When Nascar typically heads south to the Peach state we expect for sunshine, warm weather and hot tempers. This will be anything but that. The rained out Friday sessions followed by the cool temperatures of Saturday set up for a heck of a new twist to the most recent super speedway in the circuit. Atlanta’s new design that started last year, will play host to a group of drivers facing the hammer coming down and full throttle racing on a track that many criticize for the, untraditional approach to the racing we see.
What has Atlanta turned into?
Atlanta in 2022 joined the likes of Daytona and Talladega in the aspect of racing in a super speedway fashion while still being a mile and a half quad oval. The pit commitment line has been moved to the entrance of turn three this year as oppose to the traditional turn 4 entry you see at many of the tracks. So what does this mean? From the commitment line in turn 3 to the exit of pit lane will take approximately a minute. That will be a two lap penalty essentially under green.
Who are the drivers to watch?
Sunday will provide a great battle for many of the teams but these races are where everyone has a chance. You have to look at the super speedway stand outs. Austin Cindric and Austin Dillon are ones that come to mind first. Your super speedway winners of recent years are always at the forefront of this racing. Ross Chastain has the poise to get it done along with his best pal Denny Hamlin. Others include Justin Haley, Michael McDowell, Ryan Blaney and Chris Buescher. But when you look deeper in the field you have to pay attention to Daytona 500 winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr along with the 24 of William Byron and the 7 of Corey LaJoie who always find themselves near the front of the field at the end of these races. Another group is Erik Jones, Alex Bowman and Joey Logano who can get it done as well. The super speedways really are a free for all that see a little more luck than skill dictate who wins the races.
Where and when to watch?
Saturday all times EST coverage on FS1
11:35am – Cup Series Qualifying
2:13pm – Craftsman Truck Series green flag, stages 30-30-75
5:19pm – Xfinity Series green flag, stages 40-40-83
Sunday EST coverage on Fox
3:19pm – Ambetter Health 400 green flag, stages 60-100-100
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