The tract of dairy farmland didn’t seem like anything special in the late 1950s. But those 850 acres in Henry County became the site of a dream come true: bringing NASCAR to Georgia.
Automobile racing was nothing new in the state or the Atlanta area. Coca-Cola founder Asa Candler helped fund Atlanta Speedway in 1909 in hopes of it becoming the Indy of the South. In reality, the track hosted events for only two years before closing (and later becoming the grounds for Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport).
The fascination with racing, however, didn’t fade.
Small oval tracks—and a few larger ones like the mile-long course at Lakewood Park fairgrounds—became plentiful. Once NASCAR incorporated in the late 1940s, racing enthusiasts and businessmen began asking how they could entice NASCAR to hold a race in Georgia.
The answer? Build something different that was sure to attract people, like the tracks at Daytona, Charlotte and Darlington already were.
The solution to “different” seemed obvious, considering most racetracks around Atlanta were dirt and about three-quarters of a mile long. Georgia needed a larger, paved track to have a chance at hosting NASCAR competitions.
Plans and funding came together. Workers broke ground on Hampton’s Atlanta International Raceway (AIR) in 1959.
The 1.5-mile oval track hosted its first race July 31, 1960. It was the seventh superspeedway—designated at that time as a paved track of one mile or more—to host a NASCAR Cup race.
A reported 25,000 people attended AIR’s inaugural race, cheering Fireball Roberts to victory lane in the Dixie 300.
Swinging between struggles and success
Finances were bumpy during the early years, but races and other events still drew people to AIR.
Thousands flocked to the Atlanta International Pop Festival in July 1969 to hear many of the same musicians who played at Woodstock the next month: Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and more.
Ten years later, AIR hosted the first Great American Truck Race, featuring big-rig trucks running 100+ mph. The track’s races expanded to include USAC and Kart. The 1980s and ’90s brought Indy, ARCA and the NASCAR Busch Series (today’s Xfinity Series) to town.
1990 also brought a new track owner, Bruton Smith, and a new name: Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS).
Smith’s ownership ushered in an era of growth.
“We work for the fans,” he would say, and continual updates at AMS supported his claim. The slate of events AMS hosted each year also grew, expanding far beyond races.
One record setter was the first CountryFest, held July 13, 1996, mere days before the Centennial Olympic Games began in Atlanta.
Nine country acts combined their talents to provide a 12-hour free concert. Artists including Alan Jackson, Pam Tillis, Kenny Chesney, and Alabama played on a stage larger than a football field for a crowd of 275,000 fans.
Meanwhile, Smith’s most ambitious construction project to date was also underway: a reimagining of the track and complete modernization of the facilities. The Champions Grandstand was finished in 1997, seating thousands along the heart of the front stretch. New media facilities, garages and numerous buildings to improve the fan experience were introduced.
The track itself also saw massive changes. The front and back stretches were flipped, shifting the start/finish line to the east side in front of the new grandstand. Two doglegs were added to the front stretch, making the original oval a 1.54-mile quad-oval.
The project made AMS one of the fastest tracks on the NASCAR circuit.
Mother Nature made way for more changes when a tornado swept through Henry County on July 6, 2005. It tore apart buildings, destroyed sections of the grandstands, and knocked down the 50-foot scoreboard tower. Heavy debris covered what remained of the track.
Once they assessed the damage, the AMS team didn’t simply repair and rebuild in time for its next NASCAR weekend in late October. They took the opportunity to make additional improvements. Spectator seating was consolidated and expanded so fans could all sit on the east side with the start/finish line instead of being spread around the track. An RV camping area replaced the decades-old Weaver Grandstand.
Everything—big and small—was done with a mindset of making AMS the best venue possible for race fans, drivers and anyone else who visited.
Community support and competitive edge
COVID-19 turned 2020 into a year no one could have predicted. As the pandemic continued, AMS stepped up as a partner for Henry County.
“I saw that Daytona was letting students drive through and pick up their diplomas,” says AMS Executive Vice President and General Manager Brandon Hutchison, “and I thought, ‘We can do something like that.’”
Logistics came together, and AMS hosted socially-distanced graduation ceremonies for Henry County’s public high schools in June. The tradition has continued each spring since.
The following summer, the next massive project for AMS was announced: a repaving that included re-profiling the turn banking from 24 to 28 degrees—a steeper angle than any other intermediate track on the current NASCAR circuit. The racing surface also narrowed, setting the stage for intense competition.
When NASCAR returned to AMS in March 2022, vehicle configurations matched what’s used at superspeedways Daytona and Talladega—but on a much shorter track. That has led to some of the most exciting races—and finishes—in AMS history.
The excitement will continue as EchoPark Speedway. Hutchison is quick to confirm that the name is all that has changed.
“We were the only professional sports venue in the state without a naming rights deal,” he says. “We have a new name and fresh paint. From a fan perspective, the difference stops there.”
Whether visitors find their way to EchoPark Speedway to enjoy a race, hot air balloons, holiday lights, the Georgia State Fair, or something else, “I hope it’s one of their favorite experiences,” Hutchison says.
“There’s a resurgence in NASCAR that’s great to see,” he adds. “But we’re a lot more than the crowds and excitement on race weekends. We want people to come here year-round and have so much fun that they want to come again—and tell their friends and family.”
By Leigh DeLozier
