The finish from the recently concluded Daytona 500 was nothing short of exhilarating, which bodes well for the rest of the renewed season of NASCAR.
Now the action is set to resume this Sunday at the Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Fold of Honor QuikTrip 500, with all of the Sprint Cup Series’ top drivers ready to make another solid statement in the second race of the season.
Which of this weekend’s competitors are expected to sizzle on Hotlanta’s finest circuit? Let’s take a look at a few favorites and dark horses below. After this, head on over to our sleeper picks and expert predictions to get everything you need for all your Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 betting needs.
If you’re a defending champion at a particular race, you pretty much earn the right to be considered as a favorite in next year’s run at the same event. The winner from Atlanta last season happens to be Jimmie Johnson (+700), who truly excels on courses such as the one at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Not only did Johnson emerge on top in last season’s installment of the QuikTrip 500, he also bagged his 24th-career win at a 1.5-mile race track – the most by a single driver in NASCAR history. His tally of 340 fastest laps recorded at AMS is second-most all-time as well.
Jimmie had to be disappointed with his underwhelming 16th-place finish at Daytona, a race that he was heavily favored to win. So what better way for him to bounce back from last week than with a win on a track that saw him end on top just a year ago?
Kevin Harvick
Johnson may have won last season’s QuikTrip 500, but Kevin Harvick finished right behind him then and arguably has an even better case as for why he will prevail with his first win of 2016 on Sunday.
Over the past two races held at AMS, Harvick has the best driver amongst the rest of the field. In addition, the former Sprint Cup Series champ has nothing but great sentiments for the track as this was where he won his first race in the pros.
With such credentials under his belt, Harvick is definitely deserving of his +500 price as the odds-on frontrunner to win the race this weekend.
Sleepers
Carl Edwards
One interesting factor about the race this Sunday is that it will be the first event this year to make use of the new low-downforce aero packages. Races involving these packages require drivers with better handling and maneuvering, and Carl Edwards is one of those guys.
Edwards is a member of Joe Gibbs Racing, which was very successful last season in the two low-downforce-aero-package races (Kentucky and Darlington). He finished fourth at Kentucky last July then took home the trophy at Darlington two months later.
Considering that Edwards’ last win was at such a skill-heavy race like the one at Atlanta Motor Speedway this Sunday, taking him at +1,000 is an attractive proposition indeed.
Kasey Kahne
Since when was the last time that we heard anything good about Kasey Kahne? Ok, so his 13th-place finish at Daytona this past week wasn’t monumental, but at least he was Hendrik Motorsports’ best finisher of that race.
And yes, Kahne never won a race last season and his latest victory dates all the way back to August of 2014. But do you remember which track was that race was held at? You guessed it: Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Hendrik Motorsports has a much-touted rookie in their stable now, so the 35-year-old’s probably feeling some heat from another kid breathing down his neck in his team’s pecking order. As such, banking on a spirited Kahne this Sunday at +2,500 could prove to be a wise decision in the end.
Long Shot
Chase Elliott
Speaking of Hendrik Motorsports’ rookie, that guy happens to be Chase Elliott, who just became the youngest ever to win pole at Daytona 500 and faltered pretty badly in the actual race.
What Elliott has going for him is that he’s literally feeling right at home for this Sunday’s race. The upstart is a native of Dawsonville, just mere minutes away from AMS. Furthermore, he’s a two-time Georgia Racing Hall-of-Fame Driver of the Year awardee (2013 and 2014), with many of his best performances then coming right on this weekend’s track.
On the other hand, Elliott’s first impression this past Sunday at Daytona is, again, not very promising to begin with. With that in mind, only those ultimate newbie nuts and bettors truly strong of will are the only likely backers of the young speedster at +4,000. Are you one of those daring risk-takers as well?
Writer’s Prediction
Kevin Harvick (+500) wins his first race of the season.
