Count Atlanta Motor Speedway president Ed Clark among the many in NASCAR Nation that are chomping at the bit for the 2013 season. With Saturday's Sprint Unlimited on tap and then a bustling week of practices and races leading up to next Sunday's Daytona 500, Clark and his staff at the Hampton, GA track are busy in their own right. Though the Labor Day weekend races at AMS are months away, tickets to them go on sale during Daytona's Speedweeks. 9 a.m. Monday is when fans can start purchasing seats for the AdvoCare 500 race weekend. And this list from an AMS press release shows there are plenty of deals in store and benefits to purchasing tickets early: 

Labor Day NASCAR night racing weekend schedule (Aug. 30-Sept. 1, 2013)

Aug. 30:            NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Qualifying and United Sprint Car Series Race (50 laps / 12.5 miles)

Aug. 31:            Atlanta 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series Race (195 laps / 300 miles)

Sept. 1:                        AdvoCare 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race (325 laps / 500 miles)

NASCAR Tickets On-Sale

• Tickets on sale Monday, February 18 at 9:00 AM
• To purchase, visit www.atlantamotorspeedway.com or call 1 877 9 AMS TIX
• Fans that purchase AdvoCare 500 tickets before 5:00 p.m. on Monday, February 25 become members of the AMS Insiders Club, which features ticket discounts, a lanyard and entry into VIP experiences.

NEW FOR 2013: AMS Insiders Club

• Fans who renew their tickets will receive discounts off the regular price and exclusive entry into the new Insiders Club.  
• Insiders Club members will have exclusive access to:

• Your choice of either a ticket discount or a coupon for 20% off your first AMS merchandise purchase at the AMS gift store
• AMS Insiders Club lanyard with each Sprint Cup event ticket purchased
• Renewal purchasers will automatically be entered in for a chance to win race weekend prizes not available for the general public to purchase including:
  • NASCAR Autograph Session
  • Admittance for two to the Victory Lane winner’s celebration
  • NASCAR Cold Garage access
  • Pre-race pace car rides
  • The chance to wave the green flag during NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Qualifying Night
  • Invitation to Fan Q&A with Bruton Smith and Ed Clark
  • Tours of the facility during the weekend

NEW EVENT FOR 2013: Friday Q&A with NASCAR Champion Brad Keselowski

• Friday Q&A session following Sprint Cup Qualifying and before the United Sprint Car Series race
• Anyone who purchases a Friday ticket before 5:00 p.m. on Monday, February 25 receives a FREE stagefront pass to the Q&A session
• Friday tickets start at just $20, or $15 if purchasing a Sunday ticket

Additional Benefits to Fans

• Fans can lock in their seats for only 25% down. AMS provides a payment plan to assist fans by spreading out their payments over three additional dates on April 1, May 15 and July 1. 
• Free parking 
• Soft-sided coolers allowed 14” x 14” x 14” 

2013 Ticket Specials

• BEST VALUE: The $149 Start/Finish Package includes an Upper Champions Grandstand ticket to both Saturday and Sunday races, plus a Sunday pit pass for just $149, a savings of $111 
• $99 for two tickets in the Lower Petty or Lower Winners Grandstands for the AdvoCare 500 
• $159 Fantastic 4-pack: four tickets, four hot dogs and four 12 oz. Coca-Colas with 4 tickets in the Elliott Grandstand (rows 1-20). 

• All kids 12 and under are FREE Friday and Saturday with a paid adult in the general admission seating areas (No limit on the number of kids with each adult) 
• $19 student tickets are available in the Elliott Grandstand and rows 1-12 of the Winners Grandstand, or for $29 in rows 13-26 of the Winner’s Grandstand for Sunday’s race. A valid student ID must be presented at the grandstand gate for entry.  

Clark certainly is looking to make a splash this season, as there is so much buzz surrounding, among other things, the new Gen-6 racecar. He says he thinks the racing at AMS will be some of the best of the season, as teams will have a much better handle on the new car by late summer. Count that among his predictions for 2013. And predictions that Clark has become a bit famous for, as five of his six 2012 foresights were dead-on accurate. He even predicted Denny Hamlin's exact win total (five) and that Michael Waltrip Racing would have a breakout year and win races. He did miss big on picking Carl Edwards to win the Sprint Cup - but his down season surprised most in NASCAR. This season, Clark has another slate of things to watch for: 

• Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will win a race and win Rookie of the Year.
• When the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rolls into Atlanta Motor Speedway Labor Day Weekend for the AdvoCare 500, all three Joe Gibbs Racing cars will be positioned well to lock themselves into the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship.
• Kyle Busch will have a much-improved season, winning as many as four races and contending for the championship.
• Jimmie Johnson and defending champion Brad Keselowski will again be title contenders right down to the final race, but they will be joined by Kasey Kahne, who will win the championship.
• Expect to see unusual faces at the front early in the season with teams still figuring out the new Generation-6 cars. 
• The Nationwide Series will be more competitive than ever with the infusion of talent of Sprint Cup drivers.

So, Clark says Kahne wins the Cup, Kyle Busch wins four races, every Joe Gibbs Racing car makes the Chase (one did in 2012), and Stenhouse Jr. wins at least one race. We will hold him to that. Listen here to find out why he made these predictions and to hear his take on the Stenhouse Jr.-Patrick courtship.

Later on the WSB Radio Race Blog: Analysis of the Sprint Unlimited at Daytona and this offseason's winners and losers.