About the Venue
Atlanta Motor Speedway is situated on 870 acres in Hampton, GA, just 25 miles south of Atlanta; today’s Atlanta Motor Speedway is one of the country’s top racing facilities.
Originally planned in 1958, insufficient funds forced four of the founders to abandon ship before construction of the proposed speedway had been completed. Ultimately, $1.8 million was spent to get the facility ready.
When the 1.5-mile track, then called Atlanta International Raceway, finally made its debut in July 1960, it became the seventh superspeedway—a paved facility of one mile or more—to play host to a Winston Cup race.
The speedway was purchased in late 1990, and renamed Atlanta Motor Speedway. A year later, the East Turn Grandstand was added and expanded the seating capacity by 25,000, and 30 suites rimmed the top.
In 1994, Tara Place, the nine-story building that houses 46 luxury condominiums, Tara Ballroom, the speedway office complex and more luxury suites opened, as did the adjacent Tara Clubhouse and its accompanying swimming pool and tennis courts. A year later, the North Turn Grandstand opened, and in 1997, the transformation was completed with the Champions Grandstand. When the Champions Grandstand was built, the start/finish line was moved from the west to the east side of the track, and two doglegs were added to the frontstretch to form a 1.54-mile quad-oval, which replaced the original oval.
City Guide
Atlanta
Atlanta is a relatively young city: only incorporated in 1847, it was little more than a minor transportation center until the Civil War, when its accessibility made it a good site for the huge Confederacy munitions industry and consequently a major target for the Union army. In 1864 Sherman's army burned the city, an act immortalized in "Gone with the Wind".
Recovery after the war took just a few years: Atlanta was the archetype of the aggressive, urban, industrial ''New South,'' furiously championed by "boosters" newspaper owners, bankers, politicians and city leaders. Industrial giants who based themselves here included Coca-Cola, source of a string of philanthropic gifts to the city.
Atlanta's layout is confusing, following old Native American trails rather than a logical grid system, with no fewer than 32 streets named "Peachtree"; take care to note whether you're looking for Avenue, Road, Boulevard and so forth.
The most important is Peachtree Street, which cuts a long north-south swath through the city. Sights are scattered, but relatively easy to reach on public transportation. Once you're there, the downtown area, the Martin Luther King Jr. Historic District ranged along Auburn Avenue, and the trendy neighborhoods of Little Five Points and Virginia-Highland are all easy to explore on foot.
Arrival and Getting Around
The colossal Hartsfield International Airport, the busiest passenger airport in the US, is ten miles south of downtown Atlanta, just inside I-285 ("the perimeter"). Road shuttle services such as the Atlanta Airport Shuttle (daily every 15-20min 7am-11pm; 404-524-3400) run into the city for around $14, $22 round-trip good for thirty days, or a little more to get to Buckhead.
The airport is also the southern terminus of the south line of the subway, fifteen minutes' ride from downtown ($1.75). If you need a taxi to get downtown, call Checker Cab ($18 for one passenger, $19 between two, $24 for three or more; 404-351-1111).
Atlanta's subway and wide network of buses are run by the Metropolitan Area Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA; 404-848-4711), and are clean, reliable and pretty safe, operating between 5am and 1am weekdays and Saturdays, and from 6am until 12.30am on Sundays. Fares are $1.75 per journey (daily pass $3.50, Fri-Sun pass $9, weekly pass $13).
A good way to explore the neighborhoods of Atlanta is on a ninety-minute walking tour with the Atlanta Preservation Center, 156 Seventh St ($5; 404-876-2041). Destinations include the West End, Fox Theater, Sweet Auburn (with emphasis on the churches), an architectural tour of downtown and many more.
Other Information
Atlanta's visitor center, at Pryor and Atlanta streets in Underground Atlanta (Mon-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun noon-6pm; 404-222-6688), handles bus tour reservations and sells half-price tickets for local events. Other branches can be found near the car rental offices in the airport (Mon-Fri 9am-9pm, Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 12.30-6pm; 404-305-8426) and in Buckhead’s Lenox Square mall (Tues-Sat 11am-5pm, Sun noon-6pm; 404-266-1398).
Nightlife
Atlanta is a place where you can have a very good time; budget for blowing some money hopping between its bars and clubs. The main concentrations are in the overlapping yuppie Virginia-Highland and funky Little Five Points, and the more upmarket midtown, the center of Atlanta's thriving gay and lesbian scene. Buckhead can be a lot of fun if you've got bags of cash. Up-to-the-minute listings for all venues can be found in the free weekly Creative Loafing.
Blind Willie's
The best blues venue in town, with appearances by major artists, this Virginia-Highland hangout is also a lively bar. Daily 8pm-late. 828 N Highland Ave NE; 404-873-2583.
Eddie's Attic
Offers nightly acoustic music, from traditional fiddlers to contemporary singer-songwriters and occasional stand-up comedy. 515B N McDonough St, Decatur; 404-377-4976.
Kaya Club & Bistro
Midtown's hottest dance club covers the full spectrum, with Latin, reggae, jazz and hip-hop nights. Closed Sun & Mon. 1068 Peachtree St NE; 404-874-4460.
Masquerade
Groovy grunge/punk hangout in midtown, split into rooms done up as Heaven, Hell and Purgatory, with a big outdoor auditorium. Live bands Wed-Sun. 695 North Ave NE; 404-577-8178.
Overall
Experience
