NASCAR’s taking a break from road courses and heading back to Atlanta for the Quaker State 400! Hometown boy Chase Elliott got the pole position after his strong run from the back at Road America. Can he make it two in a row? I go over all the details in the NASCAR at Atlanta preview!
The 260 lap race will be split into stages of 80-80-100. It will be aired at 3:45 pm ET on NBCSN. Because of no qualifying, there will be a competition caution at lap 25.
Race Lineup
Georgia is always on his mind. ?@chaseelliott earns the #BuschPole for Sunday’s race at @amsupdates. pic.twitter.com/H7DIDV04YR
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 7, 2021
Chase Elliott will have to hold off all four Joe Gibbs drivers around him in second to fifth going Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, and Martin Truex Jr. Sitting beside Truex will be Kyle Larson rounding out row three. Tyler Reddick and Kurt Busch will be sitting in row four. Ross Chastain and Joey Logano will round out the top ten.
Daniel Suarez will be starting near the back due to an early exit from transmission issues at Road America.
Atlanta Repave Announcement
Atlanta Motor Speedway is undergoing some changes after this weekend’s race.
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 6, 2021
The banking in the corners will change from 24 degrees to 28 degrees, and the racing surface will become narrower for the 2022 season. #NASCAR (via @amsupdates) pic.twitter.com/Ji7KLyqsNP
After this weekend’s race, Atlanta Motor Speedway will begin getting a complete overhaul. The track width is going to be shortened by about 10-15 feet all around. The corners will be getting more banking, about four more degrees, as well as the transition apron from four degrees to 18. From the image above, it looks like it’ll resemble Darlington more than a typical 1.5-mile. There has been quite a bit of backlash over this announcement as many fans, myself included, love the layout of Atlanta. But what do you think?
My Picks
I’m going to go with Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Larson. Both drivers are going to be starting near the front this weekend. Not to mention they both have seen victory lane multiple times already this season. Chase Elliott could be dangerous as well. This is, after all, his home track. Pair that with his win last weekend and he could be a serious threat.
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