Sick of superspeedway racing yet? Well too bad, there are three more coming to you this weekend. NASCAR is headed to their Frankenstein’s monster of a track known as Atlanta Motor Speedway. Even in its third year, the newly reconfigured Atlanta still draws the ire of fans, drivers, and teams alike. Plus, NASCAR made the interesting decision to start the 2024 season with back-to-back drafting tracks. Will that help that ratings? Maybe; the running theory is that casual fans want to see Daytona-style racing after the 500. If the Ambetter Health 400 can provide solid racing, then it will likely prove NASCAR correct.
As for the on-track action, Atlanta Motor Speedway is a unique superspeedway. The tighter turns and shorter distance brings a different level of intensity. While the fuel saving will still be a feature, the lack of a consistent third lane will see more shuffling of drivers. Once again, a superspeedway has a bit of an “anyone can win” mentality. However, the list of new Atlanta winners features the better superspeedway drivers in the sport. Could the Ambetter Health 400 see a surprise winner or will a superspeedway pro claim victory again? Who are the 5 Drivers to Watch?
If you want a statistical analysis for the week, check out Daniel Smith’s excellent breakdowns in his Outlook, Notable Starts, and (new for this year) historical and current Track Stats articles.
William Byron
There is great chance that William Byron can start off the 2024 season with back-to-back wins. After claiming victory in an underwhelming finish, Bryon hoisted his first Harley J Earl trophy this past Monday. Now, Byron is heading to a track where he has won 50% of the races since the reconfiguration. In 2022, he won the inaugural superspeedway event. Meanwhile, Byron claimed the win during the rain shortened event in the summer last year.
While William Byron is establishing himself as a solid superspeedway driver, his performances at Atlanta have been superior. For whatever reason, the shorter superspeedway suites Byron more than Daytona and Talladega. Where he usually runs well and finds his way forward at the traditional superspeedways, Byron dominates Atlanta. In the four races since the reconfiguration, Byron has led 171 laps. Even if he does not win, there is a great chance that Byron will extend his early points lead on the Cup Series field.
Joey Logano
From one former Atlanta superspeedway winner to another, Joey Logano will look to build off the strong Daytona 500 run he had going Monday. Logano nearly had a flawless Speedweeks, winning the pole and leading the most laps. Unfortunately, Logano got caught up in the “big one” and did not finish the race. Moving forward to Atlanta, Logano is the reigning race winner, as he passed former teammate Brad Keselowski on the last lap. Luckily, no late block caused a big melee to end the race.
Joey Logano will look to use the first two superspeedway races to build momentum for the 2024 season. Despite winning a race, last year was a disappointing campaign for the 22 team. Team Penske might have won the championship, but all of their cars spent the summer searching for speed. Logano had a decent stat line, but luck played a major factor in his good finishes. If Logano can win Atlanta, it might be the necessary boost to flourish through the early portion of the schedule.
Erik Jones
After the Thursday night duels, there was a lot of talk about how fast the Toyotas looked in the draft. With their new bodies, the Toyota cars were able to move through the field and swept the duels. During the Daytona 500, the Toyotas fell largely flat throughout the race. Christopher Bell led the second most laps, but that was mostly during a green flag pit cycle. Despite the lackluster running, four Toyotas wound up with a Top-10. Among those was Erik Jones.
Since the reconfiguration of Atlanta, Erik Jones has seen consistent solid results. His worst finish is 14th back in the spring of 2022. Jones picked up his lone Top-5 at the track in the summer of that season. Outside of Denny Hamlin, there is a strong argument that Jones is the best superspeedway driver in the Toyota lineup. If Daytona is any indication, a Toyota could pull out a win this year on a superspeedway. Jones is a dark horse contender for that. He manages these races well and somehow finds his way near the front when it counts.
Noah Gragson
In one race, Noah Gragson surpassed his Top-10 total from last year. Gragson piloted the 10 Stewart-Haas Racing to Ford’s best finish in the Daytona 500. For a driver with something to prove in 2024, his Daytona 500 got his season off to a great start. Now, Gragson will look to build upon that Top-10 at a track that has not been kind to the young driver. Somewhat surprisingly, Gragson has started every Atlanta race since the reconfiguration. In those four starts, Gragson has only finished one of those races.
While it maybe too early to see if SHR is back, back-to-back good weekends for the Ford team would be beneficial. Sure, their first true test will come at Las Vegas. However, seeing SHR cars in the Top-10 is a welcome sight. For the Las Vegas native, another Top-10 at Atlanta might be exactly what he needs to find groove. Gragson has pressure on him to perform. Two Top-10s to start the season will help ease that pressure a bit. Watch him work hard to get that second Top-10 at Atlanta. Will he hang around the back or look to establish himself at the front early?
BJ McLeod
Despite missing the Great American Race, BJ McLeod and the 78 team turned heads during Duel #2 last week. While many figured it would be a foregone conclusion that McLeod would miss the Daytona 500, the Live Fast team went down swinging. Not only did the car look faster, McLeod was running third during portions of his duel. That was not down to green flag pit stops either. The 78 car was able to compete in the lead draft at Daytona, something that could not have been said last year.
The 78 car will be back on track at Atlanta. McLeod will be the 37th entry into the race, which means he will be locked in. After his strong run in the Bluegreen Vacations Duel, fans should be excited to see what McLeod can do. A win is likely out of question, but there is a legitimate chance that McLeod can finish within the Top-15. Although the camera might stay locked onto the leaders, watch the scoring ticker to monitor where BJ McLeod is running throughout the Ambetter Health 400.
Critical Path Security is a cyber security firm protecting clients in the United States and the world beyond. Founded in 2017, they are as dedicated as ever to providing coverage for their clients in numerous industries. Please give them a follow (X, Facebook, LinkedIn) and thank them for their weekly sponsorship of the Critical Path Security 5 Drivers to Watch.
