Bruton Smith, chairman of Speedway Motorsports, the parent company of Atlanta Motor Speedway, said Thursday he salutes Bill Lester's efforts to become the first black driver in 20 years to race in Nextel Cup, but he doesn't expect black fans to flock to the track to watch him. Lester seemed surprised by Smith's statements. "I have no inclination to respond to that," Lester said.
-- St. Petersburg Times
Atlanta Motor Speedway president Ed Clark encouraged Lester to enter qualifying for this week's Nextel Cup race, not far from the driver's home in suburban Atlanta. Clark hasn't given up on the idea of Lester earning a regular spot on the Nextel Cup circuit. ''He is the kind of guy that represents NASCAR well,'' Clark said. ''This isn't about a one-time race. He's going to have a chance to do this six or more times this year and maybe lead into a full-time opportunity next year."
-- Chicago Sun-Times
Lester couldn't stand sitting behind a desk. He walked away from a six-figure job to pursue his dream of being a race car driver, not even thinking about the chance to leave his mark on history. "I'm a racer," said Lester, who has driven in the truck series since 2002. He's a long shot to make the 43-car field for the Nextel Cup race at Atlanta but hopes his presence will inspire others to follow.
-- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Lester's No. 23 Waste Management Team is scheduled to compete at Atlanta Motor Speedway, at Michigan Speedway in June and at California Speedway in September. More races are expected to be added to the 2006 schedule as additional sponsorship and Lester's commitments in the Craftsman Truck Series permits, with an eye on the entire Nextel Cup schedule in 2007.
-- jayski.com
Chad Knaus can return to the track at Bristol next weekend, but Darian Grubb also will be there on top of the pit box, too, right where he was before Knaus was sent home from Daytona's Speedweeks. That familiarity, Johnson said, has helped make the interim arrangement work. Grubb was working at a Volvo dealership in Greensboro after getting his engineering degree from Virginia Tech when he posted his resume on an Internet site as someone who'd like to get into racing. That led to a job with Petty Enterprises and, eventually, to Hendrick Motorsports.
-- Charlotte Observer
Atlanta, NASCAR's fastest track, is made to order for Kyle Busch, who finished 12th in both races there last year as a series rookie. Ford driver Carl Edwards won both Atlanta races last year, and Busch would like to emulate the young, hard-charging Roush driver. "The track is very wide," said Busch. "So you don't get the sensation of speed that you do at some of the tighter racetracks. It's definitely one of the fastest tracks we go to, but, the truth is, you're only really turning those incredibly fast lap times for about three or four laps while your tires are new. After that, you're just not able to go that fast."
-- Detroit Free Press
In an era of high technology, an age-old problem has fueled Nextel Cup drivers' passion for racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway -- worn-out pavement. Nearly 10 years after AMS received a complete facelift, reconfiguration and a new coat of asphalt, an abrasive racing surface has become the key element for final-lap drama. The decision to convert the 1.522-mile oval-shaped facility into a more modern 1.54-mile quad-oval during the summer of 1997 initially was greeted with a lukewarm response from many of the sport's top drivers. But track president Ed Clark had the last laugh three years later, when the asphalt began to cure and produce a string of photo finishes.
-- Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ryan Newman leads all active drivers with six Atlanta Motor Speedway poles, all of them coming in the past six races at the track. Buddy Baker, Newman's mentor and coach, has a record seven AMS poles. In his eight appearances at AMS, Newman has qualified on the front row for seven of them. In October 2002, qualifying was canceled due to rain, placing Newman sixth on the starting grid. The current record for consecutive poles is held by David Pearson, who earned 11 straight pole positions at Charlotte Motor Speedway from 1973-1978.
-- jayski.com
The Interstate Batteries Chevy will be sporting new colors for the first time this season in Atlanta. Husqvarna will be featured as the primary sponsor of J.J. Yeley's No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Chevy.
-- jayski.com
Roush Racing plans to add a third entry for Friday night's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Driver David Ragan, a Georgia native, will drive the No. 50 Ford F-150 in the John Deere 200, joining teammates Mark Martin and rookie Erik Darnell. Martin, a longtime NASCAR star, is driving a part-time truck schedule this year and plans to share the No. 6 entry with Ragan during the rest of the season.
