Thu, 07 Jul 22 16:37:51 +0000

Weekend Preview: Atlanta Motor Speedway

Article author:

Reuters

This weekend is the first repeat track visit of the NASCAR Cup Series 2022 season, the long-awaited announcement by Walmart (Sunday, USA Network, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio at 3:00 pm ET) at Atlanta Motors. There is a Quaker State 400. Speedway.

Hendrick Motorsport driver William Byron won his first race in the newly reconstructed 1.54 mile Atlanta Oval in March. The green flag passes through Reed (141). Kurt Busch is the winner of the defending race and last year won before the truck was remodeled.

And the strength of the building is obvious as there are eight races left to set the playoff field for the 16 drivers.

Last week, Tyler Reddick became the fifth NASCAR Cup Series winner of the season. This is the season of Hyundai (1972-2022), setting a new winner record and Chase Elliott, the road course master and Wisconsin's Road America series driver standings leader.

This week, the contest returns to Elliott's "Home Track" on the outskirts of Atlanta, and the question is quickly becoming "the number of winners that characterize the 2022 season." Currently, that number is 13 race winners, and only 16 drivers will advance to the playoffs in September. And, in particular, there are only a handful of former champions and perennial winners who are still looking for shots to win that automatic playoff nod.

Interestingly, there are eight 2021 race winners. Michael McDowell, Christopher Bell, Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski, Arick Almirora, A. J. Allmendinger and Bubba Wallace — Still looking for the first victory in 2022.

Three former series champions Truex, Keselowski and Kevin Harvick haven't won. The same is true for Blaney, who is currently ranked second in the driver rankings. There is a 112 point cushion inside the top 16.

Truex is 61 points above the postseason cutline, but Harvic is actually disqualified from the playoffs after Redick's victory last week. Harvic will drag the bell 20 points in his final playoff transfer position if he does not win an automatic berth.

Kurt Busch is the best active driver with four wins in Atlanta. Harvic has three things — he won his first career NASCAR Cup Series victory in Atlanta in 2001. After taking over the Richard Childress racing car for NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt, who was killed in the season opener, it was an emotional victory for the Daytona 500.

Keselowski and Kyle Busch each won two in Atlanta, with Byron, Blagny and Denny Hamlin each winning one trophy.

Harvic, who was the best in multiple stats categories in Atlanta before the recent track changes, said he was still trying to figure out a new layout with higher banking, narrower track surfaces and new asphalt. ..

"It's now a superspeedway on a racetrack for a mile and a half," said Harvic, who drives the 4th Stewart-Haas Racing Ford. "Things happen much faster, so decisions have to be made faster, cars move around more, corners get up faster. More trouser seats, just" go here, go there , Do this and do it. "The way the lines were formed and moved, and everything happened, so I think you just had to get used to another style. Race more than before. did.

There is no practice this week. The Bush Street Lightpost Qualifying (two rounds of single car driving) is scheduled for Saturday at 11:35 am EST. Qualifying will be broadcast on the NBC Sports app at 11:30 am and then on USA Network at noon.

– Xfinity series prepares for fast action in Atlanta

NASCAR Xfinity series is Saturday afternoon Arsco Uniform 250 (5 p.m. ET on USA Network, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), High Speed Atlanta Motor Speedway 1.5 miles.

And thanks to Tygibbs' dramatic overtime pass, which won in Road America in Wisconsin last week, he became the youngest driver (19 years, 8 months, 4 weeks) and Xfinity. He has won eight careers in the series. The regular season championship rankings are closer than ever.

Currently, Gibbs, the 2022 winner of four races, and A, the current driver ranking leader and veteran. J. Allmendinger, winner of 2 races.

Two drivers played an important role when the series last raced in Atlanta this spring. Gibbs led only one lap on the last lap of the day, finishing with multiple overtime and winning his second victory this year. Armendinger led the race, recording the best 41 laps and finishing in 3rd place.

