NASCAR’s Atlanta Motor Speedway Is No More —For Now

It’s not every day the governor of Georgia shows up to a racetrack press conference, so you could be forgiven for thinking something earth-shattering was about to be announced—alien landings, a third Buc-ee’s, perhaps. Instead, we got a renaming.

In a move that combines family synergy, corporate branding, and the high-speed theater of NASCAR the track long known as Atlanta Motor Speedway has officially been rebranded as EchoPark Speedway.

The seven-year naming rights agreement was announced Tuesday by Speedway Motorsports and EchoPark Automotive, a subsidiary of Sonic Automotive. If those names sound related, it’s because they are: both are run by members of the Smith family dynasty, heirs to the late Bruton Smith’s motorsports empire.

The deal gives Georgia’s only NASCAR track a new name and a bright green makeover just in time for its national debut as the opening race of TNT’s NASCAR broadcast slate on June 28. EchoPark, which specializes in pre-owned vehicle sales, will now beam its brand across every inch of the 850-acre speedway in Hampton, Georgia, from track walls to Victory Lane.

David Smith, CEO of Sonic Automotive and brother to Marcus Smith, CEO of Speedway Motorsports, is at the heart of this deal. So is this a savvy business partnership, or a case of one Smith brother Venmo-ing another under the table and slapping a logo on Turn 4? The terms are described as a “multi-million-dollar” agreement, but one can’t help but wonder if the actual check was written in crayon at a family barbecue.

To be fair, EchoPark has been steadily expanding its presence in NASCAR, with activations across nine Speedway Motorsports venues and an increasingly visible footprint among the fanbase. The company operates 17 locations in 13 markets, many of which overlap with core NASCAR territories like Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee.

As for the rebrand, fans will get their first look at the new EchoPark Speedway during the Quaker State 400 on June 28. The winner won’t just get a trophy; they’ll be handed a “nearly new” Chevy Silverado and a Harley-Davidson motorcycle so rare it sounds like something a Bond villain would collect. Only 26 of the limited-edition Sturgis Rally Harleys exist, and the first one goes straight to Victory Lane.

Marcus Smith described the partnership as a union of like-minded, customer-focused companies. “EchoPark Automotive is as committed to exceptional customer service as we are,” he said. That may be true, but it also helps when your brother runs the other company.

The track itself has seen plenty of reconfigurations over the years—the most recent in 2021 turned it into a superspeedway-style oval with 28 degrees of banking. That shift has produced some of the most thrilling finishes in recent NASCAR history, including the closest three-wide finish ever recorded last year.

EchoPark Speedway—still tough to say without a raised eyebrow—has been part of NASCAR’s core calendar since 1960. It hosted the season finale from 1987 to 2000 and was the backdrop to one of the sport’s most iconic races: the 1992 finale that featured Richard Petty’s last race, Jeff Gordon’s first, and Alan Kulwicki’s improbable championship win.

This deal also marks a return to naming rights for Speedway Motorsports, which hasn’t put a corporate label on one of its tracks since Charlotte Motor Speedway became Lowe’s Motor Speedway in 1999. That deal, estimated to be worth around $35 million over ten years, ended in 2009 when Lowe’s opted not to renew.

While NASCAR has seen several tracks rebranded under naming rights—like World Wide Technology Raceway in Illinois, which is still going, Phoenix Raceway which was known as IMS Raceway, which is not going, and California Speedway once known as Auto Club Speedway which is now little more than a collection of buildings, piles of dirt and dreams of a rebirth—SMI has been largely quiet on that front. EchoPark Speedway is their first foray back into the naming game in over a decade.

Now, under its new name, the track aims to usher in a fresh chapter for NASCAR in Atlanta—one with faster racing, brighter signage, and perhaps a few more family phone calls about marketing strategy.

Tickets, schedules, and camping info for the June 26-28 NASCAR weekend can be found at EchoParkSpeedway.com. Just don’t ask Siri for directions to Atlanta Motor Speedway. She’s still adjusting.