Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 Betting News and Notes

Atlanta Driver Tale of the Tape

Greg Biffle (No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford)

· Three top fives, ten top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 16.059, eighth-best
· Average Running Position of 14.399, 11th-best
· Driver Rating of 89.0, 10th-best
· 237 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 171.088, 12th-fastest
· 3469 Laps in the Top 15 (62.4), ninth-most
· 539 Quality Passes, seventh-most

Kurt Busch (No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet)

· Three wins, five top fives, ten top 10s
· Average finish of 14.688, fifth-best
· Average Running Position of 14.427, 12th-best
· Driver Rating of 94.3, fifth-best
· 268 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 171.325, 10th-fastest
· 567 Quality Passes, sixth-most

Kyle Busch (No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)

· Two wins, four top fives, five top 10s
· Average finish of 14.250, fourth-best
· Average Running Position of 13.686, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 92.8, seventh-best
· 229 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 171.395, ninth-fastest
· 3164 Laps in the Top 15 (60.4), 10th-most
· 514 Quality Passes, ninth-most

Dale Earnhardt Jr (No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)

· One win, nine top fives, 13 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 11.765, third-best
· Average Running Position of 12.487, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 94.3, sixth-best
· 253 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 171.540, seventh-fastest
· 3707 Laps in the Top 15 (66.6), eighth-most
· 585 Quality Passes, fourth-most

Carl Edwards (No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)

· Three wins, nine top fives, 11 top 10s
· Average finish of 15.176, sixth-best
· Average Running Position of 12.135, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 100.4, second-best
· 388 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 171.781, second-fastest
· 4343 Laps in the Top 15 (78.1), second-most
· 601 Quality Passes, third-most

Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)

· One win, three top fives, six top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 18.125, 10th-best
· Average Running Position of 12.009, third-best
· Driver Rating of 97.2, fourth-best
· 279 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 171.732, third-fastest
· 3563 Laps in the Top 15 (68.0), sixth-most
· 458 Quality Passes, 10th-most

Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet)

· One win, six top fives, ten top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 15.471, seventh-best
· Average Running Position of 13.910, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 92.8, eighth-best
· 339 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 171.582, sixth-fastest
· 3350 Laps in the Top 15 (60.2), 11th-most
· 524 Quality Passes, eighth-most

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)

· Four wins, 13 top fives, 15 top 10s
· Average finish of 10.118, second-best
· Average Running Position of 8.971, series-best
· Driver Rating of 106.2, series-best
· 340 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 171.845, series-fastest
· 4675 Laps in the Top 15 (84.1), series-most
· 650 Quality Passes, second-most

Kasey Kahne (No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)

· Three wins, seven top fives, nine top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 20.000, 12th-best
· Average Running Position of 16.924, 13th-best
· Driver Rating of 87.9, 11th-best
· 262 Fastest Laps Run, second-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 171.219, 11th-fastest
· 3201 Laps in the Top 15 (57.6), 13th-most
· 449 Quality Passes, 11th-most

Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)

· Ten top fives, 16 top 10s
· Average finish of 8.588, series-best
· Average Running Position of 12.139, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 97.9, third-best
· 212 Fastest Laps Run, 13th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 171.603, fourth-fastest
· 3969 Laps in the Top 15 (71.4), fourth-most
· 583 Quality Passes, fifth-most

Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Team Penske Ford)

· One top five, three top 10s
· Average finish of 21.857, 13th-best
· Average Running Position of 12.437, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 87.3, 12th-best
· 64 Fastest Laps Run, series-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 171.466, eighth-fastest
· 1628 Laps in the Top 15 (70.7), fifth-most
· 297 Quality Passes, 12th-most

Kyle Larson (No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet)

· One top 10
· Average finish of 17.000, ninth-best
· Average Running Position of 13.019, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 83.7, 13th-best
· 2 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 171.086, 13th-fastest
· 443 Laps in the Top 15 (67.1), seventh-most
· 102 Quality Passes, 13th-most

Martin Truex Jr (No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota)

· Two top fives, five top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 18.500, 11th-best
· Average Running Position of 11.799, second-best
· Driver Rating of 90.9, ninth-best
· 149 Fastest Laps Run, third-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 171.589, fifth-fastest
· 3991 Laps in the Top 15 (76.2), third-most
· 663 Quality Passes, series-most

Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

Wow, what a way to kick off the 2016 season.

