NASCAR Fantasy Fusion: Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta

Drivers with Most Top 10s:
By Race (From 2015 to 2019)
All with 5: Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr.
Kurt Busch - 4
All with 3: Joey Logano, Chase Elliott and Kyle Busch 

By Track (From 2010 to 2019)
Kevin Harvick - 8
All with 7: Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch and Martin Truex Jr.
Kyle Busch - 6
Jimmie Johnson - 5
All with 4: Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano and Ryan Newman

Last Year's Race Winner: Brad Keselowski

Recent Pole Winners:
2019 Aric Almirola
2018 Kyle Busch

The Likely Suspects: This week at Atlanta Motor Speedway I'll be looking at these drivers to run well: Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Kurt Busch and Chase Elliott. Don't be too surprised to see Jimmie Johnson with a strong run, either.

My 2 Cents: It seems weird to be at race five on the schedule and we're just getting to Atlanta. Look for this week's chatter to be all about tire wear. I'm going to refer back to Auto Club Speedway when making my final picks since that's a track hard on tires as well. My no-brainer pick this week is Kevin Harvick. My next picks are Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch, Erik Jones, Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Larson.  I'll complete my team with Tyler Reddick and Cole Custer.

Second-Look Driver: Last week's second-look driver Christopher Bell is also this week's second-look driver. Last week at Phoenix, Christopher had his best outing so far this season, finishing 24th in the No. 95 Leavine Family Racing Toyota after starting 15th on the grid. Atlanta Motor Speedway is a great track for the rookie driver. Christopher has two wins here, the 2017 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series race, where he won from the pole position. He followed up that win last year’ in the Xfinity Series race at Atlanta. Let's see if Christopher can best his rookie cohorts Cole Custer, Tyler Reddick, Brennan Poole, John Hunter Nemechek, and Quin Houff.

My Final Four: Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Erik Jones and Christopher Bell

Points to Ponder:
  • The most prolific starting position in the field at Atlanta Motor Speedway is the fifth starting position – it has produced more wins (16) than any other.
  • Jimmie Johnson leads all active series winners at Atlanta with five victories (2004, 2007 sweep, 2015, 2016).
  • The Hendrick Motorsports organization has the most wins at Atlanta in the NASCAR Cup Series with 14 victories.
  • Jimmie Johnson leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers with four runner-up finishes at Atlanta Motor Speedway (2005, 2006, 2008, 2011), as well as Top 5 finishes at with 14 and Top 10s with 16.
  • Chase Elliott leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Atlanta Motor Speedway with a 10.5 in four starts.
  • Kevin Harvick leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in laps led at Atlanta with 1,197 in 28 starts.
If you're playing Driver Group Game, remember to make your picks by Friday, March 13th, at 8 a.m. ET, and your final picks by 2 p.m. ET on race day Sunday, March 15th. Enjoy the race!
---------------------------------------------------------------

Carol D’Agostino wields fantasy-racing superpowers. Each week, Carol researches statistics and combs through her personal racing notes to provide fans with fantasy racing advice at NASCAR Fantasy Fusion, a column she has written for Skirts & Scuffs since October 2011. Carol also does race coverage for Skirts & Scuffs at Richmond Raceway, and occasionally at her home track, Dover International Speedway. This year she joins the NASCAR Expert Picks panel at
Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet When she isn’t crunching numbers, you’ll find Carol in business meetings or hammering out a news release or creating a marketing strategy at a small niche public relations firm she founded called Purple Cat.  

NASCAR Fantasy Fusion: Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta NASCAR Fantasy Fusion: Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Reviewed by Carol D'Agostino on Thursday, March 12, 2020 Rating: 5