Three of Atlanta's last four race winners are full-time Xfinity series drivers — Allmendinger (2020), Allgaier (2021), Gibbs (2022) — the only exception at the time. Is to defend race winner Kyle Busch. Not in this weekend.

In 10 regular season races, much time is left to shape and transform the championship battle. Top three drivers, Kauri Glacing All Mendinger, Joe Gibbs Racing Gibbs and JR Motorsports Justin Olgeier (-34) are still aiming for regular season titles.

Allgaier's JRM teammate Noah Gragson said he was a driver before taking a 30-point, $ 35,000 penalty on Wednesday afternoon in a "behavior" violation race in Road America. It was only 39 points from the ranking.

Opposite the standings — Ryan Sieg holds the final transfer position in 12th place with a solid edge of 82 points over 13th place Anthony Alfredo.

All this wildcard may have good potential for new winners.

Indeed, former NASCAR Camping World Track Series Champions Brett Moffitt and Sheldon Creed, and former Xfinity Series Race winner Myatt Snyder, won the trophy in 2022 and competed for the playoffs. It's easy to get caught up in. Seven of the current 12 playoff candidates have won.

However, both Mofit and Creed now have the same number of DNFs as the Top 10 finishes. 4 for mofit and 6 for creed. Snider has one Top 5 finish, four Top 10 and three DNF.

There are no scheduled exercises for this return trip to the Atlanta Motor Speedway. The two-round qualifying session is scheduled for Saturday at 10:05 am and will be streamed on the NBC Sports app.

– Camping World Track Series Heads to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for the First Time

NASCAR's Camping World Track Series Debuts on Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with Ohio Auto Parts This Week 150 in Mid-Ohio (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio 1:30 pm ET) — The third and last road course event of the season.

Current championship leader Zensmith won the first road course race of the year at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, and NASCAR Cup Series regular Kyle Busch recently went to Sonoma (California). ) I won a trophy on the raceway. Smith has finished the runner-up.

NASCAR hosted eight Xfinity series races in Mid-Ohio as recently as last season. This weekend, one of those winners, Justin Marks, owner of the Trackhouse Racing Team, will once again compete on the 2.258-mile 15-turn circuit in Lexington, Ohio.

Saturday's race will be the final stage of the annual Triple Track Challenge Incentive Program. Corey Heim, starting in 2022 at Kyle Busch Motorsport, will have an additional $ 150,000 in pockets if it rivals the World Wide Technology Raceway win and Mid-Ohio win at Gateway in June. You can put it in. Other drivers to win will take an additional $ 50,000 as part of a popular program.

Only two races left to set the Camping World Track Series playoff field for 10 drivers, Smith won three races in 14 races and top 10 in 12 times. Leading all championship drivers and holding a 21 point advantage to the standings John Hunter Nemecheck. The Regular Season Championship will end on July 23 in Pocono, PA, with the top 10 drivers qualifying for the playoffs.

Only 53 points divide the top six drivers in the ranking. 2021 Series Champion Ben Rhodes is currently in third place, 30 points behind Smith.

Zane Smith, Nemechek and Rhodes have all previously won road courses. Smith has won the championship (COTA) and runner-up (Sonoma) this year. Nemechek won second place at COTA this year and won the Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in 2016. Rhodes won the Daytona Road Course last season.

There will be a one-hour practice session on Friday morning, followed by two rounds of Cometic Gasket Pole qualifying at 3:35 pm. ET.

NASCAR Cup Series

Next Race: Quaker State 400 Presents Walmart

Location: Atlanta Motor Speedway

Date: Sunday, July 10

Time: 3:00 pm ET

Wallet: $ 7,034,869

TV: USA, 2:00 pm ET

Radio: PRN , SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Distance: 400. 4 miles (260 laps); Stage 1 (ends on lap 60),

Stage 2 (ends on lap 160), Final Stage (260) (Ends on lap)

NASCAR RXfinity Series