Fans can “Ask the GM” of Atlanta Motor Speedway: For fans eager to pick the brain of a veteran of the racing industry, Atlanta Motor Speedway’s newest online feature, “Ask the GM,” will provide just this opportunity with Ed Clark, president and general manager of AMS. Atlanta Motor Speedway recently added “Ask the GM” to the track’s official website, giving fans the opportunity to question and gain insight from Clark. Upon visiting the “Ask the GM” webpage, fans can submit questions to Clark and one or more questions will be answered and posted online each week. Fans can “Ask the GM” by clicking the “Ask the GM” link under the “Contact” tab on the Atlanta Motor Speedway homepage or by visiting atlantamotorspeedway.com.(AMS)(11-14-2009)

Atlanta Motor Speedway to Host Accident Avoidance Workshops: Atlanta Motor Speedway will play host to a series of Accident Avoidance Workshops in November and December, providing student drivers the opportunity to simulate emergency situations often overlooked in driver’s education courses. The Accident Avoidance Workshop is a two-part program designed to prepare student drivers to respond to emergency situations. Each participant will attend a 150-minute classroom session, followed by a four and a half hour session of emergency driving simulation the following weekend. Each student-parent team participates in their own vehicle, allowing young drivers to experience their own car’s capabilities. Parents sit in the passenger seat, as the driver experiences first hand the effects of losing control, distracted driving and insufficient following distance in a controlled environment. The program costs just $195 for seven total hours of training and $10 will be donated to each participating student’s respective school’s PTSA. Due to limited classroom availability in the Accident Avoidance Workshops, interested students are encouraged to act now. For more information, dates and times or to register for the Accident Avoidance Workshops, call (770) 971-0571 or visit www.accidentavoidanceworkships.org. Accident Avoidance Workshops Dates are scheduled for 11/18, 11/21-21; 12/16, 12/19-20.(AMS)(11-8-2009)

Atlanta partners to offer low hotel rates for 2010 Kobalt Tools 500: Atlanta Motor Speedway has again partnered with a number of area hotels to provided discounted room rates as low as $59 for fans attending the 2010 Kobalt Tools 500 race weekend on March 5 - 7. Continuing a program that makes attending NASCAR race weekends at Atlanta Motor Speedway more affordable, the Speedway's current partner hotels feature room rates of no more than $120 and do not require a multi-night stay. Of the partner hotels, six feature rates of $70 or less for the 2010 Kobalt Tools 500 race weekend. Race fans can directly access the list at www.atlantamotorspeedway.com/fans/hotels/.(AMS)(11-3-2009)

Atlanta reduces prices for March Tix: As Atlanta Motor Speedway prepares for its 50th Anniversary celebration in 2010, the Speedway has announced tickets are on sale for the March 5-7 Kobalt Tools 500 weekend. The Kobalt Tools 500 will feature reduced pricing on a number of the Speedway's seats, including the Petty, Winners, Champion and Upper Earnhardt Grandstands located along the track's frontstretch. In addition, Atlanta Motor Speedway will provide fans with a four-installment payment option to purchase tickets for the Kobalt Tools 500. Fans can reserve tickets by putting just 25 percent of their total ticket cost down up front, and can pay the remaining balance in equal, consecutive-monthly payments. Adult tickets for the Kobalt Tools 500 start at just $39 and student tickets are as low as $19, while supplies last. A limited quantity of frontstretch seats can be purchased for as little as $59. NASCAR's Sprint Cup stars return to the high banks of Atlanta Motor Speedway March 5-7 for the Kobalt Tools 500 race weekend. The action begins with Georgia Power Qualifying Night and continues with the Atlanta 200 NASCAR Camping World Series Truck Series race. The weekend culminates on Sunday, March 7 when NASCAR's Sprint Cup stars take to the high banks of Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Kobalt Tools 500. For more information or to purchase tickets for the Kobalt Tools 500, call the Atlanta Motor Speedway Ticket Office at (770) 946-4211 or (877) 9-AMS-TIX, or visit atlantamotorspeedway.com.(AMS)(10-1-2009)

Atlanta announces 2010 race dates:Atlanta Motor Speedway officials are looking forward to 2010. The 1.54-mile quad-oval will once again host two NASCAR race weekends, March 5-7 and Sept. 3-5, 2010. The spring race weekend will again feature NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and Kobalt Tools 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, and will kick off with one of the fastest nights in NASCAR, Georgia Power Qualifying Night. The Labor Day weekend will showcase night racing in the south, with both the NASCAR Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series taking to the track under the lights. “We’ve wanted to have a night race here for almost as long as the fans, and we’re grateful for the response to this weekend’s event,” AMS President and General Manager Ed Clark said. “We’ve continued to add ticket sellers and expand our ticket office hours, and still we aren’t fully meeting the demand. We apologize to fans who experienced challenges in purchasing tickets, and we will alleviate these issues before the March 7 Kobalt Tools 500.”(AMS)(9-7-2009)

Gateway to AMS Announced: Elizabeth “B.J.” Mathis, Chairman of the Henry County Board of Commissioners, announced Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway a new initiative that will welcome race fans to Henry County. Construction will begin next year on a new “Gateway to Atlanta Motor Speedway” that will feature a Victory Lane replica viewable from Interstate 75 at exit 218 to Bruton Smith Parkway, the main traffic artery heading to the superspeedway. “Henry County is the gateway to Atlanta Motor Speedway, and we are quite proud of that fact,” Mathis said. “We want to make sure that everyone entering into Henry County knows that too.” A NASCAR Sprint Cup race car, racing flags and a replica of winner’s circle, along with extensive landscaping, will greet visitors year-round once construction is complete. “We’re proud we’re in Henry County, and we’re proud of the support we receive from them,” Ed Clark said.(AMS)(9-7-2009)

