NASCAR Pre-race: ESPN's NASCAR Countdown - 6:30pm/et

Television Race Coverage: ESPN, 7:30pm/et

In the Booth: Allen Bestwick, Dale Jarrett, Andy Petree
Pit Reporters: Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Vince Welch, Dr. Jerry Punch
NASCAR Countdown: Nicole Briscoe, Brad Daugherty, Rusty Wallace
ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage: Tim Brewer

SPEED's NASCAR Raceday Pre-Race Show: 4:30 pm/et with John Roberts, Kyle Petty, Kenny Wallace

Scheduled Race Re-Air Dates/Times:
Monday, September 5 at 12:30am/et on ESPN2
Wednesday, September 7 at 12:00pm/et on SPEED

TV Listings, Links and Info:
Jayski's TV Listings Page
NASCAR on TV
Race Fan TV

This Week - Performance Racing Network (PRN) and SiriusXM Satellite NASCAR Channel 90

goprn.com

siriusxm.com

Track Specs:
Track/Race Length: 1.54 mile quad oval, 325 laps, 500.5 miles
Degree of Banking: Turns: 24 degrees; Straightaways: 5 degrees
Straights: Frontstretch - 2332 feet; Backstretch - 1800 feet
Pit Road Speed: 45mph
Pace Car Speed: 55mph
Grandstand Seating: 99,000
Opened: 1960

Race Festivities/Officials:
Grand Marshal: ?
Command to start engines: ?
Honorary Starter/Wave Green Flag: ?
Invocation: Don Boykin of New Hope Baptist Church
National Anthem: Ernie Haase & Signature Sound
Military Flyover: 4 F-15's, 159th FW, Louisiana ANG

Websites:
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Atlanta Motor Speedway
ISC Motorsports
Speedway Motorsports
Emory Healthcare 500
Atlanta Motor Speedway - Facebook
Atlanta Motor Speedway - Twitter
ESPN's NASCAR Track Guide: Atlanta Motor Speedway

September 2010: see my Atlanta Race Info page

March 2010: see my Atlanta Race Info page

September 2010 Pole Sitter: #11-Denny Hamlin, 187.380mph, finished 43rd

March 2010 Pole Sitter: #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr., 192.761, finished 15th

Track Qualifying Record: Geoffrey Bodine, 11/16/1997, 197.478mph

Last Race Won from 1st Starting Position: Kasey Kahne (03/19/2006)

Youngest Pole Winner: Terry Labonte (03/15/1981 - 24 years, 3 months, 27 days)

Oldest Pole Winner: Harry Gant (11/14/1993 - 53 years, 10 months, 4 days)

Pole Winners: 44

The Numbers for Atlanta Motor Speedway (all 103 Sprint Cup races):
1 - fewest cautions for a race at Atlanta Motor Speedway (twice, most recent 8/2/70)
1 - fewest laps led by race winner (9/17/61 - David Pearson)
3 - wins by Dodge in last four Sprint Cup races at AMS
6 - fewest lead changes (three times, most recent 6/30/63)
6 - number of jet dryers available for track drying at AMS during race weekend
6 - wins from outside a top-20 starting position
7 - most poles (Buddy Baker, Ryan Newman)
7 - fewest caution laps (11/2/86)
9 - most wins (Dale Earnhardt)
12 - most wins by a car owner (Glen Wood/Wood Brothers)
14 - most cautions (10/28/07)
14 - wins from the pole
17 - most leaders (3/12/00)
22 - drivers with multiple wins at AMS
32 - most cars on lead lap at finish (11/8/98)
41 - most cars running at the finish (three times, most recent 3/9/08)
42 - different race winners in 103 races
45 - different pole winners
45 - most lead changes (11/7/82)
99 - most caution laps (11/6/77)
120 - minutes, the minimum amount of time it takes to dry the 1.54-mile track after a significant rainfall
2011 Caution Update
4 - fewest cautions this season (Fontana and Pocono1)
6 - number of races extended beyond scheduled distance in 2011
16 - most cautions this season (Daytona)
173 - number of cautions in the first 24 races of 2011; includes 80 for accidents, 43 for debris and 24 for spins
816 of 6,751 - number of laps under caution in 2011
1,165,997 of 9,432,758 - miles under caution in the first 24 races
(Darnell Communications for Dodge Motorsports)(9-1-2011)

