The Atlanta track is a treacherous, high-speed layout that produces some of the best racing on the Cup circuit. And the drivers love it.
HAMPTON, Ga. — NASCAR is returning to its roots. Even as the good ol’ boys attempt to break with the uglier parts of their history – most notably, the Confederate flag – the sport has embraced a more traditional footprint with its 2021 schedule. That includes Atlanta Motor Speedway, which on Sunday is hosting the first of two Cup races. NASCAR will return to the track in July – the first time since 2010 that the 1.54-mile tri-oval has staged a pair of events. The drivers are certainly pleased to be making a couple of visits to one of their favorite stops, a treacherous, high-speed layout that produces some of the best racing on the Cup circuit. “Atlanta has always been a track I enjoyed,” said Martin Truex, coming off a victory in last week’s race in Phoenix. “It’s a very fun racetrack, being able to run all over the track, just the tire wear and all those things, are things I enjoy behind the wheel.” Nearly two decades ago, NASCAR began an effort to expand its fan base by staging more races beyond the seven states – North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama and Florida – that had long dominated the schedule. But with attendance dipping at many tracks and big TV ratings harder to come by from an increasingly fragmented audience, the governing body decided to shake things up by turning to its past.
