Statistical Advance: Analyzing the Ambetter Health 400

Atlanta Motor Speedway – Stats & Tidbits

TRACK DATA
Season Race #: 2 of 36 (February 23, 2025)
Race Name: Ambetter Health 400
Race Purse: $11,055,250
Track Size: 1.54-miles
Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 28 degrees
Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 28 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch & Backstretch: 5 degrees
Frontstretch Length:  2,332 feet
Backstretch Length:  1,800 feet
Race Length: 260 laps / 400 miles
Stage 1 Length: 60 Laps
Stage 2 Length: 100 Laps (Ends Lap 160)
Final Stage Length: 100 Laps (Ends Lap 260)

ATLANTA QUALIFYING & RACE RECORDS

Track NCS Qualifying Record:
Geoffrey Bodine, Ford, 197.478 mph, 28.074 secs. November 15, 1997

2024 Pole Winner (February Race):
Michael McDowell, Front Row Motorsports Ford, 178.844 mph, 30.999 secs., Feb. 24, 2024

2024 Pole Winner (September Race):
Michael McDowell, Front Row Motorsports Ford, 179.267 mph, 30.926 secs., Sept. 7, 2024

Track NCS Race Record:
Bobby Labonte, Pontiac, 159.904 mph, (03:07:48), November 16, 1997

2024 Race Winner (February Race):
Daniel Suarez, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, 115.398 mph, (03:28:11), Feb. 25, 2024

2024 Race Winner (September Race):
Joey Logano, Team Penske Ford, 132.000 mph, (03:06:12), Sept. 8, 2024

HISTORY

·       Originally called Atlanta International Raceway, the track was then a 1.5-mile paved speedway.

·       The first race first scheduled for late 1959 was not run until the following July because bad weather delayed construction. An incomplete facility and muddy conditions greeted the 25,000 fans on July 31, 1960.

·       The first NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta was on July 31, 1960. The event was won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Fireball Roberts driving a Pontiac for car owner Jim Hines. Roberts won from the pole position.

·       The track was re-measured to 1.522 miles in the spring of 1970.

·       Among the numerous Presidents and General Managers of the track in its first 30 years was Vice Chairman of NASCAR Mike Helton who served as General Manager 1985-86.

·       The track was renamed Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1990 when the facility was acquired by Speedway Motorsports.

·       The track layout was reversed, and the track was re-configured to 1.54 miles between the two Cup races in 1997.

·       From 1960 – 2010, Atlanta Motor Speedway hosted two NASCAR Cup Series races during each season; but starting in 2011 the series began only visiting Atlanta once a year (2011-2020). The 2021 season marked the first time since 2010, the series visited the facility more than once a season (2021-2025).

·       From 1987 to 2000 Atlanta Motor Speedway held the final championship race of the NASCAR Cup Series schedule.

·       In 2021, Atlanta Motor Speedway underwent a transformation starting shortly after the checkered flag on July 11. Over the course of five months, the speedway was reconfigured, sporting steeper 28-degree banked corners, new drainage technology, and brand-new asphalt. First time the track was repaved since 1997.

·       In total, there have been 121 NASCAR Cup races at Atlanta Motor Speedway since the first race there in 1960.

STARTS

·       A total of 600 different drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway; 413 have competed in more than one at Atlanta.

·       NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the NASCAR Cup Series in starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway with 65 starts.

·       Top five all-time in NASCAR Cup Series starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway: Richard Petty (65), Bill Elliott (62), Dave Marcis (59), Ricky Rudd (58) and Darrell Waltrip (56).

·       Kyle Busch leads all active drivers in NASCAR Cup Series starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway with 30 starts.

·       Top five active in NASCAR Cup Series starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway: Kyle Busch (30), Denny Hamlin (29), Joey Logano (22), Brad Keselowski (21) and Michael McDowell (18).

·       A total of 67 NASCAR Cup Series drivers have made their series debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Drivers that made their first career Cup Series start at Atlanta Motor Speedway

·       Two active NASCAR Cup Series drivers have posted their first career start at Atlanta Motor Speedway: Cody Ware (3/5/2017) and Ty Dillon (8/31/2024).

·       The best finish by a driver making their NASCAR Cup Series career debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway was runner-up by NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace on March 16, 1980.

·       Fred Lorenzen leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Atlanta Motor Speedway with a 4.105 in 19 starts.

·       Kyle Larson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Atlanta with an 8.286 in 14 starts.

