The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs officially begin on Sunday with an afternoon race at Atlanta Motor Speedway (3 p.m. ET on USA Network). This immediately creates questions about favorites, but there are only four drivers with wins in the current era.
The 1.5-mile Georgia track has two main eras -- intermediate and mini-superspeedway. Everything before 2022 falls under the intermediate era of the track. This group of winners is extensive, and it features active drivers Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, and Ryan Blaney.
The second era, which matters more when examining the current playoff lineup, began in 2022 after NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports reconfigured Atlanta into a mini-superspeedway. This era consists of five races where drivers have utilized packages and strategies previously reserved for Talladega and Daytona.
The list of drivers with wins on the current configuration of Atlanta is much shorter. Four drivers have combined to win the five Next Gen races at the track.
Current Atlanta winners (Next Gen era)
- William Byron
- Chase Elliott
- Joey Logano
- Daniel Suarez
Byron leads the group with two wins at Atlanta. He won the inaugural mini-superspeedway race in 2022 after leading a race-high 111 laps. Byron then won last season's summer race at Atlanta. He led the final 19 laps before rainfall forced NASCAR to end the race.
Elliott won the 2022 summer race at Atlanta and completed the Hendrick Motorsports sweep. He led 96 laps and held off a late charge from Corey LaJoie. Contact between Elliott and LaJoie sent the No. 7 into the wall and sparked a multi-car crash. The caution flew with Elliott in the lead, making him the winner.
RETWEET TO CONGRATULATE CHASE ELLIOTT ON THE WIN AT HIS HOME TRACK! The Georgia boy gets it done at Atlanta Motor Speedway. pic.twitter.com/XJVTS8BKLw
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) July 10, 2022
Logano broke up the Chevrolet Atlanta streak early last season. He started from the pole and led a race-high 147 laps. However, he had to chase down another Ford driver to secure the win.
Brad Keselowski took the lead with 30 laps to go, and he remained at the front of the pack when the white flag flew. He just couldn't hold off Logano, who took the lead back on the final lap and the checkered flag.
The most recent race at Atlanta featured one of the closest finishes in NASCAR history. Blaney was in the lead as he took the white flag, and it appeared that he would score his second career win at Atlanta. However, Busch and Suarez were just behind him in hot pursuit.
Blaney switched between the two lanes, blocking Busch and Suarez every time the drivers got a run. However, he was unable to prevent Busch from moving to the middle and taking the field three wide into Turn 4.
3-WIDE AT THE LINE! WHAT A FINISH. Repost to congratulate Daniel Suárez on his Atlanta Motor Speedway WIN! pic.twitter.com/RdewRqJiwg
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 26, 2024
The group exited Turn 4 with Blaney on the inside, Busch in the middle, and Suarez on the outside. Neither driver had the advantage as they barreled toward the start-finish line. They crossed the line in a photo finish as the Fox Sports booth tried to figure out exactly who won.
NASCAR reviewed the finish and determined that Suarez had won by a mere 0.003 seconds. This locked the Trackhouse Racing driver into the playoffs for the second time in his career and created bigger expectations for Sunday's playoff opener.