At Atlanta Motor Speedway, stats & facts:
• Originally called Atlanta International Raceway, the track was then a 1.5-mile paved speedway.
• The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Atlanta was on July 31, 1960, won by Fireball Roberts from the pole.
• The track was re-measured to 1.522 miles in the spring of 1970.
• It was renamed Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1990.
• The track layout was reversed and the track was re-configured to 1.54 miles between the two races in 1997.
• There have been 103 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Atlanta Speedway, two races per year except 1961, which had three. This year marks the first season with only one.
• Fireball Roberts won the pole and race for the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race in 1960.
• 45 drivers have won a pole, led by Buddy Baker and Ryan Newman, each with seven.
• Six of Newman's seven poles came in consecutive races between March 2003 and October 2005.
• 42 drivers have won a race; 22 have won more than once.
• Dale Earnhardt scored nine victories, more than any other driver. Cale Yarborough is second, with seven.
• Bobby Labonte heads the list of active drivers with six victories. Labonte is tied with Richard Petty for third on the all-time win list at Atlanta.
• The Wood Brothers have 12 victories, more than any organization. They last won there in 1993, with Morgan Shepherd.
• 14 races have been won from the pole. The last to do so was Kasey Kahne in 2006. Both races last season were won from the second starting position.
• 59 races at Atlanta have been won from the first five starting positions.
• Bobby Labonte won the 2001 fall race from the 39th starting position, the deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Atlanta.
• There have been seven season sweeps, most recently by Jimmie Johnson in 2007.(NASCAR)(8-30-2011)

For news, stats, records and more about this race track, see: Jayski's Atlanta Motor Speedway Track News/Rumors/Links page

Practices:
Friday, September 2, 6:00 - 7:20pm/et, TV-SPEED

Happy Hour 'Final' practice: Saturday, September 3, 1:30 - 3:00pm/et, TV-SPEED

Qualifying: 2 laps for positions 1-42, Saturday, September 3 at 5:10 pm/et, TV-SPEED, re-air scheduled at 12:00am/et.

Jeff Gordon wins at Atlanta: #24-Jeff Gordon won the AdvoCare 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway for his 85th career win, 5th at AMS and 3rd of the season.
#48-Johnson finished 2nd followed by #14-Stewart, #22-Busch, #99-Edwards, #2-Keselowski [last three races 1-2-3-1-6], #29-Harvick, #11-Hamlin, #17-Kenseth and #43-Allmendinger. The pole sitter, #4-Kahne finishing 34th after losing a radiator in the race.
Points leader going in to the race, #18-Busch finished 23rd and lost the points lead to #48-Johnson, who has a 21 points lead over Busch.
There were 35 lead changes among 14 drivers and 9 cautions for 64 yellow flag laps. The attendance is listed as 29,700 [Sunday was estimates at 87,600], was 85,000 last year.
Scheduled Race Re-Air:
ESPN2, Wednesday, September 7 at 1:00 am/et;
SPEED, Wednesday, September 7 at 12:00pm/et
See race results, awards, laps led and more on Jayski's Atlanta Race Results/Awards page.(9-6-2011)

2011 Sprint Cup Driver Championship Points Standings:
[after Atlanta, race 25 of 36]:
rank, car#, driver, points, behind
1) #48-Jimmie Johnson [1 win], 873 (CH)
2) #18-Kyle Busch [4 wins], 852, -21 (CH)
3) #99-Carl Edwards [1 win], 835, -38 (CH)
4) #17-Matt Kenseth [2 wins], 834, -39 (CH)
5) #24-Jeff Gordon [3 wins], 830, -43 (CH)
6) #29-Kevin Harvick [3 wins], 819, -54 (CH)
7) #22-Kurt Busch [1 win], 789, -84 (CH)
8) #39-Ryan Newman [1 win], 786, -87 (CH)
Drivers with a (CH) have clinched a Chase birth
9) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr., 753, -120, 25 ahead of 11th, needs 20th or better at RIR
10) #14-Tony Stewart, 751, -122, 23 ahead of 11th, needs 18th or better at RIR
current wild cards
WC1) #2-Brad Keselowski [3 wins], 728, -145 [11th in points, 3 wins](CH)
WC2) #11-Denny Hamlin [1 win], 709, -164 [12th in points, 1 win]
out of top 10, no wins, can get in, only if they get a win and either #2 or #11 get in top 10 and #27 doesn't win at RIR
#43-Allmendinger, #33-Bowyer, #16-Biffle, #56-Truex Jr.,
#4-Kahne, #20-Logano, #5-Martin
in the top 20 with wins, possible for the wild card, would get in if wins at RIR and stays in top 20
20) #27-Paul Menard [1 win], 657, -216 [20th in points, 1 win]
Three race winners are not inside the top-20:
#9-Ambrose is 21st, 7 points out of 20th; #6-Ragan is is 23rd, 20 points out of 20th;
#78-Smith is 26th, 104 pts out of 20th
NOTE: wild cards are drivers not in the chase with a win as long as they are in the top-20 in points, then if no wins by drivers points.
See drivers championship points standings on Jayski's Drivers Points Standings page.(9-6-2011)

