If you ever wanted to ride along with NASCAR driver Kurt Busch, then you had a chance to watch it from Atlanta Motor Speedway. The track has gone through some modifications and it’s always cool to see how they look from a driver’s perspective. Letting Kurt Busch be at the wheel to take us for the tour is not a bad way to get revved up for watching the NASCAR race in Hampton, Ga., just near Atlanta.
NASCAR Driver Kurt Busch Gives Fans A Look At Updated Atlanta Track
He’s taking his 23XI Racing car around the track during the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500. You get a good look at what they see out on the track. But the Atlanta Motor Speedway has been through some adjustments.
Before the race itself, Kurt Busch had some thoughts about the nuances of the track. “It was exciting to go out on track and be in a different environment but here at Atlanta Motor Speedway,” he said. “It’s completely changed with the banking, the fresh asphalt. It’s a clean slate and the Next Gen car is a clean slate. So, yesterday was a big day with excitement and anticipation for how the track would drive and how it would feel.”
So, the track itself has been repaved and NASCAR drivers are running wild on the track on Sunday afternoon. The 1.54-mile oval went through a redesign, too. This gives the track a much-improved layout. It’s the first time that things have been changed there since 1997.
Talk about more changes indeed. Meanwhile, Atlanta Motor Speedway has 28-degree turns and they are now 40-feet wide. That marks some definite changes from the old way. Toss in some backstretch changes as it has been narrowed to 42 feet. Driers have to deal with this new look as they work to win the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500.
Heading Into Race, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Posted Fast Practice Lap
The front stretch is wider, too, at 61.5 feet. More safety work was done, too, as the runoff area is wider on the front stretch. Go ahead and toss in a repositioned SAFER barrier and catch fence on the final turn for additional changes. Don’t mind that NASCAR is quite geeked about the updated track.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. scored the top practice lap at 29.078 seconds. Kyle Busch and Christopher Bell took second and third with their fast times. Ford drivers Harrison Burton, Joey Logano, and Michael McDowell were up next in the practice lap marks.
In conclusion, drivers had time to think about what happens with race conditions. As they might have just looked upon the race itself, some might have taken a chance to visualize their driving.
