Atlanta Folds Of Honor QuikTrip 500 Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks

Kevin Harvick – Kevin Harvick will be a good fantasy pick to win the Atlanta Folds Of Honor QuikTrip 500. Last year he put a whooping on the field and he has to be considered the favorite because of it. In the event he started on the pole, earned the best driver rating, had a 2nd place average running position and led 195 laps. If it wasn’t for slow pit stops and bad restarts in the outside lane he could’ve led the entire event because his car was that strong. Whenever he lost the lead it was because of one of those two factors. When his car was out front nobody was going to get around him. The strength of his car was running the extreme low line around the turns and maintaining speed on drive off. When he wasn’t able to run that groove his car wasn’t as strong. If the race would’ve ended “naturally under green” he would’ve finished 2nd to Kasey Kahne. Unfortunately his race didn’t end incident free. During the first “Green-White-Checker” while he was running in 4th behind Paul Menard the #27 car had trouble getting up to speed on two tires and it led to Kevin Harvick getting bottled up and wrecking which led to his 19th place finish. In other recent Atlanta races he’s been quite good and has performed well consistently. In 2013 he had a good car. He started in 30th, had an 8th place average running position and finished 9th. Also in that race he earned the 5th best driver rating. In 2012 Kevin Harvick arguably had the best car at Atlanta. He started in 24th and drove up to the lead on lap #135. In the race he led 101 laps, earned the 2nd best driver rating and had a 4th place average running position. He had a good chance to win but with about 100 laps to go he lost the lead off pit road and never appeared to be as strong. When the checkered flag waved he finished 5th. In 2011 he finished 7th. In fall 2010 he had vibration issues but prior to that event he had three straight top tens. In 2001 at Atlanta Harvick won in just his 3rd start. Last season at 1.5 mile tracks Kevin Harvick was arguably the strongest performer in the series. At these venues last year he had a 8.1 average running position, led the most laps, ran the highest number of fastest laps and went to victory lane twice. In the Chase at 1.5 mile tracks he had a 4.2 average finish. (Yahoo A Driver)

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Joey Logano – Joey Logano will be a good fantasy NASCAR pick to win the Atlanta Folds Of Honor QuikTrip 500. Last season at 1.5 mile tracks he was arguably the best performer in the series. In the 11 races at these venues he scored the most points, won twice, had the best average finish (7.4), best average running position (6.8) and was one of just two drivers who finished in the top twenty every race. His strength at these venues last season was maintaining speed throughout a run. Last year at Atlanta Logano said one thing over his radio that was a head scratcher. He said that he felt he was 1 year behind driver development wise at Atlanta. If that’s the case the competition will be in trouble because he looked pretty good to me in 2014. Last year at Atlanta Logano had one of the best cars. In the event he started in 14th, finished 14th, had a 6th place average running position and earned the 7th best driver rating. It’s important to note his 14th place finish is deceiving because he had a car that was capable of finishing in the top 3 (Yahoo Race Chart). A key moment for him in the race which could’ve potentially won it for him was a mistake on pit road during green flag pit stops that were interrupted by a caution late in the race. He completed his pit stop and would’ve cycled into the lead except his crew failed to fill up his car with gas which meant he had to come in again during the next yellow which dropped him to 7th. Before that round of pit stops started he was running in 2nd. Then late in the race during the first Green-White-Checker restart he was running in 6th but got caught up in Kevin Harvick’s late wreck which damaged his car and led to his mediocre result. In 2013 Joey Logano unquestionably had one of the fastest cars. In that event he earned the best driver rating, led the second most laps and finished 2nd. Also in that race he started in 11th and had a 7th place average running position. Outside of 2014 and 2013 Atlanta hasn’t been a good track for him. In his first 6 Atlanta races he had a best result of 18th, and a 26th place average finish. (Yahoo A Driver)

Recommended Reading – Atlanta Front Runner Rankings, Mid Pack Predictions, Yahoo C List Preview, Atlanta Scouting Report, Who will win at Atlanta, NASCAR 2015 Printable Schedule

Jeff Gordon – Atlanta is a Jeff Gordon track and he’ll be one of the favorites to win the Folds Of Honor QuikTrip 500. Atlanta has proven to be a great track for him. He’s won here five times, has five runner-up finishes and is about as close to a lock as you can get for a good result. In the last fifteen races he’s finished in the top ten 11 times. Additionally over this stretch he has a 7.5 average finish and an 8.3 average running position. He’s been an extremely safe option and his worst result over this span of races is 18th. Last year at Atlanta he had one of the fastest cars and was one of a few drivers who could keep up with Harvick. The strength of his car was being fast over long runs. In the event he started 9th and was up to 2nd on lap 9. Unfortunately, his race wasn’t incident free. On lap 78 while Jeff Gordon was running in 2nd he got into the wall after his tire went down. If his race would’ve been incident free I think he would’ve challenged for the win. When the checkered flag waved he finished 17th but don’t overlook his 4th best driver rating despite his problem. In 2013 he was very strong. In that event he started 5th, had a 5th place average running position and finished 6th. Also in the race he led 17 laps and earned the 3rd best driver rating. In 2012 he could’ve easily gone to victory lane if he would’ve roughed up Hamlin in the closing laps. In that event he started in 5th, led 6 laps, earned the 4th best driver rating and finished 2nd. From his 5th place starting position it only took him 10 laps to take the lead. Long runs are important at Atlanta and in that race his car was strong for about 80% percent of a run until he dropped off. In 2011 at Atlanta during the day Jeff Gordon put on a show. It came down to him versus Jimmie Johnson and they were both sliding all over the place. In that event he was very impressive leading 146 laps, earning the best driver rating and of course holding on for the win. Last season at 1.5 mile tracks Jeff Gordon was arguably the best driver in the series. In the 11 races at these venues he had a 9.0 average finish, 7.3 average running position and over long runs he usually had the fastest car on the track. (Yahoo A Driver)

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