Brandon Hutchison Shares His Insights Into The Atlanta Motor Speedway

Ever say to yourself, “If I could just figure out what I’m passionate about, everything else will take off”? Most of us define passion as simply the work we love to do.

We’re deeply committed to doing it at a high level. We get a lot of joy out of it, but it will also come with a lot of struggle and effort.

And through each step of the journey, we know it’s worth it.

That’s the distinct impression you get when talking with Brandon Hutchison, the Executive Vice President & General Manager of the Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS). This 27- year veteran of AMS is passionate about what he does.

It shows the minute you start talking to him, as do the enviable results.

Initially, we reached out to Brandon to gain insight into the newly reconfigured track. However, what we got was much more valuable.

We got a rare chance to peer behind the curtain to see what makes Atlanta Motor Speedway a world-class facility.

You can listen to our conversation on our podcast “Brandon Hutchison & The Newly Reconfigured Atlanta Motor Speedway.” What follows here is an edited transcript of our discussion.

Choosing Atlanta Motor Speedway

Rod Worley – Editor – Brandon, you transitioned from Georgia Southern University to the Atlanta Motor Speedway over 27 years ago. How did you start at the track?

Brandon Hutchison – EVP & GM of Atlanta Motor Speedway – In March of 1995, I entered my final semester at Georgia Southern and had to do an internship. Being a sports guy who wanted to play professional sports at one time, I decided if I wasn’t going to be an athlete, I wanted to work in sports.

So, I looked for sports-related internships in the Atlanta area. Being from Atlanta, I wanted to stay at home, and fortunately, Atlanta Motor Speedway had an internship available.

I started working in the public relations department and quickly learned that this was something I could do for the rest of my life. At that time, the speedway’s president was Ed Clark.

So we sat down and talked through my history and what I wanted to do with my life. And at the end of the conversation, I told him I wanted to be sitting in his seat one day.

Fast forward 23 years, and that came true. I was promoted in November of 2018 and am blessed to have the opportunity to sit here today as the Executive Vice President and General Manager of Atlanta Motor Speedway.

There have been many peaks and valleys through this 27-year stint, but I wouldn’t change a thing. I wouldn’t take back a minute of it.

Stand Out Moments

Rod Worley – Editor – Are there some NASCAR or Atlanta track moments that stand out in your mind over your career?

Brandon Hutchison – EVP & GM of Atlanta Motor Speedway – Rod, there are so many moments that I’ve had an opportunity to be a part of, but, you know, a few stand out for sure.

Most recently, in March of 2020, it was race weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and we had to press pause for COVID-19.

The following 12 to 18 months were a time of great turmoil. We were trying to figure out how to build a safe race with fans or whether to race without fans.

How can we generate revenue when the world has taken some time off? How can we work with our community? Looking back on it, we were blessed to come out of COVID stronger than ever in many ways.

Another memorable moment was in 2001 when the sport lost Dale Earnhardt.

A couple of weeks later, Kevin Harvick comes to Atlanta Motor Speedway with Dale Earnhardt’s car and crew. Kevin goes on that day to win his first Cup Series race, edging out Jeff Gordon at the line.

It was one of NASCAR’s closest finishes, and it’s a moment in time that I and many other NASCAR fans will remember for the rest of our lives.

Then, in July 2005, an F2 tornado hit the facility between the March race and the season finale in November. The damage was $40 million, and we only had 90 days to get the place back together and ready for the race.

So, those are just a few of the moments in time from Atlanta Motor Speedway. Also, through the years, I’ve had the opportunity to meet with celebrities and people I otherwise wouldn’t have.

So, I’ve been blessed. It’s been a wild ride, and just glad I’m on it.

New Track Configuration

Rod Worley – Editor – Let’s jump into the new Atlanta Motor Speedway configuration. I can only imagine what goes into a significant track construction project like this one.

So, how long did it take, and what went into moving the project from concept to completion?

