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The Atlanta Motor Speedway is situated on 870 acres in Hampton, just 25 miles south of Atlanta. The facilities have seen extensive construction and renovations since its debut at the Atlanta International Raceway in 1960. In 2006 the Winners Grandstand was completed, and offers fans extended front stretch and pit road views. A new public suite, Club One, gives 1,000 fans a birds eye view of the entire track from the comfort of the club, or from the roof top observation deck.

Admission to Speedway events range from $20 general admission (advance tickets) to 3 Day Suite Packages for $550 per person. See your favorite drivers up close, feel the rumble of the engines and experience the thrill of the pits with your pre-race pit pass. Purchase a single day pit pass for $75, or a 3 day pass for $125. All pit passes require a Grandstand admission ticket purchase.

Campers can choose from camping facilities that include the Mid-State Family Campground or the new construction, the Trackside Terrace RV and Camping center. One of the newest camp sites is found at the Turn One Trackside, and offers exclusive views of the entire track from the comfort of your own RV. Camp sites are available in-field, outside, or even overlooking the track – and for choice sites reservations should be made well in advance. Rates range from $60 for an infield site to $150 for sites in Legends Camping. Yearly rates are also available for each camping area.

Everyone dreams of putting on the suit, buckling in and getting your hands on the wheel. You can make that dream come true at one of the Atlanta Motor Speedway schools. Choose from schools sponsored by Andretti/Gordon, Buck Baker, Dale Jarrett and Richard Petty. Take turns at 150 mph and feel the pull of the track for yourself. The Speedway also offers a teen driving school, XTreme Measures, that offers a driving experience that gives teens a driving experience that educates and gives them safety driving tips while having a great time.

The Dixie Speedway is also found in Atlanta, and is home to weekly stock car races as well as Outlaw Sprint Cars, Monster Truck Nationals and Demolition Derbies. From May through October you can enjoy racing Friday and Saturday nights. The Speedway is located in Woodstock, GA 25 minutes from Atlanta, near the Town Center Mall. Dixie Speedway is family owned and operated and has been providing families and race fans fun and thrill since 1976.

Racing has a rich history and deep tradition in Georgia, and Atlanta is home to some of racings top tracks and attractions.

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Americans are always so behind when it comes to the hottest trends, music and fashion are great examples, but motor sports are no exception. Drifting is the hottest new car exhibition sport on the market, right? It just became popular in 2006 when “The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift” came out, right?

For the majority of Americans, these are true statements, but in reality they are very far from the truth. Drifting began in Japan in 1970 as a racing technique in the All Japan Touring Car Championship and by 1977 was a huge favorite among Japanese race crowds. The problem remained that it was still only considered a racing technique. Almost sixteen years after Kunimitsu Takahashi, the father of drifting, invented this unique racing skill, it was considered popular enough for Japanese race track owners to allow drifting competitions. Even though Japan held its first drifting competitions starting in the mid 80s, American was still several years behind.

The first official professional drifting competition in the U.S. was held in August of 1993, at Irwindale Speedway, and consequently is now hosted yearly by D1 Grand Prix. Other motor sports companies have followed suit by offering their own drifting competitions throughout America, such as Nopi Motorsports, but D1 Grand Prix is still the biggest, and the place that drifters yearn to get to.

Drifting has become so huge in the United States that would-be drifters can set up lessons with a trainer, similar to dance or music lessons. Drift clubs all over the country are rapidly gaining popularity with a wide array of drivers, from the younger generation that is looking to show off, to the older generations that are looking to find a new sport, not is fairly easy to break in to.

Possibly the biggest surprise of all is female drifters! In fact, Formula Drift currently has a Drifting Pretty Program, that is solely designed for women looking to learn all of the ins and outs of drifting. While this program is limited in scope, because of its location, knock off programs around the country are springing up, and by 2008 are expected to be big business.

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The F1 season with all its glitz and glamour might have started in earnest recently, with the running of the Australian Grand Prix; but for many motor-sports enthusiasts, the real thrills of motor-racing can be found much closer to home with the British Touring Car Championship (or BTCC), due to get underway at the end of March.

It’s well known that F1 is a millionaire’s sport – the cars are the result of millions of pounds of technical research; the drivers are paid a king’s ransom, and both the teams and drivers are subject to multi-million pounds sponsorship deals by global corporations. Money talks in F1 and purists argue that the sport isn’t competitive anymore, as races are now won and lost in the pit-lane, rather than on the track, while the larger teams such as McLaren and Ferrari spend the kind of money that the smaller teams such as Super Aguri can only dream about.

Recent years has seen the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) flourish in terms of both competing teams and spectator numbers. The sport itself operates on a fraction of the budget afforded to the F1 world; yet what it lacks in glamour, it more than makes up for in thrills! The BTCC season comprises of ten rounds – beginning and ending at Brands Hatch – held between March and September, and visiting nine different circuits. Each round consists of three races, making a thirty round competition.

