Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly Atlanta International Raceway) is a track in Hampton, Georgia, 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. It is a 1.54-mile (2.48 km) quad-oval track with a seating capacity of 111,000. It opened in 1960 as a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) standard oval. In 1994, 46 condominiums were built over the northeastern side of the track. In 1997, to standardize the track with Speedway Motorsports' other two 1.5-mile (2.4 km) ovals, the entire track was almost completely rebuilt. The frontstretch and backstretch were swapped, and the configuration of the track was changed from oval to quad-oval. The project made the track one of the fastest on the NASCAR circuit.
Entry list
(R) denotes rookie driver.
(i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
The first practice session was held on Friday, March 3, at 10:00 AM EST, and would last for 55 minutes.[3]Aric Almirola of Biagi-DenBeste Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 30.567 and an average speed of 181.372 miles per hour (291.890 km/h).[4]
The second practice session was held on Friday, March 3, at 1:30 PM EST, and would last for 55 minutes.[3]Daniel Hemric of Richard Childress Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 30.865 and an average speed of 179.621 miles per hour (289.072 km/h).[5]
The third and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Friday, March 3, at 3:30 PM EST, and would last for 55 minutes.[3]Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 30.881 and an average speed of 179.528 miles per hour (288.922 km/h).[6]
Qualifying was held on Saturday, March 4, at 9:15 AM EST.[3] Since Atlanta Motor Speedway is under 2 miles (3.2 km), the qualifying system was a multi-car system that included three rounds. The first round was 15 minutes, where every driver would be able to set a lap within the 15 minutes. Then, the second round would consist of the fastest 24 cars in Round 1, and drivers would have 10 minutes to set a lap. Round 3 consisted of the fastest 12 drivers from Round 2, and the drivers would have 5 minutes to set a time. Whoever was fastest in Round 3 would win the pole.[7]
Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing would win the pole after setting a fast enough time in the first two rounds to advance to the next, with Bell achieving a lap in Round 3 with a time of 30.153 and an average speed of 183.862 miles per hour (295.897 km/h).[8]