Denny Hamlin's 0.010 second of a win over Martin Truex Jr. in Sunday's Daytona 500 was an absolute thrill (so was his 15/1 odds). But that stuff is over -- in the past -- the rear view mirror -- and the results will do nothing to help you in handicapping until the series returns to another restrictor-plate track at Talladega in May.

Bookmark the results and move on to what matters for this week’s race on the 1.5-mile high banked layout at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Up to 38 drivers could win at Daytona. At Atlanta, a good case can be made for maybe only 12 drivers. Who are those drivers?

The two types of racing are completely different and what we see in Atlanta will be what we see for most of the season (11 races on 1.5-mile tracks) -- the low downforce package that was used last season at Kentucky Speedway and Darlington Raceway.

Most will agree that those were two of the best races of 2015. Drivers could pass much easier and really had to feather the cars lightly around the turns. It made the results almost as much about the drivers as the set-up and equipment, which was a major turnaround from the other packages historically used on 1.5-mile tracks.

Daytona 500 runner-up Martin Truex Jr. is disappointed and happy at the same time about Sunday's results, but is confident and ready to roll at Atlanta as he begins his first season in a Toyota with a Joe Gibbs Racing affiliation -- an affiliation that showed up big time Sunday.

“Obviously we’re looking forward to bringing our Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Toyota to Atlanta," Truex Jr. "I think it’s going to be an incredible race with lower downforce on the race cars. I think the cars are going to be a real handful and it’s going to be exciting. I’m looking forward to just kicking off that part of the season, getting to work, seeing how our cars are, where we stack up. The anticipation is high. Going to Atlanta with a little bit of momentum is always a good feeling.”

The "handful" part Truex Jr. mentioned is the part that most of the drivers love about this package.

Just about the only thing we can apply to Atlanta from Daytona is that Joe Gibbs Racing has an edge. They jumped out of the gate quickly with a set-up that won both of those races. Kyle Busch won at Kentucky and his three JGR teammates all finished in the top-5. Carl Edwards won at Darlington and Hamlin finished third. Those results look awfully similar to Sunday’s race where four of the five JGR cars --including Truex Jr. -- finished in the top-5.

Expect the Gibbs cars to have a little bit of an edge Friday and Saturday during practices and then in the race Sunday afternoon. They’re most likely a little more advanced at this juncture.

The most competitive team outside of the JGR stable with this package last year was Team Penske with Joey Logano finishing in the top-5 of both and Brad Keselowski leading the most laps at Darlington before settling for second. Expect those two to be the top challengers to Gibbs this week.

Analyzing the package from last year's results should be a huge consideration to making wagers this week, but we also can’t forget about past history at Atlanta, This track has always appealed to certain drivers, and most of it comes from having the good equipment, but when a driver has been doing it for so long in all different type of NASCAR mandated set-ups, you kind of have to give them a rating boost.

Jimmie Johnson won this race last season, the fourth of his career at Atlanta and he’s had a ninth-place average finish in his past 20 starts there. Matt Kenseth has surprisingly never won there, but has a 12th-place average finish in 27 starts. Edwards, Kasey Kahne and Kurt Busch are three-time winners and Kyle Busch has won twice. Hamlin, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kevin Harvick each have a win as well.

The only problem with Johnson this week is that his best finish last season with the low downforce package was ninth -- didn't lead a lap, either -- and Hendrick Motorsports best finish was seventh.

You can never count out HMS and Chevy, but they were both well below their own standards and had to do some catching up.

Did they make some ground up during the off-season and will it be a work in progress?

We’ll get a better read on just how large the gap on this type of track is between JGR and the rest of the teams during Friday and Saturday’s practices. My feeling is that the gap will be almost the same and it will be a battle between Gibbs and Penske for the win.

