A handful of drivers came to Atlanta Motor Speedway looking to race their way into position in the Chase for the Championship. While some drivers leave Atlanta in strong position, other depart having been bitten by the tough and challenging racing surface during the AdvoCare 500.

Of all the drivers that came to Atlanta in need of a shot in the arm to aid a bid to qualify for The Chase, perhaps none got a bigger boost than Tony Stewart, who ran up front early and finished third.  With a race to go before the Chase field is set, he is in 10^th place, 23 ahead of Brad Keselowski.

Although not in the top 10, Keselowski remains in good position after finishing sixth and being the top driver among those in the wild card standings.

Other drivers, meanwhile, did not fare as well. Clint Bowyer was involved in an incident with Juan Pablo Montoya, and his 36^th place finish drops him to fifth in the wild card standings. David Ragan, who needed a strong finish to break into the top 20 in the standings, saw his day end early with an engine failure, dropping him to 23^rd in the standings.

As it stands now, the top two wild card drivers are Keselowski and Denny Hamlin. Hamlin, who is ahead of Paul Menard in the standings, holds the final wild card spot, but Menard could vault ahead of Hamlin next week in Richmond.

As expected, Atlanta Motor Speedway played a pivotal role in shaping the Chase for the Championship. It’s yet another reason why Labor Day Weekend is one of the top events on the NASCAR schedule each year!

All of us at Atlanta Motor Speedway join all of you in the disappointment of Sunday night’s AdvoCare 500 being postponed due to inclement weather that is expected to last through Monday. Throughout the day and night on Sunday, Speedway and NASCAR officials met multiple times with the National Weather Service regarding the weather approaching Atlanta Motor Speedway. Every effort was made to complete the event on Sunday night. When it became apparent that we could not start the event until after midnight, the decision was made to postpone the AdvoCare 500 to 11 a.m. on Tuesday.

Our goal at Atlanta Motor Speedway is always to provide excellent customer service to all fans, regardless of where you travel from as you choose to spend Labor Day Weekend with us.

When the AdvoCare 500 runs on Tuesday, we’ll put our best foot forward as we strive to provide you with a first-class experience at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

We have the expectation that tomorrow’s race will still be one of the most exciting races of the NASCAR season, giving our fans the same thrilling racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway which we all have come to love so much.

Thank you for being with us this weekend, and thank you for your patience and understanding.

Ed Clark

President & General Manager

Atlanta Motor Speedway 

This weekend, one of the most enjoyable parts has been getting to see so many of our fans, young and old, simply have a great time being with us at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The great thing is that we've captured some of these experiences through the work of a small staff of photographers! Be sure to check out fan photos from the weekend at this link, where you can also find how to submit your own photos for posting on our fan photos gallery!

It seems like a no-brainer that NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Jeff Burton's 10-year-old son Harrison would fall in love with racing, spending all his spare time with his race car. That is, to everyone except maybe his mama.
"I was hoping he'd be a lawyer and I could hang out at the country club," Kim Burton said laughing. "It's hard watching your baby out there, but he loves it."

Harrison Burton races quarter midgets with the United States Auto Club (USAC) in an all-oval series for 5-16 year-olds. He currently leads the points in several divisions, including Light World Formula and Senior Animal.

Outfitted in a smaller version of his dad's yellow-and-black CAT firesuit Sunday in the Atlanta Motor Speedway media center, Harrison looks and sounds the part of racer-in-training. His big brown eyes light up as he talks about his favorite aspects of racing, and his still slightly pudgy cheeks bulge even more as a grin takes over his face and a giggle escapes his lips after he loses his train of thought in front of a media center full of eyes expectantly trained on him.

"It's been really fun to go out and race," Harrison said. "My favorite track was probably a banked track. It was really fun to race on that completely sideways track because it's really good racing, and everybody was passing each other really often."