Top-35 in Owner Points and guaranteed a starting spot at Richmond:
#71 increases lead tis 44 pts over 36th in owners pts, the #38 team.
33) #36-Blaney/Baldwin, 355, +62
34) #32-Bliss/FAS Lane, 348, +55
35) #71-Lally/TRG, 337, 44 points ahead of 36th
these teams / drivers will need to qualify by speed:
36) #38-Kvapil/Front Row, 293, 44 points out of top 35
37) #7-Gordon/RGM, 274, -63
The teams are NOT locked in past the next race as the owners points change after each race.
For the owner points standings, see my Owners Points Standings page.(9-6-2011)

Race Fast Facts - Atlanta:
#24-Jeff Gordon won the 52nd Annual AdvoCare 500, his 85th victory in 642 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races placing him solely third on the all-time wins list.
This is his third victory and 13th top-10 finish in 2011.
This is his fifth victory and 24th top-10 finish in 38 races at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
#48-Jimmie Johnson (second) posted his 13th top-10 finish in 20 races at Atlanta Motor Speedway. It is his 17th top-10 finish in 2011.
#14-Tony Stewart (third) posted his 15th top-10 finish in 25 races at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Andy Lally (30th) was the highest finishing rookie.
Jimmie Johnson leads the point standings by 21 points over Kyle Busch.(NASCAR Statistics)(9-6-2011)

Atlanta Notes-n-Nuggets:
" Jeff Gordon claimed his 85th career Cup Series victory, giving him sole possession of third place on the all-time winners list. It broke a tie with Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip.
" This was the 11th 1-2 finish for teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson; Gordon has won seven of them.
" Jeff Gordon led 146 laps, including the final 38; that was the most laps led by any driver, and it was the second week in a row in which Gordon led the most laps.
" This was the 15th career victory on a 1.5-mile track, tying Jimmie Johnson for the most all time.
" This was the fifth Atlanta victory for Jeff Gordon, but his first since the fall of 2003.
" Hendrick Motorsports earned its 198th Sprint Cup Series victory.
" Chevrolet claimed its 10th victory of the season (most of any manufacturer) and 37th win at Atlanta (also the most by any manufacturer).
" Jimmie Johnson (second) earned his 11th top-five finish of 2011, which ties him for the second most in the series.
" Tony Stewart (third) picked up his third top-five of 2011; He has just four top-10 finishes in the past 10 races.
" Kurt Busch (fourth) had only his second top-10 finish in the past six races.
" Carl Edwards (fifth) is tied with Jimmie Johnson with 11 top-five finishes in 2011.
" Brad Keselowski (sixth) earned his sixth consecutive top-10 finish; his worst finish in the past six races is ninth.
" This was only the second race run on a Tuesday since 1978; the other was run at Michigan.(Racing Recall/nascar.com)(9-6-2011)

Penalty Report / Infraction Sheet - Atlanta:
Car#, Lap, Infraction, Flag, Penalty, Lap Assessed
#16, Pre-Race to the rear, W, Tail of Field, Engine
#36, Pre-Race to the rear, W, Tail of Field, Driver Change
#60, Pre-Race to the rear, W, Tail of Field, Driver Change & MIssing Driver Intros
#95, Pre-Race to the rear, W, Tail of Field, Missing Driver Intros
#46, 83, Speed-Entering pits, G, Pass Thru, 86
#47, 93, Pitting before pit road is open, Y, Garage
#71, 129, Pitting before pit road is open, Y, Tail of Field, 134
#71, 133, Speed-Entering pits, Y, Tail of Field, 134
#71, 168, Speed-Exiting pits, G, Pass Thru, 170
#71, 170, Speed-Entering pits, G, Stop & Go, 172, Sped while doing pass thru
#00, 204, Outside half of the pit box tire violation/Team member not in contact with the outside tires, Y, Tail of Field, 219
#38, 245, Outside half of the pit box tire violation/Team member not in contact with the outside tires, Y, Tail of Field, 247
#78, 250, Pitting before pit road is open, Y, Garage
#6, 250, Pitting before pit road is open, Y, Garage
#18, 284, Commitment Line Violation, G, Pass Thru, 286
(NASCAR Statistics)(9-6-2011)

Lucky Dogs - Who got a lap back on each caution at Atlanta: (and their finish)
Caution 1: no cars on the track down a lap
Caution 2: #7-Gordon, 39th
Caution 3: #78-Smith, 33rd
Caution 4: #88-Earnhardt Jr., 19th
Caution 5: #51-Cassill, 22nd
Caution 6: #36-Skinner, 27th
Caution 7: #36-Skinner(2), 27th
Caution 8: #32-Bliss, 26th
Caution 9: #32-Bliss(2), 26th
(9-6-2011)

