Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)

Drivers: Slippin’, slidin’ no problem

Atlanta racetrack makes for thrills

- By Charles Odum

HAMPTON, Ga. — For NASCAR drivers, the 21-yearold track surface at Atlanta Motor Speedway feels like their favorite, old friend.

A slippery, thrill-packed friend.

“This place is awesome,” Ryan Blaney said. “We’re slipping and sliding.”

The track is overdue for new asphalt, and drivers are renewing their annual plea to give the surface one more year. They love racing on the old 1.54-mile track, patches and all.

“Anytime you get a chance to run in Atlanta with the old track, sliding around, it’s always fun,” said Austin Dillon, who won last week’s Daytona 500 and will start 25th in Sunday’s rain-threatened Monster Energy Cup race.

The first few laps in Friday’s practice and qualifying let drivers know the Atlanta track is different.

“It’s a bit of a surprise to come here a year later and get reminded of how crazy this place is, how slick it is and how fast it is,” said defending Cup champion Martin Truex. “Definitely a cool place to come knock the rust off.”

Kyle Busch, who on Friday won the pole, said it’s especially crucial to start from the front in Atlanta.

“Qualifying up front at Atlanta is important,” Busch said. “It’s so hard on tires here, you don’t want to roll back on tires and pass a lot of cars. … Having to come from behind is harder to do than protect the position you already gained.”

The 2017 race was expected to be the farewell for the old surface. Instead, the persistent lobbying effort by drivers helped convince NASCAR and Atlanta Motor Speedway officials to wait at least one more year.

“No decision yet,” AMS president Ed Clark said.

Clark said input from drivers on the decision is welcome but not all-important.

An 80 percent threat of rain on Sunday led NASCAR on Saturday to move up the scheduled start by one hour, to 1:06 p.m. ET (10:06 a.m. PT).

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States