Atlanta Motor Speedway

About this Circuit

Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly known as the Atlanta International Raceway from 1960 to 1990) is a 1.540 mi (2.478 km) quad-oval intermediate speedway in Hampton, Georgia. The track has hosted a variety of sanctioning bodies since its inaugural season of racing in 1960, including NASCAR and IndyCar. The venue has a capacity of 71,000 as of 2015 and includes various track layouts, including a 1⁄4 mile (0.40 km) oval on the track's frontstretch, and a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) roval road course layout. Atlanta Motor Speedway is currently owned Speedway Motorsports, LLC (SMI) and is led by track general manager Brandon Hutchison. In the late 1950s, plans were made by the First Georgia Securities Corporation to build a facility that rivaled the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. After a months-long delay, the first races were held in 1960. Shortly after, the track faced heavy financial troubles, having to enter Chapter 10 bankruptcy in 1971. After periods of stability directed by Stacey Cotton and Walt Nix, the facility was bought out by motorsports mogul Bruton Smith in 1990, with Smith and his company, SMI, directing the facility's expansion and renovation under longtime general manager Ed Clark. The track has since gone through two major reconfigurations since Smith's purchase: one in 1997 that changed the layout of the track, and one in 2021 that changed the style of racing to produce pack racing seen at superspeedways.