Atlanta race postponed until Tuesday: The AdvoCare 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race has been postponed because of weather from Tropical Storm Lee. The race will be rescheduled for Tuesday, September 6 with a start time of 11:00 am/et. Existing tickets and credentials will be honored when the gates open at 8:30 am. The Atlanta Motor Speedway ticket office will open at 9:00 am. on Monday, September 5 for fans still wishing to purchase tickets for the rescheduled race. Fans can also purchase tickets at the gate the day of the event. Due to impending weather, the Monday, Sept. 5 Breakfast on Bruton has been cancelled. The race will be televised on ESPN live.(9-4-2011)

Race Coverage of the rain postponed AdvoCare 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway is scheduled for Tuesday, September 6, 2011.
Television (TV): ESPN at 11:00am/et; green flag approx 11:15am/et
Radio: Performance Racing Network (PRN) and Sirius XM Satellite NASCAR Radio 90
Scheduled Race Re-Airs:
SPEED, Wednesday, September 7 at 12:00pm/et

Storm threatens Atlanta race, not and updates on the weather UPDATE 9:45pm/et: Looks like Tropical Storm Lee is going to cause problems for getting the Sprint Cup race run on time at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The race is scheduled to go green around 7:45pm/et tonight, Sunday, September 4th. But the forecast for tonight and the next 2-3 days does not look promising. Forecasts from National Weather Service:
TONIGHT: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Low around 69. Southeast wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
MONDAY: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some storms could be severe, with damaging winds and heavy rain. High near 80. South wind between 10 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.
MONDAY Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some storms could be severe, with damaging winds and heavy rain. Low around 71. East wind between 5 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Tuesday has a similar forecasts with things looking better for Tuesday evening. Other sources of weather forecasts and news on my Atlanta Race Info page - weather section.
NASCAR.com reports that in an effort to beat the storm, NASCAR officials already have moved the start time up some 20 minutes to 7:30 pm/et, but that may not be enough to allow completion of the next-to-last race before the Chase field is set. A race is official at the halfway mark; in this case, that's 163 laps on Atlanta's 1.54-mile oval. According to the NWS, widespread showers and thunderstorms will be developing during the afternoon. The hour-by-hour prediction now shows a 100% chance of precipitation around 6 pm/et, with the possibility of up to a half-inch of rain by midnight. However, there may be breaks in the weather that may allow for track drying. Heavy rains are expected throughout the night and Monday, with as much as 3 to 5 inches total over the next 48 hours. The heaviest band of storms shown on the radar at 3 pm/et was near Columbus, Ga., approximately 90 miles to the southwest of the track.
UPDATE from the AMS site - Race fans, we are all excited to host you today at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the AdvoCare 500. I just stepped out of a meeting with the National Weather Service and wanted to give you all an update. Our contact there has told us we will have some light rain today, but the heavy rains should stay to the west of us. The pre-race festivities have been moved up a bit in order to have the green flag fly promptly at 7:30 pm/et. It appears we have a good opportunity to get the race in tonight and our track services staff will do everything possible to maximize that opportunity. So come out, enjoy the cooler temperatures and light breeze while you take in all the sponsor displays and activity all around the track. If there are any further updates, we will message them out on our social media channels, so tell all the other fans you interact with to subscribe to us and you will get up to the minute updates. Thanks for your patronage and enjoy the race! Ed Clark, President and General Manager, Atlanta Motor Speedway
Can also get updates at AMS's Twitter and AMS Facebook, including......due to safety, umbrellas are not permitted in the grandstands.
The race did not start at 7:30pm/et, invocation and National Anthem have been completed, flyover was 4 F-15's, 159th FW, Louisiana ANG.
Rain started again around 9:15pm/et and the track was lost, soon afterward NASCAR postponed the race until Tuesday, September 6th at 11:00am/et, to be aired on ESPN.(9-4-2011)

