Slick Georgia track a favorite for drivers

Fearing rain, NASCAR to start race 1 hour earlier

Photo: Brian Lawdermilk

HAMPTON, GA - FEBRUARY 24: Kevin Harvick, driver of the #98 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Rinnai 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on February 24, 2018 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)

Hampton, Ga.

For NASCAR drivers, the 21-year-old track surface at Atlanta Motor Speedway feels like their favorite, old friend.

A slippery, thrill-packed friend.

"This place is awesome," Ryan Blaney said. "We're slipping and sliding."

The track is overdue for new asphalt, and drivers are renewing their annual plea to give the surface one more year. They love racing on the old 1.54-mile track, patches and all.

"Anytime you get a chance to run in Atlanta with the old track, sliding around, it's always fun," said Austin Dillon, who won last week's Daytona 500 and will start 25th in Sunday's rain-threatened Monster Energy Cup race.

The first few laps in Friday's practice and qualifying let drivers know the Atlanta track is different.

"It's a bit of a surprise to come here a year later and get reminded of how crazy this place is, how slick it is and how fast it is," said defending Cup champion Martin Truex. "Definitely a cool place to come knock the rust off."

Kyle Bush, who on Friday won the pole, said it's especially crucial to start from the front in Atlanta.

"Qualifying up front at Atlanta is important," Busch said. "It's so hard on tires here, you don't want to roll back on tires and pass a lot of cars. ... Having to come from behind is harder to do than protect the position you already gained."

The 2017 race was expected to be the farewell for the old surface. Instead, the persistent lobbying effort by drivers helped convince NASCAR and Atlanta Motor Speedway officials to wait at least one more year.

"No decision yet," AMS president Ed Clark said. "We're going to get through the weekend and then look at it again."

Clark said input from drivers on the decision is welcome but not all-important.

The track was last repaved in 1997. An announcement from AMS last year said the decision to delay installing a new surface was made "after an in-depth review and exhaustive consultations with NASCAR, Goodyear, race teams and drivers."

The threat of rain on Sunday led NASCAR on Saturday to move up the scheduled start by one hour, to 1:06 p.m.

According to weather.com, there is an 80 percent chance of rain on Sunday. There is a 100 percent chance of rain on Monday, causing additional complications for NASCAR crews who move equipment to Las Vegas for next week's event.

Xfinity: Kevin Harvick led 137 of 163 laps for his fourth NASCAR Xfinity series victory in the last six years at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Harvick finished ahead of Joey Logano and Christopher Bell. Logano started second and Bell was on the pole. They were the only other drivers to lead laps.

Trucks: Kyle Busch lost the lead — and his left rear tire — on a late pit stop, opening the way for Brett Moffitt's improbable win in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Busch was leading when Josh Reaume hit the wall with six laps to go. The caution presented an opportunity for late visits to the pits for the leaders. Busch left too early as his crew put on right-side tires but was still working on his left rear tire. The tire came off before Busch could return to the track, and he then backed up on pit row with sparks flying from underneath the truck. Moffitt took the lead on the restart and pulled away in his Toyota. Noah Gragson finished second. Johnny Sauter, who won last week's race at Daytona, was third. Ben Rhodes was fourth.