Atlanta Motor Speedway

In a shocking display from the people who make up and run the sport of Nascar, they are taking away the spring races in Atlanta, Georgia. In a move to create a race date in Kentucky, the sport of Nacar has turned its back on the state that lies in the middle of Nascar country. In terms of land size, the state of Georgia is larger than any other U.S. state; which is located east of the Mississippi River. I guess NASCAR didn’t take the growth factor of the state’s population size in to account, when they decided to pull 1 of its two race dates in Atlanta, Georgia.

Popular movies about racing or just running moonshine in the South like the popular series of Smokey and the Bandit movies, all owe a little place in their heart to the Atlanta Motor Speedway for its contributions to Hollywood over the years.

Kenny Roger’s movie Six Pack and a resident of Georgia knows the value of the Nascar track located just south of Atlanta, Georgia. Residents in Georgia have taken great pride in their state’s reputation; which Atlanta Motor Speedway played a big role. Those classic movies like Six Pack and the Smokey & the Bandit movie with Burt Reynolds have represented a form of southern hospitality. Atlanta was there for Nascar; when the sport needed them. Now as the sport has grown in popularity, the current guys running Nascar sports have blindly turned away from the racing fans in Georgia.

All the rich history of Nascar racing in Georgia is no longer needed. At least this is the way Mike Helton, who is the President of Nascar sees it. This was a Helton led decision, to pull Nascar racing away from the Peach State of Georgia. By pulling the spring race from Nascar fans in Georgia and centrally located to the South, has decided the poor-economic state of Kentucky is where Nascar can flourish next. Well that is great news for the state of Kentucky, but you have spit on the families in Georgia who pushed your sport into the 21st century.

Nascar was not around and no where to be found, when a tornado struck the Speedway in Hampton, Georgia just a few years back. The residents of Georgia paid the bill, so the tornado couldn’t stop Nascar from performing on its stage in Atlanta, Georgia. The tax payers of Georgia should now be reimbursed for their contributions to Nascar, since Nascar has left Atlanta. The racing fans in Georgia only got 2 races each year to show their support and boy did they! More money went to Nascar from the pockets of sports fans in Georgia; than went into the pockets of the Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta Braves, and the Atlanta Falcons combined! These 3 sport’s teams get about 130 combined home games each year, for the fans to spend their hard-working dollars on. If you figured the Braves get 81 home games, the Hawks get 41 home games, and the NFL franchise Atlanta Falcons get 8 home games per year; the sport of Nascar still beat all 3 of these teams combined in total revenue generated, from only 2 races in Atlanta each year.

It wasn’t too long ago, when every fan, driver, and Nascar owner couldn’t wait for the fall race in Atlanta. This was because Atlanta was traditionally the last race on the Nascar season. There have been many Nascar champions crowned in Atlanta and many who secured their championships at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, on that very special Sunday afternoon in Atlanta, Georgia. Mike Helton or some Nascar executive suddenly decided Atlanta wasn’t the best place for the last race of the year and took that away. Now once again, the fans in Atlanta are facing another decision from Nascar to pull one more step away from the sport of Nascar racing in Georgia.

Well Nascar doesn’t need to do nothing else and now they can’t pull away from Georgia any longer. That’s because Georgia is now officially not recognizing the sport of professional auto racing that goes under the name of Nascar. The fertile racing track that lies in the heart of Nascar country, is pulling the plug on the sport and no one in Georgia is claiming any association to Nascar racing and their drivers.

Awesome Bill from Dawsonville, better known as Bill Elliot, was the first winner of the Nascar million dollar chase. Only Jeff Gordon has been the only other driver to do this and no one since. The deep racing roots of Bill Elliot and his contribution to the sport of Nascar, all went down the drain in 2010. As a result, from the decision to pull a race from the fans and residents of Georgia.

Any other states who would like a race in their state, feel free to take the fall race from Atlanta too. The fans in Georgia are not accepting Nacasr as a professional sport any longer. Georgia can supply their own professional racing and can work on resowing the roots; which modern Nascar has destroyed, in a move to cash in on a southern tradition and taking the sport to places where it doesn’t belong. The New York Yankees are who they’re, because they play in New York. A traveling road show for them would not work like the Harlem Globetrotters have perfected. The same is true for Nascar racing. It’s a southern sport with southern traditions and people who want to get the real experience of southern racing; needs to visit a southern state. Going to California or Chicago to watch a Nascar event, is nothing like a racing party in Georgia, Alabama, or Florida. The fans outside of the south don’t get it, but are willing to spend money on a manufactured product of the traveling circus; which Mike Helton and others have now created.

Nascar isn’t American, it’s Southern! The 2010 officials in Nascar or associated with the sport of auto racing doesn’t quite understand what that means. No discrimination is meant by the sport being a southern tradition. It’s just that people who know, are the ones who know and others outside will never know. For Nascar fans in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and the Carolinas; this could have easily been a race taken away from you guys too. Please stand up and show your support with your bordering Nascar state Georgia, so we can prevent other races from leaving the South. If enough Nascar fans will turn their back on the sport in 2011; we can get our race given back to us in Georgia and prevent other cash-hungry executives from making poor decisions, about this great geographical sport we know as Nascar.

Look out Kentucky Derby, the Nascar sport is on the hunt for your spring dollars in the Blue Grass State. Horse racing belongs to Kentucky and auto racing belongs to Georgia.