Atlanta – The MotorSportsNews.Net(work)

RCR Race Preview: Atlanta Motor Speedway

Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway… In 163 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Richard Childress Racing has earned nine wins and four pole awards, including Kevin Harvick’s emotional victory in 2001. Dale Earnhardt won eight times at the Hampton, Ga., track under the RCR banner (1984-fall, 1986-fall, 1988-spring, 1989-fall, 1990-spring, 1995-fall, 1996-spring, 2000-spring). The Welcome, N.C., team has 31 top-five and 62 top-10 finishes at Atlanta and has led a total of 3,008 laps at the 1.54-mile oval.

RCR in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway… RCR has recorded six NASCAR Xfinity Series wins at Atlanta, led by Austin Hill’s three victories (2022-fall, 2023-spring, 2024-spring). Jeff Burton (2006 and 2007) and Kevin Harvick (2013) also secured victories at Atlanta with RCR. As an organization, RCR has piled up 17 top-five and 32 top-10 finishes over a span of 62 starts at the Peachtree State track.

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Rick Ware Racing: Justin Haley/Cody Ware Atlanta Advance

by Mike24 hours ago

Justin Haley, driver of the No. 51 Grady Health System Ford Mustang Dark Horse, will make his eighth NASCAR Cup Series start at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Sunday’s Quaker State 400. In the season’s first outing at Atlanta in February, Haley earned his first top-20 for Rick Ware Racing (RWR). The 25-year-old racer has two top-10 finishes at Atlanta, both earned on the current configuration. The first was a seventh-place finish in July 2022, the second an eight-place finish in July 2023. The track was reconfigured following the 2021 season, which resulted in the 1.54-mile oval producing superspeedway-type racing.

Mighty Fire Breaker partners with RWR and driver Cody Ware as the primary sponsor of the No. 15 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Sunday’s Quaker State 400. Mighty Fire Breaker LLC is a leading provider of environmentally safe and sustainable solutions for proactive wildfire defense. The Mighty Fire Breaker portfolio includes EPA Safer Choice Certified Citrotech® Wildfire Inhibitors, mobile and stationary spray application systems, and GPS-tracking, recording and mapping technologies that support intelligent proactive wildfire defense management practices. (more…)

Beginning Of NASCAR Cup Series And Supermotocross Playoffs Headline NBC Sports’ Big Motorsports Weekend Across NBC, Peacock, USA Network, And CNBC

by Mike24 hours ago

Live Pre-Race Coverage of First NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Race from Atlanta Motor Speedway Begins Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET on USA Network

NBC Sports Goes “NASCAR Nonstop” for Quaker State 400 available at Walmart at Atlanta on USA Network, Providing Live Coverage of Every Green Flag Lap

Live Coverage of Round 1 of 2024 SuperMotocross Playoffs Starts Saturday, at 2:30 p.m. ET on Peacock from zMAX Dragway at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.

STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 5, 2024 – NBC Sports’ motorsports coverage this weekend is headlined by the first race in the NASCAR Cup Series’ Round of 16 playoffs on Sunday on USA Network from Atlanta Motor Speedway and the first round of the SuperMotocross World Championship Playoffs on Saturday on Peacock from zMAX Dragway at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.

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Christopher Bell – No. 20 Rheem Toyota Camry XSE Preview – Atlanta Motor Speedway

by Mike2 days ago

BELL AT ATLANTA: Christopher Bell has one top-five and two top-10 finishes in his previous eight starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS). In the spring race this year Bell suffered damage from an incident early in the race, resulting in a 34^th-place finish. Bell’s best finish of third came in the spring of 2023 at the 1.54-mile track.

BACK ON THE BOX: Crew chief Adam Stevens will return to the track this Sunday at Atlanta.

STEVENS PLAYOFF HISTORY: Adam Stevens has guided his teams to playoff berths in each of his 10 seasons as a NASCAR Cup Series crew chief. The 2015 and 2019 championship-winning crew chief also holds the record for most Championship 4 appearances by a crew chief with seven, including the past two years with Christopher Bell. (more…)

Ryan Truex / No. 20 Gazoo Racing Toyota GR Supra Preview – Focused Health 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway

by Mike2 days ago

TRUEX AT ATLANTA: Ryan Truex and the No. 20 Gazoo Racing Toyota GR Supra crew head to Atlanta this weekend for the Focused Health 250, fresh off back-to-back wins for the No. 20 car at Daytona and Darlington. Truex has five starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway, including three on the new configuration. In five starts at the track, Truex has two top-fives, four top-10s, eight laps led, and an impressive finish of 7.0. Truex has a best finish of third which he has earned twice in 2022 and 2023. Since joining JGR and running on the track’s new configuration, Truex’s worst finish at Atlanta is ninth which came earlier this year when he ran out of fuel coming to the checkered flag.

