ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY (1.54-MILE OVAL)
LOCATION: HAMPTON, GEORGIA
EVENT: NASCAR CUP SERIES (RACE TWO OF 36)
TUNE IN: 2:30 P.M. ET, SUNDAY, MARCH 5 (FOX/PRN/SIRIUSXM)
No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS / Kasey Kahne
Driver Kasey Kahne Hometown Enumclaw, Washington
Age 36 Resides Mooresville, North Carolina
2017 Season
13th in standings
1 start
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
1 top-10 finish
7 laps led
Career
469 starts
17 wins
27 pole positions
89 top-five finishes
170 top-10 finishes
4,614 laps led
Track Career
20 starts
3 wins
2 pole positions
7 top-five finishes
9 top-10 finishes
353 laps led
KAHNE AT ATLANTA: Kasey Kahne will drive the No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The Enumclaw, Washington, native has captured three NASCAR Cup Series wins at the Hampton, Georgia, track. He earned his most recent Atlanta win in August 2014, which secured his spot in that season’s playoffs. In March 2006, Kahne completed the weekend sweep by winning the pole award and the 500-mile race in just his fifth start at the 1.54-mile speedway.
ATLANTA LOOP DATA: According to NASCAR’s loop data from the last 10 seasons, Kahne ranks fifth in fastest laps run at Atlanta with 263. The 36-year-old is sixth in laps led with 349, ninth in laps run in the top 15 with 3,207 and 10th in average speed early in a run at 175.773 mph among all drivers during that time span.
1.5-MILE TRACKS: In Kahne’s last 10 starts at 1.5-mile speedways, he has one top-five finish and six top-10s, with an average finishing position of 13.5. Statistically, intermediate tracks bode well for Kahne, with eight of his 17 wins coming at 1.5-mile venues.
SHOES FOR CHARITY: While piloting the No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevy this weekend at Atlanta, Kahne will wear specially designed race shoes through teammate Chase Elliott’s Foundation. The shoes were designed by 11-year-old Walker Watson of Hampton, Georgia. Watson is a patient at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and is a sixth grader at Hampton Middle School. Squirrel, as he’s known to most people, plays baseball – first base and pitcher – and loves to hunt. The shoes will be auctioned off on the new NASCAR Foundation auction website with the proceeds benefiting the summer camp program at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
RECAPPING DAYTONA: Kahne competed in the NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Cup Series races last weekend at Daytona International Speedway. He earned a second-place finish in the XFINITY race, driving the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro entry for JR Motorsports. Kahne continued to show his superspeedway strength while driving the No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS on Sunday in the Cup race. He led seven laps, avoided multiple incidents and was in the third position in the closing laps when he ran out of fuel coming to the checkered flag and ultimately finished seventh.
No. 24 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet SS / Chase Elliott
Driver Chase Elliott Hometown Dawsonville, Georgia
Age 21 Resides Dawsonville, Georgia
2017 Season
8th in standings
1 start
0 wins
1 pole position
0 top-five finishes
0 top-10 finishes
39 laps led
Career
42 starts
0 wins
3 pole positions
10 top-five finishes
17 top-10 finishes
397 laps led
Track Career
1 start
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
1 top-10 finish
0 laps led
Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 24 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet SS, will visit the Atlanta Motor Speedway media center at 10:15 a.m. local time on Friday.
HOME TRACK RETURN: Dawsonville, Georgia, native Chase Elliott will make his second NASCAR Cup Series start at his home track of Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend. The two-time Georgia Racing Hall of Fame Driver of the Year (2013, 2014) will race his familiar No. 24 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet SS. Atlanta Motor Speedway also serves as the home track for NAPA AUTO PARTS, an Atlanta-based company. Elliott grew up just one hour away from NAPA AUTO PARTS headquarters and a mere 90 miles from the speedway.
HOMETOWN TRIFECTA: In addition to NAPA AUTO PARTS, No. 24 team primary partners Hooters and Kelley Blue Book are headquartered in Atlanta. Hooters, a casual dining establishment with a deep history in NASCAR, will make its season debut in May at Talladega Superspeedway. Kelley Blue Book will make its return to the No. 24 Chevrolet SS in June at Sonoma Raceway.
SPEEDWEEKS REWIND: In his sophomore season, Elliott made his presence known during Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway. The 21-year-old is the first driver in history to win back-to-back Daytona 500 pole awards in his first two attempts. It also marked the third consecutive season the No. 24 team has held the pole position in “The Great American Race.” Elliott made his second trip of the week to Victory Lane after winning the first Duel on Thursday night. The driver of the No. 24 Chevy then led 39 laps — the second-highest total in the race — during the season-opening Daytona 500.
