Memorable Moments in 50 Years at Atlanta Motor Speedway: Who Won the 1978 Dixie 500 and AMS Toppled by Tornado

August 4, Hampton, GA--- As Atlanta Motor Speedway celebrates it’s 50^th Anniversary season, many moments from the track’s past have come to define the Speedway as one of the most storied in NASCAR’s history.  

Two such Atlanta Motor Speedway moments include a confusing finish to the 1978 Dixie 500 and a natural disaster at the racing facility. 

No. 8: Young Brian France Determines 1978 Dixie 500 Winner 

            The 1978 Dixie 500 ended in controversy and fans were left to wonder who actually won the race until an unexpected player, 16-year-old Brian France, stepped forward to settle the matter.  

            Richard Petty appeared to edge Dave Marcis to the finish line by a fender in an Atlanta photo finish to claim the win in the 1978 Dixie 500. However, before Petty was able to pull into Victory Lane, the track’s Public Address announcer proclaimed Donnie Allison the winner. 

            Allison had blown past Petty and Marcis with only seven laps remaining, but after being two circuits down earlier in the race, the race leaders and most fans assumed Allison was still one lap down. However, the NASCAR veteran had in fact previously reemerged on the lead lap and overtook Petty and Marcis to claim the race lead.  

            But just after Allison had conducted his winner’s interview in Victory Lane, Atlanta International Raceway officials announced Petty was the winner, further confusing the matter. 

When continued conversation between track officials, scorers and drivers failed to definitively confirm the winner, France emerged from the Scorer’s Booth to confidently verify Allison was the winner. The victory marked Allison’s 10^th and final NASCAR win and his only victory in Atlanta. The win also completed an Allison brother sweep of Atlanta’s 1978 races, as older brother Bobby won the 1978 Atlanta 500 in March. 

No. 7: Atlanta Motor Speedway Struck by F2 Tornado in 2005 

            Even in the dark of night, track officials could tell Atlanta Motor Speedway had suffered tremendous damage. Light posts had snapped like toothpicks and the Speedway’s flooded frontstretch parking lots looked more like a Great Lake than a tailgate haven for race fans. 

            As the sun came up, suspicions were confirmed as it was even more apparent the Speedway suffered a direct strike from a tornado spawned from the remnants of Hurricane Cindy on July 6, 2005.  

            Now illuminated, the damage was unimaginable. The Speedway’s backstretch Weaver grandstand lay in ruin. A scoring tower and sponsor billboards had been slammed to the ground and destroyed. And many of the track’s luxury suites featured a new convertible design, as the roof had been blown off by the F2 tornado’s pummeling winds. 

            “It was one of the most astonishing scenes I have ever seen in my life. The amount of damage was shocking,” said Ed Clark, Atlanta Motor Speedway president. 

            In total, the damage was estimated to exceed $40 million. 

            And if tension wasn’t high enough with Atlanta’s motorsports Mecca in ruins, the track had just three months to repair the facility for the 2005 Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500.  Speedway officials had 100 days to complete a massive rebuild project that might take upwards of six months under normal circumstances, not including planning and preparation.  

            “Normally you would have months of lead time to execute a project of that nature, but we had to complete an essentially overnight rebuild,” explained Brandon Hutchison, Atlanta Motor Speedway vice president of events. “Our track’s objective is to always provide fans with a great experience and customer service, but overnight we had a facility no longer fit to host events. It was a juggling act to say the least and it took all 100 days and then some.”           

With the track’s office building in shambles, the Speedway’s staff was forced to juggle office locations and relocate during the rebuild. 

“Imagine closing your office desk tonight and not being able to come back for three months,” added Hutchison.

             But despite all the tribulations, work progressed at a rapid pace and the Speedway played host to a successful 2005 Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 weekend without issue. 

            Coincidentally, the 2005 tornado marked the second time the track had been damaged by a twister, having faced a similar attack by Mother Nature during the 1970s. Track officials also hope the 2005 incident marks the last such occurrence.

Emory Healthcare Named Title Sponsor for Atlanta Motor Speedway’s Labor Day Weekend NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Event

August 4, Hampton, GA--- Emory Healthcare has been named the title sponsor for Atlanta Motor Speedway’s Sept. 5 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series night race, which will be named the “Emory Healthcare 500.” 

The multiple-year contract calls for Emory Healthcare to sponsor the Speedway’s 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event and become the official health care provider of Atlanta Motor Speedway.  

