In its 62nd year, the Quaker State will again be held in Atlanta, Georgia, after moving from Kentucky two seasons ago. Cup drivers have already been to Atlanta this season. Due to the fact they’ve raced here once already this season in the Next-Gen car, drivers should feel comfortable. Atlanta Motor Speedway is similar to the many intermediate ovals they’ve raced on so far in 2022. The unexpected victory by Tyler Reddick last weekend has put drivers like Martin Truex Jr. and Christopher Bell in a bit of a quandary. With his 18th place finish last weekend, Bell didn’t help himself. With Road America now in the books, the NASCAR Cup Series has just eight more races left on its regular-season schedule before the Playoffs begin.
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Practice & Qualifying
The Cup Series will hold a group practice session on Saturday morning. The practice session will last approximately an hour before qualifying begins. The field will include 36 drivers, including Xfinity hotshot Noah Gragson and journeyman Garrett Smithley. Both groups will compete in single-car qualifying, consisting of a timed lap for each driver. In the second round of qualifying, the five fastest drivers from each group will attempt their best lap time. The driver with the quickest time will earn the Busch Pole.
This week, the Money Train delves into the DFS options for Sunday’s Cup Series event in Atlanta, Georgia. The selections are broken down between high salary, mid-range, and value play. Included are player salaries from both FanDuel (FD) and DraftKings (DK). Best of luck to everyone with lineups this weekend.
High Salary
Kyle Busch (11,000 FD | 9,900 DK)
It’s no secret that Busch has been struggling these last few races and needs to get off the snide immediately. Overall, the two Road Courses were a disaster for Gibbs. While Busch ran a strong race at Nashville, pit crew mistakes late cost him any chance at a win. At Atlanta, he is as competitive a driver as any in the sport, and after these last few races, he’ll be looking to break out with a strong performance. Despite his March accident, he’s put up stellar numbers. Consider last year’s Quaker State 400, when he led over 90 laps. Had it not been for his brother, he would have likely come away with the win. Get Busch back in those lineups.
Ryan Blaney (13,000 FD | 10,700 DK)
It wouldn’t be until the end of stage two that Blaney was able to make any real inroads after starting the race at Road America in 18th. After gaining seven positions, he finished 11th. An impressive string of three top-six finishes preceded the race. Aside from his success at the all-star race, Blaney is still seeking his first season win. His consistency throughout the season has given him a nice cushion. The fact that Blaney is 133 points above the cutoff still puts him in a much better position than drivers like Truex and Bell.
The first four races he competed in at Atlanta were nothing to get excited about. In the last two years, though, he has stepped up his game tremendously. During his last four attempts, Blaney secured both a win and two top fives. Providing he has a strong qualifying round, Blaney should not only have a chance at winning but also be able to lead plenty of laps.
Mid-Range
Kurt Busch (8,000 FD | 8,200 DK)
Having finished second to Elliott at Nashville, Busch was looking to continue his momentum at Road America. Busch, however, hit a brick wall as he couldn’t crack the top 20 and ended up finishing 23rd. In anticipation of Atlanta, he must be licking his chops at the prospect of carving out a strong showing. As they say, the proof is in the pudding. His last eight visits have resulted in seven top-10 finishes, including a dominant victory in which he led 144 laps. His chances of qualifying among the top-10 drivers are good, so he will be a strong contender to lead laps. If he qualifies deeper in the field, he’ll make an excellent target for place differential.
Value Play
Kevin Harvick (6,500 FD | 7,600 DK)
Since the shake-up with Harvick’s pit crew two weeks ago, he’s continued to be solid. He helped a lot of fantasy owners last weekend, besting a 28th place starting position to finish a solid 10th. Only two years ago, Harvick was burying competitors at Atlanta. As many as 800 plus laps were led by him from 2014 to 2020. With a couple of top-11 finishes over the last three attempts, he’s had a decent run since then, but not what Harvick has been used to. This weekend, he’s an absolute steal at only 7,600 DraftKings dollars. He hasn’t been this affordable in quite some time. Pick up as many shares as possible, and don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
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