BROADCAST INFORMATION: Sunday’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway will air live on FOX at 2:30 p.m. ET. Can’t make it to a television? The race can be heard live on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Below is the broadcast schedule for the remainder of the weekend:
Friday, March 3
12 p.m. ET: NASCAR Cup Series practice, FOX Sports 1
5:45 p.m. ET: NASCAR Cup Series qualifying, FOX Sports 1
Saturday, March 4:
12 p.m. ET: NASCAR Cup Series final practice, FOX Sports 1
Sunday, March 5:
2:30 p.m. ET: NASCAR Cup Series race, FOX
THIS WEEKEND’S PAINT SCHEMES: Kasey Kahne will pilot the No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS, Chase Elliott will man the No. 24 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet SS, Jimmie Johnson will drive the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS and Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be behind the wheel of the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS for this Sunday’s race at Atlanta.
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT ATLANTA: Hendrick Motorsports has 14 wins at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the most recent of which came last season thanks to Johnson. The organization has earned 57 top-five finishes, 87 top-10s and five pole positions at the Georgia track.
SIX DRIVERS FIND VICTORY LANE AT ATLANTA: Car owner Rick Hendrick's first Atlanta Motor Speedway NASCAR Cup Series win came on March 19, 1989, with driver Darrell Waltrip. The organization has posted Atlanta victories with six different drivers: Jeff Gordon (five wins), Johnson (five wins), Waltrip, Ken Schrader (1991), Jerry Nadeau (2000) and Kahne (2014).
KAHNE AT ATLANTA: Kahne will drive the No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The Enumclaw, Washington, native has captured three NASCAR Cup Series wins at the Hampton, Georgia, track. He earned his most recent Atlanta win in August 2014, which secured his spot in that season’s playoffs. In March 2006, Kahne completed the weekend sweep by winning the pole award and the 500-mile race in just his fifth start at the 1.54-mile speedway.
HOME TRACK RETURN: Dawsonville, Georgia, native Elliott will make his second NASCAR Cup Series start at his home track of Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend. The two-time Georgia Racing Hall of Fame Driver of the Year (2013, 2014) will race his familiar No. 24 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet SS. Elliott posted his first career top-10 finish in the NASCAR Cup Series last February at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Despite starting 24th, he spent 306 of the race’s 330 laps running inside the top 15 en route to an eighth-place finish. Elliott also earned his first career pole in NASCAR XFINITY Series competition at the 1.54-mile track in 2014. He holds a 5.0 average start and finish in two XFINITY starts at the track.
TWO-TIME DEFENDING RACE-WINNER: In each of the last two years, Johnson has taken home the trophy at Atlanta Motor Speedway, all but locking himself into the NASCAR playoffs in just the second race of the season. This weekend, Johnson will attempt a three-peat as the NASCAR Cup Series races for the last time on the current pavement before a planned repave project. Johnson has five wins there – the most of all active drivers. He leads all active drivers with 14 top-five finishes at Atlanta.
ATLANTA VICTOR: Earnhardt has one NASCAR Cup Series win at Atlanta Motor Speedway, which came in 2004. The Kannapolis, North Carolina, native led 55 of 325 laps en route to victory, including the final 16 laps of the event. In the most recent race at the 1.54-mile oval in 2016, Earnhardt finished second to teammate Johnson after starting 16th. Earnhardt has earned two poles at Atlanta -- one in 2001 and the other in 2010. Atlanta is one of three tracks where the 42-year-old has multiple poles. He also has earned two poles at both Texas Motor Speedway and Michigan International Speedway.