For Jeff, racing with his son is a natural way to spend time together and bond. But he stresses that Harrison isn't racing because daddy wants him to. Harrison is racing because Harrison wants to.

"I have a passion for racing, and I love it, but he doesn't have to," Jeff said. "If he ever wants to quit, we quit. If he wants to play lacrosse, we play lacrosse."

Jeff said he never pushed either of his kids into racing; daughter Paige is 16 and an equestrian who never showed an interested in riding anything with wheels. But from the beginning, Harrison has always been interested in race cars. And when Jeff saw USAC's quarter midget series, with its full roll cage, 5-point harnesses and soft walls, he was sold.

"Quarter midget racing is really a cool way to spend time with your son or daughter," Jeff said. "It's a safe, reasonably inexpensive way to get kids into auto racing. (The kids) are out there helping you work on the race car and see what it takes to be good at it, and I think there's a lesson in life about that."

LIGHTS DISPLAY AT AMS

For the first time, Atlanta Motor Speedway will be lit up this holiday season with the glow of more than a million LED lights and hundreds of animated Christmas displays around the speedway for "The Gift of Lights."

The lights display will be open Nov. 18 through Jan. 1, and will cost $15 per vehicle. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Speedway Children's Charities. Hours of operation are 6-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 6-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

"We want to make this a big event for Atlanta," said Mike Miller, president of 3 Dudes Productions, the company that will be coordinating efforts for the winter light show. "This is very different than NASCAR racing, but we have a great venue, and we're going to bring a great event here."

Fans – the wait is finally over! Tonight’s the night! The world’s best drivers will take to one of NASCAR’s most exciting and challenging tracks tonight in the AdvoCare 500! We’ll take the green flag at 7:30 p.m.! Activities are already underway at the Fan Zone, kicking off what’ll be a great day here at the track!  It’s been an awesome weekend so far!

We can’t wait to see you all here as you tailgate, gather with thousands of your closest racing friends at the Biggest Labor Day Party in the USA! At 5 p.m., Lynyrd Skynyrd will get you wound up for the race with the Fast Cars & Guitars Pre-Race Concert! You can still purchase stagefront passes for $59, which also give you stagefront access!

Then, it’ll be time to drop the green flag!

Throughout the day, there is so much to do in the Fan Zone, including a handful of driver Q&As with fans at the Team Chevy display, activities for fans at the Sprint Experience, an opportunity to win an Ipad a the AdvoCare display or get free health screenings at the Emory Healthcare tent!

Here’s a full listing of all activities! Plus, a handful of drivers will also be signing autographs at souvenir trailers!

And don’t forget the Coca-Cola Fan Stage! Highlighted activities today include  Q&As with legendary broadcaster Ken Squier, a Q&A with Lynyrd Skynyrd and a musical performance by Cartel! Here’s today’s fan stage activities!

Want to be in the crowd for a live TV show! NASCAR raceday is a 4:30 p.m. at the SPEED stage! It’ll be hosted by John Roberts, Kenny Wallace, Darrell Waltrip, Wendy Venturini and Hermie Sadler! The SPEED stage is also the location for PRN’s Up to Speed at 3:45 p.m., where Kurt Busch will be interviewed!

There’s also a great chance to help out local organizations through Speedway Children’s Charites! The Memorabilia Auction is at 2 p.m. at Bruton Smith Park (near the large showerhouse), giving you a chance to bid on race-used items and parade lap rides with drivers before tonight’s race!

Photos!

We've had photographers roaming the Speedway this weekend capturing some fan photos! You can also send us your own too!

Catching Up

A near-record crowd was on hand Saturday as Carl Edwards won from the pole position in the Great Clips 300, with fans treated to thrilling night racing! Here’s a video recap of Saturday’s action, including some of fun for fans!

They Tweeted It…

 Tgann

at @amsupdates is awesome. Nothing like seeing these cars under the lights. twitpic.com/6fok9f

Dougwilliams227

My new favorite sport...#NASCAR!