Top 10 in Average Starting Position at Atlanta (All-Time & Active)

POLES

·       A total of 53 different drivers have won at least one pole at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series, 27 drivers have posted more than one pole at Atlanta.

·       Buddy Baker (1968, 1971, 1976, 1979 sweep, 1980, 1984) and Ryan Newman (2003 sweep, 2004 sweep, 2005 sweep, 2007) are tied for the NASCAR Cup Series most poles at Atlanta Motor Speedway with seven each.

·       Top five all-time in Atlanta Motor Speedway Cup pole winners: Buddy Baker (seven), Ryan Newman (seven), Cale Yarborough (six), Bill Elliott (five) and Fireball Roberts (five).

·       In total five NASCAR Cup Series Atlanta Motor Speedway pole winners are active this weekend (chart below):

·       Joey Logano (2015, 2023) and Michael McDowell (2024 sweep) lead all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in poles at Atlanta Motor Speedway with two each.

·       Fireball Roberts won the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series pole at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1960 with a speed of 133.870 mph in a Pontiac.

·       Youngest Atlanta Cup Series pole winner: Terry Labonte (03/15/1981 – 24 years, 3 months, 27 days).

·       Oldest Atlanta Cup Series pole winner: Harry Gant (11/14/1993 – 53 years, 10 months, 4 days).

·       Ryan Newman holds the record for most consecutive poles at Atlanta with six; from the spring of 2003 through 2005.

·       Winning consecutive poles has happened 10 times at Atlanta in the NASCAR Cup Series, among six different drivers:

o   Fireball Roberts (1960 sweep, 1961 second & third race),

o   Cale Yarborough (1969, 1970, 1978 sweep),

o   Dave Marcis (1975, 1976),

o   Buddy Baker (1979 sweep, 1980),

o   Alan Kulwicki (1989 sweep),

o   Ryan Newman (2003 sweep, 2004 sweep, 2005 sweep).

·       A total of nine drivers have posted their first NASCAR Cup Series pole at Atlanta Motor Speedway; most recent was Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in 2013.   

·       A total of 41 different organizations have won a NASCAR Cup Series pole at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

·       Eight of the 41 organizations that have won a pole in the NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta are active this weekend.

·       Team Penske leads the NASCAR Cup Series in poles at Atlanta with 10 poles among three drivers: Rusty Wallace (1993), Ryan Newman (2003 sweep, 2004 sweep, 2005 sweep, 2007), Joey Logano (2015, 2023).

·       Nine different manufacturers have won a NASCAR Cup Series pole at Atlanta Motor Speedway, led by Ford with 34 poles; followed by Chevrolet (25), Dodge (18), Pontiac (16), Mercury (7), Oldsmobile (5), Toyota (3), Buick (2) and Plymouth (1).

·       Dodge leads the NASCAR Cup Series in consecutive poles at Atlanta Motor Speedway with eight straight from 2002-2006.   

WINS

·       A total of 49 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at Atlanta Motor Speedway, 27 drivers have won more than one Cup race at Atlanta.

·       NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt leads the NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Atlanta Motor Speedway with nine victories (1980, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1996, 2000).

·       Top five all-time in Cup win at Atlanta: Dale Earnhardt (nine), Cale Yarborough (seven), Richard Petty (six), Bobby Labonte (six), Bill Elliott, Bobby Allison, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson (each have five).  

·       Eight of the 49 NASCAR Cup Series Atlanta Motor Speedway race winners are active this weekend:

·       Joey Logano (2023, 2024), William Byron (2022, 2023), Brad Keselowski (2017, 2019) and Kyle Busch (2008, 2013) lead all active NASCAR Cup Series winners at Atlanta Motor Speedway with two victories each.

·       Youngest Cup Series Atlanta winner: Kyle Busch (03/09/2008 – 22 years, 10 months, 7 days).

·       Oldest Cup Series Atlanta winner: Morgan Shepherd (03/20/1993 – 51 years, 5 months, 8 days).

·       A total of six different drivers have posted their first career NASCAR Cup Series win at Atlanta Motor Speedway:

·       All eight of the active NASCAR Cup Series winners at Atlanta Motor Speedway participated in at least one or more races before visiting Victory Lane.

·       Denny Hamlin competed at Atlanta Motor Speedway 12 times before winning in the spring of 2012; the longest span of any of the eight active NASCAR Cup Series winners.

·       Michael McDowell leads all active Cup Series drivers in starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway without visiting Victory Lane at 18 starts; followed by Austin Dillon (16), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (16), A.J Allmendinger (15) and Kyle Larson (14).   