LAST TIME OUT: Truex’s last start at Daytona turned into a career highlight as he scored his third career Xfinity Series win, and his second win in just eight starts this season. Truex ran up front for most of the night as he started sixth and earned sixth and third place finishes in the first two stages, respectively. Truex led 28 laps en route to his victory, which included the final eight laps to secure the sixth win on the year for Tyler Allen and the No. 20 Toyota GR Supra crew. (more…)

Sheldon Creed / No. 18 CW Sports Toyota GR Supra Preview – Focused Health 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway

by Mike2 days ago

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

by Mike2 days ago

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.

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NASCAR Xfinity Series Sets Its Eyes on Atlanta Motor Speedway

by Mike2 days ago

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.

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

by Mike2 days ago

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

by Mike2 days ago

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)

by Mike2 days ago

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.

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

by Mike3 days ago

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

by Mike3 days ago

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).

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

by Mike3 days ago

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

by Mike3 days ago

Crowd-powered event travel allows fans of stock car racing to avoid traffic and parking hassles so they can enjoy the thrilling race at one of the nation’s fastest and most exciting tracks.

NEW YORK, September 4, 2024 (Newswire.com) – Racing fans can leave traffic and parking worries behind and let Rally do the driving to the adrenaline-fueled NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Sept. 7 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. (more…)

The CW Network Announces Partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing

by Mike3 days ago

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (September 4th, 2024) – Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) announced today that incoming broadcast partner of the NASCAR Xfinity Series, The CW, will be partnering with drivers Sheldon Creed and Ty Gibbs to promote their upcoming slate of NASCAR Xfinity Series races in 2024.

The deal will kick off with a primary scheme on Sheldon Creed’s No. 18 Toyota GR Supra at the Focused Health 250 in Atlanta this upcoming Saturday, September 7^th at 3:00 PM ET. Ty Gibbs will represent The CW the following weekend as his No. 54 Toyota Camry XSE will represent The CW colors on Sunday, September 15th at 3:00 PM ET in the Go Bowling at the Glen at Watkins Glen International.

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JR Motorsports — NXS Atlanta II Preview

by Mike3 days ago

JR Motorsports — NXS Atlanta II Preview (more…)

Denny Hamlin – No. 11 Mavis Tire Toyota Camry XSE Preview – Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway

by Mike3 days ago

HAMLIN AT ATLANTA: Denny Hamlin owns one win in 28 starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Overall, he has posted six top-five finishes, 10 top-10s, and 452 laps led at the 1.54-mile track. Hamlin has led in six of the past seven Atlanta races, including 15 laps when the series visited in February. Earlier this year, Hamlin finished 23rd at Atlanta after being collected in multiple accidents during the 400-mile race.

REGULAR SEASON RECAP: During the 26-race regular season, Hamlin scored three wins, nine top-five finishes, 12 top-10s, three pole awards, and 917 laps led. According to Loop Data provided by NASCAR, Hamlin leads the series in green flag speed, fastest on restarts, fastest drivers late in a run, and laps in the top 15. He also ranks second in laps led, average running position, driver rating and laps run on the lead lap. (more…)

HaasTooling.com Racing: Ryan Preece Atlanta Advance

by Mike3 days ago

Sunday’s Atlanta 400 will mark Ryan Preece’s eighth NASCAR Cup Series start at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The best of his previous outings on the 1.54-mile oval was the most recent, a 16th-place result from the 20th starting position in March that also was best that day of the four Stewart-Haas Racing entries. Preece’s first four Atlanta starts came prior to the track’s old configuration, on which his best finish was 25th, earned twice – March 2021 and July 2021. Preece logged finishes of 28th and 24th in the March and July 2023 races, respectively, his first two outings on Atlanta’s current configuration. (more…)

Ty Gibbs – No. 54 He Gets Us Toyota Camry XSE — Quaker State 400 – Atlanta

by Mike3 days ago

SECOND SEASON: Ty Gibbs is competing in his second full NASCAR Cup Series season driving the No. 54 He Gets Us Toyota Camry XSE for Joe Gibbs Racing. He has 11 top-10 and seven top-five finishes and is 15^th in points which qualified him for the NASCAR Playoffs for the first time.

LAPS LED: He has led 352 laps this season, which is the most he has led in any Cup season.

FIRST: In May at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Gibbs scored his first career pole position in the Cup Series. He second pole position was won on July 13 at Pocono Raceway. (more…)