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Guest Column By Cathy Elliott

When someone asks the front desk manager at my office how she’s doing she invariably answers, “Fine. I hope you are, too.”

Let’s go ahead and establish one thing up front so we don’t have to come back and argue about it later.

I have worked in Darlington, S.C. in various capacities for 15 years. I love Darlington Raceway, and I will always consider the former Southern 500 Labor Day weekend as one of NASCAR’s most-respected traditions. It’s right up there with the green courts of major tennis tournaments and knicker-wearing gents on the golf courses of the PGA.

These things are dear to us, deeply ingrained in our sports memories and psyches. But for the most part they are gone now, replaced by long pants, the blue-court battleground of the U.S. Open and yes, Labor Day weekend NASCAR racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The atmosphere surrounding the initial announcement in June 2003 that Darlington would host its final Labor Day weekend event that year was as gloomy as the set of a Tim Burton film. Some fans reacted the way they would upon suddenly being told their parents were breaking up after 50 years of marriage. We weren’t simply surprised; we took it personally.

Mom stuck around and the annual Mother’s Day race weekend at Darlington has gone on to become one of the most popular stops on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule.

Dad headed out to California for a while to ‘find himself’ before eventually heading back home. Atlanta Motor Speedway welcomed Labor Day weekend racing like the prodigal son, dressing him up in fancy trappings and generally making a very big deal about his new residence in town. You can probably even find fatted calf on the concession stand menu if you look hard enough. AMS knows how to throw a party.

Still, every year around this time we hear that inevitable grousing about the way things were. It certainly would be a lot more productive, not to mention more fun, to focus on the way things are.

Atlanta is a terrific location for a Labor Day weekend, for a number of reasons. Its inland location means the track isn’t plagued by the threat of impending hurricanes, a constant issue at Darlington. He turned northward and dropped by North Carolina’s Outer Banks for a visit, but just this week Hurricane Earl threatened the East Coast. That could easily have affected South Carolina.

Atlanta is a ‘destination’ city, with plenty for those visiting on a holiday to do and see and eat. There’s plenty of room for everyone.

But when you get right down to it, the best reason to host a Labor Day weekend race at Atlanta is the quality of action on the track. The movie masterpiece “Gone With the Wind” taught us three important things — that tomorrow is another day, that raw radishes don’t sit well on an empty stomach … and if you’re looking for a battle royale, Atlanta is the place to find it. In 50 years of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing, the track has crowned an amazing 42 different winners, proving you just never know what might happen.

Atlanta Motor Speedway has been the site of some of racing’s most famous feuds and finishes. This is the place where Dale Earnhardt spanked Bobby Labonte by .010 seconds to claim his ninth win at the track.

Richard Petty ran his final Cup Series race in Atlanta, and Jeff Gordon ran his first. Just two weeks after Earnhardt’s death at Daytona in 2001, Kevin Harvick renewed the spirit of his team by taking his first Cup Series checkered flag, at Atlanta.

The most recent AMS buzz, of course, centered around Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski in March. Both drivers will be competing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series Great Clips 300 as well as the Emory Healthcare 500 at AMS, turning the weekend into something resembling an ad for Doublemint gum — “Double your pleasure; double your trouble.” Or something like that. It should double your interest.

NASCAR fans seem to have a very specific wish list where Labor Day weekend is concerned. We want nice weather and a Southern location. We want to see a great race offering close competition and the ever-present possibility of controversy. We want to have a memorable experience; we want to have fun. We want an annual racing tradition at a place with many decades-worth of character, history, and respect.

The Atlanta Motor Speedway offers us all these things, and more.

I’m fine with that. I hope you are, too.

The opinions expressed in this articles are solely those of the author and not this website.

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McMurray Holds Off Kyle Busch for NASCAR Nationwide Series Win

By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photo

(September 4, 2010)

HAMPTON, Ga.—Jamie McMurray held off Kyle Busch and stopped Busch one spot short of a historic win Saturday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Driving JR Motorsports’ No. 88 Chevrolet, McMurray asserted his superiority over the final 40 of 195 laps to win the NASCAR Nationwide Series Great Clips 300 at the 1.54-mile racetrack. The victory, the eighth of McMurray’s NASCAR Nationwide career, was his first since November 2004 at Darlington.

Busch is tied with Sam Ard for the series’ single-season wins record with 10.

Carl Edwards ran third, followed by Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth. Joey Logano, Jason Leffler, Ryan Newman, Paul Menard and rookie Ricky Stenhouse Jr. completed the top 10. Series points leader Brad Keselowski finished 12th.

Harvick took four tires under caution on Lap 62, while Busch and most other contenders chose to restart on old rubber when the field came to green on Lap 65. After restarting 12th, Harvick passed McMurray for the lead on Lap 70.

By Lap 112, he had the rest of the field at least one lap down, after Busch and other drivers on old tires came to the pits under green. Harvick gave up the lead to Busch when he made a green-flag stop for tires and fuel on Lap 120.