·       No driver has swept the triple header weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway across all three NASCAR national series. Two drivers have won in multiple NASCAR national series races in the same weekend at Atlanta:

o   Kevin Harvick (2018, NCS/NXS)

o   Carl Edwards (2005, NCS/NXS); (Fall 2008, NCS/NXS)

o   Kyle Busch (Spring 2008, NCS/NCTS)

·       Eleven different drivers have won consecutive NASCAR Cup Series races at Atlanta Motor Speedway: Marvin Panch (1965 sweep), Bobby Allison (1972 sweep), David Pearson (1973 sweep), Richard Petty (1974-1975), Cale Yarborough (1980-1981), Bill Elliott (1985 sweep and 1992 sweep), Dale Earnhardt (1989-1990 and 1995-1996), Bobby Labonte (1997-1998), Jeff Gordon (1998-1999), Carl Edwards (2005 sweep), Jimmie Johnson (2007 sweep and 2015-2016).  

·       A total of 26 different starting positions on the grid have resulted in wins at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series.

·       The most proficient starting positions in the field at Atlanta Motor Speedway are the first and fifth starting positions – both have produced more wins (16 each) than any other starting position.

·       A total of 16 of the 121 NASCAR Cup Series races (13.45%) have been won from the pole or first starting position.

·       A total 16 different drivers accomplished the feat of winning at Atlanta from the pole or first starting position, NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty is the only driver to do it twice (1975, 1977). NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt is the only driver to start from the first position due to qualifying being cancelled and win (1990).

·       The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Atlanta is 39th, by Bobby Labonte in the fall of 2001.

·       The deepest in the field that an active race winner has started at Atlanta is 23rd, by Daniel Suarez in 2024.

Wins by Starting Positions at Atlanta Motor Speedway

·       In total 38 different owners have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway; eight NASCAR Cup Series organizations that have won at Atlanta Motor Speedway are active this weekend.

·       The Hendrick Motorsports organization has the most wins at Atlanta in the NASCAR Cup Series with 17 victories among eight drivers: Darrell Waltrip (1989), Ken Schrader (1991), Jeff Gordon (1995, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2011), Jerry Nadeau (2000), Jimmie Johnson (2004, 2007 sweep, 2015, 2016), Kasey Kahne (2014), William Byron (2022, 2023) and Chase Elliott (2022).

·       The most consecutive wins by an organization in the NASCAR Cup Serie at Atlanta Motor Speedway is three straight by Hendrick Motorsports from 2014-2016.

NASCAR Cup Series Organizations with wins at Atlanta Motor Speedway

·       Nine different manufacturers have won in the Cup Series at Atlanta; led by Chevrolet with 45 victories; followed by Ford (36), Pontiac (11), Dodge (nine), Mercury (eight), Buick (four), Plymouth (four), Toyota (three) and Oldsmobile (one).

·       Ford holds the record for the longest streak of consecutive Cup Series wins at Atlanta Motor Speedway with five straight from 2017-2021.

ADDITIONAL FINISHING POSITIONS

Runner-Up Finishes

·       A total of 57 different drivers have finished runner-up in the NASCAR Cup Series races at Atlanta Motor Speedway; 33 of the 57 have posted multiple runner-up finishes.

·       NASCAR Hall of Famers Dale Earnhardt and David Pearson lead the NASCAR Cup Series in runner-up finishes at Atlanta Motor Speedway with seven each.

·       Top five all-time in runner-up finishes at Atlanta: Dale Earnhardt (seven), David Pearson (seven), Richard Petty (six), Dale Jarrett (five), Jeff Gordon (five).  

·       Daniel Suarez (2023, 2024), Brad Keselowski (2018, 2023), Kyle Busch (2020, 2021) Kyle Larson (2017, 2021) and Ross Chastain (2022, 2022) lead all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers with two runner-up finishes at Atlanta Motor Speedway each.

Active Drivers with Runner-Up Finishes at Atlanta

Top-Five Finishes

·       A total of 124 different drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have finished inside the top-five at Atlanta Motor Speedway; 84 of the 124 Cup drivers with top fives at Atlanta have multiple top-five finishes on the 1.54-mile track.

·       NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt leads the NASCAR Cup Series in top-five finishes at Atlanta Motor Speedway with 26 top fives.

