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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
CUP: In The Groove(s) At Atlanta
Atlanta Motor Speedway is known for its multiple racing grooves...
Mike Hembree  |  Posted September 02, 2010   Charlotte, NC
Atlanta Motor Speedway is up next for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. (Photo: Getty Images)
There are two NASCAR speedways that garner almost universal praise from Sprint Cup drivers – Michigan International Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The reasons are not related to the garage areas, the competitor motorhome lots or towels in the restrooms (although both tracks are probably relatively high on those lists, too).

The attraction at AMS and MIS is the width and flexibility associated with the racing surfaces. Particularly at Atlanta, the track typically allows – even encourages – drivers to run high, low or in the middle – or some multiple of those grooves. Even though the track is very fast, it is manageable from any number of approaches, and its several grooves allow teams to change lines if car performance changes.

“It’s a fast track with multiple grooves in the corners, so that gives the drivers options, whether they are trying to get past another car or trying different lines to find one that works for your setup,” said Jeff Gordon, who’ll be seeking his fifth AMS win in Sunday’s Emory Healthcare 500.

The age of the track surface plays into the game because tires wear quickly and drivers often seek better lanes as their cars lose grip.

“The neat thing is that the [lap] times fall off, so guys move around on the race track more,” said Tony Stewart, who has won twice at Atlanta. “Everybody starts at the bottom, and the fast guys normally end up right around the wall midway through a run. That is something that is different from Charlotte and some of the other tracks on the circuit.

“I like having the flexibility to be able to move around. I know that if my car isn’t driving all that well in a particular spot that I have the flexibility as a driver to move around on the race track. You can make a difference. It’s like Michigan where you can move around and help yourself as a driver, versus being committed and whatever you’ve got, you’ve got.”

When cars aren’t in packs, passing is generally not particularly difficult.

“I feel like you can really drive the car hard there,” said Martin Truex Jr. “The track is really wide, and you’ll see guys running up top, in the middle and down low. I like the fact that we won’t be fighting for one lane. If you are faster than a guy, you can find a way to get around him.”

Often the most important thing a driver has to deal with at AMS is finding grip and stability, Matt Kenseth said.

“You start off fast and the track gets slick, so you’re always looking for a different groove and for more grip,” he said. “The cars are tougher to drive and they move around a lot more than the old cars used to, so you want to make sure that your car isn’t too loose in the turns. When the track gets slick, you’ve got to have a good-handling car, so that you can get into the corners.”
Tony Stewart enjoys racing at Atlanta. (Photo: Getty Images)

Clint Bowyer, who will be a focus of the Atlanta weekend as he sits 12th in Sprint Cup points, compared racing at AMS – oddly enough – to driving on a dirt track.

“You’re ‘dirt-tracking’ at 200 miles per hour around a big race track,” Bowyer said. “You have to get up on the wheel to make things happen, but hold onto the car and don’t let it get out from underneath you. Most of the time, you’re really loose, as the back end of the car is trying to come out from underneath you. It happens about every corner on every lap.

“It doesn’t matter what line you’re in, either. You could be on the white line or all the way up at the wall. Either way, you’re loose all the way around the track. In order to be good on the long run, you have to be really loose on the start of it.”

Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 28 years. He has written several books on NASCAR, including "NASCAR: The Definitive History of America's Sport" and "Then Tony Said To Junior: The Best NASCAR Stories Ever Told". He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.

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