NASCAR Sprint Cup Live in Prime Time from Atlanta on ESPN: The NASCAR Sprint Cup race under the lights in prime time this weekend on the high-speed Atlanta Motor Speedway and ESPN networks will have live telecasts of the event on Sunday, Sept. 4. The 500-mile NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race will air on ESPN on Sunday night, Sept. 4, with the NASCAR Countdown pre-race show at 6:30 pm/et and the race's green flag at 7:46 pm/et. The race telecast is presented by Pennzoil. Analysts Dale Jarrett, the 1999 driving champion, and two-time champion crew chief Andy Petree will join lap-by-lap announcer Allen Bestwick in the booth to call the action for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race, while Marty Reid will anchor the Saturday night telecast. Two-time champion crew chief Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage, while pit reporters will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch and Vince Welch. NASCAR Countdown from the ESPN pit studio will be hosted by Nicole Briscoe with analysis by 1989 champion driver Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty. The studio team will interact with the booth during the telecast of the race.
NASCAR fans looking for an online gathering during ESPN's telecasts of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series now have a place to go on ESPN.com. RacingLive! on ESPN.com is a live blog where fans can engage in debate and discussion with ESPN.com writers and editors during the NASCAR Sprint Cup races. On Sunday, Sept. 4, RacingLive! Atlanta will kick off to coincide with ESPN's live telecast of the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Fans can join ESPN.com's NASCAR experts in dissecting every aspect of the race live at espn.go.com/racing/nascar/.
ESPN.com senior motorsports writer Ed Hinton will be on hand at AMS to report.

Race Coverage of the AdvoCare 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway is scheduled for Sunday, September 4, 2011.
Television (TV): ESPN at 7:30 pm/et; NSCS Countdown pre-race show at 6:30 pm/et; green flag approx 7:46pm/et
Radio: Performance Racing Network (PRN) and Sirius XM Satellite NASCAR Radio 90
Scheduled Race Re-Airs:
ESPN2, Monday. September 5 at 12:30am/et;
SPEED, Wednesday, September 7 at 12:00pm/et

Pit Stall Selections: The selections of pit stalls for the AdvoCare 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway have been made.
Pole sitter #4-Kahne chose pit stall 1 [as do most pole sitters].
Outside pole sitter #33-Bowyer took pit stall 21, the first pitstall in front of the start finish line.
#18-Busch, who starts 3rd took the 23rd pit stall, the 2nd stall with an opening in front of it.
The 43rd and final pit stall was taken by #17-Kenseth, who starts 6th.
To see where the drivers/teams pit stall is, see the pit selection chart on the Pit Stall Selection chart.(9-3-2011)

NASCAR Green-White-Checkered Race Procedure: NASCAR allows a maximum of three restart attempts prior to the White Flag under NASCAR's Green-White-Checkered flag finish. If the leader has taken the White Flag and the caution flag is displayed, the field is frozen and the race will not be restarted. Previously, there was only one restart attempt. The procedure applies to all three national series. See rule and notes on the Green-White-Checker rule page.(2-11-2010)

Wave-around rule: The wave-around rule dictates that cars under penalty at the time of the caution are ineligible for the wave around.(10-11-2009)

See Jayski's - 2011 Sprint Cup Race Results Page for pole winner, race winner with speed and starting/finishing position, links to race results, drivers & owners points, pit stall selections, qualifying results/starting lineup, practice speeds and chase stats as well as link to race track and race information page for each race

Kahne wins Atlanta pole: #4-Kasey Kahne won the Coors Light pole for the AdvoCare 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway with a speed of 186.196mph. It is his 2nd pole of the season and the 22nd of his career. Kahne has won five races from the pole. #33-Bowyer starts 2nd followed by #18-Busch, #83-Vickers, #24-Gordon, #17-Kenseth, #99-Edwards, #56-Truex, Jr., #39-Newman and #22-Busch.
The go-or-go homers who made the race (8): #66-McDowell, #46-Speed, #38-Yeley, #7-Gordon, #87-Nemechek, #60-Skinner, #55-Kvapil and #95-Starr.
The go-or-go homers who failed to qualify for the race (4): #50-Bell, #37-Raines, #30-Stremme and #35-GBodine.
See the starting lineup, qualifying speeds and notes on my Atlanta Starting Lineup/Qualifying Results page.(9-3-2011)

Qualifying Fast Facts - Atlanta:
#4-Kasey Kahne won the Coors Light Pole Award for the 52nd Annual AdvoCare 500 with a lap of 29.775 seconds, 186.196 mph.
This is his 22nd pole in 277 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
This is his second pole and 13th top-10 start in 2011.
This is his second pole in 15 races at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
#33-Clint Bowyer (second) posted his eighth top-10 start of 2011 and his third in 11 races at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
#18-Kyle Busch (third) posted his ninth top-10 start at Atlanta Motor Speedway. It is his ninth in 25 races this season.
#71-Andy Lally (42nd) was the fastest qualifying rookie.(NASCAR Statistics)(9-3-2011)

Fastest Qualifier by Manufacturer at Atlanta::
Chevy: #33-Bowyer, 185.922, starts 2nd
Dodge: #22-Busch, 185.325, starts 10th
Ford: #17-Kenseth, 185.710, starts 6th
Toyota: #4-Kahne, 186.196, starts 1st

