Drivers to watch in NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway

On Mar 15, 2023

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Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway will be the third at the 1.5-mile track since it was revamped in 2021.

Hendrick Motorsports drivers William Byron and Chase Elliott won last year’s Cup races there.

The track changes — most notably higher banking in the turns — made drafting much more important. The racing there now leans more toward Daytona-Talladega competition than the typical 1.5-mile track.

MORE: NBC Sports Power Rankings: William Byron is No. 1

Chevrolet drivers have won all four Cup races this season.

A look at drivers to watch Sunday at Atlanta:

FRONTRUNNERS

William Byron

Points position: 4th
Best seasonal finish: 1st (Las Vegas I, Phoenix I)

Past at Atlanta: Won last March and has led 154 laps over the past four AMS races

Byron’s early-season burst has made him the driver to beat. He put together back-to-back wins (at Las Vegas and Phoenix) for the first time in his Cup career and has three stage wins this season.

Ross Chastain

Points position: 3rd
Best seasonal finish: 3rd (Auto Club)
Past at Atlanta: Runner-up finishes in both races last season

Chastain’s run at Phoenix Sunday was marred by another altercation with Denny Hamlin, this time on the last lap. He figures to be a contender at AMS with 74 laps led at the track last year.

Daniel Suarez

Points position: 11th
Best seasonal finish: 4th (Auto Club)
Past at Atlanta: Finishes of 4th and 6th last year

Suarez finished outside the top 10 for the first time this season at Phoenix, his run hampered by a pair of pit-road speeding penalties. He has led laps in two of the past four races at Atlanta.

QUESTIONS TO ANSWER

Kevin Harvick

Points position: 2nd
Best seasonal finish: 5th (Auto Club, Phoenix I)
Past at Atlanta: 3 career wins

Harvick owns three wins at Atlanta but finished 12th and 21st in the races at the “new” AMS last year. He enters Atlanta with three straight top-nine runs this year. Can he finally close out a win?

Brad Keselowski

Points position: 13th
Best seasonal finish: 7th (Auto Club)
Past at Atlanta: 2 career wins

Keselowski and Chris Buescher, his teammate at RFK Racing, have shown early-season improvement in Keselowski’s second year of operating as an owner of the team. Keselowski finished 12th and 18th in the first two races on the repaved Atlanta track last year.

Kyle Busch

Points position: 9th
Best seasonal finish: 1st (Auto Club)
Past at Atlanta: 2 career wins

Busch’s worst finish in his first season at Richard Childress Racing is a 19th in the season opener at Daytona. He won the following week at Auto Club Speedway. He has won twice at AMS but was 33rd and 20th on the new surface last year.

Read More: Drivers to watch in NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway 2023-03-15 11:00:00

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