 LouieLeachRemax

 great race tonight, I have been to many races at Bristol Motor Speedway and tonight was my first Atalanta race. It was awesome!

 Facebook Posts of the Day

Henry Freeman

Day 2 at the AMS was awesome...I think going to AMS for your birthday is about the best present any nascar fan could ask for. WTG Carl on the win.

Vanessa Smith

It's getting closer to time for leaving for the track. Can't wait!!!!!

Christopher Jones

I high fived Carl Edwards!!!!

The Labor Day NASCAR Night Race Weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. To start with, three nights of racing on one of NASCAR's fastest tracks is already on the season's can't-miss events for fans. But combine all of the activities around the AdvoCare 500, and you have a weekend which will be one unforgettable experience!

Coming to the race?! Here's Five things you've got to do!

5. Tailgate! Whether it's from one of the food vendors, something you pick up on the way to the track or the secret recipe, the consuming of delicious food and satisfying beverages amongst fellow race fans one of the best ways to start your race day!

4. Coca-Cola Fan Stage! Get cranked up for the race by checking out some fun fan activities, musical performances and appearances by others!

3. Fan Zone! This is the epicenter of pre-race activity for all fans! You can take part in interactive displays, sample products and you might even see some drivers taking part in Q&As with fans during the weekend!

2. Souvenir Row! If you're looking for your favorite driver's latest t-shirt, hat or diecast, this is the place to be! Many of NASCAR's top drivers have merchandise for sale here as well as at the Atlanta Motor Speedway gift shop, and you can also buy AdvoCare 500 or Atlanta Motor Speedway merchandise at the track! Plus, a handful of drivers make short autograph appearances at their souvenir haulers. Information on these signings will be posted on Atlanta Motor Speedway's Web or on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

1. Lynyrd Skynyrd!! They're the most legendary Southern Rock Band of all-time, and they'll rock the pre-race frontstretch stage in the Fast Cars & Guitars Pre-Race Concert! Plus, you can be stagefront for the concert and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver intros for $59, and stagefront passes may be purchased at the track, while supplies last.

And after that, there is just one thing left to do - enjoy the race! Get settled in, grab a souvenir program to get all the latest pre-race info and get ready to cheer on your favorite driver in the AdvoCare 500!

Carl Edwards gazed at the mural-sized image of his photo-finish 2005 win over Jimmie Johnson gracing the Atlanta Motor Speedway media center wall Saturday morning and sighed.
"That moment was ... I don't even know how to describe it," Edwards said. "It changed my whole career and my whole life."

Before that weekend, Edwards was a wide-eyed, eager rookie driver from Missouri. Afterwards, he was a contender. The day before his Cup win, he'd earned his first Nationwide Series win, becoming the first driver in Atlanta history to sweep the two weekend events.

"This is beyond my wildest dreams, and I'm enjoying every minute of it," Edwards said at the time. "About two-and-a-half years ago, I was working on my dirt car in my garage at home; this is pretty cool. It's unbelievable."

A lot has changed in the intervening years. That young driver has become a proven veteran with 19 race wins to his credit. He has gotten married and quickly added two kids to his family.
What hasn't changed is his love for the track that changed it all for him.

"This is a fun race track," Edwards said. "This race track drives like a race track should. There are multiple grooves. As the pavement has aged ... to me, it's perfect. It's a really great race track to race on. It helps that I've got some of my best memories of racing here."

FUTURE STARS

Four NASCAR K&N Pro Series East drivers visited with the media Saturday morning at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Alex Bowman, Chase Elliott, points leader Max Gresham and Sergio Pena discussed the season's final races, their futures, and an autograph session today at AMS.

