AMS loses spring race

ATLANTA - Atlanta Motor Speedway will host just one NASCAR Sprint Cup race in 2011.

The track announced Thursday it will hold a 500-mile Cup race at the track on Labor Day weekend next year. It marks the first time since the track opened in 1960 that it will not host two Cup events in a season.

The 1.5-mile quad-oval is owned by Speedway Motorsports Inc., which recently submitted several scheduling requests to NASCAR.

SMI owner Bruton Smith said recently he would like to have at least one Cup date at each of SMI's NASCAR-sanctioned tracks. The only one currently lacking a Cup race is Kentucky Speedway.