Following a crash-filled Daytona 500, NASCAR moves into Atlanta’s weathered 1.54-mile asphalt trail.
Since the surface allows for side-by-side racing in multiple grooves the track is preferred by many NASCAR drivers. Tires wear out setting a higher significance on long-run speed.
Kevin Harvick won the first two stages at Atlanta, but Brad Keselowski was allowed by a penalty in for the flag. Keselowski handed Kyle Larson for the lead with six laps to go for his first win of 2017.
All eyes will be on Georgia native Chase Elliott this weekend has he seems to catch his first Cup Series win at his hometown track. Back in the No. 9 car, a number made famous by his Hall of Fame father Bill, Chase has a fair shot to win according to last year’s numbers.
RELATED NEWS
NASCAR at Atlanta: Updated weather forecast, radar for Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500
Elliott listed two second-place finishes, seven top fives, and nine top-10s at 1.5-mile paths in 2017. The Dawsonville, Ga., native also averaged the third-best average end of Cup drivers (9.82) on 1.5-mile monitors this past year.
Before Keselowski’s win last year, Elliott’s teammate Jimmie Johnson was successful in two Atlanta races. Johnson, who possesses a Cup Series record 28 wins 1.5-mile tracks in his profession, has five wins, 14 top fives along with a series-best driver rating of 105.4 at Atlanta.
While Johnson has become the older king of 1.5-mile monitors, our choice to win Sunday is reigning champion Martin Truex Jr., that has been nearly unbeatable at intermediate ovals.
Truex won seven of the 11 1.5-mile speedway races last year with nine top fives for an average end of 2.5. He’s still looking for his first win in Atlanta but we expect him to have the job done Sunday (if the rain holds off) despite starting from the back of the field.
Read more: usavallblacks.com