The NASCAR schedule returns to the east coast after their west coast swing has ended. As all three NASCAR series head to Atlanta, the Cup Series will be racing in the Ambetter Health 400 on Sunday. It will be the second superspeedway race of the season. With the newly reconfigured track, Atlanta Motor Speedway no longer is the place of tire wear and intermediate racing. Instead, the track hosts tight pack racing around its 1.5 mile oval. Outside a couple of teams, anyone in the field could win on Sunday. Last season, there was almost an upset winner in the Summer when Corey LaJoie was leading late in the race. What will the Ambetter Health 400 have to offer?
With the new configuration, it is a bit more difficult to narrow down the drivers to watch. Only two races have been run on this configuration which resulted in vastly different driver results. Only three drivers managed to secure a Top-10 in both races. One of those drivers was Chase Elliott, who is still sidelined after his surgery. Plus, new Atlanta races differently than Talladega and Daytona. This Sunday’s Ambetter Health 400 could produce a completely random winner. Or William Byron can three-peat. From a potential winner list of thirty-plus, how does one whittle it down to only five drivers?
Continue reading below to find out who are five drivers to watch in the Ambetter Health 400. If you want a statistical insight heading into Sunday, check out Daniel Smith’s notable starts and statistical outlook articles.
William Byron
William Byron has had a whirlwind of a past week. Starting last Friday, all four Hendrick cars had the hood louvers confiscated by NASCAR. Despite this (and the knowledge of an impending penalty), Byron and his team qualified third. On Sunday, they dominated Stage One then took advantage of a green-white-checkered finish to nab the win. Coming out of the weekend, the #24 team was riding high. Then NASCAR slapped Hendrick Motorsports with a massive penalty. All four teams were docked 100 owner points (Kyle Larson, Alex Bowman, and Byron were docked 100 driver points), 10 playoff points, and their crew chiefs have been suspended for four races.
Between all the Hendrick teams, Byron sits in the best position. With NASCAR removing the Top-30 points standing requirement, Byron is in no jeopardy of losing his playoff spot. With the chaotic news cycle, it must be somewhat relieving to return to a track you won at last year. Now, superspeedway racing is highly stressful and most drivers do not enjoy it. However, William Byron’s performance last year saw him take a liking to the new Atlanta. He won the Spring race and led 41 laps in the Summer. If not for wrecking out, Byron would have been a contender for the win. Despite the penalty, expect William Byron to remain upfront this Sunday.
Ross Chastain
Other than Chase Elliott, both Trackhouse drivers were the only ones to finish in the Top-10 for both Atlanta races in 2022. Ross Chastain was the only driver to finish in the Top-5. In fact, Chastain finished runner up both times. For the Spring race, Christopher Bell’s penalty for going below the line helped move Chastain into second. Meanwhile, the summer race saw Chastain unable to get around Chase Elliott for the win with a damaged nose.
The watermelon man had a successful 2022 on the superspeedways not named Daytona. His second career win came at Talladega while he collected three Top-5s between the aforementioned seconds at Atlanta and Fall Talladega race. Between those four races, Chastain led a total of 111 laps. Ironically, the race where he led the least amount of laps (1) was the race he won. In theory, 2023 should not be any different. Although the Fords usually dominate Daytona, the Chevys seemed to grip up to Atlanta better than the other two manufacturers. That speed clearly helped Trackhouse at Atlanta. Expect Ross Chastain to run up front again. There could be a smashed watermelon at the start/finish line after the Ambetter Health 400.
Christopher Bell
All but one of Christopher Bell’s laps led this year came during the Daytona 500. What might have seemed like a random Top-5 from the crash-ridden 500 actually was a strong performance from Bell. Bell tends to find himself near the front late in superspeedway races. Last Spring Atlanta race, Bell drove his way up to second. A penalty for passing below the line plummeted his finishing position to 23rd.
For Sunday, it would not be a shock to see Bell battling it out within the Top-5 on the last lap of the race. His Toyota was able to lead 20 laps during the Daytona 500. He is usually able to find drafting partners, even if they are not Toyota drivers. While Denny Hamlin normally is the featured Toyota superspeedway racer, Christopher Bell is an intriguing watch for Sunday’s race.
Ryan Blaney
Ryan Blaney has established himself as a solid superspeedway racer. He has three superspeedway wins to his name thus far in his career. In multiple Daytona 500s, Blaney has been battling for the lead coming out of turn four on the last lap. Last year at Atlanta, Blaney qualified outside pole for the Spring race and finished fifth in the Summer. With that fifth place finish, he has nine Top-5 finishes on superspeedways. Out of the current stock of drivers, Blaney is one of the best at drafting and pack racing.
Currently, Ryan Blaney is on a lengthy winless streak. His last points race win came back in August of 2021 at Daytona. It would make sense for Atlanta to be the place he breaks his winless streak. While his previous win at the track means nothing with the new configuration, his superspeedway prowess should see him run near the front. Much like Bell, Blaney is able to find drafting help away from his Penske teammates. Although it is difficult to have a favorite for this race, Ryan Blaney is a great pick to win Ford’s first race of 2023.
Corey LaJoie
Corey LaJoie has gotten off to the best start of his Cup Series career. Out of the first four races, LaJoie has Top-20s in three of them. Although, Phoenix was a step back with a mediocre finish of 26th for the Spire driver. However, LaJoie surely has to be looking forward to returning to Atlanta. Last year, LaJoie enjoyed success at the new superspeedway. In the Spring race, LaJoie finished fifth. Meanwhile, the Summer race was almost stolen by LaJoie. He led 17 laps late in the race and made a move for the lead on the last lap. Unfortunately for him, Chase Elliott threw a late block, causing LaJoie to hit the outside wall before spinning into oncoming traffic.
Corey LaJoie is developing into a dependable superspeedway racer. Clearly, he is in subpar equipment compared to the top drivers. However, he has been running up front in pack races. Not only does he run up there, other drivers feel comfortable enough to draft with him (both pushing and being pushed by LaJoie). That is a great sign for LaJoie (and Spire). The development of the #7 team is progressing where they are not considered a liability at superspeedways. Will Corey LaJoie win on Sunday? Probably not. However, he has a legitimate chance to steal a win at Atlanta. Could the Ambetter Health 400 be the race of Corey LaJoie’s first Cup Series win?
