When Atlanta Motor Speedway was reconfigured in 2022, it was touted as a track that would provide superspeedway racing similar to that fans are used to seeing at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.
To the track’s credit, the drafting-style racing at Atlanta has been thrilling. In February 2024, Atlanta provided the closest three-wide photo finish in NASCAR history, with Daniel Suarez barely beating Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch across the line.
While Atlanta’s current style of racing is closer to superspeedway-style racing than the 1.5-miler’s former product, it’s not a perfect replica of what fans see at Daytona and Talladega — at least not in the present day.
The racing fans should expect to see in Sunday’s Ambetter Health 400 (3 p.m. ET, FOX) is its own beast, a mix of retro superspeedway racing and a special product only seen at Atlanta’s newest iteration.
One of the biggest reasons Atlanta stands out on the superspeedway scene is how quickly the track’s surface is aging. Since the reconfiguration, the track surface at Atlanta becomes noticeably lighter with every race weekend held at the facility.
It’s unknown whether or not Atlanta will become as rough and cheese grater-esque as it was before the reconfiguration, but the aging process of the track puts it in a superspeedway class all its own.
With a rougher track surface comes more tire wear, and hence a bigger emphasis on the setup and handling of a car. While handling does still come into play at Daytona and Talladega, it’s much more prevalent at Atlanta, where drivers aren’t forced to save fuel for long stretches of the race and are able to race at their own discretion.
Another major difference between Atlanta and Daytona/Talladega is the makeup of the draft. Of course, the standard two or three lanes form at Atlanta, but during green-flag stretches, packs can sometimes get more spread out, emulating the superspeedway racing of the 1990s and early 2000s.
Like they were able to do at Daytona long ago, drivers are able to make moves by themselves at Atlanta, and while it does carry a risk of being hung out to dry, it’s much easier to clear a fellow competitor without help at Atlanta than at Daytona or Talladega.
Racing at Atlanta is admittedly more bunched up than races at Daytona used to be, but the concepts of racing at Daytona in the ’90s and 2000s apply to modern racing at Atlanta. There seems to be a set of keys to the race that the eras share.
First, if you want to win the race, you have to be aggressive and make your move earlier than you think you have to. If you wait too long to make your move, you likely aren’t going to be able to get a massive run on the final lap.
Also, be aggressive and assertive. While you can make moves on your own, you have to be quick.
Finally, you have to have a fast car. Of course, the equalizer of the draft means underdogs will run up front and potentially have a shot at the win, but oftentimes the fastest cars paired with the best drivers are going to be the ones fighting for the victory.
Of course, the inherently chaotic nature of modern superspeedway racing doesn’t make a point to avoid Atlanta. In last year’s spring race, the Big One broke out on lap 2. However, most of the incidents at Atlanta take a leaf out of old Daytona’s book, being isolated incidents caused by a slight mistake — such as William Byron‘s ill-fated attempt to get to pit road or Joey Logano and Chris Buescher‘s crash on the final lap of stage two in the 2024 Ambetter Health 400.
The smaller and sometimes isolated packs mean drivers must make their race-winning moves early. With the exception of last year’s photo finish, Atlanta’s finishes since the reconfiguration have seen the pack wait too long to make a move or form a coalition to take down the race leader. Contrary to Daytona and Talladega, where waiting until the last lap to make your move is the preferred method, waiting until the final circuit at Atlanta to go for the win will usually result in you finishing exactly where you are. As Larry McReynolds likes to say, “if you follow the leader, you’re probably going to follow the leader.”
The reconfigured Atlanta markets itself as a new, flashy breath of fresh air, and there’s no doubt that it has been exactly that. But hidden behind the three-wide photo finish, four-wide racing and the pomp and circumstance is a track that harkens back to vintage superspeedway racing, where luck and fate took a backseat to the fastest cars and the greatest drivers.
A member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA), Samuel also covers NASCAR for Yardbarker, Field Level Media, and Heavy Sports. He will attend the University of Arkansas in the fall of 2025.