 
All four drivers – as well as NASCAR Nationwide Series drivers Trevor Bayne, Ricky Stenhouse, Timmy Hill and Blake Koch and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers Austin Dillon, James Buescher, and Joey Coulter – will sign autographs today at 1 p.m for the first 150 kids age 16 and under at the speedway ticket office.
For Gresham, it's a sweet return to the track where he began his racing career at the tender young age of 8 in a Bandolero Bandit.
"I love the Legends and Bandoleros, the Thursday Thunder stuff," Gresham said. "I loved hopping out and seeing all those people there – it makes you feel like a superstar, because everybody's there to watch you. But the coolest part was running during Cup weekends. In your mind you're thinking all the big shots are watching you. Whether they are or not, it makes you want to perform even better."
They must have been watching, because Gresham was snapped up by Joe Gibbs Racing's development program in 2009. Last year, he picked up two K&N Pro Series wins and finished eighth in points. He also had three ARCA starts, claiming a win at Mansfield in just his third series race.
Gresham said his plans for next year are still a little up in the air, as he concentrates on wrapping up his first NASCAR title in the K&N Pro Series this month. But he's got his eye on the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series ... and he's aiming even higher than that.
"The Legends Car Series was a great place for me to cut my teeth and learn car control," Gresham said. "To think that in NASCAR you have two Georgia natives (David Ragan and Reed Sorenson), and Joey (Logano) who was kind of from Georgia ... it's cool to think I could hopefully be the next Georgia guy to make it to the Sprint Cup Series. That would be awesome."

GORDON CLINCHED – BUT HOW?

Even Jeff Gordon wasn't really sure what changed to show that he has now clinched a place in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. And he assigned full blame for that to his longtime PR man, Jon Edwards.
"I was at a Pepsi Max photo shoot Wednesday and a Hendrick rep was there and got the news," Gordon said. "I'll be honest, I was in the middle of everything and I still have not got clarification what happened. But my first thought was, 'Yo, Jon Edwards, what's up with that?' He's always the guy who tells you if this happens, if this happens, if this happens, you'll clinch. So I was surprised he didn't pick up on that prior to the race."
In the interest of fairness, Edwards was asked to respond to the pointed accusations.
"Do you know how many pages and pages of information I went through to TRY and figure it out?" he asked incredulously.

Wow! What a start to the Biggest Labor Day Party in the USA! We started race weekend in style yesterday, with some thrilling side by side action in the Good Sam Club 200, with Ron Hornaday Jr. coming away with the victory. But it wasn’t just the racing! We were happy to host our winners at the Sprint Cup Series driver autograph session as well as see so many fans taking in all the weekend has to offer!

In the fan zone, interactive activities and appearances by drivers made it the place to be, and today won’t be much different! Here's a video recap!

Today,  we’ve got another full day of racing in store! We’ll open the gates at 1 p.m. and start NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice as teams make final adjustments in practice to their cars. Then we’ll have qualifying for tonight’s Great Clips 300 followed by Sprint Cup qualifying! Then, it’ll be time for the Great Clips 300!

This is a great day to bring the kids to the race! Not only do all kids 12 and under get in free with an adult general admission ticket, but we’ve also got lots of fun things for them to do in the Fan Zone, such as trying their hand at changing a tire during a pit stop simulator activity at the AdvoCare display!

There’ll also be a few driver appearances, giving you up-close views of the stars of NASCAR!

Miss Sprint Cup will host a Q&A on the Coca-Cola Fan Stage at 3:40 p.m. with four K&N Pro East Series drivers, including Chase Elliott, being on the Fan Stage at 2:15 p.m.!

And speaking of future drivers, we’ll have a future stars for future fans autograph session at 1 p.m. at the ticket office! It’s open to the first 150 kids, with Austin Dillon and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. being among the drivers present!

Here’s a full listing of today’s fan activities – including the Battle of the Bands!

Be sure to check out these photos from fan activity yesterday – plus, you can also go to the same page to upload your own while at the track!

If you’re in the campgrounds, be sure to look out for Krispey Kreme, who is here giving out donuts and coffee to fans!