Race track planned in New Orleans area: High-performance automobile enthusiasts, prepare to start your engines. But first you'll have to loosen your purse strings. A $30 million, 5-mile private racetrack planned for Avondale [Louisiana] promises to help Corvette and Porsche owners get in touch with their inner speed demons. But membership in the country-club style track won't be cheap. Initiation fees will be $35,000, with annual dues set at $4,000. Scheduled to open next fall, the NOLA Motorsports Park is to be built in three phases on 430 acres south of the TPC Louisiana golf course off U.S. 90. Developer Laney Chouest, a retired doctor from Galliano who now lives in New Orleans, said the track will have several high-end amenities, including a clubhouse and upscale condominiums built over garages dubbed "Garage Mahals." He said the twisting track will host small races among drivers in car clubs but not large spectator events such as NASCAR races. The first phase calls for a 2-mile winding course with a 4,000-foot straight-away. Plans call for two additional courses that can be joined with the first to form a 5-mile track, which Chouest said would be the longest in the country. Chouest said EMTs will be on site at the Avondale track, which will have no walls to enable motorists who go off course to come to a stop without crashing.(Times-Picayune)(9-7-2009)

Pep Boys Auto 500 Grand Marshal named: Pep Boys Auto has selected Brian Zuckerman to serve as Grand Marshal for the Pep Boys Auto 500 on Sunday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Zuckerman serves as Pep Boys’ Senior Vice President for General Counsel & Secretary. He joined Pep Boys Auto in 1999 as a staff attorney.(AMS)(9-5-2009)

Diamond Rio, SHeDAISY to Perform National Anthems at AMS Grammy-nominated country artists Diamond Rio and SHeDAISY will perform the National Anthems prior to the running of the Pep Boys Auto 500 and Degree V12 300 at Atlanta Motor Speedway respectively. In addition to the Anthem, Diamond Rio will headline a Pre-Race Party concert prior to the race. Also giving fans up-close access to NASCAR Sprint Cup driver introductions, a limited number of stage-front passes are available for $49. The event begins at 4:30 p.m. with a performance by up-and-coming country star Jason Michael Carroll. A Pep Boys Auto 500 ticket is also required for admission to the party area. To purchase Pre-Race Party Passes or ticket to the Pep Boys Auto 500, contact the Atlanta Motor Speedway Ticket Office at (77) 946-3917 or (877) 9-AMS-TIX, or visit www.atlantamotorspeedway.com.(AMS)(9-5-2009)

AMS Fly Over to Feature Four F-15 Eagles: Four F-15 Eagle tactical fighters will perform the pre-race fly over prior to Pep Boys Auto 500 and Degree V12 300 at Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend. Atlanta Motor Speedway’s pre-race festivities will include four members of the “Bayou Militia,” the 122nd Fighter Squadron of the 159th Fighter Wing of the Louisiana Air National Guard. The 122nd Fighter Squadron is tasked to provide air superiority over the Gulf Coast in support of USNORTHCOM and NORAD. The group is based out of the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in New Orleans.(AMS)(9-5-2009)

Tickets Still Available for AMS’ Pep Boys Auto 500 Race Weekend: While ticket sales are brisk, great seats are still available for Atlanta Motor Speedway’s first NASCAR Sprint Cup night race, this Sunday’s Pep Boys Auto 500. Race fans can still purchase tickets through Atlanta Motor Speedway’s Ticket Office or Ticket Master and pick up their tickets at Will Call the day of the race. Fans can also purchase tickets at the Speedway’s entry gates on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets remain available in the Champions Grandstand near the start/finish line, in the Earnhardt Grandstand, in the Petty Grandstand and a very limited number remain in the Winners and Elliott Grandstands. In addition, a limited number of Pre-Race Party passes remain available. Presented by the Georgia Lottery, Atlanta Motor Speedway’s Pre-Race Party will feature pre-race concerts with country legends Diamond Rio and special guest Jason Michael Carroll. In addition to the concerts, a Pre-Race Party pass will give race fans stage-front access for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver introductions prior to the Pep Boys Auto 500. A number of reserved and unreserved camp sites are also still available and may be purchased in advance or upon arrival at the Speedway. For more information on tickets, Pre-Race Party passes or camping, contact the Atlanta Motor Speedway Ticket Office at (770) 946-4211 or (877) 9-AMS-TIX, or visit atlantamotorspeedway.com.(AMS)(9-4-2009)

Atlanta Motor Speedway Paints Inside Stripe Yellow: Atlanta Motor Speedway has painted the track’s inside racing groove stripe yellow in an effort to aid drivers in spotting the line during the Speedway’s first full weekend of NASCAR night racing. In addition to the change in color, the new paint included reflective glass beads, making the stripe more noticeable under the lights. After receiving input from Sprint Cup drivers Kurt Busch and John Andretti urging him to paint the line from white to yellow, Atlanta Motor Speedway president Ed Clark acted on the advice and changed the stripe’s color preceding this weekend’s Degree V12 300 Nationwide Series race and Pep Boys Auto 500 Sprint Cup Series race. “Kurt [Busch] and I talked following our most recent Goodyear Tire Test and he expressed a concern that the line was difficult to see at night,” said Clark, who also worked at Bristol and Lowe’s Motor Speedway when those facilities added night racing. “John [Andretti] and I discussed the concern on the phone and he shared the sentiment, so I knew this was a necessary change for our first NASCAR Sprint Cup night race.”(AMS)(9-4-2009)