EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta) Quaker State 400 Fantasy NASCAR Confidence Rankings / Post Qualifying Predictions
On Saturday night, NASCAR will be racing at EchoPark Speedway for the Quaker State 400. Yes, the track name has changed mid-season but I’ll still largely be referring to it as “Atlanta” for now.
EchoPark is a 1.5-mile superspeedway where drafting is king, and drivers have to get up on the wheel and race hard. The best approach to the weekend for evaluating drivers is to study the last seven Atlanta races and then note “General Superspeedway Racing Prowess.”
No practice was held for Atlanta. Qualifying was held on Friday and here’s the Atlanta Starting Lineup.
EchoPark Speedway Full Field Fantasy Rankings
1) Ryan Blaney
Start 3rd / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – Medium-High
Atlanta Outlook – Ryan Blaney is the premiere performer at EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta) and on Saturday night, look for Blaney to be tough to beat. At Atlanta 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. 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).
DraftKings $11,000/ FanDuel $14,000
Further Recommended Reading = Atlanta Projected Finish Ranges, DraftKings Atlanta Scoring Projections, FanDuel Atlanta Scoring Projections, Atlanta Next Gen Average Finishes , Atlanta Quick Rankings
2) Joey Logano
Start 1st / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – Medium-High
Atlanta Outlook – Joey Logano is a 2-time winner at Atlanta who should prominently be on your short list of favorites. 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. This spring, Logano led the most laps (83), had the 3rd best average running position (7.0), earned the 3rd best Driver Rating but then finished 12th overall. Last summer to start the Playoffs, Logano was 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, Logano was a top five contender but 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, Logano was racy but 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.
DraftKings $10,700/ FanDuel $13,500
3) William Byron
Start 18th/ Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – Medium
Atlanta Outlook – William Byron has been a super-elite performer at Atlanta. Byron’s a 2-time winner and in 5 of the 7 races, he’s been a top five “Performer” 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 and a 16.7 average finish, which underrates him. This spring, Byron ranked among the best but finished an asterisk mark 27th. 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 with 3 laps to go while running in 3rd, he had contact with Cindric and crashed. Last summer, Byron 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 (had a few problems but those ultimately had him out of sync pit strategy wise). 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 and raced his way to victory lane.
DraftKings $10,500/ FanDuel $11,500