ATLANTA STATS: Elliott posted his first career top-10 finish in the NASCAR Cup Series last February at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Despite starting 24th, he spent 306 of the race’s 330 laps running inside the top 15 en route to an eighth-place finish. Elliott also earned his first career pole in NASCAR XFINITY Series competition at the 1.54-mile track in 2014. He holds a 5.0 average start and finish in two XFINITY starts at the track.
DOUBLE DUTY: In addition to his usual duties behind the wheel of the No. 24 Chevrolet SS in the Cup Series, Elliott will drive the No. 23 Chevrolet Silverado for GMS Racing in Saturday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. Making his 11th series start, it will be the first truck event for the Dawsonville native at his home track. Elliott’s Truck Series résumé includes one win, six top-five finishes and eight top-10s. He earned the pole, led 109 laps and finished second in his most recent truck start last fall at Martinsville Speedway.
TAKING IT TO THE BOOTH: On Saturday, Elliott is scheduled to switch gears and make his broadcast booth debut during the 163-lap XFINITY event. The driver of the No. 24 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet SS will join the NASCAR on FOX crew as a guest analyst during FS1’s live coverage from Atlanta Motor Speedway beginning at 2 p.m. ET.
SPECIAL VISIT: The official launch of the Chase Elliott Foundation will take place at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston on Thursday, March 2. Elliott will be on hand to present a donation check from his foundation to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and unveil five patient-designed racing shoes from the Chase Elliott Foundation’s “Design 2 Drive 4 Children’s” contest for the upcoming Atlanta race weekend.
DESIGN 2 DRIVE 4 CHILDREN’S: To help kick start the Chase Elliott Foundation, Elliott and his three Hendrick Motorsports teammates will sport special racing shoes designed by five patients at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. The theme of the shoes is based on art sketches of what the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta summer camp program means to each of the patients. Elliott will be wearing shoes designed by 12-year-old Jackson Vicknair for the Truck Series race on Saturday and by 12-year-old Liv Shumbres for the Cup Series race on Sunday. Each of the five pairs of racing shoes are being auctioned off on the new NASCAR Foundation auction website with all proceeds going to the Chase Elliott Foundation to benefit the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta summer camp program.
CHASE UNIVERSITY: The first Chase University program of the season is Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Elliott created “Chase U” in 2016 as an effort to give college students a customized race-day experience for an affordable price. Fans with a valid college ID can purchase the $24 package that includes a grandstand ticket and access to a pre-race party with live music, food, beverage, games, a question-and-answer session with Elliott, and more. Students with a valid college ID can enroll in Chase University online.
CARS 3: At Daytona, NASCAR announced that it will team up with Disney Pixar’s “Cars 3” as crowd-favorite Lightning McQueen prepares to return to the big screen this June. Elliott will lend his voice to second-generation Piston Cup racer Chase Racelott in the “Cars” trilogy. Racelott’s blend of skills, track smarts and top-of-the-line technology make this rookie a real contender.
CAMPUS INSIDERS: Elliott sat down with Sports Illustrated college basketball reporter Seth Davis for an episode of Campus Insiders to discuss following his father’s legacy, what he would be doing if he wasn’t racing, lessons he has learned from teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. and why race car drivers are athletes. The 21-year-old driver was the first motor sports personality to be featured on the show. Watch Elliott’s episode here.
No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS / Jimmie Johnson
Driver Jimmie Johnson Hometown El Cajon, California
Age 41 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina
2017 Season
34th in standings
1 start
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
0 top-10 finishes
7 laps led
Career
544 starts
80 wins
35 pole positions
218 top-five finishes
330 top-10 finishes
18,453 laps led
Track Career
25 starts
5 wins
0 pole positions
14 top-five finishes
16 top-10 finishes
584 laps led
Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS, will visit the media center at Atlanta Motor Speedway at 11:15 a.m. local time on Friday.
TWO-TIME DEFENDING RACE-WINNER: In each of the last two years, Jimmie Johnson has taken home the trophy at Atlanta Motor Speedway, all but locking himself into the NASCAR playoffs in just the second race of the season. This weekend, Johnson will attempt a three-peat as the NASCAR Cup Series races for the last time on the current pavement before a planned repave project. Johnson has five wins there – the most of all active drivers.
