HAMPTON, Ga. --- When campers started forming a line to get into Atlanta Motor Speedway 11 days before this Sunday's Pep Boys Auto 500, it was a sign that things might, at long last, be turning around at one of the cornerstones of the NASCAR schedule.
Poor weather, a lousy spot in the schedule and a history of traffic problems have plagued the track, located 30 miles south of downtown Atlanta, for years. Drivers rave about the racing on the 1.54-mile speedway, but it's done little to put fans in the seats.
Until now.
Track president Ed Clark lobbied for years for a different spot on the schedule. He finally got it, but he had to give up the fourth-to-last spot in the Chase for the Championship for a night race during Labor Day weekend.
It was a gamble, but it might have a lasting impact on the track's future.
Fans clearly are intrigued by the nighttime start. They waited for 11 days just to pitch their tents in the campground. The ticket windows at the speedway have never been busier. In fact, Clark was forced to authorize overtime for the first time in years just to keep up with the demand.
"It's nice to have these kind of problems," he said. "I've believed for years a night race in the summer would be big here. So far, it's everything we thought."
The race to make the Chase has proven to be every bit as compelling as the playoffs itself. There are eight drivers separated by only 89 points who are fighting for the last six spots in the Chase.
Sunday's race (7:30 p.m., ESPN) and next week's race at Richmond, Va., are the last two chances to qualify for the playoffs.
"It's going to be good. Atlanta is a good track to race at anyway but to have a night race there will hopefully draw a good crowd," Denny Hamlin said. "I think at Atlanta, the night race is really going to help them, I think it's going to help the crowd. Not having a race in the Chase is not going to kill them, but I think they just had to do some things to move dates around to get fans in the stands."
Clark is so excited about ticket sales he made a bet with everyone in the ticket office. If they sold 1,700 tickets in one day, he will cook lunch for everyone. The office averaged 1,300 a day last week, but sold 2,400 on Monday.
He will put on his chef's hat and make lemon chicken for everyone who worked Monday.
"I can't tell you how pumped we all are about how things are going," he said.
"When things are tough, you just have to work harder. The economy has affected everyone. It's forced us to reach out and sell tickets one at a time. It's a lot of work, but it's worth it."
When track owner Bruton Smith bought Kentucky Speedway a year ago, speculation started immediately that Atlanta, which has played host to a Sprint Cup Series race since 1960, might lose one of its two dates to the newest track in the Speedway Motorsports Inc. family. If Sunday's crowd is a success, it might help Atlanta keep two dates in the future.
"I'm excited about racing there at night," Jeff Gordon said. "Atlanta is just a fantastic track and I think it should be even better under the lights at night and I always look forward to going to Atlanta. I think it's one of our best tracks. The schedule change -- whatever works out for the track owners and NASCAR -- I want it in the Chase and it's a track that is a good one for us. I can't wait."
Neither can the fans. The campgrounds won't open until Friday afternoon, but it hasn't kept people from waiting for more than a week to lay claim to some of the better spots.
Reach Don Coble at don.coble@morris.com.
The Augusta Chronicle ©2010 Morris Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Really, I have a cousin who works with racing and she says things are no good for Atlanta. Sponsors have cut back on suites and hospitality tents. How have people been lined up for 11 days when the campground is not open? Are they parked on highway or what? It will interesting to see if the show all of the stands at this race--most are only showing a small amount of the stands due to the large number of empty seats.