The following Q&A comes from an interview with Brandon Hutchison, the executive vice president and general manager of Atlanta Motor Speedway. Hutchison spoke with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution this week, discussing a variety of topics, including fan experience at AMS, NASCAR schedule changes and the feedback following the track renovations that were completed in December 2021.
Q. How did the agreement to move the races at Atlanta Motor Speedway up to the second race of the year and to the first of the playoffs come about? What were those discussions like, and ultimately, what do you think influenced NASCAR to the decision to choose Atlanta Motor Speedway?
A. It’s always a collaboration between the promoters and the sanctioning body (NASCAR) and the broadcast partners, which at this point are Fox and ABC. (The goal is) to make sure that we’re trying the best we can to be good partners and just think through all of the different scenarios.
With (the track in) California is in a renovation (Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California) and in 2024, with the Olympic break necessary as we get into the middle of summer, it was a little bit of a unique situation. So as we looked to 2024, it’s a long season right? We race all over the United States. As you take a look at the geographical locations and what makes the most sense, from a Speedway Motorsports standpoint, we’re the southernmost track, it makes the most sense for Speedway Motorsports (the parent company of AMS) if we were going to have the second race of the season, which it looked like we were going to … to put that race in Atlanta.
Having done it before from 2015 to 2019, it was something that wasn’t new to us. We were willing to do it, there’s not a time in the year where there are more eyes or focus on the sport. Our industry is enjoying great growth right now, for Atlanta Motor Speedway to be sitting there second on the calendar behind the Daytona 500, its exciting.
Q. Are there any specific challenges that they can expect with the updated schedule for organizers at AMS, both with the playoffs and this weekend’s races?
A. As it relates to Atlanta Motor Speedway, not at all. It’s smooth-sailing. We are ready, prepared and excited for the Ambetter Health 400 weekend coming up later this week. We’ve got the first race of playoffs, it returns to Atlanta for the first time since 2008. Atlanta is a city known for big events, so what better place to kick off the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs than Atlanta, Georgia.
Our industry is very flexible, able to pivot at a moment’s notice, as you’ve seen in Daytona and as you saw in Los Angeles, California, two weeks ago. The changes in the schedule are just a unique opportunity for us to showcase the sport to a new market.
Q. The Daytona 500 was delayed by a day and took place on Monday. Does that affect any of the preparation or schedule for Atlanta Motor Speedway and the Ambetter Health 400?
A. The rain delay in Daytona Beach does not affect the Atlanta Motor Speedway schedule at all. Luckily it is fairly close to Charlotte, so the haulers will leave Daytona on (Monday night), go to Charlotte, turn around and probably head back to Atlanta on Wednesday on Thursday, depending on the series that you’re in. So, (our) schedule will be just the same as it was prior to any postponement of Daytona.
Q. What did it mean for AMS to honor Richard Petty and his family with the unveiling of the statue of the cowboy hat?
A. There’s a reason they call him “The King.” He’s a seven-time champion who is no doubt one of the pillars and a cornerstone to our sport. So to be able honor Richard Petty and have one of the unveiling opportunities for the “King’s Hat,” this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway is special for us as promotors, and we know it’s going to be special for our fans, so we’re excited about seeing Richard Petty, we’re excited about seeing our fans and we’re excited about race weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
(AMS is in the process of building new gates for their Johnson, Champions, and Earnhardt grandstands.)
Q. What was the primary motivation for this potential change?
A. We are in the process of putting the finishing touches on gate 12, 13 and 14. For us, we are a world-class racing facility, but we are also an entertainment facility hosting events throughout the entire year, we wanted to improve our gate experience so that our fans could spend less time in line and more time in the facility which is what they came here to do.
The new gates will streamline the process of our fans getting into the facility, hoping to make their experience more enjoyable while they’re here. We’ve also finished phase two of a new a public-address system installation. Not only will the fans get into the facility easier, now when they get to their seats, they’ll have a better sound-quality experience as well.
Q. How would you respond to those, specifically drivers that say the renovations to AMS are a part of a push to generate more entertainment, with less emphasis on driver skill?
A. I don’t sit behind the wheel of a race car, so I guess I would say anything that the 40 best drivers in the world would say, would be fair. Then I would also say that they are the 40 best race-car drivers in the world, so we should be able to throw just about anything at them, and they’ll be able to perform as well as anywhere else.
With that being said, they have proven they can handle this race track and handle it well. They’ve put on some of the best racing over the last two years as I’ve seen in NASCAR history and I’ve seen a lot of races. The track is providing as quality racing and entertainment as we’ve seen in a long, long time, so I think that while there’s a little bit of luck anytime you change anything about a racing surface, I think we’ve landed on something that’s a perfect balance of entertainment for our fans and quality racing for our competitors. It’s been fun to watch, I can tell you that.
Q. Have drivers been able to tell a notable difference of how fast the track runs now?
A. This has been one of the fastest tracks on the NASCAR circuit for quite some time. As a matter of fact, one of the fastest tracks on the circuit. While speed hasn’t changed, notably, the style of racing, the pack racing, the side-by-side nature is much different than it ever was before. So I think the drivers have white-knuckle, high-intense, heartbeat-style racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and our fans have edge-of-the-seat excitement for 400 miles. So, the track has changed a lot. We still have the best drivers in the world and the Ambetter Health 400 is going to be a lot of fun to watch this weekend.
Q. What has the feedback of the renovations at AMS been like from fans? Of course, NASCAR certainly has a very dedicated fan base. It’s likely that some are a bit more traditional, while others may embrace the change. What have you heard personally?
A. One of the best things about NASCAR is the level of passion our fans have. With that passion comes a lot of opinion. I have heard both positive and negative feedback, if I’m being completely honest with you. But I would also tell you that the positive feedback has far outweighed any negative feedback that we have received.
We are an intermediate-length track that races like a super speedway, but because we are a half- to three-quarters of a mile shorter, its almost like a short-track super speedway, and you just don’t see that every day. We have a product that you will not find anywhere else.
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