Coverage of Qualifying for the AdvoCare 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway is scheduled for Saturday, September 3, 2011 at 5:10pm/et.
Television (TV): SPEED, 5:00pm/et
Jayski.com: Jayski's Qualifying Page
Qualifying Re-Air: 12:00am/et on SPEED

Qualifying Order for the AdvoCare 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway is posted. 47 cars/drivers are listed. Go-or-go homers are now mixed in with the top-35 drivers, slowest by fastest in first practice.
The first of the drivers scheduled to go out is #37-Raines, slowest in practice.
The final driver scheduled to go out is #2-Keselowski, who was fastest in first practice.
Qualifying order is set by the first practice session, with slowest driver going out by speed and the fastest going out last. The non-top 35 drivers are now mixed in with the top-35 in owners points, slowest to fastest.
See the full qualifying order on the Atlanta Qualifying Page.(9-2-2011)

Happy Hour practice for the AdvoCare 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway is over, after 90 scheduled minutes, the top 5, slowest and notes:
#24-Gordon 182.392
#14-Stewart 181.979
#33-Bowyer 181.675
#2-Keselowski 180.669
#16-Biffle 180.557
slowest: #32-Bliss 171.870 & #35-GBodine 172.345
notes: #38-Yeley smacked the wall as soon as he got on the track, didn't even finish a lap. #18-Busch scraped the wall, no major damage. #2-Keselowski who hit a bolt on the track Friday and tore a hole in the oil cooler, had the oil pan replaced without changing the engine, so he will start where he qualifies Saturday..
Friday's practice set the qualifying order, qualifying is scheduled for 5:10pm/et on Saturday, September 3rd on SPEED.
See fastest speeds, average speeds, laps run, best 10-lap average on the Atlanta Practice Speeds Page.(9-3-2011)

Friday practice for the AdvoCare 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway is over, after 80 scheduled minutes, the top 5, slowest and notes:
#2-Keselowski 187.722
#11-Hamlin 186.689
#33-Bowyer 185.016
#56-Truex Jr. 184.911 #5-Martin 184.794
slowest: #37-Raines 173.288 & #50-Bell 175.260
notes: #11-Hamlin scraped the wall, no major damage. #2-Keselowski hit something on the track and tore a whole in the oil cooler, plans are to pull the engine, replace the pan and put the same engine back in the car.
The results of this practice session will set the qualifying order, qualifying is scheduled for 5:10pm/et on Saturday, September 3rd on SPEED.
See fastest speeds, average speeds, laps run, best 10-lap average on the Atlanta Practice Speeds Page.(9-2-2011)

Friday practice rank for the non top-35 drivers at Atlanta:
if things stay the same, these eight drivers would make the race:
#38-J.J. Yeley, 32nd fastest overall
#60-Mike Skinner, 34th
#66-Michael McDowell, 35th
#55-Travis Kvapil. 37th
#30-David Stremme, 39th
#46-Scott Speed, 40th
#7-Robby Gordon, 41st
#87-Joe Nemechek, 42nd
these drivers would miss the race if the order stayed the same:
#35-Geoff Bodine, 43rd
#95-David Starr, 45th
#50-T.J. Bell, 46th
#37-Tony Raines, 47th/last

Another new twist to the qualifying format: Starting at Kentucky Speedway, there will be a rain-out qualifying procedure change for all three NASCAR national series. If first practice is run, but qualifying is unable to take place, the starting lineup will be based on speeds from the car's fastest lap from the first practice, with top-35 cars in owner points no longer segregated from the non-top 35 cars. Previously, the top 35 cars lined up in front of all other eligible car owners.(NASCAR)(7-7-2011)

The Entry List for the AdvoCare 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway is posted, 47 teams/drivers [for 43 spots] are listed, including:
Not in top 35 of owners points:
#7-Robby Gordon (37/24)
#30-David Stremme (44/12)
#35-Geoff Bodine (51/4)
#37-Tony Raines (39/24)
#38-J.J. Yeley (36/24)
#46-Scott Speed (40/24)
#55-Travis Kvapil (52/6)
#50-T.J. Bell (49/10)
#60-Mike Skinner (43/24)
#66-Michael McDowell (41/24)
#87-Joe Nemechek (42/24)
#95-David Starr (45/4)
In the event that qualifying is cancelled:
the eight who would make it [8]: #'s 38,7,37,46,66,87,60,30
missing the race would be [4]: #'s 50,55,95,35
See the full entry list at my Jayski's Atlanta Entry List.(8-29/30-2011)

