Atlanta Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks

Chase Elliott
Atlanta Fantasy Spin – At Atlanta, put Chase Elliott on your short list of favorites, and don’t be surprised if the siren’s go off in Dawsonville. Elliott’s the Atlanta defending race winner, and in both his starts on the new layout he’s been a factor. In terms of pure superspeedway racing prowess, Elliott is one of the best. Since 2022 at superspeedways minus Daytona last summer and this year’s Daytona 500 (crashed in both), Elliott has 2-wins and a 6.0 average finish. Another variable you have to like about Elliott is how well he’s run in 2023. For the season minus the Daytona 500 and Charlotte, Elliott’s average finish is 6.3.
Atlanta Track History – Chase Elliott has been awesome at Atlanta. Elliott missed the race this spring due to injury but in 2022, Elliott dominated the competition in the summer and was strong in the spring. Over his combined races on the new surface, Elliott has a 3.5 average finish, a 6.8 average running position and he’s averaged leading 62.5 laps per race. Last summer, Elliott was the class of the field and put on a display of domination. In the race, Elliott started 1st, won Stage #1, won Stage #2, had a 3.5 average running position, earned the best driver rating by a wide margin and led a race best 96 laps. In spring 2022 in the first race on the new surface, Elliott finished 2nd in Stage #2, led 29 laps, had an 8.8 average running position and then finished 6th when the checkered flag waved. Over the final Stage, the #9 consistently ran near the front.

Joey Logano
Atlanta Fantasy Spin – Joey Logano, this springs winner at Atlanta will once again be tough to beat. Logano is a superspeedway ace and I’ve long viewed him as the perfect combination of smart/aggressive on this track type. This year at superspeedways, Logano won here, nearly won the Daytona 500 and looked strong at Talladega before crashing. If Logano can avoid trouble, I have no doubt he’s primed to be a top contender.
Atlanta Track History – This spring at Atlanta, Joey Logano had a clutch performance and raced his way to victory lane in impressive fashion. In the race, Logano started on the pole, won Stage #1, finished 2nd in Stage #2, had a 4.1 average running position, earned the best driver rating and led 140 laps. Also when the money was on the line, Logano made a last lap pass on Keselowski to take home the trophy. It was an impressive performance from the #22 crew. Last summer, Logano’s afternoon wasn’t incident free, but I think he was a top ten contender. In the race, Logano finished around 12th in Stage #1, was running in 9th on lap 87 but then on lap 91 he was caught up in an accident which got at least three wheels of the #22 off the track. Somehow, Logano kept on motoring along and even flirted with a top ten late in the race (was in 9th with 18 to go). Then late in the race when he got shuffled back to about 20th, Logano spun with 8 to go which doomed him to a 26th. In spring 2022 in the tracks debut, Logano led 12 laps and finished 9th when the checkered flag waved. That result looks more impressive when you take into account he was involved in a wreck. On lap 141 he was running in 6th, but then on lap 145 he was collected in the “Big One.” I’ll note his damage wasn’t too severe, but it was certainly a negative.

Ross Chastain
Atlanta Fantasy Spin – Ross Chastain has been elite at Atlanta and on Sunday night, he’ll be a driver to be reckoned with. Chastain was 2 for 2 at finishing runner-up last year, and this spring he was stout and looked like a top five contender until he “Aerodynamically Chastain’ed Harvick” and then appeared to back off some. This will be a day-night race, and following his Nashville win, I think it’s safe to say the #1 team knows how to make adjustments to get better for the transition. On Sunday night, look for Chastain to have a strong showing and be tough to beat.
Atlanta Track History –Ross Chastain should prominently be on your fantasy NASCAR radar at Atlanta. Over the combined races on the new surface, Chastain has an impressive 5.5 average finish which ranks as the best among drivers who competed in all three races. This spring, Chastain was basically M.I.A for the first two Stages, but in the final Stage he drove up to the front. On lap 189 he had driven up to 2nd, but then he “Chastain’ed” Harvick by making him aero loose in a turn which led to a wrecked #4. Chastain then led 5 laps after that but then he faded back and just wasn’t as strong. When the checkered flag waved, Chastain finished 13th. In 2022, Chastain was 2 for 2 at crashing/being involved in an accident while running near the front, but he was also 2 for 2 at finishing 2nd. Last summer, Chastain caused not one, but two accidents near the front of the pack. In the race, Chastain finished 3rd in Stage #1, 9th in Stage #2, had a 7.9 average running position, led 32 laps, earned the 2nd best driver rating and of course finished 2nd when the checkered flag waved. In the race, Chastain caused his first accident on lap 91 when he gave Truex who was in the top 5 bad bump which caused a multi-car accident. Then later while battling Hamlin for 4th, they had contact which sent the #11 spinning. Last spring, Chastain was impressive. In the race, Chastain crashed while leading on lap 94 (led 42 laps before that) and got a two-lap penalty for improper refueling, but he battled back and finished 10th in Stage #2 and then 2nd when the checkered flag waved.

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