First Annual Atlanta "500", Official Entry Blank for the Grand National Championship, 1960.

First Atlanta 500

Ephemera

Atlanta International Raceway. Official Entry Blank for the Grand National Championship, First Annual Atlanta “500” and National Modified–Sportsman Championship. October 29–30, 1960. 11 x 8.5 inches. NASCAR-sanctioned printed entry form/program. Original “Official Entry Blank” issued for the inaugural Atlanta “500,” held at the newly constructed Atlanta International Raceway on October 29–30, 1960. The cover prominently announces the “Grand National Championship,” “First Annual Atlanta ‘500,’” and the accompanying “National Modified–Sportsman Championship,” underscoring the event’s dual significance within NASCAR’s competitive hierarchy. The program boldly advertises “$67,445 in Posted Awards,” a substantial purse in “cash and parts,” reflecting the rapid commercialization and professionalization of stock car racing at the dawn of the 1960s. As a NASCAR-sanctioned document—bearing the official NASCAR emblem—this entry blank situates the Atlanta “500” within the expanding national circuit that would soon solidify the sport’s deep cultural ties to the American South, particularly Georgia, where Atlanta emerged as a key metropolitan hub for Southern automotive culture and postwar leisure economies.

The 1960 Atlanta “500” marked the debut of what would become one of the premier events on the NASCAR calendar, now known as the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500. The opening of Atlanta International Raceway symbolized both regional pride and the broader transformation of stock car racing from its Prohibition-era, working-class Southern roots into a nationally marketed spectator sport. Programs and entry blanks from inaugural events are of particular institutional interest, as they document the material culture of early NASCAR promotion—typography, purse structure, sanctioning language, and the organizational infrastructure behind the Grand National series. This example captures a transitional moment when motorsport moved decisively into large-scale, purpose-built speedways, replacing earlier dirt tracks and fairgrounds, and reflects the aspirational tone of mid-century American automotive spectacle. Two horizontal folds and minor foxing to the front cover; clean and legible throughout. Overall condition: Very Good.

Item #17343

Price: $240.00