Top-35 in Owner Points and guaranteed a starting spot at Atlanta:
#71 increases it's lead to 49 over 36th in owners pts, the #38 team.
33) #36-Blaney/Baldwin, 337, +64
34) #32-Labonte/FAS Lane, 330, +57
35) #71-Lally/TRG, 322, 49 points ahead of 36th
these teams / drivers will need to qualify by speed:
36) #38-Kvapil/Front Row, 273, 49 points out of top 35
37) #7-Gordon/RGM, 269, -53
38) #21-Bayne/Wood Brothers, 238,-84
The teams are NOT locked in past the next race as the owners points change after each race.
For the owner points standings, see my Owners Points Standings page.(8-27-2011)

2011 Sprint Cup Driver Championship Points Standings:
[after Bristol, race 24 of 36]:
rank, car#, driver, points, behind
1) #18-Kyle Busch [4 wins], 830
2) #48-Jimmie Johnson [1 win], 830, -0
3) #17-Matt Kenseth [2 wins], 798, -32
4) #99-Carl Edwards [1 win], 795, -35
5) #29-Kevin Harvick [3 wins], 782, -48
6) #24-Jeff Gordon [2 wins], 782, -48
7) #39-Ryan Newman [1 win], 762, -68
8) #22-Kurt Busch [1 win], 749, -81
9) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr., 728, -102BR> 10) #14-Tony Stewart, 710, -105
out of top 10, no wins, less then a race out of 10th
12) #33-Clint Bowyer, 688, -142
current wild cards
WC1) #2-Brad Keselowski [3 wins], 689, -141 [11th in points, 3 wins]
WC2) #11-Denny Hamlin [1 win], 672, -158 [13th in points, 1 win]
others in the top 20 with wins, possible for the wild card
20) #27-Paul Menard [1 win], 631, -199 [18th in points, 1 win]
Three race winners are not inside the top-20: #6-Ragan is 21st, 3 points out of 20th,m#9-Ambrose is 22nd, 4 points out of 20th; #78-Smith is 25th, 79 pts out of 20th
NOTE: wild cards are drivers not in the chase with a win as long as they are in the top-20 in points, then if no wins by drivers points.
See drivers championship points standings on Jayski's Drivers Points Standings page.(8-27-2011)

Chassis selections for Atlanta: see the list of many teams and what chassis were selected by the team to run at Atlanta Motor Speedway:
MISSING? why are some teams missing? like the #4, #11, #16 or others? those teams do not report what chassis in the race previews or prs.
#1-Jamie McMurray: Crew Chief Kevin Manion and the McDonald's Chevy team are bringing chassis #1106 to Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend. This marks the second race of the season for this chassis, it was previously run at Kansas.
#2-Brad Keselowski: and the #2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team will race chassis PRS-755 during Sundyay's Advocare 500 at Atlanta Speedway. Brad Keselowski last drove this chassis to a 25th-place finish at Michigan International Speedway in June.
#5-Mark Martin: crew chief Lance McGrew has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-685 for Sunday's race at Atlanta. This is a new chassis that never has been raced or tested.
#6-David Ragan: Primary Chassis 750 is the same car that earned the pole position in Texas and finished second at Charlotte. Backup Chassis, RK-711, last ran Darlington and finished 21st Atlanta Motor Speedway is David Ragan's hometown track. Ragan is originally from Unadilla, Ga., located approximately 90 miles from Atlanta Motor Speedway.
#9-Marcos Ambrose: The #9 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 735 for the 500-mile race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. This Kwikset Ford Fusion was previously run this season at Las Vegas, Texas, Charlotte and Kentucky. Australian Word of the Week: Prezzy = Present or Gift.
#14-Tony Stewart: Chassis No. 14-591 debuted in May 2010 in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. It qualified 26th and finished 15th in its maiden race. It saw extensive wind tunnel time before returning to action in late July for the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. There, it qualified 15th and finished 5th. Chassis No. 14-591 spent the rest of the 2010 season as a backup, and in the offseason, it received a new body and logged many hours in the wind tunnel. Las Vegas was its third career start and first of 2011. It was impressive, as Stewart dominated, leading four times for a race-high 163 laps. He opened up a four-second advantage until a pit road miscue derailed the perfect outing and left him second when the checkered flag dropped. Its next start came in May's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, where it was poised to finish in the top-10 until engine woes late in the race dropped it to a 17th-place finish. Chassis No. 14-591 has not raced since, but it was tested at Kentucky [Fuel injection test] in July.
#17-Matt Kenseth: will run primary chassis RK-787 which is a brand new chassis. Kenseth has an average starting position of 23.1 and an average finishing position of 13.0 at AMS. This weekend at Atlanta, Kenseth will pilot the #17 Crown Royal Ford Fusion.
#18-Kyle Busch: Chassis No. 318 will make its second-ever start in Sunday night's Advocare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. No. 318 made its debut in August at Pocono, where Busch started 11th, led 27 laps, and brought home a solid second-place finish in the Good Sam RV Insurance 500.
#22-Kurt Busch and his Steve Addington-led "Double-Deuce" crew will be racing their "PRS-750" Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Charger this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. This is the chassis the team debuted at Charlotte in May. Busch started 26th in that race and led nine laps en route to a fourth-place finish.
#27-Paul Menard will pilot Chassis No. 364 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This #27 Quaker State / Menards Chevy was a brand new addition to the RCR fleet for the 2011 season and was last seen in competition on track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway where Menard, after staring 15th, drove it to Victory Lane to claim his first career NSCS win.
#29-Kevin Harvick: will race chassis No. 353 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. The #29 Rheem team utilized this car to earn Harvick's third win of the season in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May.
#31-Jeff Burton will race Chassis No. 367 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This #31 Caterpillar Chevy is a recent addition to the fleet and ran for the first time at Indianapolis Motor Speedway where Burton started 13th and finished 35th after facing electrical issues in the closing laps.
#33-Clint Bowyer: will pilot chassis No. 368 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This #33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevy, built new for 2011, has seen action twice this season. The first time at Indianapolis Motor Speedway when Bowyer brought home a 13th-place finish after starting 26th and most recently at Michigan International Speedway when Bowyer came through the field to finish eighth after qualifying 35th.
#36-Dave Blaney: and TBR will bring chassis No. 556. He also drove this chassis in the August event at Michigan International Speedway where he started 34th and finished 33rd.
#42-Juan Pablo Montoya: crew chief Jim Pohlman and the #42 Target team are bringing chassis #1105 to Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend, marking the fifth race of the season for this chassis. Montoya previously ran this chassis at the inaugural race at Kentucky and at Kansas in June, Darlington in May. Texas in April, and Las Vegas in March.
#43-A.J. Allmendinger: The #43 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 752 for this weekend's event at Atlanta Motor Speedway. This Best Buy Ford has been run previously this season at Texas, Charlotte and Indianapolis.
#48-Jimmie Johnson: will pilot chassis No. 650 in Sunday's event. He last drove that car to a fourth-place finish at Pocono Raceway in June. Johnson finished 16th in backup chassis No. 623 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March.
#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Crew chief Steve Letarte and the #88 team will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-617 this weekend at Atlanta. Earnhardt most recently raced this chassis to a 16th-place finish at Indianapolis. He has averaged a 10th-place finish in this chassis this season, earning eighth at Las Vegas, ninth at Texas and seventh at Charlotte in May.
#99-Carl Edwards: The crew will unload RK-768 which last ran at Indy where Edwards finished 14th, and also ran Kansas where he finished fifth. The #99 will carry the Aflac Friends of a Feather paint scheme at Atlanta this weekend.
(from team PR's/sites if reported)(9-1-2011)

