The 2018 Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 NASCAR weekend in Atlanta gets underway this Friday, Feb. 23, as all three NASCAR national touring series make their highly anticipated return to the historic high banks of Atlanta Motor Speedway. With on-track action all three days of the weekend and a plethora of fan-friendly activities happening both inside and outside the oval, it might be tough to keep track of the many attractions available to fans.
With so much going on and just three days to experience it, AMS has compiled its top-10 can't-miss attractions for fans attending this weekend's Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 Weekend.
10. Frontstretch Victory Lane
Continuing a tradition inspired in 2011 when Jeff Gordon scored his 85th career victory at AMS, fans will be able to experience the Victory Lane celebration up close and personal with Sunday's post-race festivities taking place once again on the speedway's frontstretch. Once the checkered flag flies for the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500, the winning car and driver will return to the start/finish line, the new home for Victory Lane on Sundays, where fans will be allowed onto the track surface to see and hear the celebration firsthand.
9. Sign the Wall During Pre-Race
Fans interested in setting foot on the famed AMS racing surface will have the unique opportunity to do so, as well as sign the outside wall near the start/finish line on the frontstretch, during the pre-race activities prior to Sundays's Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500. Like the Victory Lane celebration, fans will be permitted to enter the track via the catchfence gates, where they can autograph the wall and enjoy the pre-race activities in a dedicated area on the frontstretch.
8. AMS Fest
After the on-track action winds down on Saturday, the AMS nightlife heats up. Now in its third year, AMS Fest offers fans and campers alike an opportunity to let loose in a fun, upbeat atmosphere in preparation for Sunday's Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500. The party, located in the AMS Fan Zone and free to anyone with a ticket to Sunday's race, will feature NASCAR's Trackside Live with guest driver appearances, live music, the Speedway Children's Charities Championship Cornhole Tournament, video racing, air hockey, go-karting, carnival games and tons of free stuff. The after-hours bash kicks off at 6 p.m. following the Active Pest Control 200 Benefiting Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.
7. Featured Concession Items
Race fans will NOT want to miss some of the specialty concession items at AMS in 2018. You'll definitely feel like you're in Georgia when you bite into the famous Clark's Cluck sandwich. Named after AMS president Ed Clark, this delectable dish is a fried chicken breast served on a potato roll and topped with Applewood bacon, lettuce, spicy ranch and sweet pickles. Plus, new to AMS in 2018 are the Smoked Pork Egg Rolls from Gouda Boys and the mouthwatering barbeque from the food-truck-famous OooWee BBQ.
6. Fan Experience Center
Back by popular demand in 2018, the Fan Experience Center will serve as the main hub for all things race weekend to enhance the at-track experience for fans attending the race. Beyond the wealth of information available for inquiring fans, the Fan Experience Center, located in the Fan Zone, will live up to its name with a full-size replica flag stand, an interactive 10-foot-tall banking display mimicking the angle of AMS's 24-degree turns, a tire-changing station a gallery of iconic moments in AMS history, and of course, an interactive selfie station.
5. Chris Janson Pre-Race Concert
Platinum-certified country music recording artist Chris Janson will bring his fun, casual country style to the AMS pre-race stage prior to the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 on Sunday for a one-of-a-kind performance full of energy on the frontstretch. Fans can gain stage-front access to see the "Buy Me A Boat" singer perform live with the purchase of a pre-race pit pass, which also offers access to Pit Road, where the entire lineup for Sunday's race can be viewed and photographed up close.
4. Hauler Parade
While the on-track action gets underway Friday morning, the AMS NASCAR weekend officially kicks off Thursday night in downtown Hampton, Georgia, home of Atlanta Motor Speedway, with the annual Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Hauler Parade. After cruising up East Main Street and back through downtown Hampton, the all-new route for 2018 will take the haulers right through the heart of AMS's 840 acres, past both the campgrounds and the Fan Zone, for fans on property to enjoy the show. NASCAR Hall-of-Famer Darrell Waltrip will be honored with an induction in to the City of Hampton's Speedway Lane Hall of Fame at 6 p.m. at Depot Park, before the parade gets underway at 6:30.
3. Driver Autograph Sessions
No sport offers fans the kind of access that NASCAR does, and Atlanta Motor Speedway's Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 Wweekend is no different. Drivers from the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series will be signing autographs for fans in the AMS Fan Zone at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, while Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers Joey Logano, Kasey Kahne and Jamie McMurray will also take part in the Kids Autograph Session in the Kids Zone later that day at 10:25 a.m.
2. Speedway Children's Charities Auction
The Speedway Children's Charities auction will offer fans the chance to bid on and win an opportunity to take a lap around the 1.54-mile AMS oval with a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver during pre-race activities on Sunday. Those drivers include Chase Elliott, Jamie McMurray, Kasey Kahne, Austin Dillon, Ryan Newman, David Ragan, Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Martin Truex, Jr., Kyle Busch, Darrell Wallace, Jr., Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin. Other auction items will include pieces of stock-car sheet metal signed by Kurt Busch, Kasey Kahne and Tony Stewart, an autographed wine bottle from the Andretti Winery, driver-signed wall signs and much more. All proceeds from the auction will go towards benefiting local Atlanta-area children in need. The bidding begins at 10 a.m. Sunday morning in the AMS Fan Zone.
1. AMS Fan Zone
The ultimate fan experience at the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 Weekend - other than the race, of course - takes place in the AMS Fan Zone. Open all weekend long, the Fan Zone is the place to be for live music, vendor displays, celebrity appearances, free giveaways, and tons more. Plus, catch Trackside Live on the Folds of Honor QuikTrip Fan Stage, challenge your friends to a go-kart race, play a variety of carnival games by Old Time Carnival and visit the Kids Zone, a place for fans of all ages to enjoy. And the best part? Admission to the Fan Zone is absolutely free.
For more information about the 2018 Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 Weekend or to purchase tickets today, contact the Atlanta Motor Speedway ticket office at (770) 946-4211, (877) 9-AMS-TIX or visit www.atlantamotorspeedway.com.