Tweets of  the Day

Amandamellis

Headed back to @amsupdates after 3 hours of sleep. Great @NASCAR_Trucks race last night. #NASCAR

ChristGunter94

Will be there Sunday nite with 12 people. 9 of em being first timers. Already smokin ribs and Yardbird for tailgating

Facebook Posts of the Day 

Tyler Head

Went to the NCWTS race! and it was awesome!!!!

 Jim Davis

Saturday morning ...And soon the quiet morning will give way to the sound of 30,000 horsepower!!!

Ron Hornaday Jr.

"See that trophy? We stole it tonight, but I'll take it any way we can get it. Jeff and all the guys worked hard. We got back up to sixth place after that pit stop, they did an awesome job in the pits. I got back restarted about three laps into the run, and I said, 'Man this thing's tight. What did you do to it, Jeff?' and he said 'All the tape blew off'. You'd be amazed what a piece of tape does on the front of a truck at Atlanta Motor Speedway to make it tight or loose. Came back in, put more tape on it, pulled a spring rubber out. We had a really, really good ARMOUR Chevrolet. Then we stole it from there."

Jeff Hensley (Winning crew chief, No. 33 ARMOUR/Ingles Chevrolet)

"It was really pretty easy because after what happened at the start, it was the only chance we had. We had a really good truck. When the caution came out, we came down pit road. I knew we could make it on fuel. We worked on it, and it was pretty decent after that. We just got lucky, and a little bit of planning too. It was the only chance we had, and Ron did a great job. With about 20 to go, we started backing down because we knew the leaders were going to have to start pitting. Just saved a little bit of fuel, and had enough there at the end."

Kevin Harvick (Winning team owner, No. 33 ARMOUR/Ingles Chevrolet)

"I didn't really do much. I started the race sitting in my Cup trailer figuring out what exactly what we're gonna do to my Cup car tomorrow. It's just one of those days – I told these guys, you lose so many more of these races than you win, but when you win one, you make up for about 50 that you've probably lost over the years. It was a good night for KHI."

Clint Bowyer (Second-place finisher, No. 2 Bad Boy Buggies Chevrolet)

"Got beat by a guy that snookered me, played a better poker game than we did and we got beat. But you gotta hand it to those guys, man we had a great truck. Kevin's always put me in a great truck. Love this Truck Series, it's a lot of fun being able to race Kyle for the wins and give him a run for his money. Bad Boy Buggies for coming on board and helping us, we won the race at Kansas with them. I just got my brand new Bad Boy Buggy, so looking forward to going hunting." (Did any of that KHI-KBM rivalry stuff come into mind, or was it just good, hard racing?") "I had orders to wreck him at every chance possible but just couldn't get it done [laughter] ... no, man. It's fun racing hard with someone that you know is not gonna crash underneath you. It's cool. (What are you thinking about at the end in a fuel mileage race) I was wishing for a caution or for (Hornaday) to run out of gas, I can promise you that."

Kyle Busch (Third-place finisher, No. 18 Dollar General Toyota)

"The 2 truck was definitely the best truck of the night. It's fortunate for us he didn't win given that we're fighting for the owner's championship. (What was the difference between you and Bowyer?) He could just stay a lot better on the long run. It seemed like I'd blow the tires off after about 10 laps and he'd just start getting away from me. Traditional Atlanta, you gotta be better on the long run. () Good to see these guys sucker one away from them. (Responding to Bowyer's comment about team orders to wreck him) Glad he could refrain from orders (chuckle). He tried a couple times ... nah. It was good hard racing."

Blake Feese (Fourth-place finisher, No. 32 AccuDoc Solutions Chevrolet)

"I was really hoping we could hold on to second there because (Ron) Hornaday is like a second father to me; it would have been so cool to be 1-2. We were so bad in practice today. I was doubting myself, and my guys were down. I don't know how they fixed it to make it go that fast. I thought we were done. I never thought we'd finish at all when I hit the wall; I thought I ended our night, but these guys fixed it. We were good on fuel so we stayed out, but they had new tires so that's all we had."

