FOLDS OF HONOR QUIKTRIP 500 WEEKEND NEWS AND NOTES – THURSDAY, FEB. 26
News, notes and storylines for the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway Feb. 26-March 1
On-track events begin this afternoon
The first on-track events at Atlanta Motor Speedway begin at 1 p.m. this afternoon with the first open team test of the 2015 season. Each team entered into Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 Sprint Cup Series race is eligible to take part in today’s open test. The test session is open to the public, and general admission is free for those with a ticket to Sunday’s race and $10 for anyone without a Sunday ticket.
Richard Petty Speedway Lane Hall of Fame induction ceremony tonight
Following today’s test session, NASCAR legend Richard Petty will be inducted into the City of Hampton’s Speedway Lane Hall of Fame in a ceremony beginning at 6 p.m. at Depot Park in Downtown Hampton. Established in 2013, the Speedway Lane Hall of Fame honors influential drivers with strong ties to Georgia and Atlanta Motor Speedway. Its current members include Fayetteville, Georgia’s Rex White and Dawsonville, Georgia’s Bill Elliott, both 2014 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees. The late Captain Herb Emory, longtime local Atlanta traffic reporter, impassioned civic activist and icon in the motorsports press community, will also be recognized.
“It’s always great to be recognized, no matter where you’re at,” said Petty. “Atlanta’s been there since 1960, and we’ve been going there since then. It’s good to see the local (community) get involved in what they’ve had all these years.”
Guest speakers will include Petty, Hampton mayor Steve Hutchison and Atlanta Motor Speedway president Ed Clark.
XFINITY Series Hauler parade follows Speedway Lane ceremony
Immediately following the Speedway Lane Hall of Fame induction ceremony, NASCAR XFINITY Series haulers will parade through Hampton before entering the Atlanta Motor Speedway infield in the 3rd annual Hauler Parade. The parade is set to begin at 6:30 p.m., and Petty will serve as the parade’s grand marshal.
Danica Patrick looks to build off Atlanta success
Danica Patrick had her best finish ever in a Sprint Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway last year with a sixth place finish after running as high as fourth. Patrick will have an early opportunity to build off that success, returning to Atlanta for the second stop on the 2015 NASCAR schedule.
“I think as time goes on and I keep getting better and doing a better a job and communicating better and being able to help out with the car more, I then start looking forward to other races more,” said Patrick. “I had some better races at tracks – Atlanta comes to mind. It’s one of the toughest tracks and so to come down to the line for just about fifth place was a good race. Those are the ones I start to look forward to more and more all the time because of improvements and growing as a driver.”
For more information about Atlanta Motor Speedway’s NASCAR week or to purchase tickets, call the AMS ticket office at (770) 946-4211, (877) 9-AMS-TIX or visit http://www.atlantamotorspeedway.com.
