NASCAR
Stratta’s Six: Who Can Start the Playoffs on the Right Foot in Atlanta?
’10 weeks of hell’ begin this weekend from Atlanta Motor Speedway. The site of February’s photo-finish that lives on in history will write a new page as 2024’s opening Playoff race. Contenders or not, which driver can elevate themselves to a season-defining win? Sunday is sure to be a showdown in the Peach State, with one team leaving happy and many more being on edge. Here are a few drivers to watch out for in the Quaker State 400.
Ryan Blaney
Nobody had a better view of the three-wide finish without the celebration than Ryan Blaney. The four-time superspeedway victor came within a few inches of another big win in February. The reigning Cup champion reflected back on his role in such a memorable night.
“That was definitely an exciting finish,” Blaney said. “I didn’t feel upset about it. It was pretty wild and I kind of put in my head like, ‘I’ve won them by that much, too.’ So, the fact that I lost one by half a foot I can’t really be mad about it. I’ve won more than my fair share of what I honestly should have won, just by odds, by a foot or two. It was just a neat finish. I didn’t know who won. That was interesting because the ones I’ve won, like Talladega, where it was super close and it was just me and another car side-by-side and I can kind of see I beat that guy. But, me, when I was the bottom of three, I couldn’t see Daniel but I knew I beat the 8 and I didn’t see the 99, so I really thought we won just because I couldn’t see Daniel’s car, and then Timmy (Fedewa, spotter) told me that he got us, but that was a great finish, a spectacular finish. Like I said, that’s like the only time I wasn’t upset about running second at all. It was like, ‘Oh, we didn’t win. Well, that was still a good night.'”
“I really don’t know what to expect going into this weekend – how aggressive people are going to be. You just never know how these things are going to go. It could be really, really calm, for the most part, until the end or it could just be chaos the whole time. I have no idea.”
“I would prefer to lead every lap and stay in front of all that stuff. I’ve been wrecked enough at speedways this year, just plowing into other people’s crap. I’m talking about other speedways. I’ve wrecked a lot this year and just been forced into these wrecks and it just gets old. I’ve always approached speedways as trying to control the race. That’s where I feel the most comfortable. That’s where I feel the most safe, like I am making my moves as the leader, and I like to think I try to be smart in where I pick to block or not. I feel like I don’t throw dumb blocks that will get me wrecked because I don’t want to wreck and I don’t want to wreck the field, so I try to control the race and the flow of it and that’s really the same mindset I’m gonna bring into Atlanta.”
He was inches away from the trophy last trip here, and Ryan Blaney enters Atlanta this time as a co-favorite. Over two-thirds of Blaney’s laps ran on the new Atlanta have been inside the top-10. Few have the résumé, talent, and confidence of driver 12 when it comes to drafting races; what he does on track is a true art form in motion. Should Blaney be in the lead pack again on the last lap, look for his nose to edge ahead this time.
Kyle Busch
Another piece of February’s picture was Kyle Busch, who was also painfully close yet far from victory. Aside from that moment, Busch seemingly has a knack for this new era Atlanta racing. Team 8 has three top-10s in their three trips here, with each finish inching forward. Hoping to be a Playoff spoiler this weekend, Busch relishes in the opportunity ahead.
“Absolutely it does [give us confidence],” Busch said. “We had a game plan on what we needed to be better and we came back with more speed and a lot better car for the spring Atlanta race this year. I’m hoping that that same amount of notes and success translates to the race this weekend.”
“Atlanta now takes a lot of speed but also a car that handles well. You have to pick through the right line at the right time and get yourself in a spot that you can log some laps through the middle stages of the race and not get caught up in a crash when cars start to handle differently and mistakes are made.”
Without any Playoff pressure on them, Busch and his 8 team can simply go for broke in chasing checkered flags. The 8 has three-straight top-fives over the last three races, including runner-up the last two weeks. Busch’s goal for the remainder of 2024 is to extend his consecutive winning seasons record. Atlanta provides ample chances for Busch to take another winning bow.
Chase Elliott
Georgia’s hometown hero, Chase Elliott eyes a second Cup win on the drafting-style Atlanta. Driver 9 won this race two years ago, with Hendrick also picking up two other victories here. Put simply, an Elliott win would ring out very popular in north Georgia’s rolling hills. With a championship at his top of mind, Elliott has full focus on executing a clean day at home.
