Atlanta Motor Speedway has been a big part of my life being a racer living in North Georgia. I felt it was it a privilege growing up with a track only an hour or so away (depends on dreadful Atlanta traffic...but that's another blog)
I can remember when it was Atlanta International Raceway going to the track with my Uncle Ron racing, and my dad crewing. He must have hated that track. A few incidents that came to my mind:
His hood came flying off the car, I mean flying. The thing drifted up the air for about 10 long seconds, my dad was crewing. Almost hit a few crew members of other cars. Finally it landed and my dad got the embarrassing duty of retrieving it.
Uncle took the hood, hammered it out, put a belt on. Ran the feature race just to flip in his favorite corner...turn 7 (this was the 2nd time he has flipped there) I'm glad they took away that turn when they changed it to Atlanta Motor Speedway. I've raced on the current road course and its no were as near as dangerous as the old track (since when is racing dangerous now a days anyway)
I remember when I was in High School, when ever NASCAR was at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Due to the number of fans the race was blacked out. That stunk. I don't think any race has been blacked out. Even some that should! Too much money is in NASCAR now for that. Do they even black out football games anymore?
I've been to a few races as a spectator at Atlanta Motor Speedway but not that many. I could label excuses such as traffic and money but most of the time I am racing my self when it is going on. That is what it came down to this year. I was supposed to be practicing Saturday but my equipment is out of whack (another blog on people ripping you off on kart chassis 101 ugh). I'm just not a good spectator when it comes to racing. I am a racer, a doer a go getter, not someone who will just sit around. I would like to go some day and camp out in the infield though.
My favorite memory's would have to be when I started racing Legends Cars during Thursday thunder. I had the shit scared of me, and I scared the shit out of more. That track is one pain in the ass, its more like racing on a parking lot, but because its Atlanta Motor Speedway with fancy garages, PR, I mean where else in the short track world can you take a shit in the same bathroom Dale Earnhardt did before you and him raced?
I learned a lot in the few years I did race there and made a lot of Friends and a few enemies. Winning the championship in 2005 was one of my highlights of my life. I can't wait to win another one in some form. I came into that championship race tied for 1st place with a guy coming all the way from England to race. The press was all over it. We both wrecked in that race. I drove the crap of that wrecked up car, fender rubbing, smoke every were. It was awesome.
Racing Legends in general esphsly at Atlanta Motor Speedway gave me my first taste of NASCAR 101. The ins and outs. Watching young drivers go from Bandoleros, to Legends, to Late Models to now NASCAR. Watching money issues separate the ones who "made it" and even more talented drivers still stuck on the short tracks.
Parts of me wants to go down to AMS this weekend but honestly, even with cheap tickets its a traffic issue....and an issue of I rather fish and DVR the race.