Ryan Newman (Fifth-place finisher, No. 08 Realtree/Brandt Chevrolet)

"I'm proud of the guys, proud of the team. We didn't get the victory that we wanted but a top 5, that's all we had tonight. We had probably a third-place truck; a couple guys got us on fuel. (Were you thinking strictly about racing tonight, or did you find your mind wandering and thinking about Beau?) My mind wandered a couple times. He would have had fun, been smiling, just like me. Probably thinking about where he could put up a tree stand tomorrow."

James Buescher (10th-place finisher, new points leader, No. 31 EXIDE Batteries Chevrolet):

"Our Exide Batteries Chevy was struggling all day. We struggled right off the hauler, first practice we were slow. I had problems getting the thing to handle right. Battled at the end of the second practice, thought maybe we had a lot of it fixed but I knew we still weren't great. I had problems getting through the center of the corner. Qualified really well, but as soon as the race started we dropped back to about 10th or 15th and ran there most of the night. It's just tough to pass. When my truck was handling, it was really loose. And it would end up getting tight in the center of the corner, and then get loose again, and feel like I was going to wreck it just about every other lap. It feels to go be points leader, it's what we've been working towards a lot of the year. We definitely have to run better than we did tonight to continue to be points leader, and be the points leader after Homestead. I know that we're capable of it. We've been better than this the last 10-12 weeks. But just struggled here tonight, but I think we're going to be able to turn it around." (On Ryan Newman's paint scheme for Beau Slocumb) "Beau was a good friend of mine. I raced with him in Legends cars and I raced with him in Late Models. I know Ryan's paint scheme from tonight real well. I've raced against it, I've lost to it, even won a few races against it. But he was a great friend of mine and everybody at Turner Motorsports, and we miss him a lot. But it was cool to see Ryan run so well with the paint scheme, and I'm glad he got a good finish in top 5 and was able to honor him in that way. But he was definitely a really good friend and it's cool for him to be able to do that."

Roush Fenway Racing enters this weekend's race at Atlanta Motor Speedway with drivers Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards firmly clinched into the 2011 Chase to the Sprint Cup field. At the same time, Greg Biffle and David Ragan remain in contention for a wild-card spot in the Chase, most likely needing a victory in one of the final two races to make the field.

"We are going to do everything we can in the next two weeks to get into the Chase," said Biffle. "We know it might be considered a long shot, but we are not giving up. We have two good tracks coming up and we know a win puts us in the mix and two wins give us a real solid shot."

Biffle, who currently sits 16th in the points could severely boost his chances of a fifth career Chase berth with a win this weekend at Atlanta, where he has led 290 career laps in Cup action, while posting three top-five finishes.

Ragan and his No. 6 UPS team sit 20th in the points but boast a win earlier this year in Daytona. They will look to jump back in the Chase mix with a strong effort at his home-track in Atlanta.

"First thing first is Atlanta," said Ragan. "We'll run as hard as we can to get a win here. We can't control what happens to other teams. All we can do is just go out and try and get a win."

Ragan is excited about his opportunity at the two remaining 'regular season' tracks.

"Two of our good tracks are coming up at Atlanta and Richmond," said Ragan who won earlier this year in July at Daytona and posted a strong third-place finish in the spring at Richmond. "I feel like with another win or a couple of consistent top-five finishes, we've still got a great chance to make the Chase. A lot can happen in two races.

Biffle is equally optimistic about his 3M team's chances in Atlanta.

"I love Atlanta Motor Speedway and I can't wait to get to Atlanta," said Biffle. "We can put Bristol behind us and get back to Roush Fenway domination. It's our type of race track; a fast race track. We've run well at those tracks and we have really good mile and a half race cars and I'm just really looking forward to this weeken

Greetings, race fans!!! Finally, it’s race weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway! An exciting day is underway as practice for tonight’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Good Sam Club 200 is underway! We’ll open the grandstand gates at 2 p.m., offering fans nearly six hours of track activity before tonight’s race! We’ll have the Legends Invitational at 2:30 p.m., following the truck series qualifying at 5 p.m. and Sprint Cup Series practice at 6 p.m. After that, it’s time for some truck racing under the lights!!

