One of the most exciting racing series, the Bandolero cars, return to Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sept. 24.
The top Bandolero car drivers from across the country will converge on Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sept 24, when AMS plays host to the 2016 Bandolero Nationals. The national championship event, which will crown the nation’s best Bandolero drivers, will take place on the quarter-mile Thunder Ring, a flat racing surface on the AMS frontstretch considered one of the most challenging in the nation.
Atlanta Motor Speedway last hosted the event in the summer of 2014, when Stockbridge, Georgia native Jensen Jorgensen notched his second consecutive Outlaws Division national title, and Talking Rock, Georgia’s Chandler Smith claimed the Bandits Division crown.
“It’s an honor to once again welcome the most talented Bandolero drivers in the U.S. to our facility as they compete on the national stage for top honors in the country,” said AMS president Ed Clark. “We will host a full day of racing with some of the stiffest short-track competition among the future stars of racing.”
The 2016 Bandolero Nationals will include practice sessions in the morning and early afternoon, followed by five-lap group qualifying at 1:30 p.m., before heat races between 3 and 5 p.m. Twenty-lap feature races will start at 6:30 p.m., beginning with the Rookie Bandolero Division, a consolation feature, the Bandits Division championship, and finally the Outlaws Division championship.
In addition, local Legends car racing in four classes will precede the Bandolero competition with the first green-flag start time at 5:30 p.m.
Bandolero racing is where many top drivers got their start and education in racing. Sanctioned by INEX (inexpensive racing), Bandolero cars serve as a starting point for many drivers to enter competitive racing, with drivers split into two groups based on their age. Drivers ages 8-to-11 compete in the Bandits Division, while drivers 12 and up compete in the Outlaws Division. The Rookie Bandolero division is reserved for young drivers brand new to the car.
Notable AMS Bandolero and Legends car racing alumni include current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, David Ragan, Austin Dillon and Reed Sorenson, as well as William Byron, who currently leads the 2016 driver standings in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
For more information about the 2016 Bandolero Nationals, contact the Atlanta Motor Speedway ticket office at (770) 946-4211, (877) 9-AMS-TIX or visit www.atlantamotorspeedway.com.
