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Nine races remain before the playoffs start, as the Nascar Cup series goes to Echopark Speedway in Hampton, Georgia this weekend.
Saturday night’s race has the chance to disrupt the playoffs. Four times in the seven races since the track was reconfigured, there were at least 26 cars involved in an accident in a race. Twenty-eight cars were involved in accidents in February’s event.
Here’s a look at the good news and bad news for cup drivers on the way this weekend.
23xi Racing – Good news: Tyler Reddick makes his 200th career cup this weekend. Bad news: Bubba Wallace finished or finished 33rd in four of the last seven races and dropped him to 29 points above the playoffs. … Wallace’s six DNFs lead the series. … Since the season started with three consecutive 17th places (Daytona 500, Atlanta and Cota), Riley Herbst has only one final better than the 17th in the last 14 races. … Tyler Reddick has three top five finishes this season. He is on track for his least number of top five finals in a season since 2021 (also the last time he was winning in a season).
Pre -drive Motorport – Good News: The organization has won the pole for six of the last eight races on the setting of tracks. … Noah Gragson’s best endpoint of the season came on a setting track when he was fourth at Talladega. … Gragson did a best 60 consecutive racing without a quick penalty. … Todd Gilliland was third in the Atlanta race in February. … He started in the top 10 in each of the last four Atlanta Cup races. … Zane Smith has five top 20 finishes in the last eight races. … Smith finished 11th in February, his best cup finish there. Bad news: Gilliland finished 22nd in each of the last four races or finished worse. … Gilliland has never achieved a top five final in 21 cup races on the setting of tracks.
Haas Factory Team – Good News: All four Cole Custer’s top 20 finishes have come in the past eight races. … Custer started the best fifth season at Pocono last weekend. Bad news: Custer has started 134 cups since his win in Kentucky in July 2020.
Hendrick Motorsports – Good News: Chase Elliott is going with back-to-back five finishes this weekend, the first time he did it this season. … Elliott has the best average finish this season at 10.8. … Kyle Larson won 13 of his last 82 cup with a winning percentage of 15.9 percent. … William Byron has two wins on the reconfigured Atlanta track. … Byron’s four wins on the track (two Daytona 500s and two in Atlanta) are most in the next Gen Car. … Alex Bowman has six top 10 finishes in the last 11 races on the setting of tracks. Bad news: Bowman dropped one place in the playoffs and is now holding the last play -off game with nine races left in the usual season. … Larson failed to finish five of the last seven races in Atlanta due to accidents. … Larson did not start 50 with the setting of tracks. … Larson’s winless streak of five races corresponds to its longest of the season.
Alex Bowman has a 20 -point lead on Ryan Preece who will go on Saturday night’s race at Echopark Speedway in Hampton, Georgia.
Hyak Motorsports – Good News: All four Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s Cup victories came on the setting of tracks. … He finished fifth in February in Atlanta. … Stenhouse was second in the Atlanta race in February. Bad news: Stenhouse has placed the 27th or worse in three of the last four races this season.
The 32 manager, five-race event, which will pay the winner $ 1 million, starts at Echopark Speedway this weekend.
Joe Gibbs Racing – Good News: Christopher Bell won the most recent Atlanta race in February. … Bell has three top five finishes in his last five Atlanta. … Chase Briscoe comes from his first cup victory with JGR, and takes the checkered flag at Pocono. … Briscoe has four finishes of seventh or better in the last six races. … Denny Hamlin started nine of his last 77 cup with a winning percentage of 11.7 percent. … With eight top five finals in his first 16 races, Hamlin is at the pace to have his most top five-final in a season since 2021. Ty Gibbs led a 32 rounds on the race at Talladega in the most recent race on an setting track. Bad news: Hamlin’s average endpoint in the last seven races in Atlanta is 18th. … Hamlin is winless in 21 starting the setting of tracks in the next Genera (since 2022). … Briscoe has one top 10 final in the last eight races in setting tracks.
Chase Briscoe achieved his first cup victory for Joe Gibbs Racing and facilitated the pressure he felt with the team in his first season.