Top-5 Finish Prediction:

1) #18 Kyle Busch (8/1)
2) #22 Joey Logano (8/1)
3) #20 Matt Kenseth (10/1)
4) #11 Denny Hamlin (12/1)
5) #99 Carl Edwards (14/1)

NASCAR at Atlanta Betting Odds, Preview - New package creates questions
By Micah Roberts
Sportingnews.com

Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway will be the first of 11 Sprint Cup races on 1.5-mile tracks this season, and it’s also the first race at Atlanta using the low down force package that was introduced last season at Kentucky and Darlington. Drivers doing well consistently on these types tracks will likely find themselves as one of the final four racing for a championship at Homestead in November.

On Tuesday, the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook opened Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano as 5-to-1 co-favorites to win simply because they’ve been the best on the 1.5's the past two seasons. In 24 races the past two seasons, including Darlington’s 1.36-mile layout, Harvick has led the series with 15 top-5 finishes while also leading 1,599 laps — winning four times. Logano has four wins also, 14 top-5's and led 1,001 laps. No one else in the series has more than nine top-5 finishes over that span. Impressive stuff and quite worthy of being the co-favorites this week.

But here’s where the monkey wrench comes into play that completely puts 22 of those 24 races of statistics into question. The new low down force package makes a big difference and we only saw it in two races. Each time, a Joe Gibbs Toyota won.

Gibbs absolutely dominated Kentucky Speedway in July, which isn’t banked as high as Atlanta, but it’s still a great barometer to use because it’s the only real relevant data on the package we have. Kyle Busch won that race leading a race high 163 of the 267 laps. Logano was second, followed by Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth and Brad Keselowski. That’s all four Gibbs car in the top-five and then both Penske cars filling up the top-six. Chevrolet came in seventh with Jeff Gordon and Harvick finished eighth. Jimmie Johnson, who won four times on 1.5's last season, finished ninth.

When the package was used again at Darlington in September, it was almost the same story. Edwards won, Hamlin was third and Kyle Busch in seventh. Keselowski was second while leading a race-high 196 of 367 laps. Logano was fourth and Harvick fifth.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished eighth at Darlington and is looking forward to using this new package.

“I'm looking forward to Atlanta," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I think the whole series is looking forward to going to Vegas, Atlanta and all of those places with this new package. It's going to be a whole new ballgame. Everybody is wondering where everybody is after the offseason. Every year you kind of have to get another measure of your competition because everybody kind of gets a little better in the offseason, so we’ll see how that all works out once we get to the next couple of tracks. Daytona Speedweeks has always been a little bit different — it’s not a true measuring stick of what the rest of the season might look like or who might be the dominant team.”

So the big question in this race is whether Chevrolet has caught up with JGR and Team Penske. Did the gap close or will substantial edge those teams had still exist? Four-time Atlanta winner Jimmie Johnson has plenty of optimism coming in.

“We had a great test in Vegas with a fast car so I’m ready to roll at Atlanta,” said Johnson, referring to the Goodyear test session held in January.

Johnson leads all active drivers with an 11th-place average finish during his 24 career starts (13 top-fives). He won this race last year by dominating the second half of it, but its also important to note that didn’t lead a lap in either of the low downforce package races.

Here’s a look at all the Atlanta odds to win offered by the Westgate:

KEVIN HARVICK 5 - He grabbed his only win as a rookie in 2001 days after taking over the No. 3 RCR team, but hasn’t won since in 24 starts. He was runner-up last season while leading race high 116 laps — his sixth career top-five finish.

JOEY LOGANO 5 - No wins in nine starts, but has a second and fourth finish between his past three starts. He led 84 laps last season while finishing fourth. He has the best chance of anyone to topple what looks to be more JGR domination.

KYLE BUSCH 7 - He’s a two-time winner, the last coming in 2013. Missed last season’s race with a broken leg. His Kentucky and Darlington performance last year should be reason enough to at least make him the co-favorite.

JIMMIE JOHNSON 7 - His next win will be No. 76 which will tie him with Dale Earnhardt Sr. for seventh most in NASCAR history. You never say never with Johnson, but let’s wait and see what he’s got in Friday and Saturday’s practice sessions before investing on a package that his team looked to be way behind on last season. He could be a good early play against in matchups, or he could burn you, too. That's exactly what Jimmie has done to bettors over most of his career as one of the favorites.

