Atlanta Motor Speedway is known for being the fastest track on the current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series circuit. The track’s current qualifying record was set by Geoffrey Bodine back in 1997 with a speed of 197.478mph.

In the recent history, AMS has been the site of some of the closest finishes ever seen in the sport.

But, the track did not just recently flourish, it is has always been a fan and driver favorite.

For 15 years, from 1987 through 2001, Atlanta was the final stop on the NASCAR circuit. Championships were won and lost on the track ‘where the fast go faster’.

In 1988, Bill Elliott discovered what it was like to win one.

Elliott had finished in the top-4 in points the previous five years. In 1985 he was only 101 points behind champion Darrell Waltrip.

Finally, in ’88, he was the one who got the Cup.

Going into the Atlanta Journal 500, Elliott was ahead of second place Rusty Wallace by a mere 79 points. He had to finish 18th or better to clinch the championship.

Wallace started on the pole, led the most laps and won the race but it still was not enough to beat Elliott.

Elliott started a dismal 29th, never led a lap, finished a mediocre 11th and won his first and only Sprint Cup Series championship.

“The deal for us was to make sure everything was right on the car and it was going to be okay,” Elliott said, according to a book by Greg Fielden. “Rusty (Wallace) did what he had to do, and I did what I had to do. You can put aside all the ifs, ands or buts. I stuck it out and won the Winston Cup (now Sprint Cup) championship.”

Admittedly a sore loser, Wallace was clearly disappointed by Elliott’s play-it-safe strategy.

“I started on the pole, led the most laps and won the race,” Wallace said, according to Fielden’s book. “I did what I had to do. I couldn’t believe the way he was running. I thought he would come here and race for it. I’m a terrible loser. This thing is gnawing at me right now. There’s always next year, but I hate to let this one slip away.”

Wallace went on to win his one and only championship the following year. Elliott went on to be voted NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver a record 16-times, ten of which were in consecutive years.

Elliott still races a few times in the Sprint Cup Series throughout the NASCAR season while Wallace has retired and become a television analyst.

But, neither man will forget that season ending race in Atlanta. One drove his heart out and lost while the other played it safe and won.

Basically, it was NASCAR’s version of the Tortoise and the Hare.

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