Atlanta Motor Speedway likely to get Labor Day race
By Brad Harrison -
bharrison@macon.com
HAMPTON --
After four years of racing at California Speedway on Labor Day weekend, NASCAR is close to shifting the slot on the schedule back to the Southeast.
Atlanta Motor Speedway president Ed Clark said Thursday that an agreement for the track to move its fall Sprint Cup Series date from late October to Labor Day weekend for 2009 is "pretty close" to being completed. Clark also indicated that the race would be held at night, but whether or not the race is held on Saturday or Sunday has not been determined yet.
If the agreement between the three tracks is finalized, it would bring racing back to the Southeast on Labor Day weekend. NASCAR marked the holiday weekend from 1950 to 2003 with the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway until the Labor Day date was moved to Fontana, Calif. Darlington, which at the time had two race dates, now only hosts one race per season - on Mother's Day weekend.
"There's a lot to be talked about and worked out," Clark said.
The Charlotte Observer reported last week that a three-way swapping of fall race dates between Atlanta, Talladega Superspeedway and Auto Club Speedway in California is expected to get NASCAR's approval.
"What I'm encouraged about is that NASCAR is enthused about it," Clark said. "I think it'll be better for all of us. Hopefully, we can get things worked out and it doesn't drag on too much."
Under the propostal, AMS would lose its spot in the Chase for the championship, but get the Labor Day date in exchange. Talladega would get Atlanta's date that falls the final weekend of October with the California track getting Talladega's date in the first weekend of October.
The swapping of race dates would be expected to aid California Speedway, which has struggled with ticket sales.
By racing on Labor Day weekend, Atlanta would be competing against opening weekend for most college football teams but would also be holding a race before the NFL regular season begins.
"You're always going to be against something," Clark said.
Also, a late August or early September date would provide Atlanta with a better chance of warmer weather than its two current Cup dates in March and October.
"It got to a point where it was either wet or cold (in Atlanta)," said Macon's Richard Stafford, an official with the National Vintage Racing Association. "I would see it as a plus, especially since they used to have the final event of the year there."