The teams which compete in the BTCC are a mixture of manufacturers’ works teams (currently SEAT and Vauxhall are the only manufacturer teams) and independent teams such as Team Halfords and Team RAC. The independent teams usually comprise of ex-works cars which have been purchased from manufacturer teams when they update their own cars’ chassis. While this then might appear to give the ‘new’ cars an edge, as works teams can provide expert motoring advice [http://www.motoraddicts.com/experts/blog/list] about new developments surrounding their entries; there are in fact strict limits to modifications that can be made to any competing car in order to keep costs down and elicit an element of fairness in the sport. For example, all competing cars have to use the same tyre – called a ‘control tyre’ – which currently is supplied by Dunlop. Cars can also be modified to use different fuel types, with recent cars having run on liquefied petroleum gas, bio-ethanol fuel and even diesel, which made its first appearance in a BTCC race in 2007.

Races in the BTCC calendar are normally run over a weekend. Saturday comprises of two practice sessions, followed by a half-hour qualifying session which determines the first race grid for the Sunday. Like F1, the grid is sorted by time with the fastest driver lining up in pole position. Depending on the length of the racing circuit, each race will normally consist of between 16 and 25 laps, and the race result then determines the grid order for the next race with the drivers lining up according to their finishing position for race two.

For race three, starting positions are determined by a ‘draw’ which sees part of the grid reversed. This means that depending on the draw, drivers who finished in the minor placings could start in pole position. For example, if position 6 was drawn, the driver who finished in 6th place would be given pole position, with 5th place in second position and so on. Drivers who finished above the ‘draw’ result would occupy the position where they finished race two.

Also, at the end of the first and second races, the cars which finish in the major placings are handicapped by having additional weight – known as ballast – added to them for the next race at the meeting. Drivers’ standings after the third race of each meeting also determine the amount of ballast to be carried in the first race of the following meeting.

There are some aspects of BTCC which are shared with F1; for example the safety car and pit lane speed limits. However, unlike F1, spare cars cannot be used, and teams can only use a maximum of 4 engines per season per driver. If additional engines are used, teams are subject to point deductions.

All this adds up to some fantastic thrills on the racetrack as the rules make racing much more competitive and open, with cars’ technological advantages negated by additional weight or luck of the draw. Collisions are commonplace in BTCC as drivers push their cars – and themselves – to the limit throughout each race; it isn’t uncommon to witness high-speed collisions involving multiple cars, while the attempts to equalise the cars means overtaking manoeuvres can occur anywhere throughout the race – even on the tightest of corners!

So, while the F1 world buys its thrills, motor-sports enthusiasts can rest easy; safe in the knowledge that BTCC thrills come free with the package.

Say the words cargo shorts and the first few things that come to mind are cool ease and multiple pockets.  Usually worn on hot-weather days as resort or weekend wear, or for casual travel, this type of shorts has landed high on the list of essentials of today’s individuals, especially those who take time out for leisure.

It’s not surprising to find men of different preoccupations garbed in such comfortable wear while enjoying a round of golf, or spelunking, engaging in motorsports and other outdoor activities, or simply enjoying the perks of city life. 

Quality cargo shorts nowadays up the wearer’s style quotient. People can look cool and relaxed yet upscale wearing good-fitting ones. Ideally, the clothing article should settle at the hips, or what people refer to as the “natural waist” which is a couple of inches below one’s navel. There should be a small room for comfort, or to avoid the feeling that the item will rip open when one is stuffed. 

The most common material used for such shorts is cotton, but in most instances, other fabrics (like spandex, for women’s shorts) are added for a flattering look.  Some options built for all-day action have roomy front pockets that can stash bulky items like your portable gadgets and even cans of beer without sagging.

In terms of fit, most men find the classic-fitting shorts agreeable, unless they count among those who tend to get hefty in a few weeks  Boys are also relatively easy to please as far as look and details are concerned.  As long as they can roam around freely and feel cool comfort,  most boys are not inclined to be picky about the things they wear. Their parents – who consider their favorite colors and patterns and ensure that their kids exude relaxed chic – oftentimes make the apparel buying decision for them.

Women, though, are another story. Many modern women on the go tend to be fussy dressers.  They will most likely stick with their brands of choice, and peruse the fabric and styling first before making a purchase.

Beyond looking for irresistible or figure-flattering cargo shorts, women check durability or value for money, too, not to mention their agenda for the day (it may be gardening, hiking, shopping or setting out for some weekend family fun.  On top of that, the shorts must be coordinated with, or give some edge to, the accompanying blouse.  Most women want wearable, simple yet elegant shorts.