“Partnering so closely with NASCAR and the Atlanta Motor Speedway is a unique opportunity to support the local communities that work so hard to host and operate one of the nation’s premier sporting events each year. It is also a chance to support and thank the many valued patients and physicians in the Henry County and Southern Crescent region who allow  Emory to serve them for cutting-edge medical care - from first of its kind non-invasive heart valve repair to neurological intensive care and rehabilitation,” says Emory Healthcare President and CEO John T. Fox. “I am particularly excited that this partnership will allow Emory Healthcare volunteers to provide ongoing health care screenings and educational programs during the entire event for race fans, visitors and community supporters alike. 

“This Labor Day weekend will certainly showcase Henry County and the Atlanta Motor Speedway as world class venues for outstanding hospitality, excitement, and medical excellence,” Fox continued. “I know myself and every Emory Healthcare employee and volunteer will look forward to making this an incredible and memorable great American weekend, as well as a lasting partnership with the local communities we have had the honor and privilege to serve for so long.”        

Emory Healthcare is the largest and most comprehensive health system in Georgia - committed to delivering the highest quality patient care, strengthened by world-class biomedical research.  Emory University Hospital for the 20^th year joined the nation’s elite in the annual U.S. News & World Report guide to "America's Best Hospitals,” ranking 11 specialties, and garnering five top 20 specialties out of more than 4,800 U.S. hospitals to be evaluated.  

            The biggest Labor Day party in the USA is at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Emory Healthcare 500 race weekend on Sept. 3 -5. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the Atlanta Motor Speedway Ticket Office at (770) 946-4211, (877) 9-AMS-TIX, or visit www.atlantamotorspeedway.com.

Free Monday Breakfast Extends Atlanta Motor Speedway Labor Day Weekend

August 5, Hampton, GA--- Atlanta Motor Speedway’s Labor Day weekend celebration has grown to four days with the addition of Breakfast on Bruton, a free Monday-morning breakfast for fans attending the prior night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at the fabled 1.54-mile speedway.

Breakfast on Bruton was created by Atlanta Motor Speedway chairman Bruton Smith as a way to thank fans for attending the Sept. 3-5 racing events and supporting the Speedway through its first 50 years of operation. The breakfast will be served on Monday, Sept. 5 in the NASCAR Nationwide Series garage area from 7:00 a.m. until 9:00 a.m. Fans will be asked to show their ticket from Sunday night’s Sprint Cup race for admission. Beginning at 8:00 a.m., those in attendance will also be able to drive their own vehicles around the 1.54-mile oval for a $30 donation in the Speedway Children’s Charities’ “Hot Laps on the High Banks.” 

The breakfast will be the concluding event for the weekend which starts on Sept. 3 with Friday Fan Fest presented by Your Georgia Best Chevy Dealers. Friday night’s activities begin at 6:00 p.m. with a question-and-answer session hosted by SPEED’s Rutledge Wood featuring Sprint Cup drivers Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer and David Ragan. A concert by Drivin’ N Cryin’ follows with the Southern Superstars Short Track Series Georgia Best Chevy Dealers 150 closing out the night’s activities on the Speedway’s “Thunder Ring” quarter-mile track. Admission to Friday night’s activities is free with a ticket to either Saturday or Sunday nights’ NASCAR events and $10 for all others. 

Saturday’s schedule calls for NASCAR Nationwide Series qualifying at 2:40 p.m., followed by Sprint Cup Series qualifying at 4:40 p.m. The Great Clips 300 Nationwide Series race gets the green flag at 7:00 p.m. Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, the second to last before the field is set for the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, is set to begin at 7:30 p.m. following a 5:20 p.m. start/finish line concert by Foreigner. 

Breakfast on Bruton event sponsors include Bimbo Bakery, Coca-Cola, Minute Maid, Dixie Paper Products, Wheaties FUEL, the Georgia Egg Commission, Southerland Foods, Land-O-Lakes and OCP Angus Farms. 

“We’re thrilled to take last year’s two-day schedule and expand it to four days of exciting activity for fans attending the biggest Labor Day Weekend Celebration in the USA,” said Atlanta Motor Speedway president Ed Clark. “Obviously, the weekend won’t end with Sunday night’s fireworks. We look forward to serving breakfast and meeting the loyal fans who have made Atlanta Motor Speedway’s first 50 years so successful as we celebrate our 50^th Anniversary season.” 

The biggest Labor Day party in the USA is at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Labor Day weekend, as the NASCAR Sprint Cup stars head to the high banks for night racing on Sept. 4 and 5. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (770) 946-4211, (877) 9-AMS-TIX, or visit www.atlantamotorspeedway.com.

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