2 months agoPerhaps surprisingly, Daniel Hemric set the fastest lap in the Daytona 500 last week in his No. 31 Chevrolet even though the Fords were faster in qualifying and the Toyotas were generally faster in the race. There was a short period early in Stage 3 when he pushed his teammate A.J. Allmendinger to the front, but otherwise Hemric only ran in the top 10 when he was off-strategy. Although Kaulig does have speed on drafting tracks, the team and especially crew chief, Trent Owens, seem to thrive on off-the-wall strategies. Adapting such a chaotic strategy to a race at Atlanta is probably less effective because even drafting races at that track are not as chaotic as Daytona races. Hemric also no longer has the drafting support from AJ Allmendinger, as his the vastly less-experienced Josh Williams will br driving the No. 16 Chevrolet this weekend. Hemric is a longshot to contend in the Ambetter Health 400 unless he avoids big wrecks.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
2 months agoKyle Busch probably had one of the best cars in the Daytona 500 last week even though he failed to win. He made a race-high five passes for the lead in that race, had the best driver rating, and drove through the field twice before fading to 12th
read more...
2 months agoAlthough Alex Bowman's streak of six consecutive Daytona 500 front row starts ended this year, he did post his best Daytona finish of second last week, falling just short of passing his teammate, William Byron, for the win before the caution on the last lap ended the race. His race did not come without controversy, though, as he had previously triggered the race's Big One after misjudging a bump draft of Byron. Although Bowman does seem to be improving on drafting tracks, he still failed to lead a single lap at Daytona, so he probably isn't a favorite at Atlanta. The best predictor of winning on a drafting track is a driver's dueling ability, and Bowman is not a great duelist, as he only has a career lead change record of 43-49. While Bowman might be a good value play in DFS contests, he still seems like a longshot to win the race.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
2 months agoJosh Berry should have a strong No. 4 Ford underneath him at Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend, but will he be able to capitalize on the situation? He raced the No. 9 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports here at Atlanta last spring, but finished 18th and had an average running position of just 20.1. Last week at Daytona, Berry showed some strength but got hit with a penalty and ended up finishing in 25th-place. Drafting tracks are a great equalizer and that makes Josh Berry a sneaky DFS play this weekend in the Ambetter Health 400, but his starting position of 14th also makes him quite a risky pick. If you want to go against the grain, Berry is a solid pick with a fast race Ford.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
2 months agoIt's not very often that we talk about Corey Lajoie being a legitimate contender to win a NASCAR Cup Series race, but when the series visits a drafting track such as Atlanta Motor Speedway, you have to put Lajoie in the conversation. Fresh off a top-five finish at Daytona last weekend (another drafting track), the series now heads to one of Lajoie's best tracks on the schedule in Atlanta Motor Speedway. In the four races here since the track was repaved and reconfigured, Lajoie has notched two top-five results and was in contention to win in the summer 2022 race before getting into the wall late. It would still be a longshot win if Lajoie gets to victory lane this weekend, but he has become a premiere fantasy option on this track type.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
2 months agoJosh Williams has only made three NASCAR Cup Series starts ever, but he's still someone to keep an eye on this weekend in the Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Williams will be driving the No. 16 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing in this race, which is a car that has shown speed at this track type before. In addition to getting a sixth-place finish at Daytona last weekend with AJ Allmendinger piloting it, this No. 16 Chevrolet came home with 16th- and third-place finishes right here at Atlanta in the two races last season (with Allmendinger racing it during those as well). Josh Williams qualified 30th for this weekend's Ambetter Health 400 and because of his limited experience in the Cup Series, will likely be overlooked by many fantasy players this weekend--but it's clear he has a fast car to work with. He finish ninth here at Atlanta in the Xfinity Series last year.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Speedway Digest
2 months agoA driver that will likely go under the radar of DFS players in the Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend is Carson Hocevar. The No. 77 Chevrolet was very slow in qualifying on Saturday morning, ending up 35th-fastest out of 37 cars. However, that just means that Hocevar has great place differential upside for DFS contests this weekend. Many daily fantasy players may not recognize this, though. Hocevar is coming off of a disappointing finish at Daytona and has never raced at Atlanta in the Cup Series. However, Spire Motorsports has shown to have good race speed at drafting tracks such as Atlanta, which gives Hocevar great upside this weekend. He's somewhat of a risky pick in DFS, but Hocevar could put up a massive fantasy score on Sunday due to his place differential.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Jayski