STOUT IN ATLANTA: Johnson leads all active drivers with 14 top-five finishes at Atlanta. According to NASCAR’s statistical services, over the last 10 seasons, Johnson has the series-best driver rating at Atlanta with a score of 107.1 and a series-best average finish of 9.6. The driver rating is a formula that combines wins, top-15 finishes, average running position while on the lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, most laps led and lead-lap finishes. The maximum a driver can earn in each race is 150 points. The driver rating number is used pre-race as a prediction tool and post-race as a performance evaluator.
RESPECT: When Johnson crossed the finish line at Atlanta one year ago, he was overjoyed as he realized it was his 76th NASCAR Cup Series victory, and he had tied the late Dale Earnhardt for seventh on the all-time wins list. Out of respect for Earnhardt, Johnson took a backwards victory lap around the 1.54-mile track with his hand raised out of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS holding up three fingers, signifying the No. 3 of Earnhardt.
SHOES FOR THE CHASE ELLIOTT FOUNDATION: This weekend Johnson, along with his Hendrick Motorsports teammates, will wear shoes specially designed by patients at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta as part of the launch of the Chase Elliott Foundation. Johnson’s summer camp-themed shoes were designed by 10-year-old Carly Diver, a fourth-grader from Cumming, Georgia. Johnson will meet Diver before the race on Sunday and the shoes will be auctioned off on the new NASCAR Foundation auction website to raise funds benefitting Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
ICYMI: JOHNSON PENS LETTER TO FANS, REVEALS HASHTAG: Last week Lowe’s Racing revealed its newest video, where Johnson pens a thank you letter to his fans for their support. At the end, Johnson reveals his highly anticipated hashtag for the 2017 season – #chasing8. Johnson used the #se7en hashtag for the seasons between the 2013 championship through his 2016 title. The hashtag paid homage to Johnson’s friend Ricky Hendrick as he vied for a historic seventh championship. To view the video, click here.
JIMMIE JOHNSON FIT FEST : The Jimmie Johnson Foundation recently announced the Jimmie Johnson Foundation Fit Fest, a local community event that will feature running, obstacle racing, mountain biking, music, food and more. Set in a festival atmosphere, the Jimmie Johnson Foundation Fit Fest will take place Monday, May 29, at Anne Springs Close Greenway in Fort Mill, South Carolina. Included in the day-long event will be 5K, 8K and half marathon trail running races; an MTB Challenge, which is a four-hour endurance mountain bike event with individual and duo competitions; and a Spartan Kids Race.
PHOTO TAKEOVER: Johnson is very active on the social media platform Instagram with more than 322,000 followers. This past weekend in Daytona, Johnson hosted photographer and filmmaker Lyle Owerko. Owerko’s projects span from environmental photography to portraits and The Boombox Project. He was also credited with the iconic photo of the World Trade Center on the cover of Time Magazine depicting the events from Sept. 11, 2001. Owerko photographed Johnson throughout Speedweeks to showcase the personal side of his life at the track and can be seen on Johnson’s Instagram page at @JimmieJohnson.
No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS / Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hometown Kannapolis, North Carolina
Age 42 Resides Mooresville, North Carolina
2017 Season
27th in standings
1 start
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
0 top-10 finishes
8 laps led
Career
596 starts
26 wins
13 pole positions
148 top-five finishes
252 top-10 finishes
8,195 laps led
Track Career
29 starts
1 win
2 pole positions
10 top-five finishes
14 top-10 finishes
633 laps led
DAYTONA RECAP: After starting Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway as a guest broadcaster for FOX Sports during The Clash exhibition race, Dale Earnhardt Jr. qualified on the outside pole for the Daytona 500, securing a spot on the front row alongside teammate and pole-winner Chase Elliott. Earnhardt flew to New York City on Tuesday, Feb. 21, for a trip to promote the race, which was highlighted by appearances on the “TODAY Show,” the “Dan Patrick Show” and “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.” When the Daytona 500 began on Sunday, Earnhardt picked up valuable points by finishing fifth in Stage 1, and later took the lead on Lap 97. After leading eight laps and seeming to be in great position for the second half of the 200-lap event, the driver of the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS was caught up in a multiple-car incident, which ended his day prematurely and relegated him to a 37th-place finish.
ATLANTA VICTOR: Earnhardt has one NASCAR Cup Series win at Atlanta Motor Speedway, which came in 2004. The Kannapolis, North Carolina, native led 55 of 325 laps en route to victory, including the final 16 laps of the event. In the most recent race at the 1.54-mile oval in 2016, Earnhardt finished second to teammate Jimmie Johnson after starting 16th.