·       Top five all-time in top-five finishes at Atlanta: Dale Earnhardt (26), Cale Yarborough (23), Richard Petty (22), Darrell Waltrip (18), Bobby Allison, Buddy Baker and David Pearson (each have 17).

·       Kyle Busch leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in top-five finishes at Atlanta with 10 top fives.   

Active Drivers with Top-Five Finishes at Atlanta

Top-10 Finishes

·       A total of 219 different drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have finished inside the top-10 at Atlanta Motor Speedway; 141 of the 219 have multiple top 10s at Atlanta in the series.

·       NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the NASCAR Cup Series in top-10 finishes at Atlanta with 33 top 10s.

·       Top five all-time in top-10 finishes at Atlanta: Richard Petty (33), Dale Earnhardt (30), Cale Yarborough (29), Darrell Waltrip (28), Bobby Allison (27) and Buddy Baker (27).

·       Kyle Busch leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers with 15 top-10 finishes at Atlanta.

Active Drivers with Top-10 Finishes at Atlanta

Average Finishing Position

·       Dick Hutcherson leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Atlanta Motor Speedway with a 3.6 in five starts.

·       Ryan Blaney leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Atlanta Motor Speedway with a 10.0 in 13 starts.

Top 15 in Average Finishing Position at Atlanta (All-Time & Active)

LAP LEADERS

·       A total of 188 different drivers have led at least one lap in the NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

·       NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough leads the NASCAR Cup Series in laps led at Atlanta Motor Speedway with 3,283 laps led in 47 starts. Yarborough is one of just seven drivers all-time to lead more than 3,000 laps at a single track, and the only one to do it on a 1.5-mile speedway.

·       Top five all-time in laps led at Atlanta: Cale Yarborough (3,283), Dale Earnhardt (2,655), Richard Petty (1,827), David Pearson (1,482) and Kevin Harvick (1,360).

·       Kyle Busch leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in laps led at Atlanta with 558 in 28 starts.

·       The most laps led by the NASCAR Cup Series race winner at Atlanta Motor Speedway is 308 laps led of the scheduled 334 (92.2%) by NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough on March 30, 1969; he started from fifth.

·       The most laps led by a NASCAR Cup Series driver that did not win the race at Atlanta Motor Speedway was 292 laps led of the scheduled 325 (89.8%) by Kevin Harvick on March 5, 2017; he started from the pole and finished ninth.

·       The fewest laps led by the NASCAR Cup Series race winner at Atlanta Motor Speedway was one lap – the final lap – of the scheduled 267 by NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson on September 17, 1961; he started the race in fifth.

Active NASCAR Cup Series Lap Leaders at Atlanta

TRACK / EVENT SPECIFIC STATS

•  Three-times the NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway has been postponed to another day:
  • Race Scheduled Date: Sept. 4, 2011 – Delayed due to weather – Actual Start Date: Sept. 6, 2011 (Jeff Gordon won)
  • Race Start Date: March 17, 1991 – First 47 laps were run then the event was postponed due to weather – Race Finish Date: March 18, 1991 (remaining 281 laps were run; Ken Schrader won the race)
  • Race Scheduled Date: March 15, 2020 – Delayed due COVID-19 pandemic – Actual Start Date: June 7, 2020.
• Qualifying has been cancelled in the NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway 10 times:
  • Due to weather conditions seven times: Spring 1973, Spring 1990, Fall 2002, Fall 2006, Fall 2008, both races in 2022.
  • Due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions three times: June 7, 2020, March 21, 2021 and July 11, 2021.  
• Since the advent of electronic scoring in 1993, the closest Margin of Victory (MOV) in the NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway is the March 11, 2001 race won by Kevin Harvick over Jeff Gordon with a margin of victory of 0.006 second.

Top 10 NASCAR Cup Series Closest Margins of Victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway

·       There have been seven NASCAR Cup Series races resulting in a NASCAR Overtime finish at Atlanta:

·       Six times the NASCAR Cup Series Atlanta race was shortened due to weather:

FEMALE COMPETITOR STATS

·       Three female drivers have competed at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series: Janet Guthrie, Shawna Robinson and Danica Patrick.

NASCAR IN GEORGIA

·       There has been a total of 250 NASCAR national series races among 14 different tracks in the state of Georgia dating all the way back to 1951.

GEORGIA IN NASCAR

·       A total of 194 different drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Georgia.

·       A total of 19 of 194 drivers have won at least once in one of NASCAR’s national series; 11 of the 194 have posted at least one victory in the NASCAR Cup Series.