2 months agoOne of the best drivers at Atlanta Motor Speedway since the track was repaved and reconfigured before the 2022 season has been (surprisingly) Justin Haley. In the four races here on the "new" track, Haley has finished 11th or better three times, including an eighth-place result in the summer race here last season. Haley's 12th-place average finish over those four races ranks sixth-best in the Cup Series over that span. Now the question becomes, can he continue the good runs? Haley now runs for Rick Ware Racing, which is a downgrade in equipment compared to his Kaulig Racing cars from the past. However, drafting tracks are a great equalizer, and we saw Haley run up front at Daytona last week before running into mechanical issues.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: WIN THE RACE
2 months agoKeep an eye on Todd Gilliland this weekend in the Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but not in your DFS lineups. Gilliland currently has a three-race streak of mid-teens finishes at this race track, coming home between 15th and 17th over the last year and a half at Atlanta. This is significantly better than his current career average finish in the Cup Series (22.7). Gilliland typically has sleeper fantasy value at drafting race tracks, but his starting position this weekend at Atlanta makes him a very risky play in DFS formats where place differential comes into play. Gilliland qualified fourth on Saturday morning, so it's not recommend that you go very heavy on him (if at all) in daily fantasy contests on Sunday despite the sleeper potential.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Jayski
2 months agoTyler Reddick does not enjoy "superspeedway" or similar courses. The 23XI Racing driver begins Sunday 19th at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Reddick's best result was a fifth however last March in the No. 45 Toyota car. Reddick did not lead a lap in that race but came from 16th into the top five by the end of Stage 2. He maintained his position and wound up fifth as the driver held his position on the track. Do not pay attention to the summer result too much (27th). However, he was in the top ten even then until car troubles and an incident slowed his race. Reddick could be one to watch as he carries speed in Atlanta.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
2 months agoNoah Gragson so far has thrived in the Stewart-Haas Racing team. Gragson finished ninth at Daytona last week and starts 15th at Atlanta. The driver already has one more top ten result than in 2023. Gragson's best result since the resurfacing was 12th at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He even led five laps on Sunday which was a career high for the NASCAR Cup Series. The 25-year-old from Las Vegas drafted better than expected in race number one of the 2024 season. It is a trend that may continue.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
2 months agoAustin Dillon made it into the final qualifying group and ended up tenth to start the Ambetter Health 400. The Richard Childress Racing driver in the No. 3 car endured an ugly 2023 with an average finish of 21.8. Even his average starts were 20th. That was his worst average qualifying since 2012. Last week at Daytona began 2024 worse as Dillon got banged up early but completed 146 out of 200 laps. The 37th-place result combined with poor finishes in Atlanta (21.5 average) will be a test.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
2 months agoHarrison Burton struggled mightily in 2023. The Wood Brothers Racing driver had two top ten results in 36 races. The No. 21 Ford qualified 16th for Sunday's race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Burton does have a Top 10 result on the repaved 1.5-mile track. However, last year he finished 34th and 28th. The first race in 2022 saw him end up 25th. Burton hoped to get off to a better start at Daytona. However, he got involved in a wreck after five laps ending his day. Burton is under the hot seat for results and Atlanta has been a challenging track for the driver.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
2 months agoChase Briscoe qualified eighth last year at Atlanta the first time around. This year, he starts ninth on Sunday for the Ambetter 400 Health race. Briscoe has had a tough time at Atlanta Motor Speedway since 2021. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver finished no better than 15th since the resurfacing of the track. It seems his Ford loses speed as the 400-mile race rolls along. The same thing happened the second time in Atlanta last year. Briscoe started third and faded to 22nd. With Sunday's tenth-place finish at Daytona, Briscoe may be able to turn things around in Atlanta.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
2 months agoMartin Truex Jr. has qualified 12th for Sunday's Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, making him the highest starting Toyota on the slate. Despite having 34 Cup wins, Truex has never won at Atlanta. While he has finished in the top 10 in 46% of his starts at this track, his overall average finish of 15.6 suggests he struggles with closing these races out. Even last season, when MTJ looked absolutely dominant en route to his 2023 regular season title, he struggled at this course. In his two starts in Atlanta in 2023, the JGR star had finishes of 19th & 29th, well below his season average of 13.3. Considering that Toyota has not won at this track since 2013, and that Truex has had underwhelming results in the Peach State, we advise limiting your exposure to the No. 19 in DFS this weekend.
--Adam Erhardt - RotoBallerSource: Racing-Reference.info
RADIO