Brandon Hutchison – EVP & GM of Atlanta Motor Speedway – We started the reconfiguration and repaving project as soon as the checkered flag fell for the 2021 Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart. We literally had crews on the track removing the safer barrier no more than 10 minutes after the race had ended.

So we started quickly, and even though it seemed like it was taking a while, it moved pretty fast, considering everything was done at Atlanta Motor Speedway. We not only repaved the 1.54-mile oval surface, but we reconfigured the banking from 24 degrees to 28 degrees.

While four degrees doesn’t sound like a lot, it’s a massive difference in the technology and structure, especially in the overall configuration of our track.

These paving machines were built for flat surfaces. So we had to hoist the machinery up onto the banking and hold it there from the bottom.

Typically, you would hold these machines from the top when doing a steep embankment like our track. But to do that, we would have had to take down the lights, the catch fence, and the billboards, which was a pretty steep undertaking.

And we knew we were limited on time because we had the upcoming March race.

Ready On Time

Rod Worley – Editor – The whole process of reconfiguring Atlanta Motor Speedway would have to feel like it would go on forever. Especially given all that your team was trying to accomplish.

Brandon Hutchison – EVP & GM of Atlanta Motor Speedway – You’re right. What seemed like forever was only about an eight-month project from start to finish. As I said, we started immediately after the Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart in 2021.

We completed the project about two weeks before the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 this past March.

You know. It’s rare in our sport that the competitors, the fans, the media, the promoters, and everybody at the exact same time learn if the project was a success. The race had 46 lead changes and 20 different leaders throughout the day for the folds of honor QuikTrip 500 this past March.

Side by side racing all day long. The margin of victory for William Byron was .109 seconds at the finish line.

You could have thrown a blanket over the entire field. My expectations were that we would provide an entertaining race.

What we got was quite possibly the most exciting race ever at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The drivers, the fans, and everybody I’ve talked to enjoyed the race and wanted to come back for more.

It was fun participating in this eight-month project. I wouldn’t want to do it again, but I’m glad we did it.

Project Goals

Rod Worley – Editor – Reconfiguring any racetrack is a dicey proposition, especially one loved by NASCAR drivers like this one. Granted, AMS needed repaving, but what were the goals for the project?

Brandon Hutchison – EVP & GM of Atlanta Motor Speedway – Atlanta Motor Speedway Motorsports thrives on innovation. Our Chairman, who has recently passed away, Mr. Bruton Smith, was a visionary.

In 1959, he started construction at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Today, we have 14 Cup series races throughout the company, making us the second largest holder of speedways in the country.

For us, it’s about providing a memorable experience through innovation. We work for the fans, so we want to ensure that we provide an entertaining product.

We control only a few areas. NASCAR designs develops, and builds the cars, so the only things we can affect are the physical track layout and the experience when the racecars aren’t on the speedway. 

So whether it’s taking dirt to Bristol Motor Speedway, combining the oval with the road course at Charlotte Motor Speedway to make the roval, or taking NASCAR to Austin, Texas, to the Circuit of the Americas, as we have for the past two years, it’s about innovation.

It’s about pushing the limits. And with this project, it’s what we wanted to do.

The goals were to change Atlanta Motor Speedway and make it as entertaining and unique an intermediate track as there is on the NASCAR circuit today.

And I think we accomplished that.

Definite Thumbs-Up

The first impressions about the new Atlanta Motor Speedway reconfiguration are in. Fans, drivers and those watching at home have given the new AMS a definite thumbs-up.

Try as we might, it’s next to impossible to imagine the pressure the AMS team was under to get this track right, especially with fans, sponsors, and the NASCAR governing body all giving their opinions.

But when the pressure is the highest, those passionate about what they do step up and shine.

As race fans, we applaud the final results and appreciate Brandon Hutchison’s gracious sharing of his insights into the new Atlanta Motor Speedway.