Harvick left the pits eight seconds behind Busch but cut that margin in half before Ryan Newman spun Trevor Bayne on the backstretch to cause the third caution of the race and bunch the field. McMurray was first out of the pits under caution and led the field to a restart on Lap 153.

McMurray stayed out front until contact from Stenhouse sent Reed Sorenson’s Toyota hard into the outside wall on Lap 168. Keselowski and 11th-place finisher Josh Wise stayed on the track under the caution, but they quickly surrendered the top two spots when the field restarted.

McMurray surged to the front with Busch in pursuit, but Busch was unable to make up significant ground in the closing laps and finished .286 seconds back.

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HOUSTON, September 4, 2010 –Quaker State and Hendrick Motorsports are proud to announce an expansion of their unparalleled technical relationship, which will increase exposure for the motor oil brand in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Beginning in 2011, the three-year agreement includes primary placement for Quaker State on the No. 5 Chevrolet in four Sprint Cup races annually and associate sponsorship of all Hendrick Motorsports cars. Quaker State also will continue to be poured in the more than 80 Hendrick Automotive Group franchises throughout the United States.

“We are extremely proud to announce our continued sponsorship of Hendrick Motorsports,” said Lisa Davis, Vice President, Shell Lubricants Americas. “Hendrick Motorsports sets the benchmark for performance in NASCAR, and we are proud that Quaker State racing oil has been under the hood of every Hendrick race car for the past 15 years. We have achieved tremendous success together and look forward to many more wins and championships, as Hendrick’s ability to perform on and off the track continues to grow.”

Quaker State’s technical relationship with Hendrick Motorsports began in 1996 and helped produce a Sprint Cup championship that first season with the No. 5 team and driver Terry Labonte. Now with more than seven million on-track miles, the association has resulted in an unparalleled number of racing triumphs, including 143 Sprint Cup wins, eight Cup championships, three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championships and one NASCAR Nationwide Series championship.

“We’re excited to continue what has been an extremely successful relationship,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports and chairman of Hendrick Automotive Group. “Our engine department works hand-in-hand with Quaker State technical personnel to develop the highest possible grade of racing oil for our teams. And the Quaker State relationship extends beyond the racetrack and into our dealerships by providing customers with a durable oil that offers a high level of protection for their vehicles.”

Mark Martin, winner of 40 Sprint Cup races, will drive the No. 5 Chevrolet in 2011. Quaker State’s four races as primary sponsor of the No. 5 car will be determined at a later date.

“The new Quaker State paint scheme looks awesome,” Martin said. “I’m not sure how a paint scheme can look fast, but Quaker State and Hendrick Motorsports did it with this one. I can’t wait to race it and hopefully take it to Victory Lane.

“I know Quaker State and Hendrick Motorsports have a long history together, but I also have a history with Quaker State. The color green actually brought me some good luck back in 1986, when Quaker State was a sponsor on my ASA (American Speed Association) car. Not only did we win races, but we also won the championship that year. I’m excited to be working with them again, after all these years.”

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1 11 Denny Hamlin Sport Clips Toyota
2 39 Ryan Newman U.S. Army Reserve Chevrolet
3 18 Kyle Busch Pedigree Toyota
4 99 Carl Edwards Aflac Ford
5 14 Tony Stewart Office Depot / Old Spice Chevrolet
6 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
7 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s / Kobalt Tools Chevrolet
8 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Huggies Chevrolet
9 6 David Ragan UPS Ford
10 9 Kasey Kahne Budweiser/ Valvoline Ford
11 2 Kurt Busch Miller Lite Dodge
12 1 Jamie McMurray McDonald’s Chevrolet
13 00 David Reutimann Aaron’s Outdoors Toyota
14 33 Clint Bowyer BB&T Chevrolet
15 16 Greg Biffle Scotch Blue Ford
16 43 A J Allmendinger Insignia HDTV Ford
17 5 Mark Martin CARQUEST / GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
18 24 Jeff Gordon DuPont / Jeff Gordon Foundation Chevrolet
19 98 Paul Menard Quaker State / Menards Ford
20 82 Scott Speed Red Bull Toyota
21 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Mobil 1 Dodge
22 19 Elliott Sadler Stanley Ford
23 46 Michael McDowell Whitney Motorsports Chevrolet
24 71 Bobby Labonte TaxSlayer.com Chevrolet
25 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard / AMP Energy Chevrolet
26 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet
27 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
28 12 Brad Keselowski Penske Dodge
29 29 Kevin Harvick Shell / Pennzoil Chevrolet
30 17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Black Ford
31 20 Joey Logano Home Depot Toyota
32 47 Marcos Ambrose Little Debbie Toyota
33 83 Reed Sorenson Red Bull Toyota
34 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota
35 26 Patrick Carpentier Air Guard Ford
36 37 David Gilliland Taco Bell Ford
37 38 Dave Blaney A&W All American Food Ford
38 36 J J Yeley Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet
39 55 Mike Bliss PRISM Motorsports Toyota
40 21 Bill Elliott FordParts.com Ford
41 34 Travis Kvapil Long John Silver’s Ford
42 7 Kevin Conway # Extenze Toyota
43 13 Casey Mears GEICO Toyota