MATT KENSETH 7 - Fifth last season and runner-up in 2014 — a very good start to his JGR career at Atlanta. He’s never won there before, but his 10.2 average finish over the past 20 races is second only to Johnson’s ninth-place average. He’s a better play than Harvick or Johnson.

BRAD KESELOWSKI 8 - Only Logano and Kyle Busch have a better average finish position in the past two years inraces on 1.3 to-1.5-mile tracks than Bad Brad’s 9.5 average. He’s led 1,262 laps over than span, second best in the series behind Harvick. For whatever reason, Atlanta has been tougher on him with a 21.9 average in seven starts. He was ninth last season and has a career best third-place Look for him to compete hard for his best career finish — better than most Chevrolets.

DENNY HAMLIN 8 - Busy week for the Daytona 500 champ as he makes all his guest appearances. But come Friday, it’ll be back to business and he’s looking forward to this new package for 2016 because he was so good at it last year at Kentucky (3rd) and Darlington (3rd). He won at Atlanta in 2012 and was third in 2014. Expect him to be right up there with Kenseth and Kyle Busch.

CARL EDWARDS 10 - He’s done three back flips at Atlanta after Cup wins, but none since 2008. He was 12th last year in his first season under Joe Gibbs. He stole the win away from Keselowski at Darlington last season.

KURT BUSCH 15 - Three wins in 24 starts for a 16.4 average finish. He missed last years Atlanta race, but did have top-10 finishes at both Kentucky and Darlington.

MARTIN TRUEX JR 15 - We knew JGR was great with the low down force package last season, so does the affiliate No. 78 team get the same stuff at the other tracks when this setup is the most important to winning a championship? He’s shown the past four seasons at Atlanta that when given great cars he can finish well and had his three best career finishes. At 30-to-1, like last week when he finished second at Daytona, he might be a nice play, but 15-to-1 seems a bit too low to play around with.

DALE EARNHARDT JR 18 - His only win in 28 starts came in 2004. His father won a track record nine times, so it’s a special place for Junior and he’s driven it that way with the second best average finish (11.9) among active drivers behind Johnson (11.08). He was 21st at Kentucky and eighth at Darlington last year.

KASEY KAHNE 25 - Three wins in 19 career starts, the last coming in 2014. He was 27th at Kentucky and 12th at Darlington last season.

KYLE LARSON 25 - Juan Pablo Mntoya was always competitive at Atlanta in the No. 42 and Larson has done the same with a career best eighth-place in 2014. He sat on the pole last year at Kentucky, but finished 35th. His Darlington run went much better with a 10th-place finish

CHASE ELLIOTT 40 - The Dawsonville, Ga., native will be looking for a little home cooking as he makes his Cup debut on his home track. He finished fifth in his last two Xfinity races there. Jeff Gordon won five times at Atlanta driving the No. 24 and Hendrick Motorsports has claimed a track record 13 victories. Let’s see Chevrolet do something during Saturday’s final practices first before taking the rookie to win in the second race of the year. A conservatively run race, like a 13th-place finish, would be considered very good.

JAMIE McMURRAY 60 - No top-five finishes in 22 career starts sounds crazy, but it’s true. He’s been 11th or worse in past nine starts. Kentucky and Darlington produced two 14th-place finishes last year.

AUSTIN DILLON 60 - In three career starts, he's been 19th or worse with an average killing 39th last season. He was very ordinary with the new package last season.

RYAN BLANEY 100 - Makes his Atlanta Cup debut; should qualify well. Could his Wood Brothers No. 21 Ford setup possibly be as good as affiliate Team Penske’s two cars? For a $5 wager at 100-to-1, it wouldn’t be a bad idea find out the answer.

RYAN NEWMAN 100 - In 23 career starts, he’s had seven poles, but it equated to only two top-five finishes. He averaged a 17th-place finish between Kentucky and Darlington last season.

CLINT BOWYER 100 - Early on in his career, he finished sixth in four of five races, but he’s been 24th or worse in the past five seasons.