-- Charlotte Observer
Dale Jarrett, the 1997 champion at Atlanta Motor Speedway, will be pretty busy this week. In addition to driving the No. 88 UPS Ford this weekend, he'll be cheering for his beloved North Carolina Tar Heels in the NCAA tournament and playing a round of golf at Augusta National Golf Club.
-- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
-- St. Petersburg Times
Atlanta Motor Speedway president Ed Clark encouraged Lester to enter qualifying for this week's Nextel Cup race, not far from the driver's home in suburban Atlanta. Clark hasn't given up on the idea of Lester earning a regular spot on the Nextel Cup circuit. ''He is the kind of guy that represents NASCAR well,'' Clark said. ''This isn't about a one-time race. He's going to have a chance to do this six or more times this year and maybe lead into a full-time opportunity next year."
-- Chicago Sun-Times
Lester couldn't stand sitting behind a desk. He walked away from a six-figure job to pursue his dream of being a race car driver, not even thinking about the chance to leave his mark on history. "I'm a racer," said Lester, who has driven in the truck series since 2002. He's a long shot to make the 43-car field for the Nextel Cup race at Atlanta but hopes his presence will inspire others to follow.
-- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Lester's No. 23 Waste Management Team is scheduled to compete at Atlanta Motor Speedway, at Michigan Speedway in June and at California Speedway in September. More races are expected to be added to the 2006 schedule as additional sponsorship and Lester's commitments in the Craftsman Truck Series permits, with an eye on the entire Nextel Cup schedule in 2007.
-- jayski.com
Chad Knaus can return to the track at Bristol next weekend, but Darian Grubb also will be there on top of the pit box, too, right where he was before Knaus was sent home from Daytona's Speedweeks. That familiarity, Johnson said, has helped make the interim arrangement work. Grubb was working at a Volvo dealership in Greensboro after getting his engineering degree from Virginia Tech when he posted his resume on an Internet site as someone who'd like to get into racing. That led to a job with Petty Enterprises and, eventually, to Hendrick Motorsports.
-- Charlotte Observer
Atlanta, NASCAR's fastest track, is made to order for Kyle Busch, who finished 12th in both races there last year as a series rookie. Ford driver Carl Edwards won both Atlanta races last year, and Busch would like to emulate the young, hard-charging Roush driver. "The track is very wide," said Busch. "So you don't get the sensation of speed that you do at some of the tighter racetracks. It's definitely one of the fastest tracks we go to, but, the truth is, you're only really turning those incredibly fast lap times for about three or four laps while your tires are new. After that, you're just not able to go that fast."
-- Detroit Free Press
In an era of high technology, an age-old problem has fueled Nextel Cup drivers' passion for racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway -- worn-out pavement. Nearly 10 years after AMS received a complete facelift, reconfiguration and a new coat of asphalt, an abrasive racing surface has become the key element for final-lap drama. The decision to convert the 1.522-mile oval-shaped facility into a more modern 1.54-mile quad-oval during the summer of 1997 initially was greeted with a lukewarm response from many of the sport's top drivers. But track president Ed Clark had the last laugh three years later, when the asphalt began to cure and produce a string of photo finishes.
-- Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ryan Newman leads all active drivers with six Atlanta Motor Speedway poles, all of them coming in the past six races at the track. Buddy Baker, Newman's mentor and coach, has a record seven AMS poles. In his eight appearances at AMS, Newman has qualified on the front row for seven of them. In October 2002, qualifying was canceled due to rain, placing Newman sixth on the starting grid. The current record for consecutive poles is held by David Pearson, who earned 11 straight pole positions at Charlotte Motor Speedway from 1973-1978.
-- jayski.com
The Interstate Batteries Chevy will be sporting new colors for the first time this season in Atlanta. Husqvarna will be featured as the primary sponsor of J.J. Yeley's No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Chevy.
-- jayski.com
Roush Racing plans to add a third entry for Friday night's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Driver David Ragan, a Georgia native, will drive the No. 50 Ford F-150 in the John Deere 200, joining teammates Mark Martin and rookie Erik Darnell. Martin, a longtime NASCAR star, is driving a part-time truck schedule this year and plans to share the No. 6 entry with Ragan during the rest of the season.
-- Charlotte Observer
Dale Jarrett, the 1997 champion at Atlanta Motor Speedway, will be pretty busy this week. In addition to driving the No. 88 UPS Ford this weekend, he'll be cheering for his beloved North Carolina Tar Heels in the NCAA tournament and playing a round of golf at Augusta National Golf Club.
-- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette