On Friday, Speedway Motorsports announced a new initiative titled FANS FIRST, which will allow fans to acquire autographs from NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers on the midway of all Speedway Motorsports racing facilities during the 2024 season starting with this weekend’s Ambetter Health 400 race weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
With this new initiative, Marcus Smith President and CEO of Speedway Motorsports said his team has worked closely in the past several months with drivers and teams trying to bring back an old-school autograph session to the Speedway Motorsports fan experience.
“We’ve worked closely with the race teams and drivers over the past several months to bring more old-school autograph sessions back to the fan zones at our speedways,” said Smith in a press release. “Drivers connecting with the fans face-to-face was a true foundation for building our sport. We’re both thrilled and thankful that so many drivers will make appearances to sign autographs for the fans. We’ll continue to look for additional opportunities with other NASCAR industry personalities as well to expand this effort.”
There is something for every generation of NASCAR fan to like about this announcement.
More seasoned fans will applaud Smith as the autograph sessions in the fan zones will take them back to the days of Richard Petty, or Dale Earnhardt signing every autograph for fans. With FANS FIRST, newer-age NASCAR fans will have more opportunities to connect with their favorite drivers through the autograph sessions at the driver’s respective merchandise hauler.
At Speedway Motorsports facilities during the 2024 season, souvenir trailers will have designated times when select NASCAR Xfinity and Cup Series drivers will make appearances to sign autographs for race fans. Speedway Motorsports says that General appearances will be up to 30 minutes per driver or personality. Wristbands may be issued in limited quantities by souvenir trailers and qualifying purchases may be required. There may be limits on the number of autographs allowed per driver per fan to accommodate as many fans as possible.
The 2024 Daytona 500 Winner William Byron will be kicking off FANS FIRST this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway as he will be available at the Hendrick souvenir hauler Saturday at 10:20 AM ET.
Justin Allgaier, Sam Mayer, Brandon Jones, Sammy Smith, Cole Custer, and Riley Herbst will also do autograph sessions on Saturday.
Sunday will feature autograph sessions from Christopher Bell, Corey LaJoie, Michael McDowell, Daniel Suarez, John Hunter Nemechek, Ryan Preece, Josh Berry, Chase Briscoe, Kyle Larson, Todd Gilliland, and Harrison Burton.
Full Atlanta Weekend Driver Autograph Schedule
| Day | Time | Driver | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday | 10:20 AM ET | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports Rig |
| Saturday | 12:45 PM ET | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports Rig |
| Saturday | 12:45 PM ET | Sam Mayer | JR Motorsports Rig |
| Saturday | 12:45 PM ET | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports Rig |
| Saturday | 12:45 PM ET | Sammy Smith | JR Motorsports Rig |
| Saturday | 2:30 PM ET | Cole Custer | Ford Performance Rig |
| Saturday | 2:30 PM ET | Riley Herbst | Ford Performance Rig |
| Sunday | 11:30 AM ET | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing Rig |
| Sunday | 11:30 AM ET | Corey LaJoie | NASCAR Rig |
| Sunday | 11:30 AM ET | Michael McDowell | Penske Rig |
| Sunday | 11:30 AM ET | Daniel Suarez | Trackhouse/Suarez Rig |
| Sunday | 12:00 PM ET | John Hunter Nemechek | LEGACY Rig |
| Sunday | 12:10 PM ET | Ryan Preece | Ford Performance Rig |
| Sunday | 12:10 PM ET | Josh Berry | Ford Performance Rig |
| Sunday | 12:10 PM ET | Chase Briscoe | Ford Performance Rig |
| Sunday | 12:30 PM ET | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports Rig |
| Sunday | 12:35 PM ET | Todd Gilliland | Penske Rig |
| Sunday | 12:50 PM ET | Harrison Burton | Penske Rig |
Speedway Motorsports has been giving the fans more bang for their buck in recent months. In addition to the FANS FIRST initiative, Speedway Motorsports has taken steps to speed up wait times for fans entering the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Speedway Motorsports has installed new state-of-the-art ticket gate houses to expedite entrance into the track for fans in select gates around the 1.54-mile speedway.
