Elliott only one name on list of Georgia drivers this weekend

This+weekend%2C+all+three+of+NASCARs+top+series+come+to+Hampton%2C+Ga.%2C+for+three+days+of+racing.++AMS+is+considered+the+home+track+for+several+Georgia+drivers.

This weekend, all three of NASCAR’s top series come to Hampton, Ga., for three days of racing. AMS is considered the home track for several Georgia drivers.

As NASCAR comes to Atlanta Motor Speedway, plenty of attention will be paid to Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports.  However, there are plenty of other Georgia drivers to watch this weekend at the 1.54-mile track in Hampton.

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

Ragan will make his 400th career Cup start this Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

David Ragan

From Unadilla, Ragan drives the No. 38 Fr8 Auction Ford for Front Row Motorsports.

Ragan will make his 400th career Cup start this Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Ragan has competed full-time in the Cup series since 2007, after only competing in two races in 2006.

The Georgia native has an average starting spot of 26th and an average finish of 23.5. He has been running at the end of every race, except in 2011, when he only ran 249 of 325 before losing an engine driving the No. 6 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing.

Ragan’s best finish at AMS came in Sept. 2009 when he finished ninth.

Xfinity Series

Brandon Jones

From Atlanta, AMS is home to Brandon Jones, driver of the No. 19 Menards Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Jones previously participated in two Xfinity races at Atlanta. In 2016, Jones started 19th  and finished 11th, and in 2017, he started 30th and finished 14th, both driving No. 33 for Richard Childress Racing.

Jones’s best Xfinity Series finish was fifth place at the fall Kentucky race in 2015. In his career, he has an average finish of 15.6 at 1.5-mile tracks.

Smithley comes to AMS after a career best finish of fifth last weekend at Daytona.

Garrett Smithley

In the No. 0 Chevrolet for JD Motorsports is Garrett Smithley from Peachtree City. Smithley comes to AMS after a career best finish of fifth last weekend at Daytona.

Smithley has had two Xfinity starts at AMS. In 2016, he started 25th and finished 24th. In 2017, he started 29th and finished 27th. Smithley’s average finish last year at 1.5-mile tracks was 27th.

Ryan Sieg

Sieg, from Tucker, drives the No. 39 RSS Racing Chevrolet for RSS Racing.

Sieg has ran Xfinity full-time since 2014. His average start at Atlanta Motor Speedway is 18th and his average finish is 20th. Sieg’s best AMS finish was in 2016 when he finished 16th.

Camping World Truck Series

Davis is driving the same No. 51 truck Kyle Busch won in twice last year.

Spencer Davis

From Dawsonville, 19-year-old Davis drives the No. 51 Rheem Toyota for Kyle Busch Motorsports. Davis’s first CWTS start came last weekend at Daytona where he started eighth and finished seventh.

Davis has raced across the K&N Pro Series East, ARCA, and the Whelen series. The highlight of his young racing career came in the 2016 K&N Pro Series East race at Dominion Raceway in Thornburg, Va., where he started third and won the race.

Davis is driving the same No. 51 truck Kyle Busch won in twice last year.  Both victories came at 1.5-mile tracks, Kansas and Charlotte.

Other Georgia drivers worth noting

Korbin Forrister

Another driver racing on his home track this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway is Korbin Forrister of Cedartown. He drives the No. 7 Tru Clear Global Toyota for All Out Motorsports.

Forrister has two Truck Series starts at Atlanta, and only three NCWTS starts last year with an average finish of 23rd.

Forrister has placed close to top twenty in his past two races at Atlanta Motor Speedway, with a 20th place finish in 2015 and a 22nd place finish in 2017.

Wendell Chavous

Wendell Chavous in the No. 49 SobrietyNation.org Chevrolet for Premium Motorsports started the 2018 season off strong by placing 12th in the Truck Series at Daytona. After only one race, he has already beat his best finishing spot from last season, a 14th finish at Las Vegas.

The driver from Hephzibah looks to improve upon his previous experiences at AMS, a 24th place finish in 2015 and a 20th place finish last year.

Race weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway kicks off Saturday with NASCAR’s only doubleheader.

Austin Hill

Driver of the No. 02 Chevrolet for Young’s Motorsports, Austin Hill, comes to Atlanta Motor Speedway with two Truck Series starts at the track.

From Winston, Hill has finished in the top twenty in his last two races at Atlanta Motor Speedway, with a 12th place finish in 2016 and a 18th place finish in 2017. His best NCWTS finish in 2017 was 10th at Kentucky, Atlanta Motor Speedway’s sister track.

Race weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway kicks off Saturday with NASCAR’s only doubleheader. The Xfinity series Rinnai 250 starts at 2 p.m. and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Active Pest Control 200 Benefiting Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta starts at 4:30 p.m.

Racing resumes Sunday for the MENCS Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at 2 p.m.