by The NASCAR Cup Series kicks off the second half of its 36-race schedule this weekend with a visit to one of its most unique tracks – Atlanta Motor Speedway – for the Quaker State 400.
Here’s everything you need to know for the weekend:
Quaker State 400 TV/Streaming Schedule
All times Eastern
Saturday
5.30pm-7pm: Practice and Qualify (US, NBC Sports App)
Sunday
6-7 pm: Pre-Race Show (US, NBC Sports App)
7pm-10pm: Quaker State 400 (US, NBC Sports app)
Quaker State 400 data
Track: Atlanta Motor Speedway (1.54 miles, high bank dogleg oval), Hampton, Georgia
Length: 260 laps for 400 miles
Banking: Turns – 28 degrees | Straight – 5 degrees
Last year’s winner: Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsport Chevrolet
A hybrid superspeedway
Ahead of the 2022 season, the speedway’s management completed a facelift of the 1.54-mile track that narrowed the turns and increased the slope to 28 degrees to encourage racing more similar to the 2.5-mile Daytona and Talladega superspeedways.
The results were mixed. While the organizers got the exciting pack races they wanted, there were 22 crash warnings between races. That’s more than the last four races at Daytona and Talladega combined. This year’s spring race had only five yellow flags, including the two stage breaks, suggesting that teams and drivers have become accustomed to the unique track.
Top drivers and best bets for the Quaker State 400
Pack races are inherently unpredictable, as one wrong move can throw you out of the draft and send you crashing down like a rock. Accordingly, BetMGM’s chances of winning the race are wide open with no driver going into the weekend with a better than 12-to-1.
Best odds of winning
•Ryan Blaney +1200
•Brad Keselowski +1200
•Kyle Busch +1300
• Chase Elliott +1300
• Denny Hamlin +1300
• Joey Logano +1300
Yahoo Sports’ Nick Bromberg wrote about the odds earlier this week, noting that it could be a good weekend for Ford. As for the mid-range, Bromberg recommends Bubba Wallace (+2500) and Alex Bowman (+3000) as both have seen most of their success on superspeedways. If you’re looking for a long shot, he recommends 2021 Daytona 500 winner Michael McDowell, who goes into the weekend with +4000.
Quaker State 400 entry list
Ross Chastain (1), Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Austin Cindric (2), Team Penske Ford
Austin Dillon (3), Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Kevin Harvick (4), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Kyle Larson (5), Hendrick Motorsport Chevrolet
Brad Keselowski (6), RFK Racing Ford
Corey LaJoie (7), Spire Motorsport Chevrolet
Kyle Busch (8), Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Chase Elliott (9), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Aric Almirola (10), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Denny Hamlin (11), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Ryan Blaney (12), Team Penske Ford
Chase Briscoe (14), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
JJ Yeley (15), Rick Ware Racing Ford
AJ Allmendinger (16), Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Chris Buescher (17), RFK Racing Ford
Martin Truex Jr. (19), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Christopher Bell (20), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Harrison Burton (21), Wood Brothers Racing Ford
Joey Logano (22), Team Penske Ford
Bubba Wallace (23), 23XI Racing Toyota
William Byron (24), Hendrick Motorsport Chevrolet
Justin Haley (31), Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Michael McDowell (34), Motorsport Ford in the front row
Todd Gilliland (38), Motorsport Ford in the front row
Ryan Preece (41), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Noah Gragson (42), Chevrolet Legacy Motor Club
Erik Jones (43), Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet
Tyler Reddick (45), 23XI Racing Toyota
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (47), JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
Alex Bowman (48), Hendrick Motorsport Chevrolet
Cole Custer (51), Rick Ware Racing Ford
Ty Gibbs (54), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Austin Hill (62), Chevrolet Motorsports Beard
Ty Dillon (77), Spire Motorsport Chevrolet
BJ McLeod (78), Live Fast Motorsport Chevrolet
Daniel Suarez (99), Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Weather for the Quaker State 400
The weekend forecast calls for temperatures above 80/below 90 with a 51% chance of rain on Saturday and Sunday. Due to the later start time for qualifying and the race, they are able to dodge the summer downpours that are common in the south during the spring and summer months, so the weekend looks likely to stay largely on schedule.
