Atlanta Motor Speedway is already chaotic. Now a high-banked superspeedway, the track offers all the hallmarks of that style of racing.
But Sunday night’s Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart (7 p.m. ET on USA, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) offers the kind of intensity that can only happen when the sun goes down.
Those conditions will affect the track, as drivers noted. Ryan Preece anticipates needing to stay ahead of rapid changes.
“With the track being superspeedway-style racing, everything is happening so fast and it’s a unique track layout,” he said. “The track is just going to continue to change throughout the race.”
Aric Almirola emphasized how “crazy fast” the track really is.
“It’s not quite a superspeedway and it’s not quite a mile-and-a-half style. It has the style of a superspeedway, but it also has the handling and drivability of a mile-and-a-half track,” he said.
And add Playoff pressure to a night race at that kind of racetrack. Just eight races remain in the regular season, and eleven drivers have already all-but locked themselves into a Playoff spot. Barring plenty of first-time winners this season in the closing races, that means just five spots remain on points.
Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Chris Buescher, Bubba Wallace, and Ty Gibbs currently hold those spots. But while Harvick, at 151 points above the cutline, and Keselowski, at 91 above, can be comfortable, Wallace and Gibbs are just 15 and 9 points to the good as the points stand.
Daniel Suarez and Michael McDowell, in the next two positions, are easily in position to capitalize with solid, consistent performances and take those spots.
And at a track like Atlanta, it’s not just those two who feel like they have a shot at earning a Playoff spot.
23rd-place Corey Lajoie, who scored a fifth-place finish at the track last year, is one of those.
“We’re going there…with all intentions of winning,” he said, adding that his team has the track “circled” on their calendars all year.
Some drivers especially looking for the opportunity to win are those who’ve suffered a points hit throughout the season. Chase Elliott, for instance, was out earlier this season for an injury and again for a suspension. He’s the defending winner of the Fall Atlanta race last season.
Chase Briscoe is another one of those, having been penalized from NASCAR for a counterfeit part. The points loss that came with it puts him currently 31st in the points standings. He emphasized the need to stay up front to get that win.
“With this new car, track position has become very important, but you really have to have your balance figured out at Atlanta compared to some of the other big tracks we race at,” Briscoe said. “As much as we like to say it races like a superspeedway, we’re more reliant on the handling at Atlanta than we would be at Daytona or Talladega.”
The entry to pit road is the biggest change to the track before the race. Previously, 45mph pit road speed started before Turn 3, to avoid the risk of a wreck as cars slow for pit road through the corner, according to NASCAR.
Now, under green flag conditions, the speed limit at entry will be 90mph, before falling to the regular 45mph for the rest of pit road. It’s a change implemented, NASCAR said, to keep cars from losing so much time under green flag conditions.
Todd Gilliland, for his part, didn’t think the pit entry was much of a problem, even in it’s previous configuration.
“I think the only thing that’s kind of weird is that you’re coming off pit road off turn two right exactly where guys are trying to get off the racetrack, so you just have to pay a little bit of extra attention there and coordinate with guys,” he said.
“That’s the biggest issue I could see having, but everything went smooth the first time and I definitely expect more of the same this time around.”
Plus, perhaps anticipating superspeedway carnage, NASCAR will give the teams an extra minute on the Damaged Vehicle Policy – the amount of time allowed to fix a car after a wreck – now up to eight minutes for the Cup Series.
Xfinity Series promises ‘crazy’ racing in Atlanta
The Xfinity Series will be racing under the lights in Saturday’s Alsco Uniforms 250 (8 p.m. ET on USA, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). It’s the first race of the first night race weekend at the track since 2014.
And the night racing might just bring the intensity up even higher at the superspeedway track.
“It’s always going to be crazy, especially at the end of the race,” Custer said. “People are going to try to push and shove their way to a win, just like at Talladega or Daytona.”
“There’s also the factor of handling involved, so that can lead to some wrecks as the laps go down,” he added. “Overall, this reconfiguration has put on some exciting racing, so hopefully it does the same this weekend and we can come out on top.”
The defending series winner, who found victory lane in a shortened race at the Chicago Street Course, intends to keep the momentum going. He’ll actually be returning to the Cup Series as well this weekend with Rick Ware Racing, as well as a few more future races.
“This whole summer stretch here, we just need to stay on a roll and stay on it,” Custer explained. “You want to try to collect as many playoff points as you can as the regular season winds down. The race wins and stage wins help with that, so we just have to keep moving in that direction. This next month, we just have to keep rolling and heading in the right direction.”
Custer will have to contend Georgia-born Austin Hill, who’s the defending Atlanta winner in the Xfinity Series. He’s won three times this season, including that race at Atlanta, as well as Daytona, another drafting track. Hill is also making a Cup start this weekend in the No. 62 Beard Motorsports car.
“It’s special to be able to race against the best in the Cup Series, but especially at home,” Hill said. “My expectation for Sunday is a little less than my expectation for the Xfinity side, where I expect nothing short of winning.”
One driver making an extra appearance in Saturday’s race is Cup Series driver Ty Gibbs, who’s looking for extra superspeedway experience. He finished ninth in his first start at Atlanta earlier this year, and is poised to challenge the Xfinity Series regulars for the win.
Plus, perhaps anticipating superspeedway carnage, NASCAR will give the teams an extra minute on the Damaged Vehicle Policy – the amount of time allowed to fix a car after a wreck – now up to seven minutes for the Xfinity Series.
Truck Series goes against the grain at the famous Mid Ohio racetrack
Unlike the other national series on the superspeedway-speed Atlanta, the Craftsman Truck Series is road course racing.
Saturday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 150 (1:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) brings the Playoff picture into focus. With six winners so far this season, there are four spots remaining with just three races to go.
Ty Majeski sits 86 points above the cutline, but Matt DiBenedetto in eighth is just 14 points above, with ith Matt Crafton 10 points to the good and Nick Sanchez just six points ahead of Stewart Friesen, who’s the first driver out.
Only two drivers on the track – Zane Smith and Ben Rhodes – have ever won a road course race, though, so there is an opening for a new winner. Defending Mid-Ohio winner Parker Kligerman isn’t racing on Saturday, despite beating out Smith for the win last year.
“I love road course racing,” Smith said. “Winning COTA two years in a row was cool, and racing Parker last year for the win was fun. I expect another great truck this weekend, and hopefully this time we get the win.”
NASCAR Cup Series
Next Race: Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart
The Place: Atlanta Motor Speedway
The Date: Sunday, July 9
The Time: 7 p.m. ET
The Purse: $7,449,067
TV: USA, 6:30 p.m. ET
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 400.4 miles (260 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 60),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 160), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 260)
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Next Race: Alsco Uniforms 250
The Place: Atlanta Motor Speedway
The Date: Saturday, July 8
The Time: 8 p.m. ET
The Purse: $1,654,863
TV: USA, 7:30 p.m. ET
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 251.02 miles (163 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 40),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 80), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 163)
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series
Next Race: O’Reilly Auto Parts 150 at Mid-Ohio
The Place: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
The Date: Saturday, July 8
The Time: 1:30 p.m. ET
The Purse: $671,050
TV: FS1, 12:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 151.28 miles (67 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 20),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 40), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 67)
- Denny does Dover after surviving hard-charging Kyle Larson to tame the Monster - April 28, 2024
- The Monster Mile brings short track style to high banking - April 25, 2024
- Sam Mayer scores Xfinity win by an inch in photo finish at Texas - April 13, 2024