Atlanta Motor Speedway to Go Smoke Free in Seating Areas

Those attending events at the Atlanta Motor Speedway will soon have to adhere to a new smoking policy. Next year, smoking will be prohibited inside the grandstands and luxury suites at the Speedway.

The new policy will start in January and will be in effect at all speedway events including the annual NASCAR Labor Day race weekend. Dustin Bixby is the Speedway’s Marketing and Promotions Manager.

“The Gwinnett Center up in Gwinnett County, a big major facility here in Atlanta, has been smoke free since it opened. You go to other major sporting events, the Georgia Dome, as well as Turner Field, really are no-smoking facilities as well, so we just sort of thought this was the right time to go ahead and do it. It’s one of the directions the company is going, and we just felt it was the right time.”

He says the Speedway is following the lead of other local sporting facilities and several other tracks owned by the same company, Speedway Motor Sports, which have already gone smoke free. But Bixby says chewing tobacco won’t be off limits and there will be a few places for smokers.

“They’ll be some designated areas on the concourse level for those who want to smoke. It’s really an effort to get it out of the spectator viewing area in the grandstands and the suite level…”

Currently, the speedway has several designated seating areas where smoking is not allowed.