PAUL MENARD 100 - A 19.9 average finish in 14 career starts with a best of fifth in 2010, the last year Atlanta held two races.

GREG BIFFLE 200 - Three top-five finishes in 21 starts with a best of third-place in 2005.

ARIC ALMIROLA 200 - He’s finished ninth and 11th in the two past seasons.

TY DILLON 100 - He got his first Cup chance at Atlanta in 2014 and finished 25th.

RICKY STENHOUSE 300 - In three Cup starts, he’s averaged a 24th-place finish.

AJ ALLMENDINGER 500 - He’s actually been quite steady for all the teams he‘s drove for with a 16.2 average finish in 10 starts, including a career best sixth in 2010 and seventh last season. He might be good for driver matchup plays, but winning is entirely different.

DANICA PATRICK 500 - She came strong with sixth-place in 2014 and then finished 16th last season. Her team was way behind the curve with this package last season.

TREVOR BAYNE 500 - He’s held his own in questionable equipment with a 17.5 average in two starts.

FIELD (ALL OTHERS) 500 - Rather than wasting $10 on this awful venture, give yourself a chance of cashing by taking decent odds with Kyle Busch, Kenseth, Kesleowski, Hamlin or Edwards.

NASCAR Betting Odds For The Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta
By Greg Engle
Examiner.com

After the week long opening to the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup series at Daytona, the long NASCAR season is set to get underway this week. The first stop is at a type of track that makes up the bulk of the 36 race schedule, the 1.5 mile Atlanta Motor Speedway for this Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500. A total of 11 of the 36 races are on 1.5 mile tracks and Atlanta has historically been the fastest. Here are our favorites for your betting or NASCAR fantasy leagues. The odds are current as of Wednesday afternoon and the Driver Ratings (stats that are a combination of various stats used to determine the best drivers on a given track) are from NASCAR are based on the last 17 races at Atlanta Motor Speedway (2005 – 2015).

Sunday also marks the debut of NASCAR’s new low-downforce package. When it was tested in two races last season there was a great deal more passing and sliding around, something that could throw some drivers for a loop.

1. Jimmie Johnson (7-1) is the odds makers favorite and for very good reason. Now that five time Atlanta winner Jeff Gordon has retired, Johnson is the leader among all active drivers with four wins, the last coming in this race last year. He has the highest driver rating 106.2, and will be looking to make a statement.

2. Carl Edwards (10-1) staged a furious rally to overcome a one lap deficit at Daytona last week to finish fifth. He has three wins here and the second highest driver rating, 100.4. with the way all the Joe Gibbs Racing team has been running and given how much Edwards likes to race “loose” like what is expected this weekend thanks to the new package, Edwards could be the JGR representative in victory lane Sunday.

3. Kyle Busch (7-1) is another JGR driver looking for victory lane. The reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup champion was forced to miss this race last year due to injury which knocked his driver rating down to a seventh best 92.8, but has two wins here the last coming in 2013.

4. Kevin Harvick (5-1) has the eighth best driver rating at Atlanta, 92.8 and was second in this race last season. He did win here, but that was 15 years ago. Some might say with his recent performance at Atlanta Harvick is due to end his winless drought.

5. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (18-1) is this week’s longshot. However he did win here in 2004 and was third here last year. He has the sixth best driver rating of 94.3 and could be looking to make a statement after a miserable finish at Daytona last week.

Others: Don’t dismiss Kasey Kahne (25-1). He won here 2014 and has a decent driver rating of 87.9 , 11th-best.Martin Truex Jr. (15-1) has never won here ,but has been surprising lately. He has 9th-best driver rating 90.9 and was fifth in this race last year.

