The NASCAR Cup Series continues today with the 2021 Quaker State 400 Presented by Walmart at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Read on below to see my prediction for who will win the race, as well as my top 10, dark horse, and driver to fade predictions.
Winner: Kyle Larson- Larson has been the man to beat on mile and a half tracks this year, with wins at Las Vegas, Charlotte, Texas, and Nashville, as well as a runner up finish here at Atlanta too. With a top 5 starting spot to start the race, Larson will quickly make his way to the front and redeem himself from losing the race lead late in the last race held here. All of this leads to a win for Kyle Larson today.
Top 10: Kyle Busch- Although Kyle Lrson has stolen the show at mile and a half’s this year, Busch has been no slouch either, finishing in the top 5 at Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Charlotte, as well as earning a win in Kansas. Busch has 2 career wins at Atlanta and has finished in the top 10 in each of his last 4 trips here, as well 7 of his 10 starts here. A top 10 is a lock, but I expect Busch to be contending for the victory late in the going.
Dark Horse: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.- Stenhouse is usually thought of as a great superspeedway racer, but he has raced well at other tracks too, with Atlanta Motor Speedway being one of them. Even though Stenhouse has only had 1 top 10 finish here, he has finished in the top 20 in 8 of his 9 starts here. Stenhouse has also finished in the top 15 in 3 of his last 4 starts this season, which leads me to believe he can bring home another top 15 result today.
Driver to Fade: Corey LaJoie- LaJoie has not raced well at Atlanta Motor Speedway in his career, with a best finish of 27th in 4 career starts. LaJoie has also finished outside the top 20 each of the last three weeks. LaJoie is a bit of funk and I predict another finish outside the top 20 for him today.