Richard Petty’s Grandson Lets Slip Unhappiness With Welcomed Atlanta Repave: “Like Just a Small Daytona”

The Atlanta Motor Speedway has undergone some significant changes as a part of its repavement. These changes started in July 2021 and went on for six months. Despite the displeasure of several NASCAR drivers, AMS was repaved to somewhat resemble a superspeedway, like Daytona and Talladega. A lot of teams and racing drivers have expressed their discontent with the changed configuration, and now that list has a new name in the form of Richard Petty’s grandson.

In a recent episode of the Made in Level Cross podcast, an unhappy Thad Moffitt got candid as he put forward his take on the matter.

Thad Moffitt isn’t pleased with the Atlanta repave

The fourth-generation race car driver Thad Moffitt took to his Twitter handle and shared a clip from his podcast. The video clip featured him in conversation with his co-host Rowland George.

The snippet starts with the two discussing the weather in Atlanta. Seconds into the conversation, a nostalgic Thad Moffitt said, “I wish I would have got to run the old Atlanta, honestly. I think it’s really cool like to go back and watch those races where they’re slipping and sliding around.” 

Despite acknowledging the need for the AMS to be repaved, Moffitt feels the track could have been repaved differently. “And I mean, I know the track needed work. I know it need to be repaved, but Atlanta was like just a small Daytona,” he said.

The Atlanta Motor Speedway happened to be one of the oldest tracks in NASCAR. It had not been repaved since its 1997 reconfiguration to a quad-oval layout. Hence, it received a fresh layer of asphalt after 2021. The abrasive surface that drivers were accustomed to was replaced with a new, smoother pavement. The banking in the turns was raised from 24 degrees to 28 degrees. This makes it the highest-banked intermediate oval in NASCAR. In comparison, Daytona features 31-degree banking, while Talladega is even steeper at 33 degrees.

However, the banking on the straights remained at a consistent five degrees. The overall width of the racing surface was reduced from 55 feet to 40 feet. The 40-foot-wide corners of the reconfigured Atlanta track thus resemble the width of Daytona.

Why do NASCAR drivers not like the revamped Atlanta track?

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The project aimed to transform Atlanta into a unique intermediate track. However, drivers were concerned that the changes might lead to minimal off-throttle time, limited passing opportunities, and an increased risk of big crashes. The steeper banking can lead to higher speeds and more aggressive racing, especially during corner entry and exit. Drivers now experience greater lateral forces, which can make it challenging to maintain control. Moreover, narrower turns have increased the chances of contacts and spins in case of slight deviations from the racing line.

Referring to this, as per Autoweek, SMI director of operations Steve Swift explained that when drivers are happy with a track, fans often aren’t. Speedway Motorsports Inc. aimed at creating a racing experience akin to Daytona and Talladega. This was thus a measure to maintain a balanced experience for fans. “When fans are happy, drivers aren’t. When you talk to drivers, you get driver tracks and we’re making a fan’s track. We’re taking elements of driver feedback, but we’re ultimately giving the fans what they want to see,” he said.

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