Observe: Atlanta Motor SpeedwayLocation: Hampton, Georgia Observe size: 1.54 milesWhen: Sunday, 3 p.m. ETWhere to tune in: FOX, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR RadioRace purse: $11,055,250 Race distance: 260 laps | 400.4 miles Phases: 60 | 160 | 260Defending winner: Beginning lineup:
Maximize your factors now earlier than the sector spreads out
The one driver happy along with his factors place proper now? William Byron — your two-time defending Daytona 500 winner.
After his “Nice American Race” win to open the season on Feb. 16, Byron not solely cemented his standing as considered one of simply 14 drivers to win probably the most prestigious race of the yr a number of instances, however he’s the primary — and solely — Cup driver assured a spot on this yr’s playoffs.
With superspeedways Daytona and Atlanta kicking off the season with the highway course at Circuit of The Americas to observe, the door is open for loads of drivers to punch their postseason ticket and never should sweat their factors scenario going into the extra conventional tracks on the schedule like Phoenix Raceway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway subsequent month.
In 2024, each Bubba Wallace and Chris Buescher have been on the fallacious facet of the playoff image when the checkered flag waved at Darlington Raceway within the regular-season finale. Wallace, who enters Sunday’s race twenty first in factors, has emphasised the necessity to begin on the appropriate foot early within the season.
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“It’s essential. I imply, Denny [Hamlin, 23XI Racing co-owner] has mentioned since day considered one of this new crew that each level issues,” Wallace mentioned. “I win a duel and I get 10 factors, and I completed twenty ninth within the 500 and I nonetheless get 10 factors. So … rattling. We received 20 factors a minimum of in order that’s good. The season’s totally underway. You possibly can’t surrender the little issues since you’ll get all the way down to the final three or 4 races and be scrapping and clawing for every part. We’ve been within the bubble spot for the final two years, three years, no matter it’s.
“I’m able to be locked in early so we’ve received to do every part we are able to proper early to make that occur.”
Buescher weaved across the final-lap calamity final Sunday to carry house a top-10 end within the Daytona 500. Whereas he went winless within the common season final yr, the driving force of the No. 17 RFK Racing Ford is far more assured at each sort of observe somewhat than banking on a superspeedway or highway course to seek out Victory Lane.
“These tracks have been very robust for us, however I feel the excessive word for us as a company has been the truth that most race tracks have been excellent for us,” mentioned Buescher, a winner on the Watkins Glen highway course in 2024. “We haven’t actually needed to rely upon one fashion of race observe the final two years I’d name it, which has been an enormous step in the appropriate course for us. So once we take a look at this season, no, we didn’t actually circle these as ‘received to make it occur right here.’
“On the flip facet of that, it’s a large aim for us this season to win early and I feel we’ve had quite a lot of dialogue concerning the first eight [races]. How can we make the primary eight races higher than they’ve been up to now? It’s not as a lot concerning the fashion of race observe or what observe it’s as a lot it’s about simply getting the momentum began proper for us faster. It appears to have been our miss the final couple years and the place we’ve given up an excessive amount of floor too early within the season, and that’s been the aim for us is ‘how can we make this stronger to fireside off.””
Atlanta will have to be a giant factors day for among the perennial playoff drivers as Kyle Larson, Hamlin and Christopher Bell all discover themselves beneath the highest 16 within the standings getting into Sunday’s race.
From atop the pit field …
What do crew chiefs have in focus to win Sunday’s race?
Whereas qualifying isn’t some extent of emphasis on drafting tracks with the flexibility to maneuver by means of a pack, crews are nonetheless going to need a good pit stall to attenuate potential points on a really slender pit highway at Atlanta. Together with a decent navigation from pit entry to exit, the path to pit highway is completely different than different tracks.
The begins towards the top of the backstretch into Flip 3 the place drivers have a 90-mph pace restrict to wrap across the nook earlier than coming to a 45-mph crawl on the frontstretch. Underneath warning, the restrict is 45 mph round the entire pit-lane route.
Adam Stevens, crew chief of Christopher Bell’s No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, mentioned a key facet Sunday can be limiting inexperienced flag pit stops if potential.
“There’s a pair alternative ways to have a look at it. The chance for mistake might be amplified with the quirky pit highway,” Stevens advised NASCAR.com on Friday. “We received to run 90 [mph] by means of the nook and getting that proper and maximizing that … there’s a danger with that. You simply lose a lot time that in the event you made a mistake on a green-flag cease and needed to do a pass-through, it might just about smash your entire day. So that you’re going to attempt to not make a green-flag cease. That’s going to be the aim, which implies taking alternatives to fill it filled with gas and maximizing the size of the runs.”
Having a drama-free pit entry will even be some extent of emphasis on Sunday. In final yr’s race, a number of drivers made contact or spun attempting to get slowed down off Flip 2 to get to the pit-road restrict. Michael McDowell, who led 27 laps in that occasion, spun after getting along with William Byron, and it in the end took McDowell out of competition for the race win regardless of recovering for an eighth-place outcome.
Matt Swiderski, crew chief of defending Atlanta spring winner Daniel Suárez and the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing crew, highlighted the significance of pit-stall choice that might help in minimizing run-ins with the competitors.
“We really talked lots about pit highway and the place we need to be for pit stalls,” Swiderski advised NASCAR.com. “There have been so many automobiles simply knocking fenders in, and it’s a tricky pit highway. It’s actually crowded and the stalls are fairly small and slippery. [We] really put a little bit bit extra concentrate on qualifying, and it actually has extra to do with getting a greater pit stall than precise beginning place, as a result of we predict we are able to race our manner again up by means of the sector.”
Suárez certified twenty ninth for Sunday’s Ambetter Well being 400 and can pit from stall No. 39.
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Historical past tells us…
Don’t be the Pied Piper within the closing laps. Based on Racing Insights, the cross for the win got here within the last two laps in 4 of the final 5 races at Atlanta. Winner of two of the final 4 races in Georgia, Joey Logano made the cross for the victory on the ultimate lap, and most lately in September, led the final three miles that catapulted his run to championship No. 3.
He might not be the favourite to win, however be careful for …
TODD GILLILAND. On paper, a Twenty sixth-place lead to final yr’s spring Atlanta race doesn’t look interesting however Entrance Row Motorsports had two rockets in that race with each Gilliland and then-FRM driver Michael McDowell (now with Spire Motorsports) main a mixed 85 laps. With three automobiles now within the group’s steady, Gilliland has an additional teammate to work with, and after a poor displaying within the Daytona 500 for all three automobiles, the Entrance Row trio of Gilliland, Zane Smith and Noah Gragson will look to get heading in the right direction across the 1.5-mile oval.
Velocity reads
Our greatest items of the Speedweeks — get coated for race day from all angles.
• Racing Insights: Full ending order projections for Sunday’s Ambetter Well being 400 | • NASCAR’s latest Harvick: Is William Byron NASCAR’s greatest nearer? | • No. 19 crew penalized: Briscoe, JGR No. 19 crew discovered to have modified spoiler at Daytona; full particulars | • As quick as …: 23XI re-ups with Xfinity, bolsters battle room at Airspeed | • Again within the saddle: Byron’s 2024 Daytona 500-winning automotive is perhaps raced once more | • NASCAR Classics: Revisit among the greatest races in Atlanta’s embellished historical past | • Paint Scheme Preview: These automobiles are feeling peachy for the weekend |
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Author : Motorsports
Publish date : 2025-02-22 23:20:09
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