2010 Emory Healthcare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway

By Steve McCormick, About.com Guide

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Atlanta Motor Speedway

Logo Courtesy of NASCAR

2010 Emory Healthcare 500:

The 2010 Emory Healthcare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway's fast 1.54 mile quad-oval is key in the 2010 Race to the Chase. Some will likely clinch on Sunday night while others will only prolong the drama and set the stage for Richmond.

Can Jamie McMurray and Mark Martin close the gap on Clint Bowyer for the 12th and final Chase spot?

Tickets:

Speedway ticket office (770) 946-4211

The Track:

Atlanta Motor Speedway is l.54 mile quad-oval with 24 degrees of banking in the turns. Because the cars don't use the speed-sapping restrictor plates here the average speeds in Atlanta are even faster than the superspeedways of Daytona and Talladega. This is a very fast race track that has a history of truly great racing.

Race Distance:

325 Laps = 500 Miles

The Big Picture:

In Bristol Jeff Gordon joined Kevin Harvick as drivers who have clinched their places in the Chase regardless of what happens between now and Richmond.

Clint Bowyer's solid finish gives him a 100 point cushion over Jamie McMurray with just two races to go before the cutoff.

The top twelve:

Kevin Harvick
Jeff Gordon -279
Kyle Busch -351
Carl Edwards -408
Denny Hamlin -413
Tony Stewart -414
Jeff Burton -420
Matt Kenseth -426
Jimmie Johnson -444
Kurt Busch -448
Greg Biffle -466
Clint Bowyer -601

Storylines:

Once again the focus is on the Chase contenders. Only Atlanta and Richmond are left before the top twelve drivers are locked into the 2010 Chase for the Cup.

Clint Bowyer currently holds 12th by 100 points over Jamie McMurray and 101 points over Mark Martin. The top eleven are pretty comfortable and racing for wins now to better set themselves up for a Championship run.

Can McMurray and/or Martin cut into Bowyer's lead to make a race of it next week in Richmond?

Media Coverage:

TV: ESPN Sunday, September 5th, 7:00PM Eastern.

Radio: PRN and SIRIUS Satellite

Actual Race: 7:30 p.m. Eastern

Recent Events:

2009 Winner: Kasey Kahne

2009 Polesitter: Martin Truex Jr.

Last Year:

The 2009 Pep Boys Auto 500 featured a new date and a new start time. This was Atlanta's first ever Sprint Cup night race as Atlanta took its place in the Race to the Chase.

Chase drivers were the story this week. Six of the Chase contenders had problems tonight. Some were tripped up by their teams, some by their equipment and some tripped themselves.

2009 Chasers Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Brian Vickers, Carl Edwards, Kurt Busch and Matt Kenseth each found trouble in this race last year.

Predictions:

Kurt Busch won here in the spring of 2009 and again in the spring of 2010. He crashed out of this race last fall with a fast car. Kurt knows how to win in Atlanta and has a great setup for this fast race track. Kurt has to be considered a favorite this weekend.

For my backup this week I am going with one of the drivers who has nothing to lose. Kevin Harvick has clinched his place in the Chase. For him only a win can improve his chance at the Championship. He scored his first Sprint Cup victory here in 2001 and has been hot lately.