“I have not looked past the first round to be really honest with you,” Elliott said. “But when I look at the first round, I try to take it a week at a time. It’s a good thing because Atlanta is first, and that place is going to be crazy and chaotic, and you try not to crash ultimately. We will try and get some stage points and try to put ourselves in position to win would be great. But I haven’t really looked past that.”
Elliott may have been unstoppable in Atlanta two years ago, but engine No. 9 needs some positive momentum this time around. Entering the postseason as the seventh seed, Elliott hasn’t earned a top-10 in three weeks. Atlanta may be a pillar a championship season either rides or dies on for this 9 team.
Brad Keselowski
Perhaps no driver has been closer to an Atlanta triumph only to be snakebitten each time than Brad Keselowski. Laps led across the last three races here have only yielded a best finish of second. Despite his legendary superspeedway numbers, Kez still searches for his first Next Gen drafting win. Keselowski is well aware that finding victory lane will be balancing risk on a knife’s edge all race on Sunday.
“Darlington was kind of like this known entity,” Keselowski said. “Everybody knew going into that race what to expect. Atlanta, not so much. There are a lot more unknowns. I think that changes the perception of that first week of the Playoffs. The first week of the Playoffs is really important. It really sets the tone in my eyes for how it’s gonna go. If you have a bad week in week one, it’s hard to dig out of it. Atlanta, it’s easy to have a bad weekend.”
Atlanta may just be a must-perform weekend for Keselowski, even with the 6 being seeded eighth. The next two weeks provide great unknowns with high tire wear tracks, where anyone’s day could end in an instant. If Keselowski stays in the lead pack late, he may have to go all out to keep his season alive.
William Byron
Nobody’s found more success in the brief Atlanta drafting history than William Byron. Driver 24 took the reconfiguration’s first win in 2022, and backed it up in this race a year ago. Combined with his Daytona 500 triumph from February, Byron is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with on every superspeedway. The Bill France Cup looms in the distance for team 24. Byron knows the task at hand to advance onward towards the ultimate goal.
“I feel like for us, having the stamina throughout the year to get to this part of the year and put your best performances on display is key,” Byron said. “I feel like we’re in that position where we’re well-positioned. We have good, decent playoff points. We would’ve liked to have had more this year, but decent playoff points. I think we just have to get through the rounds one by one and see how they go.”
“I think we need to just try to get through Atlanta. I think once you get through Atlanta, you can kind of control your destiny from there. So, try to get through Atlanta, have a good race there and see what happens.”
Far from must-win territory for the opening Playoff race, Byron likewise can’t afford a mediocre day or risk crashing out. Byron has shown an uncanny ability to seemingly always be in contention at Atlanta, but his two wins are his only top-10s here. It will be fascinating to see how team 24 approaches this race and balance their aggression.
Daniel Suarez
February’s Atlanta winner, Daniel Suarez led for a couple hundred yards in his latest triumph. A driver has not swept both Atlanta races since Jimmie Johnson in 2007, with Suarez having the chance to join very rare air. Confidence is sky-high in the Trackhouse 99 camp starting off the Playoffs on a track they know how to conquer.
“I think that’s something that’s pretty cool,” Suarez said. “That definitely brings some extra energy and excitement into our playoff run. So yeah, that’s exciting. Hopefully we can have a good run, hopefully a win. That would be awesome. We just need to push hard, work hard, and hopefully we can give them a run for their money.”
“Honestly, to me, Atlanta is almost like a chess match. You just have to be very strategic with your moves. You have to be fast. Everything happens so quick. But yeah, it’s just very important to work with your manufacturer.”
Suarez led more than just the last lap in the spring, he was battling against Blaney for the entire sprint to the finish. February was far from Suarez’s only time contending in Atlanta as well. The 99’s five starts on the new Atlanta feature four top-10s, including second in this race a year ago. Many may be quick to write Suarez off as a first round exit, but the Round of 16 does offer him some hope.
Atlanta is sure to be a drama-filled 400 mile thrill ride that may come down to another razor-thin finish. The Quaker State 400 will go green Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on USA, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. The new Atlanta was a controversial change at the time but its continued to deliver with some of NASCAR’s best racing in the Next Gen era. Adding Atlanta into the Playoffs only heightens its angst, tempers, and pressure.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credits to Alex Slitz/Getty Images
