After an exciting inaugural race in Chicago, the NASCAR Cup Series is back on an oval this weekend for the second Atlanta race of 2023.
The NASCAR Cup Series returns to a traditional venue this weekend after racing around the streets of Chicago for the sport’s first-ever street course race last time out. That alone was the headline heading into the weekend, but coming out it’s all about a man who most people in the sport didn’t even know just days ago.
Shane van Gisbergen, a champion in Supercars racing in Australia and New Zealand, was tabbed as the next entry for Trackhouse’s Project 91, an initiative to get drivers from other disciplines into Cup Series cars. After a short test, he would take on his first race in Chicago.
What started as a fun endeavor into the world of NASCAR ended with van Gisbergen celebrating in victory lane after winning in his Cup Series debut, a feat last accomplished in 1963. The Kiwi driver battled through a wet track, several cautions, and a shortened race, all against drivers more experienced in Cup Series cars.
He handled the race beautifully, and by the end was able to use fresher tires to breeze into the lead past Justin Haley. His victory not only shocked the racing world, but even himself. He admitted post-race that not even he thought a win was possible.
He now has some options for the future. While he will continue to race in Supercars next year, a part or full-time opportunity could await him down the line in the Cup Series should he choose to take on that challenge.
In the meantime, the full-time Cup Series drivers shift their focus to Atlanta, as more drivers look to cement their spot in the playoffs. It’ll be hard to get as surprising of a win as we had last week, but let’s see what the superspeedway has in store for us this weekend.
Good chance we see bold moves on the last lap, again. @chaseelliott | @ATLMotorSpdwy pic.twitter.com/E9woHz0FsW
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 6, 2023
The Track
Atlanta Motor Speedway is a 1.5-mile superspeedway located just south of Atlanta, Georgia. The track has a unique build given its length and is a mix between the high-banked superspeedways like Daytona and Talladega and the 1.5-mile tracks such as Las Vegas and Kansas.
The new configuration first appeared just last year after the track was repaved and reprofiled. The corners are banked at 28 degrees, allowing for high-speed action in a more compact form, which has produced some exciting moments on track over the last year.
We’ve had three different winners in the three races since the track changes. In 2022 William Byron and Chase Elliott won at the track while Joey Logano took the spring race earlier this year. The race lap record on the new track is a time of 29.376 set by Ross Chastain during this year’s first race.
On Sunday, Stage 1 will be the first 60 laps of the race while Stage 2 will cover the next 100 laps. Stage 3 will consist of the final 100 laps of the race. It seems like a weekly occurrence at this point, but again we can expect rain to play a role on Sunday. The forecast calls for a 40% chance of rain on Sunday afternoon.
Points Standings
We’re down to the final eight races of the regular season. Let’s take a look at who’s currently in the playoffs as we enter the weekend. Some notable drivers on the outside of the playoffs are Chase Elliott (24th), Alex Bowman (20th), and Daniel Suarez (17th).
- William Byron*, Hendrick Motorsports
- Martin Truex Jr.*, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Kyle Busch*, Richard Childress Racing
- Ross Chastain*, Trackhouse Racing
- Kyle Larson*, Hendrick Motorsports
- Denny Hamlin*, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Christopher Bell*, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Ryan Blaney*, Team Penske
- Joey Logano*, Team Penske
- Tyler Reddick*, 23XI Racing
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.*, JTG Daugherty Racing
- Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing
- Brad Keselowski, RFK Racing
- Chris Buescher, RFK Racing
- Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing
- Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing
*= 2023 race winner
Predictions
Chase Elliott will make his first trip to his home track this season after missing the first Atlanta race due to injury. In need of a win for a playoff spot, this would be the perfect time for him to come alive. In 2022, he won this race, and I think he defends that win this weekend.
- Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports
- Ryan Blaney, Team Penske
- Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing
- Joey Logano, Team Penske
- Daniel Suarez, Trackhouse Racing