Atlanta Fantasy Racing Preview
By: Jeff Wackerlin
Racingone.com

To assist in making your fantasy racing picks, MRN.com's Jeff Wackerlin takes a look at some notes and statistics for Sunday's Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Who's HOT at Atlanta

• Four-time winner Jimmie Johnson leads all drivers with an 11.1 average finish.
• Kevin Harvick finished second last season and has combined to lead 311 laps in his last two starts.
• Matt Kenseth leads all drivers with a 7.4 average finish in the last five races, which includes top fives in his last two starts.
• Denny Hamlin has posted three top 10s in his last five starts, including a win in 2012.
• Kurt Busch, a three-time winner, has the second-best average finish (9.6) in the last 10 races. Busch, who missed this race last season, tested at Atlanta this past October.
• Three-time winner Carl Edwards recorded a series-leading average of 2.5 in the two races (Kentucky and Darlington) in 2015 with the base low-downforce rules package.
• Joey Logano has finished in the top five and combined to lead 162 laps in two of the last three races.
• Kyle Busch, who missed this event last year due to injury, won in 2013 and has combined to lead 121 laps in his last four starts.

Who to Keep an Eye On at Atlanta

• Brad Keselowski led all drivers with 258 laps led in the two races with the low-downforce package and in average finish (6.5) over the 11 races at 1.5-mile tracks in 2015.
• Martin Truex Jr., who finished sixth at Atlanta last season, posted a 9.0 average finish in the 11 races at 1.5-mile tracks last season.
• Ryan Newman is the only driver that's finished in the top 10 in all of the last three races at Atlanta.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. has the second-best average finish (7.2) in the last four races at Atlanta.
• Kasey Kahne has posted a 7.5 average finish in his last two Atlanta starts, including a win in 2014.
• Jamie McMurray and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. participated in the Goodyear Tire test at Atlanta last November.
• Ty Dillon will sub for the injured Tony Stewart.

MRN.com Staff Picks

Jeff Wackerlin: Carl Edwards
Pete Pistone: Kyle Busch
Robbie Mays: Matt Kenseth
John Singler: Kevin Harvick

Driver Notes - Ordered by Top 20 in Average Finish in the Last Five Races at Atlanta

Matt Kenseth has finished in the top five in his last two starts. Last season, he posted the ninth-best average finish in the two races with the base low-downforce package.

Kevin Harvick has combined to lead 311 laps in his two Atlanta starts with Stewart-Haas Racing. His second-place finish helped with his 8.1 average finish at 1.5-mile tracks, which was second-best among all drivers that raced in all 11 events at intermediate tracks. Also in 2015, Harvick recorded the sixth-best average finish in the two races with the base low-downforce package. This weekend, Harvick will pilot the same car (chassis No. 899) that he last finished 16th with at Kansas Speedway last October.

Kurt Busch, a three-time winner at Atlanta, finished 13th in his first track start with Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014. Last season, he recorded the seventh-best average finish in the two races with the base low-downforce package and a 7.9 average finish in nine starts at 1.5-mile tracks. Busch tested at Atlanta last November. This weekend, he will drive the same car (chassis No. 933) he last finished fifth with at Charlotte Motor Speedway last October.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. equaled his best finish in 11 Atlanta starts with Hendrick Motorsports last season, third place. The finish was his third top 10 in the last four races. Last season, Earnhardt posted a 14.5 average finish in the two races with the low-downforce rules package.

Martin Truex Jr. finished sixth last season in his second Atlanta start with Furniture Row Racing. In 2015, Truex recorded the 10th-best average finish in the two races with the base low-downforce package and ranked fourth in average finish (9.0) among drives that competed in all 11 races at 1.5-mile tracks.

Kyle Busch is a two-time Atlanta winner and missed last year's race due to injury. Last season, Busch posted the fourth-best average finish in the two races with the base low-downforce package, including a win at Kentucky Speedway. Overall, he recorded two wins and an average finish of 7.3 in seven starts at 1.5-mile tracks in 2015.

Joey Logano won the pole and led 84 laps en route to a fourth-place finish at Atlanta last year. Logano posted the second-best average finish in the two low-downforce races in 2015. He also recorded two wins and an average finish of 8.2, third best among all drivers that raced in all 11 events at 1.5-mile tracks in 2015.

Jimmie Johnson led 92 laps en route to the win in this race last season. The victory was Johnson's fourth at Atlanta. Last season, Johnson posted four wins and an average finish of 14.2 in the 11 races at 1.5-mile tracks.

