NASCAR at Atlanta 2018: Odds, fantasy advice, prediction, sleepers, drivers to watch

After a crash-filled Daytona 500, NASCAR moves into Atlanta’s weathered 1.54-mile asphalt trail.

As the surface permits for side-by-side racing in grooves the monitor is preferred by most NASCAR drivers. Tires wear out quickly on the oval, putting a higher importance.

Kevin Harvick won the first two stages at Atlanta, but a punishment allowed Brad Keselowski in for the checkered flag. Keselowski handed Kyle Larson for the lead with six laps to go for his first win of 2017.

All eyes will be on Georgia native Chase Elliott this weekend has he seems to catch his first Cup Series win. Back in the No. 9 car, a number made famous by his Hall of Fame father Bill, Chase has a fair chance to win based on last season’s figures.

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Elliott recorded two second-place endings, seven top fives, and nine top-10s in 1.5-mile paths in 2017. The Dawsonville, Ga., native also averaged the third-best average end of Cup drivers (9.82) on 1.5-mile tracks this past year.

Before Keselowski’s win Elliott’s teammate Jimmie Johnson was victorious in two straight Atlanta races. Johnson, who possesses a Cup Series record 28 wins 1.5-mile tracks in his profession, has five wins, 14 top fives along with a series-best motorist rating of 105.4 in Atlanta.

While Johnson has become the old king of 1.5-mile tracks, our choice to win Sunday is reigning champion Martin Truex Jr., that has been nearly unbeatable at intermediate ovals.

Truex won seven of the 11 1.5-mile speedway races last year with nine top fives for an average finish of 2.5. He’s still searching for his first win in Atlanta but we expect him to have the job done Sunday (if the rain stays off) despite starting from the back of the area.

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