Goodbye Atlanta, Hello EchoPark Speedway

Goodbye Atlanta, Hello EchoPark Speedway

In a press release on the Atlanta Motor Speedway website, the official news of the track’s renaming to EchoPark Speedway was made official. According to that release, Speedway Motorsports and EchoPark Automotive officially introduced the new identity for Georgia’s only NASCAR track. The 66-year-old track in Hampton, Georgia, will no longer go by Atlanta Motor Speedway.

” Through a new partnership, the speedway, which hosts two NASCAR Cup Series races annually, including the upcoming Quaker State 400 available at Walmart on June 28th, will carry the EchoPark brand for the duration of a seven-year, multi-million dollar agreement,” the statement says.

EchoPark Automotive is a business that specializes in pre-owned vehicle sales. They have a very heavy presence in Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama, where a majority of the fans who make the trip to the Hampton-based track yearly come from.

Money Talks, It Seems

You can’t step in front of the thing that runs sports, ultimately, and that’s money. This is the case for Atlanta, sorry, EchoPark. Chairman and CEO of EchoPark Automotives’ parent company, Sonic Automotive, David B. Smith, is thrilled they were able to make this happen and that it is only going to help grow the brand more.

” We have enjoyed serving guests in the Atlanta metro area since EchoPark Atlanta opened its doors in 2020,” Smith said. ” This partnership allows us to share the value of the exceptional EchoPark car-buying experience with more guests in Atlanta and the surrounding area who enjoy the excitement of NASCAR racing at this iconic venue.”

Not the First Time

This isn’t the first time a NASCAR track has had a name change, or has a corporate partner buy the rights to the name of a track, for that matter. Look no further than Charlotte Motor Speedway, which was famously called Lowe’s Motor Speedway from 1999-2009. Or when Sonoma Raceway used to be called Infineon Raceway from 2002-2011.

Name changes are bound to happen in sports, especially when a sponsor brings big money. Then again, it seems these name changes only happen at SMI-owned tracks. Isn’t that a bit odd? Then again, EchoPark is owned by the Smith Family, so obviously, this move was a long time coming.

It’s Still Atlanta

Despite the name change, it’s always going to be Atlanta Motor Speedway. Sorry, but EchoPark Speedway doesn’t pop in my opinion. The track isn’t going to change, so the memories that have already been made and the memories to come will still be great. It’s just going to be hard not to still refer to the track as Atlanta.