Tire:
Goodyear Eagle Speedway Radials (Sprint Cup & Nationwide);
Goodyear Wrangler Speedway Radials (Camping World Truck)

Number of Tires:
Sprint Cup: Left-side -- 1,500, Right-side -- 1,500;
Nationwide: Left-side -- 525, Right-side -- 525;
Camping World Truck: Left-side -- 375, Right-side -- 375

Set limits:
Sprint Cup: 5 sets for practice/qualifying, 12 sets for the race;
Nationwide: 6 sets for the event;
Camping World Truck: 5 sets for the event

Tire Codes: Left-side -- D-4384; Right-side -- D-4406

Tire Circumference: Left-side -- 87.3 in.; Right-side -- 88.4 in.

Technical Inspection Inflation:
Left Front -- 30 psi; Left Rear -- 30 psi;
Right Front -- 50 psi; Right Rear -- 47 psi

Minimum Recommended Inflation:
Left Front -- 22 psi; Left Rear -- 20 psi;
Right Front -- 48 psi; Right Rear -- 45 psi

Estimated Pit Window: Every 49-51 laps, based on fuel mileage (Sprint Cup).

Notes: Teams in all three NASCAR series in action at Atlanta this week will run the same tire codes, though the Sprint Cup and Nationwide tires will be branded "Goodyear Eagle," while the Camping World Truck tires will be branded "Goodyear Wrangler" . . . this is the same combination of left- and right-side tires that Sprint Cup and Nationwide teams ran in their last races at Atlanta last September . . . at Atlanta's spring doubleheader last year, Cup and Truck teams ran this left-side tire code (D-4384) with a different right-side code . . . since this is the Truck Series' first race at Atlanta since that March 2010 weekend, this is the first time they have raced on this right-side tire (D-4406) . . . compared to what the trucks ran at Atlanta that weekend, this right-side features just a slight construction change . . . as on all NASCAR ovals greater than one mile in length, teams are required to run liners in all four tire positions at Atlanta. . . .air pressure in those inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire.