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Few who saw Atlanta Motor Speedway in its infancy would recognize the track today. A majestic structure situated on 870 acres in Hampton, Ga., just 25 miles south of Atlanta, today's Atlanta Motor Speedway is one of the country's top sports, corporate, family and entertainment facilities. When the 1.5-mile track, then called Atlanta International Raceway, finally made its debut on July 31, 1960, it became the seventh superspeedway,a paved facility of one mile or more, to play host to a Cup race. Only three of the original seven: Darlington Raceway, Daytona International Speedway and Lowe's (then Charlotte) Motor Speedway are still in operation. �It was just the Weaver Grandstand and wooden bleachers on the backstretch,� Former Atlanta Motor Speedway ticket manager, Frances Goss, recalled. �Fans would bring blankets and sit on the dirt bank.� Bruton Smith changed that when he purchased Atlanta International Raceway on October 23, 1990, and renamed the facility Atlanta Motor Speedway. A year later, the addition of the East Turn Grandstand expanded the seating capacity by 25,000, and the 30 suites that rimmed the top gave new meaning to the word, �luxurious.� Under Smith�s stewardship, Atlanta Motor Speedway not only have undergone massive expansion, but it has dramatically increased its menu, hosting everything from Nationwide Series, Drag Racing and Camping World Truck Series racing to circuses, concerts and business conventions.
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