Carl Edwards finished 12th last season in his first Atlanta start with Joe Gibbs Racing. Edwards' last of three wins at Atlanta came in 2008. In 2015, he recorded a series-leading average of 2.5 in the two races with the base low-downforce package. Also last season, Edwards ranked fifth in average finish (9.0) among drivers that competed in all 11 races at 1.5-mile tracks.

Greg Biffle has finished in the top 10 once (2014) in the last six races at Atlanta. Last season, he recorded an average finish of 17.0 in the two races with the base low-downforce rules package.

Ryan Newman has finished in the top 10 in his last three starts at Atlanta. Last year, Newman posted a 16.5 average finish in the two races with the base low-downforce rules package. This weekend, Newman will debut a new car (Chassis No. 531) in the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500.

Paul Menard has posted a 16.2 average finish in his last five starts at Atlanta. Menard, who recorded a 20.5 average finish in the two races in 2015 with the base low-downforce rules package, will debut a new car (chassis No. 528) this weekend.

Kyle Larson has a 17.0 average finish in two Atlanta starts. He finished eighth in his first start in 2014. Last year, Larson finished 10th at Darlington Raceway, the second race with the base low-downforce rules package.

Trevor Bayne has recorded a 17.5 average in two starts at Atlanta. Last year, Bayne finished 13th at Kentucky Speedway, the first race with the base low-downforce rules package.

Denny Hamlin has finished in the top 10 in three of the last five Atlanta races, including a win in 2012. Last year, he finished 38th after he got loose and crashed with 69 laps to go. In 2015, Hamlin posted the third-best average finish in the two races with the base low-downforce package. Also last season, Hamlin recorded an average finish of 14.6 in the 11 races at 1.5-mile tracks.

AJ Allmendinger is coming off his third top 10 in 10 Atlanta starts. Last year, Allmendinger posted a 24.5 average finish in the two races with the base low-downforce rules package and a 19.9 average finish in the 11 races at 1.5-mile tracks.

Danica Patrick finished sixth at Atlanta in 2014 for her career-best finish. Last year, she posted a 38.0 average finish in the two races with the base low-downforce rules package and a 22.6 average finish in the 11 races at 1.5-mile tracks.

Aric Almirola has posted a 10.0 average finish in his last two Atlanta starts. Last year, Almirola recorded the eighth-best average finish in the two races with the base low-downforce package and an 18.1 average finish in the 11 races at 1.5-mile tracks. Almirola tested at Atlanta last October.

Brad Keselowski is coming off his third top 10 in seven Atlanta starts. Last year, Keselowski posted the fifth-best average finish and led the most laps (258) in the two races with the base low-downforce package. He also led all drivers with a 6.5 average finish in the 11 races at 1.5-mile tracks in 2015.

Jamie McMurray has not finished in the top 10 in his last nine starts at Atlanta. McMurray got caught up in a crash last year that raised his average finish to 15.8 in the 11 races at 1.5-mile tracks. McMurray took part in the Goodyear Tire test at Atlanta last November.

Drivers to Watch - Atlanta
By Sportsbook.ag

After an exciting finish at the Daytona 500, the drivers will now head to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 on Sunday.

Denny Hamlin ended up coming away with the win last Sunday, defeating Martin Truex Jr. by a just a few inches. It was the closest finish in the history of the Daytona 500. Now these drivers will have a lot to live up to when they head to Hampton for Sunday’s race, but it should be an exciting one. This 1.54-mile track will make for one incredible race and there are a number of drivers who will be itching to get back out there.

One of those drivers is Jimmie Johnson, who has won this race three times in his career (2004, 2007, 2015). If he were to win on Sunday then he would tie Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Bobby Labonte as the drivers with the most wins in this race. Another guy that will be looking forward to this race is Kasey Kahne.

This is one track where he really excels, as he is a two-time Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 winner (2009, 2014). Carl Edwards has also won twice here (2005, 2008) and he will certainly be looking to get back into the winner’s circle on Sunday.