There is so much more to today than just the track action! In the Fan Zone, you’ll want to stop by and take in all the fun, with displays from Chevy and AdvoCare being among the set-ups! We’ll also have the Coca-Cola Fan Stage, where at 3:45 and 4 p.m. we’ll have Q&As with drivers in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, including points leader Johnny Sauter at 4 p.m.

Tim Dugger will also be performing on stage three times, starting at 4:40 p.m.!

Here's a link to all fan activities!  

In case you missed it…

Yesterday, we enjoyed seeing fans outside the main infield tunnel as the Sprint Cup Series haulers entered the track. Here’s some video!

Tweets of the Day

 Jademaddog

 Hello AMS! We have arrived and the campsite is set! Let's see some racing!

 Chasn24

At @amsupdates breakfast cooked, eating bacon & eggs. Sun out gonna be a great day!!

 AshGriff09

 I will be there on Sunday!! Can't wait! Proud to be part of Jr Nation!!

 Facebook Fan Posts Of The Day

Gayle Kelly

I have waited all year and now it is FINALLY here !!! We Live 3 miles south of the race track and I am so excited I can hardly sit still.

Julie Holloway

See ya tonight... Gonna be there all weekend!!!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Chances are that you’ve been looking forward to this weekend since Tony Stewart celebrated in Victory Lane last Labor Day Weekend! But now it’s race week, meaning that this weekend, NASCAR Night Racing is back at Atlanta Motor Speedway!

The excitement has been building over the past few weeks at Atlanta Motor Speedway as various facets of race weekend have been worked on and tweaked, all so that we, as a staff at Atlanta Motor Speedway can host you and provide a first-class experience for you on Labor Day Weekend!

Here at Atlanta Motor Speedway, our offices overlook the track, which enables us to see how, piece by piece, our facility slowly morphs into the state’s fourth-largest city for a few days! The first campers arrived more than a week ago, and campgrounds are starting to fill up, kicking off great times of fun for our campers. Throughout the facility, banners are being hung up, and on the infield, we can see workers painting the giant AdvoCare 500 logo on the grass on the track’s frontstretch!

Things are moving into place, and we can’t wait until you arrive to be a part of it!

There’s no shortage of activities for fans to take in this weekend! The fun and camaraderie of the campgrounds is well underway. The Coca-Cola Fan Stage will offer a wide range of appearances, ranging from musical acts and appearances by notable faces familiar to race fans. The stage is located near Gate 15, which is behind the Earnhardt Grandstand.

There’s also the Fan Zone, which offers fun and interactive activities for fans, which includes appearances by drivers at sponsor displays and the some of the drivers’ souvenir haulers.

And it won’t be hard to get fired up for the AdvoCare 500 after you get a dose of our pre-race activities! At 5 p.m., Lynyrd Skynyrd will take the stage of the Fast Cars & Guitars Pre-Race Concert, and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver introductions will follow! You can be stagefront for what will be an unforgettable pre-race concert with a stagefront pass for $59, and it also includes being stagefront for driver introductions! You can purchase online or at 877-9-AMS-TIX! Stagefront passes, which must be accompanied by a grandstand ticket or infield wristband, can also be purchased at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, while supplies last.

Then, after you join thousands of fans in cheering for or against your favorite drivers during driver introductions, it’ll be time for the most exciting race of the season as the best drivers in all of NASCAR hit the track for 500 miles of night racing!

The wait is nearly over. It’s time to go racing!

We look forward to seeing you at the track!

Ed Clark

President & General Manager

Atlanta Motor Speedway