NASCAR at Atlanta 2018: Odds, fantasy advice, prediction, sleepers, drivers to watch
Following a crash-filled Daytona 500, NASCAR proceeds into Atlanta’s weathered 1.54-mile asphalt track.
As the surface allows for racing in grooves, the track is favored by many NASCAR drivers. Tires wear out very quickly on the oblong, putting a greater importance.
Kevin Harvick won the first two phases at Atlanta last year, but a penalty allowed Brad Keselowski to swoop in for the checkered flag. Keselowski passed Kyle Larson for the lead with six laps to go for his first win of 2017.
All eyes will be on Georgia native Chase Elliott this weekend gets he looks to capture his first Cup Series win at his hometown track. Back at the No. 9 car, a number made famous by his Hall of Fame father Bill, Chase has a fair chance to win according to last season’s figures.
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Elliott listed two second-place endings, seven top fives, and nine top-10s at 1.5-mile paths in 2017. The Dawsonville, Ga., native also averaged the third-best average end of Cup drivers (9.82) on 1.5-mile monitors last year.
Ahead of Keselowski’s win last year, Elliott’s teammate Jimmie Johnson was victorious in two Atlanta races. Johnson, who owns a Cup Series record 28 wins on 1.5-mile paths in his profession, has five wins, 14 top fives together with a series-best motorist rating of 105.4 at Atlanta.
While Johnson has become the older king of 1.5-mile tracks, our pick to win Sunday is reigning champion Martin Truex Jr., who has been nearly unbeatable at intermediate ovals.
Truex won seven of those 11 1.5-mile speedway races last year with nine top fives for an average end of 2.5. He is still searching for his first win in Atlanta but we expect him to get the job done Sunday (if the rain stays off) despite starting out from the back of the area.
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