Kaulig Racing – Good News: AJ Allmender has an average finish of 11.0 on the Reconfigured Atlanta track, a total linked to third place among drivers who started at least three on that track. Bad news: Ty Dillon did not start better than 19th place in five cups on the reconfigured Atlanta track. … Allmender finished 20th or worse in five of the last eight races. … Allmender is winless in 48 Career Cup starting with the setting of tracks.
Legacy Motor Club – Good News: John Hunter Nemecheek finished sixth in each of the last two cup races. … Nemechek has four top -10s in the last seven races. … Nemechek’s six top -10’s this season is a career highlight in cup. … He finished in 10th place in Atlanta in February. … Nemechek was fourth place in passing in that Atlanta race. … Erik Jones has five top 15 finishes in the last seven races. Bad news: Jones started two top 10 finishes in his last 12 on setting up tracks.
Richard Childress Racing – Good News: Kyle Busch finished in the top -10 in all five races in Atlanta with Richard Childress Racing, most on a track since moving to the team. … Busch is second place in the series in setting tracks this season. … Busch started eight top 10 finishes in its last 14 cup with the setting of tracks. Bad news: Austin Dillon finished 19th in six consecutive races or ended worse. … Dillon only started two top 10 finishes in his last 16 with the setting of tracks. … Busch has one top 10 result in the last nine races this season. … Busch has lost 63 points against the playoffs over the past two races.
Rick True Racing – Good News: Corey Lajoie returned to the team in the no. 01 car. … Lajoie has two top five finishes in the last seven Atlanta races. … Nine of Lajoie’s 11 top 10 finishes in the cup came on the setting of tracks. … Both of Cody Ware’s two top 10 cup finishes came up to the setting of tracks. Bad news: Ware finished 30th or worse in six of the last nine races.
RFK Racing – Good News: Chris Buescher finished in the top -10 in each of the last three races. … Buescher has nine top 10 ends this season, its most up to 17 races in a cup season. … Brad Keselowski has three top 10 finishes in the last five races. … Ryan Preece has five top -15s in the last six races, including four top -10s. Bad news: A punishment for the pitting when Pit Road was closed (a wrong communication from the team) and then a caution before watching, Keselowski prevented from winning at Pocono last week and claiming a play -off match. … Keselowski, who scored seven winning track victories, last won on such a track in 2021 … Preece finished second in Talladega in the most recent race on an set-up track, but was disqualified when his car failed after the race inspection.
Spire Motorsports – Good News: Carson Hcevar finishes second in the most recent Atlanta race in February. … He arranged first place in that race, via Racing Insights. … Hocevar finished in the top 10 in the last two races in the Top 10, and placed second place on Atlanta and sixth on Talladega. Bad news: It has been 158 since Justin Haley’s Lone Cup victory in Daytona in July 2019 … Michael McDowell placed the 21st or worse in seven of the last ten races.
Team Penske – Good News: The organization led 131 of 266 rounds in Atlanta in February. … The team has won seven of the 14 phases since the Atlanta track was redone. … Ryan Blaney has six consecutive top -10s in Atlanta, his longest line on any track. … He led in all seven Atlanta races on the reconfigured track. … Blaney has four victories on the setting of tracks. … Blaney has six top five finishes in the last ten races this season. … Since the reconfiguration of the track, Austin Cindric has led 193 rounds at Atlanta (second most among all drivers). … Joey Logano has two wins on the reconfigured Atlanta track. Bad news: Logano’s victory in Atlanta during last year’s play-off match is his only top 10 final in the last ten races on an draft track.
Trackhouse Racing – Good News: Daniel Suarez placed in the top two, including a win, in three of the last four Atlanta races. … Suarez is linked to Ryan Blaney for the most top five finishes on the reconfigured Atlanta track with four. … Ross Chastain has four top -10s in its last seven start of Atlanta. … Connor Zilisch will start its third career cup this weekend and drive the number 87 car. Bad news: Shane van Gisbergen’s 31st place finished last week at Pocono was his lowest since Bristol in April.
Wood Brothers Racing – Good News: Josh Berry led a 56 rounds in Atlanta in February. … Berry, according to Racing Insights, was second in defense in the Atlanta race. … Berry started third on Atlanta and won the opening phase in February. Bad news: Berry has one top 10 final in the 12 races since his Las Vegas victory.
