xfinity Series Sets Its Eyes on Atlanta Motor Speedway

After dancing with the Lady in Black last weekend, the NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to its second drafting track race in three weeks at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Focused Health 250 on Saturday, September 7 at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network, the NBC Sports App, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

The 1.54-mile track will be hosting its sixth race since its reconfiguration in 2022. Since then, Atlanta has produced five different pole winners but just three different race winners, none of which came from the first starting position.

Superspeedway ace Austin Hill has won half of the Xfinity races at Atlanta over the last three seasons, capturing the checkered flag at least once in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

Chandler Smith – No. 81 Wheelers Toyota GR Supra Preview – Focused Health 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway

SMITH AT ATLANTA: Georgia-native Chandler Smith will return to his home track this weekend as the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) races at Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS). Smith has one top-five finish in three starts at AMS, which came earlier this year when he finished in second.

DARLINGTON RECAP: Smith started the latest NXS race at Darlington Raceway in fifth and struggled with handling for most of the race. The No. 81 earned an eighth-place finish.

ON THE PITBOX: Crew Chief of the No. 81, Jeff Meendering has visited Victory Lane 10 times as a NXS crew chief, most recently with Smith at Richmond in March 2024. His teams have collected 67 top-five finishes, 138 top-10 finishes, and 14 pole positions under his leadership. (more…)

Taylor Gray – No. 19 Operation 300 Toyota GR Supra Preview – Focused Health 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway

GRAY AT ATLANTA: Taylor Gray started 19th and finished fourth in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway earlier this year. That race was his only experience at the 1.54-mile track so far.

GRAY XFINITY SEASON: Gray has claimed a pair of top-five finishes and three top-10s in nine NASCAR Xfinity Series starts this season. He made an incredible first impression with a third-place finish in his debut at Richmond Raceway in March. More recently, Gray posted top-five qualifying efforts in his last two starts at Pocono Raceway and Michigan International Speedway on the way to back-to-back top-10 finishes. (more…)

Stewart-Haas Racing: Atlanta NXS Advance (Cole Custer | Riley Herbst)

Cole Custer and the No. 00 Autodesk / Haas Automation team are hoping to build on the momentum of their runner-up finish last Saturday at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. They must first face the challenge of superspeedway-style racing in Saturday’s Focused Health 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, which has provided a mixed bag of results for the team in the past. While Custer’s spot in the 12-driver Xfinity Series Playoffs field is locked in by virtue of his July 13 win at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, Custer is still racing for one more title in the final three regular-season races – regular-season champion. It’s a feat he has yet to achieve in his otherwise successful Xfinity Series career.

Burton, DEX Imaging Team Open Playoff Bid In Quaker State 400 At Atlanta

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 DEX Imaging team kick off their 2024 Playoff run this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Sunday’s Quaker State 400 is the opening race of the Round of 16, and Burton, who will be making his 100th career Cup start, enters the event 14th in points thanks to his win in the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway.

The three races in the opening Playoff round are at AMS, followed by Watkins Glen and Bristol Motor Speedway after which the bottom four drivers in the standings will be eliminated from championship contention. (more…)

A Stacked Field Makes For A Compelling NASCAR Cup Playoff Opening Round

The Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway delivered on so many levels Sunday night to finish the NASCAR Cup Series regular season in dramatic fashion and usher in what should be a compelling 10-race Playoff featuring two first-time championship contenders and five former series champions in a 16-driver field that has already proven any of them could produce a clutch win at any point.

Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson tops the 2024 championship standings heading into Sunday’s Playoff opener, the Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway (3 p.m. ET on USA Network, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Michael McDowell & the No. 34 Team Up with B’laster for Atlanta Race

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (September 4, 2024) – Michael McDowell and the No. 34 return to the Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend.

McDowell showed solid speed at the 1.5-mile Motor Speedway when he captured his first-career pole and earned his first Top-10 of the season, an 8th-place finish, back in February.

This weekend the No. 34 Ford Mustang Dark Horse will have B’laster on the car. Forming its roots in Cleveland, Ohio, the heart of the Rust Belt, B’laster has manufactured penetrants, lubricants, cleaners, solvents, rust removers, greases, and protectants for professionals and DIYers since 1957. Known for PB B’laster, the #1-selling penetrant, B’laster products are formulated to penetrate, lubricate, loosen, overcome, fix, and conquer each job. (more…)

Rally Provides Bus Rideshare to NASCAR Race at Atlanta Motor Speedway