The NASCAR Cup Series is heading back to Atlanta Motor Speedway this week for the Quaker State 400. The question is which Atlanta will we see?
The Atlanta Motor Speedway is an intermediate track that races like a super speedway. The wide track and banking through the turns allow the cars to race at very high speeds. The cars get bumper-to-bumper and side-by-side at those high speeds. That means one small mistake can cause a crash that could include multiple cars.
The 2022 Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway had 13 caution periods. Two of those caution periods involved nine cars in each incident. Earlier this year in the Ambetter Health 400 at the track had just five cautions. However, one of those was an incident involving 12 cars.
Here is the data for the track and the race for this weekend.
Atlanta Motor Speedway Track Data
Track Size: 1.54-miles
Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 28 degrees
Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 28 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch & Backstretch: 5 degrees
Frontstretch Length: 2,332 feet
Backstretch Length: 1,800 feet
Quaker State 400 available at Walmart Data
Season Race #: 18 of 36 (07-09-23)
Race Length: 260 laps / 400.4 miles
Stage 1 Length: 60 Laps
Stage 2 Length: 100 Laps
Final Stage Length: 100 Laps
There are eight active drivers that have won a Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Those drivers are:
| Kevin Harvick | 3 Wins | 2020, 2018, 2001 |
| Brad Keselowski | 2 Wins | 2019, 2017 |
| Kyle Busch | 2 Wins | 2013, 2008 |
| Joey Logano | 1 Win | 2023 |
| Chase Elliott | 1 Win | 2022 |
| William Byron | 1 Win | 2022 |
| Ryan Blaney | 1 Win | 2021 |
| Denny Hamlin | 1 Win | 2012 |
As mentioned earlier, which style of racing will we see this weekend in Atlanta?
Will it be the more calculated racing we saw earlier this year? That makes for fewer mistakes and fewer crashes.
Will it be the more aggressive racing we saw in this race last year? That makes for more mistakes and more crashes.
With the Playoffs looming in just eight races away, I would bet on the more aggressive approach. There are drivers that will likely only make the post-season with a win. There are drivers on the bubble that could get bumped out with new winners in the regular season. There are many different stories that I believe will make the drivers more aggressive this weekend.
We will find out starting at 6 p.m. central time (7 p.m. eastern time) this Sunday, July 9th in the Quaker State 400 available at Walmart at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
By: Buck Stevens
