Legends and Bandolero cars will return to Atlanta Motor Speedway's infield road course this fall for the second year in a row in a four-race championship. The season kicks off this weekend with two days of racing on Saturday and Sunday, as the INEX-sanctioned cars once again take to the winding curves after a six-year hiatus that ended last season.
"The road course is a tough track that challenges both experienced and developing drivers as they broaden their racing expertise at a topnotch facility," said Ed Clark, Atlanta Motor Speedway president. "This series will provide Legends and Bandolero competitors with a different look from behind the wheel and unique racing opportunity."
Road course racing is a departure from the familiar quarter-mile program on the Thunder Ring oval, where Legends and Bandolero drivers have raced for 19 straight seasons. The series is a project brought to life last season by Ken Ragan, who established AMS Legends racing and ran the program from 1997-2001 and returned last year to oversee the current program.
"Atlanta Motor Speedway is in the fortunate position to provide competitors with everything they need to be a successful driver from the ground up," said Ragan. "We are dedicated to offering quality experiences and facilities for aspiring drivers, and this new is yet another tool for drivers who want to have fun while honing skills they can use at higher levels of competition."
Competing classes will include Rookie Bandoleros, and a combined Bandits/Outlaws division in Bandolero cars and a combined Young Lions/Semi-Pro/Pro and Masters divisions in Legends cars. Points will be awarded in each class based on finishing positions, and series champions will be crowned at the conclusion of the final week.
AMS road course races will utilize the shorter 0.7-mile infield layout, and heat races will be six laps, with feature races running 10 laps for each class.
On Nov. 19, the series will once again visit Atlanta Motorsports Park in Dawsonville, where drivers will have the opportunity to experience a more unfamiliar course, as they develop and sharpen their road course skills.
Dates for the fall road course series championship are as follows:
- 15 Atlanta Motor Speedway
- 16 Atlanta Motor Speedway
- 19 Atlanta Motorsports Park
- 10 Atlanta Motor Speedway
Atlanta Motor Speedway has hosted U.S. Legends and Bandolero racing for 19 consecutive years since its inaugural season on the quarter-mile Thunder Ring in 1998. Its notable alumni include current NASCAR drivers Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, David Ragan, Reed Sorensen, Austin Dillon, Darrel Wallace, Jr. and many others.
Schedules and details are available on the Legends of Georgia website at www.legendsofga.com. Drivers interested in competing in the road course series are encouraged to contact AMS Legends director Ken Ragan at 704-575-8542 or race director Floyd Lee at 770-946-3953.