With some of that out of the way, let’s now take a look at who might be winning this thing come Sunday:

Drivers to Watch

Jimmie Johnson (13/2) - As mentioned earlier, Johnson has had a ton of success at Atlanta Motor Speedway in his career. He has won this event three times and that includes a victory here in 2015. Not only has he won this race on multiple occasions, but he is also going to be extremely motivated to come away with a victory on Sunday. Johnson had a very poor outing at the Daytona 500 last week, coming in just 16th place and earning just 26 points. He has some very high expectations for himself and he knows that he could use a big victory on Sunday. At 13/2, he is an excellent pick to win this one as he’ll be hungry to come away with a victory and knows just how to do it on this track.

Matt Kenseth (8/1) - Not many drivers are going to come into this race as motivated to earn a victory as Kenseth. Last week’s Daytona 500 was a haunting experience for Kenseth, as he led the race heading into the final lap and ended up coming in 14th place. His mistake came when he tried to prevent Denny Hamlin from passing him and he ended up going too far out of his way to block him. Kenseth was passed by a number of drivers and the rest was history. He should, however, be able to learn from his mistake last week and he’ll be in the running for a win here on Sunday. Outside of that one costly error, Kenseth drove extremely well in one of the biggest races of the year and at 8/1 he can be counted on to do so again in Atlanta.

Martin Truex Jr. (15/1) - If there’s one person who may be more disappointed than Kenseth than it would be Truex Jr. He is the driver that was edged out by Denny Hamlin in the photo finish, losing by inches in one of the biggest races of the year. Still, there is a reason that Truex Jr. was in a position to win that race and there is a very good chance that he’ll be in the running to win on Sunday as well. Truex Jr. finished the season in fourth place in the final standings a year ago and that is not an easy feat to accomplish. With 15/1 odds, Truex Jr. is somebody that people should really consider putting a unit or two on this weekend.

Kasey Kahne (25/1) - Kasey Kahne did not race in the Daytona 500, but he will be in this year’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 and he is a legitimate threat to win it. There are not many dark horse options for this race, but Kahne’s 25/1 odds are certainly very appealing. As mentioned earlier, Kahne has won this race twice in his career and he will be extremely comfortable when he gets out on the track on Sunday. The fact that he didn’t drive a week ago shouldn’t scare many people away either. All of the drivers are a bit rusty this early in the season and it’s not something that should be held against Kahne. Putting a unit or two on him on Sunday would be a wise decision when playing this race.

NASCAR at Atlanta Betting Preview
By Micah Roberts
Sportingnews.com

Denny Hamlin followed up his Daytona 500 win by laying down the fastest lap during Saturday's final practice at Atlanta Motor Speedway in preparation for Sunday's Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500.

The top speed at 188.450 mph continues an on-going trend from last season when the low down force package was introduced at Kentucky Speedway and Darlington Raceway. Hamlin finished third in both races while his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates won the races.

Should Hamlin win on Sunday, he would become just the sixth driver in NASCAR history to start the season with two straight wins.

Right behind Hamlin with the second fastest speed of the session was Martin Truex Jr. (188.226) who is using JGR equipment. The next three fastest were all Chevrolet's from Hendrick Motorsports, led by four-time Atlanta winner Jimmie Johnson (187.297).

JGR driver Kyle Busch, who won with this low downforce package at Kentucky last season, was sixth fastest (186.679) but will start from the rear of the field after a failed post-qualifying inspection. He had temporarily been on the pole.

The theme coming into the week was whether or not last years results from Kentucky and Darlington would still have relevance this season. JGR and Team Penske were dominant in both races with Chevrolet lagging behind. But practices showed Chevy closed the gap and that maybe Team Penske is not as good.

The top six 10-consecutive lap averages belong to the guys in bow-ties led by Jamie McMurray. Ryan Newman, Johnson, Kurt Busch, Austin Dillon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. all filed in behind McMurray in the category. It's a good sign for Chevrolet, which has won the past two Atlanta races.

McMurray (60/1), Dillon (60/1) and Newman (100/1) might all be worth a small play as long shots to win, but Kurt Busch and Johnson looked the best. Kyle Busch starts from way back, but with a lengthy 500 miles he's got a good enough car and plenty of time to find his way to the front if he can be patient and stay out of other driver's messes.