NASCAR
Stratta’s Six: Who Can Tame the Great Unknown in Atlanta?
Atlanta Motor Speedway is one of the biggest question marks left in the NASCAR regular season. Offseason reconfigurations raised the banking and narrowed the groove on the 1.5-mile track; Atlanta now races like a superspeedway. Back in March, Atlanta saw chaos for the Cup Series. That day saw three multi-car incidents plus a major crash coming to the checkers. With only three more Playoff spots available, the chances for an upset winner are high this weekend. This also marks the first repeat racetrack of the year, so everyone has some notes on this venue in the Next Gen car. With all of this in mind, who are some favorites entering the Peach State?
Chase Elliott
Hometown hero Chase Elliott hopes to extend his points lead this weekend. Being the lone man atop the standings since Atlanta in March, the Hendrick 9 team desperately pursues the regular season championship and its wealth of Playoff bonus points. Elliott’s career at his home track has been very hit-or-miss. However, the 9 was up front late here just four months ago. Always a strong contender at all superspeedways, Elliott expects another great winning chance on Sunday.
“This weekend’s race will be a lot like the first one,” Elliott said. “I think the difference will be teams now have had a few months to kind of dial in and understand exactly what’s going on underneath the car. I think all the cars are just going to drive better when we come back and typically when that happens, the aggression level will increase. People will also be more apt to put themselves in compromised situations throughout the event. There were a lot of things going on to start the year, and I think a lot of people were just trying to survive. Whereas this time, everyone is going to be a little bit more comfortable. Decision making will be a little more questionable for a lot of the field I would say.”
Still winless at his home track, perhaps this time could be different for Chase Elliott. Coming into Atlanta as the points leader, Elliott could have very easily won the last two races heading into this weekend. The 9 team appears to be positioning themselves well for a Playoff push for the title, expect them to be strong again in Atlanta.
Denny Hamlin
Another venerable superspeedway veteran, Denny Hamlin aims for an Atlanta rebound. At this track’s debut in March, the Fedex 11 was up front, only to wreck out prematurely. Hamlin was involved in a crash that ended Stage 2, sending the 11 to a 29th-place finish. This time around though, Hamlin is hopeful for another strong day that won’t end early.
“I think you’re going to see a lot of what you saw the first time,” Hamlin said. “But it’s not as simple as just bringing a superspeedway car like you’d take to Daytona or Talladega. You’ve got to handle good, especially with how hot it is going to be on Sunday. I feel good about how strong our car was in the spring. We didn’t get the result we would have liked, but I was able to make moves on the top and bottom, so that gives me a lot of confidence that we can be a real contender on Sunday.”
Perhaps the best active superspeedway racer, Denny Hamlin hopes for a better day in Atlanta. A very strong race was cut short for the 11 team here back in March. In addition, Hamlin’s also seen poor results in the other two superspeedway races this year. If the 11 can stay clean throughout the day, then Hamlin could be in the running late for a third win of 2022.
William Byron
Can William Byron pull off an Atlanta sweep? The 24 team has been noticeably off in recent weeks, with only one top-10 in the last 10 races. However, Byron was among the leaders all day long back in March on the new surface. The 24 led 111 laps en route to the victory. Should Byron and his Hendrick team bring a similar piece to Georgia, they could become the first three-time winners of 2022.
“I’m excited to get back to Atlanta,” Byron said. “I think the track is going to be slicker than the last race there in March. It’s still going to race like a superspeedway, but I think we’re going to be working on the handling of our cars more than we did last time with the heat. I’m honestly interested to see how that plays out and what the conditions end up being like. We’ll have to really adapt throughout the race since we have no practice this time. Just like a lot of weekends this season, we’ll just have to see how it goes once we get there and get on track.”
William Byron and the Hendrick 24 team need to find some stability and consistency as the Playoffs near. Coming into a track they won at just four months ago, Byron is confident that he can get the ship righted this weekend in Atlanta.
Ryan Blaney
A threat at any superspeedway, Ryan Blaney looks to break into victory lane for the first time this year in Atlanta. While the 12 team does have a clutch win here from last season, that victory came on the old track surface. To take another Atlanta checkered flag now will require superspeedway skills that have seen Blaney win at both Daytona and Talladega. Sitting more than 100 points above the cut line, Blaney wants to assert himself as a Playoff threat by winning. While Chase Elliott holds the points lead, Blaney has been slowly catching him in recent weeks. Could the 12 potentially steal the regular season title from the ultra-consistent 9 team?
Christopher Bell
If not for a poorly-executed last-lap pass, Christopher Bell would have finished second in March. Due to going below the out-of-bounds line though, the 20 was relegated to 23rd. As the last man in the Playoffs on points, Bell is feeling the ever-growing pressure to win. The 20 has been quite consistent in recent weeks, as they currently sit a season-best eighth in points.
“Atlanta was a really good race for us in the spring,” Bell said. “Our team performed well on the new superspeedway track surface, and with no practice this time around I think that should play into our hands.”
If Bell can keep all four tires above the line, he should have a great shot to win again if he can survive the inevitable carnage. Bell’s performance this weekend will be closely followed, as the 20 team has a few new pit crew members.
Bubba Wallace
One of few bright spots so far in 2022 for the flagship 23XI Racing team was Atlanta. The March race saw Bubba Wallace lead laps late, only to get crashed as the field took the checkered flag. Arguably one of the best superspeedway racers today, can Wallace win Sunday and turn the Playoffs on their head? Some very public struggles in recent weeks do not instill much confidence in the 23 team. Despite this, they have to treat Atlanta as a great chance at their second win. Atlanta and Daytona in August may be the only shots Wallace has at a Playoff berth, as he wants to join his teammate Kurt Busch.
Wallace’s talent on superspeedways is no question. However, can his pit crew maintain status quo to keep him in contention late? To counteract recent pit road pitfalls, the 23 and Christopher Bell’s team have made some team member swaps ahead of Atlanta.
Wallace is just one of many drivers who could upend the entire Playoff picture this weekend. If Wallace and this entire team do not make any unforced errors and perform at their highest potential, then the 23 could be facing another win.
Coverage of the Quaker State 400 from Atlanta Motor Speedway is Sunday at 3:00 p.m. ET on USA Network, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Just who will take the victory Sunday in Atlanta is a great unknown. The quasi-superspeedway offers one of the biggest wildcard races left in the regular season.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Sean Gardner/Getty Images for NASCAR
