It’s time for another race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, as the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series heads to Hampton, Georgia for the 2021 Quaker State 400. Kevin Harvick won this race last year. Can he do it again? Meanwhile, you can check out some of the favorites, sleepers, and a long shot for this race below.
Kyle Larson apparently can’t win them all. Fans have been kind of gotten used to Larson’s dominance this season, especially after he reeled in four wins in a row (including the All-Star Race). Since then, he’s gone winless in two races, though he went ninth and second in the first and second Pocono starts, respectively. He cooled down a bit with a 16th-place finish last Sunday in the 2021 Jockey Made in America 250, but he remains among the top drivers — if not the top — to watch out for this weekend. In seven career starts at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, Larson has collected a pair of top 5s and four top 10s to go with an average finish of 12.14.
Elliott is back in business. After failing to crack the top 10 in all of his previous three starts, Elliott returned to his winning ways with a win in the 2021 Jockey Made in America 250 last Sunday. He now has two wins, nine top 5s, and 11 top 10s on the season. Elliott has yet to win at Atlanta Motor Speedway in his career, but he’s got an average finish of 14.67 in six starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Had he not failed to finish the race 38th in the 2021 Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 because of engine problems back in March at Atlanta Motor Speedway, he would have be entering Sunday’s race with a much better average finish number on that track.
Busch is getting in the groove. He has finished inside the top three in all of his last three races, a stretch that includes his win in the Pocono 350 late last June. That’s a nice setup for Busch heading into perhaps one of his most favorite tracks. Busch has two wins, seven top 5s, and 10 top 10s in 23 career starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He’s also not finished worse than seventh in all of his last four appearances there. This season, the Joe Gibbs Racing star has two wins and nine top 5s with 13 top 10s in 20 starts.
Stenhouse gained some ground in his chase for a spot in the playoffs after he finished 12th last Sunday in the 2021 Jockey Made in America 250. This season, he has a twin and a couple of top 10s in 20 starts. He also has a career average of 17.11 in nine starts at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Suarez had a bad performance last Sunday, finishing just 36th overall in the 2021 Jockey Made in America 250 despite starting in the 11th position. However, he had a good thing going for him prior to that race, as he had a three-start stretch in which he finished seventh, 13th, and 15th in succession.
Bilicki has not raced since finishing 11th in the All Star Open Race back in June, though not a lot of people are probably looking for him. In 20 starts this season, Bilicki has a career average finish of 32.2. He’s not finished better than any of his two career starts at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.
