Kevin Harvick claims the new Atlanta racetrack ‘fits right into the theme,’ of radical changes implemented for 2022 season

Kevin Harvick claims the new Atlanta racetrack ‘fits right into the theme,’ of radical changes implemented for 2022 season

The Cup Series will hit the Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 this weekend and the NASCAR community is eagerly waiting to see how the Next-Gen cars will perform on the overhauled race track which will also see its NASCAR debut.

The 1.54-mile quad-oval track has gone through some radical changes which might affect its characteristics as an intermediate track as it will see a new 28-degree banking instead of the old 24-degree and tack width reduced to 40-feet from 54-feet. New Asphalts will also feature on the race weekend as the old ones were repaved.

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With more speculations and predictions surfacing on the performance of the track the 2014 Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick, who is one of the most successful racers in the Atlanta track in the past, has outlined the challenges that drivers might face on a coming weekend in the new track.

Find out what Kevin Harvick had to say about revamped Atlanta track

Kevin Harvick
Kevin Harvick

Kevin Harvick who is deemed as the Master of Atlanta among the top drivers of the 2022 grid said there was no other track for him that was better than Atlanta Motor Speedway with its old asphalt. He added that the new changes fit into the theme of radical changes that are being implemented this year.

“As a driver, there was nothing better than the Atlanta Motor Speedway and its old asphalt. Now it’s a new racetrack, and it’s obviously going to be different. But a lot of things this year are different, so it fits right into the theme,” Kevin Harvick said.

Atlanta motor speedway
Atlanta motor speedway

Kevin Harvick acknowledged that the practice session they will have on Atlanta will be vital for the final race as the new banking alongside the fresh asphalt will force teams to have some time-consuming runs to understand how the Next-Gen car is reacting to the car. The veteran added that teams and drivers have to be open-minded cautious as the new race track offers logistical and mechanical issues to be resolved that can make one agitated or frustrated.  

“We have some actual practice, so that’s a good thing. It’s another element that you have to add in there with the grip level of the racetrack and the new asphalt and everything that comes with that, and where to run on the racetrack. So, you have things that are just going to chew up time on practice day as far as learning what you need to do from the driver’s seat, and that progression of the racetrack definitely affects the handling of the race car,” Kevin Harvick said.

“There are just so many challenges at the beginning of the year with new racetracks and new cars and logistics and you just have to be very open-minded. You have to take it one step at a time and not get too frustrated with everything that’s going to be going on,” Kevin Harvick added.

Also read: ‘It’s is going to be crazy,’ Kyle Busch believes the newly overhauled Atlanta track will produce pack racing as of in Daytona