Atlanta Fantasy NASCAR Mid Pack Predictions

Austin Dillon
Atlanta Fantasy Spin – Austin Dillon has been abysmal at Atlanta in the results column. Dillon’s finished 35th in 2 of his 3 starts, and his average finish is 30th. That said, Dillon is a quality superspeedway racer, and he showed potential in both 2022 races, so he has upside for those willing to roll the dice. I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if he sneaks in a good result this weekend.
Atlanta Track History – You’ll want to close your eyes when you look at Austin Dillon’s Atlanta track record, because it’s that bad. His best finish is 20th, and his average finish is 30th. This spring, Dillon actually dodged trouble at Atlanta, but he was simply a mid-pack performer and when the checkered flag waved, Dillon finished 20th and had a 20.3 average running position. In 2022, Dillon was 2 for 2 at finishing 35th. Last summer, I think Dillon was likely a solid top ten contender but on lap 91 while running around 13th, Dillon was caught up in the carnage of a “Big One” which marked the end of his race. In the race, Dillon started 26th and he was climbing up thru the running order at a steady pace until his demise. Last spring in the tracks repaved/ reconfigured debut, Dillon showed potential, but he was an early crash victim which resulted in him finishing 35th. On lap 101 he was running in 3rd, but then that very lap he crashed and after that you could stick a fork in him. Leading up to his demise, Dillon was consistently advancing in the running order moving to the front (started 17th).

Michael McDowell
Atlanta Fantasy Spin – Michael McDowell is a quality superspeedway racer, but he’s been nothing special at Atlanta over the races on the new surface. He’s 3 for 3 at finishing between 15th to 24th, with his average finish being a mid-pack 20th. Also this year at superspeedways, McDowell has seemed to have lost his knack for this track type with him having a 28.0 average finish and he’s yet to crack the top 20.
Atlanta Track History – At Atlanta, Michael McDowell has been mid-pack and over the combined events, McDowell has a 20.0 average finish and a 22.2 average running position. This spring, there was nothing special about McDowell’s afternoon and when the checkered flag waved, he finished 21st and had a 19.8 average running position. In 2022, McDowell was 2 for 2 at crashing, but yet his 19.5 average finish wasn’t a complete disaster like you would expect. Last summer, McDowell ran pretty well and showed potential but was involved in the lap 91 “Big One” which did some damage to the #34. On lap 87 just prior to that, McDowell was running in 7th. The #34 was able to continue and he ended up finishing 15th when the checkered flag waved. Prior to his wreck, McDowell ran a good number of laps in the top ten. Last spring, McDowell finished 24th, but I’ll note his afternoon wasn’t incident free. On lap 145 he was collected in a “Big One” and then he basically logged laps after that. At the time of his incident, he was running in the mid 20’s.

Todd Gilliland
Atlanta Fantasy Spin – At Atlanta, Todd Gilliland is a “low tier” driver who should be on your radar. Gilliland is a quality superspeedway racer, and he also seems to do well and sneak in good results in races where chaos ensues. At Atlanta, Gilliland has finished better in each new start here, and this spring he had one of his best results of the season and finished 15th.
Atlanta Track History – Todd Gilliland hasn’t been bad at Atlanta, given his tier and in the last two races he’s finished in the teens. This spring, Gilliland had his best Atlanta result and when the checkered flag waved, he finished 15th and had a 20.6 average running position. I’ll note, that finish is legit and he consistently ran well over the closing segment of the race. Last summer, Gilliand finished 17th, but he did legitimately spend some time running in the top ten. Additionally, Gilliland had a 16.6 average running position. Last spring in the tracks debut, Gilliland was running in 27th on lap 141, but then on lap 145 he was collected in the “Big One” which cemented him to his 27th.

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