Atlanta Motor Speedway announce details for 2022 reprofiling project
Atlanta Motor Speedway officials announced the details of a 2022 reprofiling project Tuesday.
Following Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400, the track’s banking will be increased and the racing surface will be narrowed.
The banking in the turns will be increased from 24 degrees to 28 degrees, which will make it the highest-banked intermediate track. The straightaway banking will remain five degrees.
The track’s 55-foot wide turns and straightaways will be narrowed to 40-foot wide turns, a 42-foot wide backstretch and a 52 foot-wide frontstretch.
The track partnered with iRacing and engineers to conduct a ten-month project involving confidential research, development, testing and simulation.
iRacing provided a virtual rendering of each concept floated and data was gathered on how the NextGen car will perform on the reconfigured track.
According to track officials, speeds averaged 200 MPH with the unrestricted NextGen car but averaged around 180 MPH with the restricted NextGen car.
Track officials also stated that there was “not much if at all, any tire wear” on the new configuration, which is in contrast to the current surface’s tire wear that causes lap times to fall off by a few seconds throughout a green flag run.
The track hopes the minimal tire wear will create competitive, pack-like racing.
A test will take place following the completion of the reprofiling project.
The July 10 NASCAR Xfinity Series Credit Karma Money 250 (3 p.m. ET; TV: NBCSN, Radio: PRN) and the July 11 Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart (3:30 p.m. ET; TV: NBCSN, Radio: PRN) will take place at Atlanta Motor Speedway as the last two races on the current racing surface.
SOURCES:
Atlanta Motor Speedway
NASCAR
Racing-Reference.Info
SMI
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com