2020 ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY, Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500

The series will finally have a few days of rest before resuming next Sunday. That was a whirlwind of races and hard to decide who to start in our lineups without getting to see any practice and only one race where the drivers actually qualified. Next weekends race is going to be the same. No practice and no qualifying once again.

FOLDS OF HONOR QUIKTRIP 500

So, the series heads to the Atlanta Motor Speedway for the next race which is going to be a 500 miler. This is back to the mile and a half tracks and we have seen a few of these already in the past couple of weeks with the two races at Charlotte. It might not be six-hundred miles but, it is still going to be a long race.

Kevin Harvick: Kevin is my pick to come out on top this weekend. He won for the second time in his career at this track two years ago and has finished in the top ten in eight of his last nine starts here. He was really good at Charlotte in each of the last two races and should have a fast car here once again.

Joey Logano: Joey has really been on fire and might have won again last week at Bristol if not for a late race wreck that took him out when he was leading. Although he hasn’t been great at Atlanta in the past, with new crew chief Paul Wolfe on his pit box that all goes out the window and this team will run towards the front of the field at the end of the race.

Kurt Busch: Kurt has finished in the top five five times and the top ten eight times in his last ten starts here. That includes a win back in the 2010 season. This team has looked even better in their second year together and this is one of the tracks they have been looking forward to all season. I think he should come away with another top ten finish.

Matt Kenseth Matt has been very good at this track in his career and has really looked good in his first few races with his new team. Even though he has yet to win a race at this track he has finished in the top ten in seventeen of his twenty-nine career starts. I look for him to have another good showing this weekend.

Chase Elliott: Here is another driver who has been extremely hot lately. He was battling with Joey Logano on Sunday to try and win his second race in a row when he got a little loose in the corner and took both himself and Joey into the wall. I think they both understand what happened and it isn’t that big of a deal seeing they are both qualified for the playoffs. I’m sure they both would have loved the five bonus points for the playoffs and that is really what they were racing for. Chase has finished in the top ten in three of his four career races here and the Hendrick teams have all had speed this year.

Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie has been close to breaking out of his slump and if they can come off the truck with pretty good handling they will have the time to make adjustments during this long race to be in contention at the end. With five career wins at this track Jimmie leads all active drivers and would like nothing better than to get back to victory lane.

Kyle Busch: Kyle has struggled a bit this year on the intermediate tracks but, you can never count him out. I personally will wait to have him in my lineup when I see that they have something figured out on this track type. He has finished seventh or better in six of his last nine starts here and could break out at any time.

Martin Truex Jr.: Surprisingly Martin is still looking for his first win at Atlanta. However, he has finished in the top eight in seven of his last eight starts here including a runner-up finish last season. This team has struggled early on on the intermediate tracks this season but always seem to be in contention at the end. There are a lot of places you can use him at. The trick is to get him in your lineup at the right time.

Brad Keselowski: Let’s not forget the winner of two of the last three races. Brad has been phenomenal at Atlanta over the past three seasons coming away with two wins and a second place finish in those three races. After he won the Coca-Cola 600 we know he can win on this type of track with his new crew chief. The question is can he do it at Atlanta?

Ryan Blaney: Ryan has had some pretty bad luck this year. He has been fast but has failed to come away with the finishes he could have had. I think he will be fast once again this weekend and he should be able to stay out of trouble on this big track. With some patience and the right adjustments on the car he should be within striking distance towards the end of this race.

DRIVER GROUP GAME FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Driver Group Game Group A

• Kevin Harvick
• Joey Logano

Driver Group Game Group B

• Kurt Busch
• Ryan Blaney
• Jimmie Johnson
• Alex Bowman

Driver Group Game Group C

• Matt Kenseth
• Tyler Reddick

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY

1. Kevin Harvick
2. Joey Logano
3. Martin Truex Jr.
4. Chase Elliott
5. Brad Keselowski

Dark Horse: Matt Kenseth

Stay Away From: Denny Hamlin

Big 18: Joey Logano