By David Morgan, Associate Editor
Half of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season is now complete as Atlanta Motor Speedway comes calling this weekend to kick off the second half with Sunday’s running of the Quaker State 400.
Atlanta’s aging racing surface, which had been in place since 1997, held together as long as possible, but the 260 laps around the 1.5-mile track last July were the last on that particular surface as the track underwent a repave and reconfiguration for the 2022 season.
The 24-degree banking in the turns was increased to 28 degrees, making the banking the highest among intermediate tracks in NASCAR. The straightaways remain banked at five degrees. In addition, the racing surface was narrowed from 55 feet to 40 feet in the turns, 52 feet on the front stretch, and 42 feet on the back stretch.
Following a December test, additional adjustments were made, including smoothing out the transition off of Turn 4 onto the frontstretch by adding 320 feet of wall and SAFER barrier to create a flatter curve. The frontstretch was also widened by removing and paving over portions of the infield grass, as well as reinforcing the catchfence.
After building their notebooks on the Next Gen car at 18 different tracks through the first half of the year, Sunday’s race will be the first chance for teams to put their real-world experiences to the test at a track that they have already raced on this year.
Thirteen different drivers have already won so far this year, leaving just three spots up for grabs, with a number of drivers that won last season still winless at this point in the season. Those winless drivers include Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex Jr, Kevin Harvick, Christopher Bell, and others.
Given the superspeedway nature of the racing at the new Atlanta Motor Speedway, Sunday will also be a wild card race that could provide a driver not yet locked into the Playoffs a chance to punch their ticket.
By the Numbers
What: Quaker State 400, NASCAR Cup Series Race No. 19 of 36
Where: Atlanta Motor Speedway – Hampton, Georgia (Opened: 1960; Reconfigured: 1997/2021)
TV/Radio: USA Network, 3:00 pm ET / PRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Channel 90
Track Size: 1.54-mile quad-oval
Banking: 28 degrees in turns; 5 degrees on straightaways
Race Length: 260 laps, 400.4 miles
Stage Lengths: First stage – 60 laps, Second stage and Final stage – 100 laps
March 2022 Winner: William Byron – No. 24 Chevrolet (Started 12th,…
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