TWO-TIME POLE-SITTER: Earnhardt has earned two poles at Atlanta — one in 2001 and the other in 2010. Atlanta is one of three tracks where the 42-year-old has multiple poles. He also has earned two poles at both Texas Motor Speedway and Michigan International Speedway.
ATLANTA STATS: Earnhardt, who will be driving the white-and-blue No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS again this weekend, has earned solid statistics at the Hampton, Georgia, racetrack. According to NASCAR’s loop data, he ranks third in green-flag passes from 2005 to 2016 with 1,297 passes and is fourth in laps in the top 15 during the same time period with 4,030.
SPECIAL SHOES: All four Hendrick Motorsports drivers will help raise awareness and funding for the launch of the new Chase Elliott Foundation and the foundation’s primary beneficiary, the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, the largest healthcare provider for children in Georgia and one of the largest in the country. Each driver will wear special-themed racing shoes for Sunday’s race. The racing shoe designs depict color sketches made by five patients at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta on what the summer camp program means to them. Earnhardt’s shoe was specially designed by 11-year-old Bronco Reese. The shoe designs will be unveiled by Elliott at the hospital on Thursday. Following the race weekend, each shoe will be signed by the respective drivers and auctioned off on the new NASCAR Foundation auction website, with proceeds going to the Chase Elliott Foundation to benefit the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta summer camp program.
Hendrick Motorsports
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT ATLANTA: Hendrick Motorsports has 14 wins at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the most recent of which came last season thanks to Jimmie Johnson. The organization has earned 57 top-five finishes, 87 top-10s and five pole positions at the Georgia track.
SIX DRIVERS FIND VICTORY LANE AT ATLANTA: Car owner Rick Hendrick’s first Atlanta Motor Speedway NASCAR Cup Series win came on March 19, 1989, with driver Darrell Waltrip. The organization has posted Atlanta victories with six different drivers: Jeff Gordon (five wins), Johnson (five wins), Waltrip, Ken Schrader (1991), Jerry Nadeau (2000) and Kasey Kahne (2014).
ORGANIZATION STATS: To date, Hendrick Motorsports has totals of 12 championships, 245 race victories, 211 pole positions, 1,009 top-five finishes and 1,695 top-10 finishes in points-paying NASCAR Cup Series competition. Its teams have led 66,433 laps since 1984.
QUOTABLE /
“They are momentum tracks and are pretty fast. They have some interesting bumps that you need to get over and not get loose or tight. You’ve got to have your car handling and driving the right way when you cross the bumps. You lose grip over a run a good bit, especially in the front-end of the car. Understanding all of those things and making them work, we’ve been able to have a lot of success over the years at intermediate tracks – especially Atlanta and Charlotte – and I want to have a lot more.”
Kasey Kahne on intermediate tracks
“I like the slippery track and I like the tires falling off, but the track is so old that it needs it. I think it will be fine. Hopefully, the re-pave doesn’t make it one lane. If we can move around pretty quickly on the track, it will be awesome.”
Kahne on the upcoming Atlanta repave
“I raced a lot of legend and bandolero races there on the front straightaway, so that was one of my home tracks, so to speak, when I was short-track racing and certainly is my home track now. Atlanta will always be special to me and hopefully we can go there for a long time and try to have some good runs along the way.”
Chase Elliott on his childhood memories of Atlanta
“I’m heartbroken like everybody else. I know there is a time when it comes and believe me, every driver and team representative was begging the track to hold off another year, but it had to be done. We can just hope that it ages quickly and we can get back to that Atlanta that we all know of so well. With that said, once it’s completed, it’s going to be fast. Somebody is going to break the track record and we are going to have the fastest 1.5-mile speed in the history of 1.5-miles. We just all love that old surface so much and I’m just sad to see it go.”
Jimmie Johnson on the upcoming Atlanta repave
“The racing surface, for one, and the banking. I think it’s the steepest 1.5-mile we run on. It’s always put up that short-run speed and then the age of the surface has given us the character that we all like in the track.”
Johnson on what makes Atlanta unique
“It’s going to be a fun season and we’ve got pretty high spirits. I’m ready to get to Atlanta. The worn-out track surface with its bumps and swells makes it a real challenge. It’s pretty fun. To be successful at Atlanta takes a good setup – you’ve got to hit on everything just right. The tires wear out pretty bad, so if your car is not doing well on old tires you can really suffer there.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. on racing at Atlanta
