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Kurt Busch recently went on a lap of the Atlanta Motor Speedway after its repavement. The track was home to one of NASCAR's oldest surfaces, but it lost its distinction as it underwent repavement to fix water logging issues.
With the Speedway's modification complete, Kurt Busch recently went on a lap of the track. He tweeted a video of the modified front stretch and turns one and two, which you can see here:
Kurt Busch won the Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in July last year, beating brother Kyle Busch by just over one second. Just hours after that, the transformation was underway, and 163 days later, the all new track was complete. The new look includes steeper banked corners at 28 degrees, as opposed to 24 degrees on the old track. The track also became five feet narrower. The 1.54-mile oval was covered in 17,000 tons of asphalt and new draining technology which means less downtime and more green flag racing.
NASCAR's executive vice president and chief racing development officer Steve O’Donnell said about the changes:
“This is not the same AMS that we raced on last summer. This is insane! Just the feel and the difference.”
“So really with any new configuration, it’s making sure that the tire matches the car in terms of the aero package we put together and the engine’s also obviously part of that. So, making sure all those three are dialed in for the package that we want for Atlanta and then we’ll go race.”
Earlier this year, the NASCAR Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series shared the track for Goodyear Tire Testing with this year's Cup Series tests.
Kurt Busch joins 23XI Racing Team
Heading into the 2022 season, Kurt Busch signed up for the 23XI Racing Team. He will drive the #45 Toyota, joining Bubba Wallace as the second driver for the team named after Michael Jordan's famous NBA jersey.
Speaking about the development, Busch said:
“To have all the things come together like they have, I’m so grateful.”
Busch will meanwhile continue his partnership with Monster Energy.
Owned by NBA legend Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, 23XI Racing made its debut at the 2021 Daytona 500. With the addition of Kurt, the team not only becomes a solid playoff contender, but Bubba Wallace now has a veteran mentor to learn from and grow.
