The merger of NASCAR’s Grand-Am Series with the Braselton-based American Le Mans Series could mean a return of NASCAR racing to the ALMS’ home track, Road Atlanta in Braselton.
The merger announced on Wednesday unites the two sports car racing groups and includes the 2.5-mile road course in Braselton.
Road Atlanta track president Geoff Lee said Thursday that while he doesn't expect to ever host a Sprint Cup race, he does see the possibility of another NASCAR division such as the Camping World Truck Series or the Nationwide Series racing at his track.
“It’s certainly something we will look at,” Lee said. “The opportunities [with the merger] are endless.”
He said a Sprint Cup race at Road Atlanta isn’t likely because he can’t see NASCAR putting another Cup race in a market where it already races.
The NASCAR series now known as Nationwide ran at Road Atlanta in 1986 and 1987. Darrell Waltrip won in '86, and Morgan Shepherd won the next year in a race that saw Patty Moise leading with five laps to go, the closest a woman driver has ever come to winning a major NASCAR race.
Lee said the track’s signature event, the 10-hour Petit Le Mans, will be a key part of the new sports car world when the two series begin racing as one in 2014.
Truex’s fateful restart
Martin Truex Jr. was seven laps away from putting a spectacular end on an already memorable weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but a late-race caution spoiled his celebration.
Truex and his Michael Waltrip Racing team started the weekend by announcing a contract extension that will keep Truex in the No. 56 Toyota and Atlanta-based NAPA on board as the full-time primary sponsor.
Then Truex went out and put himself in position to win only to see the caution flag fly for a wreck by Jamie McMurray. But on the green-white-checkered-flag dash to the finish, he faded to fourth behind race winner Denny Hamlin, runner-up Jeff Gordon and Brad Keselowski.
Truex said he lost the lead because he spun his tires on the fateful restart.
“All night long I had trouble when I was on the outside with spinning the tires,” he said. “It just wasn’t meant to be again, I guess.”
He said the fact that he ran well and clinched a spot in the 10-race, championship-deciding Chase for the Sprint Cup wasn’t enough to outweigh the disappointment of losing a race that appeared to be in his grasp, at least in the hours immediately following the race.
“It’s tough losing when you haven’t won in a long time,” said Truex, whose only Cup victory came in June 2007 at Dover International Speedway. “People keep asking, ‘When are you going to win? When are you going to win?’
“We’re close. It just sucks we couldn’t get it done [Sunday].”
Team owner Waltrip was similarly disappointed.
“You’re supposed to be happy when you race and you have success, but somehow we were able to rob the joy of making the Chase,” he said.
Truex and the other drivers in the top 10 in the points standings all clinched Chase berths at Atlanta. Two others will be decided on Saturday at Richmond International Raceway.
Kasey Kahne, with two victories this season, appears to be in position for one of those spots. The other is up for grabs between the drivers who have one race win this season and two drivers — Carl Edwards and Paul Menard — who could join that group with a win at Richmond.
The one-time winners are Gordon, Kyle Busch, Marcos Ambrose, Ryan Newman and Joey Logano.
Another Truex ride
Ryan Truex, the younger brother of Sprint Cup driver Martin Truex Jr., will drive the No. 99 Toyota of RAB Racing in this weekend's Nationwide Series race at Richmond and on Sept. 29 at Dover International Speedway.
Travis Pastrana had been driving the car, but switched to the No. 60 Ford at Roush Fenway Racing.
On the air
The broadcasts of the Nationwide and Sprint Cup races at Atlanta Motor Speedway drew ratings numbers about equal to those from previous years.
The Cup race on ESPN earned a 3.9 household coverage rating, averaging 5,557,932 viewers, the same as in 2009. Last year’s race was pushed to Tuesday because of rain. Saturday’s Nationwide race posted a 1.4 (1,989,407 viewers), the same as the past three years.
More at AMS
Atlanta Motor Speedway is done with NASCAR racing for the year but there will be two more nights of Friday Night Drags on Sept. 14 and Sept. 21.
Then the track will host the 2012 Legends Asphalt Nationals on Oct. 25-27. More than 300 Legends, Thunder Roadsters and Bandolero drivers are expected.
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