EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta) Quaker State 400 Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks

Ryan Blaney
Atlanta Fantasy Outlook – Ryan Blaney is one of the premiere superspeedway racers in NASCAR and at EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta), he’s the driver to beat. Blaney’s performed at a super-elite level and over the combined races in the Next Gen, Blaney has the best average finish (6.7), the best Driver Rating, the best Next Gen Speed Ranking, the best average running position and if he didn’t have problems on the last lap in spring 2022 while running in 4th, he would be a perfect 7 for 7 at finishing in the top ten. Blaney’s yet to win but he’s come extremely close to victory lane with his last three finishes being a 2nd, 3rd and 4th.
Atlanta Track History – Ryan Blaney has been a fantasy ace at Atlanta. Over the last six races, Blaney’s average finish is 5.0 and he’s had a result in the top 9 every race. This spring, Blaney was stout and finished 4th, despite having a spin in the last Stage. In the race, Blaney started on the pole (rain), earned the best Driver Rating, had a 9.8 average running position, led 1 lap and then finished 4th, which he had to earn by racing hard late. On lap 233 while running in 4th, Hocevar had contact with him and it sent Blaney spinning. Last summer, Blaney was a standout performer. In the race, Blaney won Stage #1, finished 2nd in Stage #2, earned the best driver rating, led the 3rd most laps (33) and had the 3rd best average running position (6.0), despite being involved in a multi-car wreck in the last Stage, but he battled back to finish 3rd. Last spring, Blaney nearly raced his way to victory lane but was inched at the finish line and finished 2nd. Additionally, Blaney had the best average running position (6.6), earned the best Driver Rating and led the 3rd most laps (31). Over the four races prior to that, Blaney had results of 9th, 7th, 5th and 17th (crashed on the last lap while running in 4th).

Joey Logano
Atlanta Fantasy Outlook – 2-time Atlanta winner, Joey Logano should be on your short list of favorites. Logano’s arguably the premiere superspeedway racer in the series and his knack for the draft is second to none. In terms of “Performance” at Atlanta, Logano’s been about as good as they come and in the Next Gen, Logano’s averaged leading the most laps per race (40.3), has the 2nd best Driver Rating, the 3rd best average running position and his average finish ranks as the 8th best, despite having a few asterisk mark results. If Logano can avoid trouble, look for him to be a serious factor to win.
Atlanta Track History – Joey Logano has been one of the premiere performers at Atlanta. This spring, the #22 was stout. In the race, Logano finished 10th in Stage #1, finished 3rd in Stage #2, had the 3rd best average running position (7.0), the 3rd best Driver Rating, led the most laps (83) and then finished 12th overall. To close out the race for whatever reason, Logano ran low double-digits or worse over about the last 40 laps. Last summer, Logano came up clutch and raced his way to victory lane. In the race, Logano led 9 laps, had an 8.8 average running position and earned the 4th best Driver Rating. Last spring, the #22 was stout but Logano finished an asterisk mark 28th. In the race, Logano led 27 laps, was running in 2nd on lap 155 but then shortly after that on lap 159 while running in 4th, he crashed after doing a bad block. In summer 2023, the #22 was racy but Logano finished 17th. In the race, Logano finished 4th in Stage #1, about 13th in Stage #2, had the 2nd best average running position (6.5), led 11 laps and earned the 5th best Driver Rating. Late in the race, Logano just wasn’t at his best, and he also pitted during the Stage #2 caution which had him mired back in the mid 20’s to begin the final Stage, which was short. In spring 2023, 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 en route to victory lane. In 2022, Logano was top ten good in the summer but crashed (26th) and then in the spring he finished 9th.

William Byron
Atlanta Fantasy Outlook – William Byron has been a super-elite performer at Atlanta and on Saturday night, look for the #24 to be a factor. The Daytona 500 champ is one of the best superspeedway racers in NASCAR, he’s won at Atlanta twice and in 5 of the 7 races on the new surface he’s been a top five contender despite what you’ll see in the results column. Overall in the Next Gen era at Atlanta, Byron has the 2nd best Next Gen Speed Ranking, the 3rd best Driver Rating, the 4th best average running position and a 16.7 average finish, which underrates him.
Atlanta Track History – William Byron has been a force to be reckoned with at Atlanta. This spring, Byron ranked among the best. In the race, Byron finished 3rd in Stage #1, finished 4th in Stage #2, had the 4th best average running position (8.3), led 6 laps but then finished an asterisk mark 27th. With 3 laps to go until the scheduled distance while running in 3rd, him and Cindric had contact and spun and crashed. Last summer, Byron finished 8th in Stage #1, finished 5th in Stage #2, had the 2nd best average running position (5.6), earned the 5th best Driver Rating and then finished 9th overall. Last spring, the #24 was fast but Byron finished an asterisk mark 17th. In the race, Byron finished 9th in Stage #1 but then in Stage #2 on lap 134, McDowell wrecked him coming to pit road. In summer 2023, Byron looked great and raced his way to victory lane, despite his race not being incident free. In the race, Byron finished 5th in Stage #1, got a safety violation during Stage #1 pit stops, had a harmless spin on lap 80 in Stage #2 which dropped him a lap down, but that ultimately got him out of sync with the front runners due to his fuel situation, and propelled him to victory lane. In spring 2023, Byron had a hot rod but finished an asterisk mark 32nd after crashing in the last Stage. In the race, Byron finished 5th in Stage #2, was in 3rd on lap 185 but then on lap 189 he crashed. In summer 2022, Byron was a top five contender but finished a misleading 30th. In the race, Byron finished 5th in Stage #1, finished 8th in Stage #2, led 41 laps but early in the last Stage on lap 170 he crashed. In spring 2022, Byron led 111 laps, had a 4.7 average running position and then of course finished 1st.

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