NASCAR
Stratta’s Six: Who Will be an Ace in the Hole at the Ambetter Health 400?
A week removed from The Great American Race, which stars of NASCAR can shine brightest in Atlanta? While also classified as a superspeedway, that’s where the similarities end between both tracks. Handling is a far greater factor around Atlanta’s tight confines, and ever-aging asphalt grows grittier by the year. Following a week-long trek in Florida, the race to the Playoffs and ultimate championship truly begin for many in week two. Here’s a look at a few drivers who hope to leave Atlanta one trophy richer.
Austin Cindric
A case can be made that Austin Cindric is the best Cup superspeedway racer today. The 2022 Daytona 500 champion and winner of last week’s Duel has an uncanny ability to always be up front when drafting. Between both Atlanta races a year ago the No. 2 Ford led a combined 124 laps, with finishes of fourth and tenth. Cindric’s drafting prowess was on display last week in Daytona too. The deuce was leading on the last lap, before chaos ensued. Should the 2 find the front in Sunday’s closing laps, this Mustang may be tough to beat.
“I think every Atlanta race we’ve done since the repave has looked different each time, so I can’t sit here and confidently tell you that I know exactly what the race is gonna look like,” Cindric said. “From a generalization, yeah, it’s gonna be a drafting style race, no doubt, and handling is gonna be somewhat important, but to the levels of which and how it changes the racing, I think it’s been an unknown each time, which has been fun to kind of react and adapt on the fly and understand what your car is gonna need as the race goes on, and hopefully you have enough time to work on it and do those things and have that opportunity.”
“But it’s been an exciting race, no doubt. I think the only one I didn’t leave either with a smile on my face or wanting to go back and do it again was the first one. Past that, they’ve been pretty exciting events for me.”
Cindric has seen time pacing the pack in eight-straight superspeedway starts. Penske cars were the class of the field last week, only to leave the Daytona 500 empty-handed. Penske’s trio of drivers all represent some of the strongest drafters, with high praise heaped on Cindric from Denny Hamlin. The 2 will aim for a second-straight Atlanta win for The Captain.
William Byron
It’s been 15 years since a Daytona 500 champion has opened a year going two-for-two. Already in elite company as a back-to-back Great American Race winner, William Byron eyes joining this exclusive club too. Byron in particular has been a man to beat in new Atlanta’s brief history, with two wins in six starts. How does the Daytona 500 champion feel about possibly staying undefeated to start the season?
“Yeah it’s a short week for our group, for a good reason, but I still think we’re ready for Atlanta,” Byron said. “I think you’re going to see similar racing to what we saw this past weekend and probably another crazy finish. I really think Atlanta has become one of the best tracks we have.”
Aside from the two wins at the reconfigured Atlanta Motor Speedway, Byron has another top-10 and laps led in four races. Byron was a breakout star to begin last season too, with three wins in the opening eight weeks. Now wearing another ring from the sport’s biggest race, Byron will try and position himself well for the Playoffs with another checkered flag.
Brad Keselowski
Out of all drivers who have yet to get a Next Gen superspeedway win, none have been closer than Brad Keselowski. The RFK Racing No. 6 has been within eyesight of the checkers in Atlanta especially multiple times. 2023’s spring race here saw BK lead on the last lap, only to lose by a nose at the line.
Keselowski still holds the distinction of winningest active man on drafting tracks, but has not seen a trophy in almost four years. RFK Racing enters Atlanta with three cars for the first time, potentially giving their team an advantage in drafting help. Similar to Penske in recent years, should their three cars get hooked up then this train may be too powerful to stop.
Kyle Busch
2024 spring Atlanta lives on in NASCAR history as the closest three-way photo finish. One guy on the losing edge of this razor-thin margin was Kyle Busch, who only added to his stout drafting résumé. Since joining RCR, Busch has one drafting win (Talladega 2023) as well as laps led in 11 of 13 superspeedway starts. Busch was also running third late in last week’s Daytona 500 before being wrecked out. If anyone has become quietly great at the drafting track trio recently, it’s car No. 8.
“Atlanta is kind of a crapshoot race in general with it now being a superspeedway race,” Busch said. “It takes a lot of speed, but also a car that handles well to be successful there. You have to pick the right line at the right time to get yourself where you can log some laps, especially in the middle stage of the race, and not get caught up in a crash when cars start to handle differently and mistakes are made. The superspeedway style of racing, there’s so many things that can change just in a given lap, let alone that whole race. Races at Atlanta have become ones to remember.”
Atlanta weekend last season saw Busch start off with a bang by winning the Truck race, a feat he hopes to repeat this time. Four-straight top-10s in the Peach State have driver 8 with some of the shortest winning odds too. The great equalizer of the draft may allow RCR to close their competitive gap and capture another checkered flag.
Joey Logano
The most recent Atlanta winner, Joey Logano appeared unstoppable in the Daytona 500 as well. The Penske 22 was in its own zip code having unmatched pace and handling, until helping trigger ‘The Big One’ late. A week removed, Logano appears as a prerace favorite once again.
Should he keep his nose clean, Logano has a prime winning opportunity ahead. Since 2022, the 22’s led a series-high 450 superspeedway laps. Logano is the only driver other than William Byron with two wins on the drafting Atlanta surface, a track he once called home. Logano’s Atlanta record is very hot or cold, however, with three results outside of the top-15. Alas, the reigning Cup champion is one who cannot be overlooked on any superspeedway.
Daniel Suarez
Lots of attention and pressure will be focused on Daniel Suarez this weekend. The victor in last spring’s Atlanta photo finish, Suarez only took command between turn four and the finish line. Aside from that triumph, however, new Atlanta has become a personal playground for driver 99. Suarez recently relived this electric last lap from his perspective.
“Honestly, I didn’t have many options because Austin Cindric was the driver that was behind me,” Suarez said. “He was lifting a lot, just trying not to help me. Obviously his teammate was leading the race at that time. My options were very limited when it came to the second lane, trying to create a run. The No. 47 of Ricky (Stenhouse), he was being very aggressive on the rear bumper of the No. 2. Even with that, I can see it, I can feel it. I was able to see it on Monday after the race on SMT. He was doing everything possible not to help me, which is okay, right? That’s part of the game. I knew the run was not going to come from me, it was going to come from the inside. My job at that point was to try to slow down the 8 (Busch) as much as possible for the No. 23 (Bubba Wallace) to get to him. It’s a chess match a chess game to get to him and build the run. Hopefully I was going to be right there to take advantage of that run. Luckily it worked out like that. Any of us could have won that race. It was a matter of inches. It was just a matter of timing and fortunately the timing worked out good for me.”
2024’s win is sandwiched between two Peach State runner-ups for Suarez. The Trackhouse 99 has five total top-10s in six starts on drafting Atlanta, making this one of his most consistent stops on the circuit. Coming off back-to-back wins for Byron a week ago, Suarez will try and keep headlines the same in Hotlanta.
Perhaps no track is as anticipated for drivers and fans alike than Atlanta Motor Speedway. The ever-changing characteristics of this surface may throw Sunday’s field for a loop. The Ambetter Health 400 (Sunday, 3 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) will see one driver avoid Peach State pitfalls and stand tall with a season-defining win.
Written by Peter Stratta
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