(Motorsport-Total.com) – “The Atlanta race is going to be crazy,” said Kyle Busch regarding the fifth round of the 2022 NASCAR season at the converted Atlanta Motor Speedway in Georgia. The course was adjusted for the upcoming race because the asphalt was showing its age. NASCAR seized the opportunity and made further modifications. The 1.5 mile (2.4 km) oval is now faster, steeper and narrower.
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Kyle Busch is looking forward to a “crazy” race in Atlanta
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The course is faster mainly because of the new asphalt surface, which means that the old puckle track is out of the question. With the banking raised from 24 to 28 degrees, higher cornering speeds are also expected. In addition, the lane was narrowed from 16.76 meters to 12.19 meters, which is why Busch expects tough and close duels. In 1997, before the current adjustments, the Atlanta Motor Speedway was rebuilt into a quad oval.
NASCAR plays it safe and will therefore use the Superspeedway package in Atlanta, which is actually intended for the 2.5-mile ovals (four kilometers) in Daytona and Talladega. Instead of 670 horsepower and little downforce, around 510 horsepower will be available in Atlanta. In addition, NASCAR relies on the aerodynamics package, which generates high downforce.
“It will be a different race than in previous years,” predicts Busch. “You used to be able to set really fast lap times on the old asphalt, but then came the massive tire wear, which is why the lap times dropped a lot during the race. This meant that some drivers dropped a lot behind, but then shot up once more are.”
© Atlanta Motor Speedway
The conversion of the oval is now complete Zoom
Busch expects a race like that in Daytona and Talladega in 2022, where there is the famous pack racing of the NASCAR series. “You’re going to see a lot of pack racing, with some drivers going to be racing in twos or even threes abreast,” said Busch, who is watching Friday and Saturday’s Xfinity and Truck Series races (NASCAR’s second and third Liga) to learn something regarding the new course before the cup race.
Stewart-Haas driver Kevin Harvick, who was a big fan of the old mogul track, is looking forward to the new Atlanta Motor Speedway, but also mourns the ailing asphalt: “At the beginning of the year there are so many challenges with new racetracks, new cars and the logistics, you just have to be very open-minded.”
Team Spire will certainly be grudgingly looking forward to the upcoming NASCAR races, because following the round in Phoenix, Corey Lajoie’s squad received some pretty severe penalties. He had lost a wheel in the Arizona desert – the new central nut was found on the track. His crew chief and two mechanics were each suspended for four championship races.
