Quaker State 400
Location: Hampton, Ga.
Track: EchoPark Speedway
Format: 1.5-mile quad-oval
Laps: 260
NASCAR Cup Series Race Preview
Toyota continued flexing its muscle last week at Chicagoland Speedway as Chase Briscoe drove to Victory Lane for his first win of the season and the manufacturer's 11th of the year. Briscoe also led a Toyota 1-2-3 finish, but Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet showed they are still chipping away at that advantage. William Byron led the most laps and won both stages before fading in the final segment and finishing fourth. Time is running out for both Chevrolet and Ford to close the gap to Toyota before The Chase begins after just seven more regular-season races, though. With that in mind, the battle around the playoff cut line is also heating up, with Erik Jones entering this week in the final transfer spot and Ryan Preece sitting just four points behind after a difficult outing last week. Atlanta Motor Speedway could be the type of race where that picture changes quickly, though. Its superspeedway-style racing helps level the playing field, and anything can happen once drivers start battling in the draft.
Key Stats at EchoPark Speedway
- Number of races: 124
- Winners from pole: 17
- Winners from top-5 starters: 65
- Winners from top-10 starters: 94
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 10
- Fastest race: 166.633 mph
Previous 10 Atlanta Winners
2026 spring - Tyler Reddick
2025 fall - Chase Elliott
2025 spring - Christopher Bell
2024 fall - Joey Logano
2024 spring - Daniel Suarez
2023 fall - William Byron
2023 spring - Joey Logano
2022 fall - Chase Elliott
2022 spring - William Byron
2021 fall - Kurt Busch
EchoPark Speedway has the steepest banking of any 1.5-mile oval on the schedule, and NASCAR uses a rules package similar to Daytona and Talladega, which gives its races more of a superspeedway feel than a traditional intermediate-track style. However, the track's shorter lap distance and narrower racing line create a different challenge than the larger superspeedways. Track position still matters on the narrow layout, but qualifying has been less critical, with just two of the last six races won by a driver who started inside the top 10. Handling is especially important in the tight confines, as drivers must work through thick packs of traffic and manage different lines through the turns to separate themselves from the competition. Pit strategy can also be crucial for gaining ground, while frequent caution periods often give teams opportunities to make adjustments. Avoiding those incidents and staying mistake-free on pit road should be the top priorities for every team this weekend.
RotoWire NASCAR DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the Quaker State 400
Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Tyler Reddick - $10,500
Ryan Blaney - $10,200
Kyle Larson - $10,000
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Chase Elliott - $9,900
William Byron - $9,700
Christopher Bell - $9,500
Joey Logano - $9,300
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Chase Briscoe - $8,900
Carson Hocevar - $8,700
Austin Cindric - $8,200
Bubba Wallace - $7,900
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Ty Gibbs - $7,500
Alex Bowman - $7,300
Zane Smith - $6,800
Austin Hill - $6,600
Optimal DraftKings Lineup for the Quaker State 400
Ryan Blaney - $10,200
Chase Briscoe - $8,900
Carson Hocevar - $8,700
Bubba Wallace - $7,900
Alex Bowman - $7,300
Zane Smith - $6,800
Though Ford has not found race-winning success recently, they were among the fastest cars to start the season and showed speed at Atlanta. Ryan Blaney (DK $10,200, FD $14,000) has also been the best Ford driver recently, with no finish worse than 11th in points races since May. He started 22nd at Atlanta in February, led six laps, and still finished 10th. Blaney remains one of the best superspeedway racers in the series, and the greater manufacturer parity created by the drafting rules package makes him a compelling choice at Atlanta.
Winning consecutive races is a tough prospect in NASCAR, but Chase Briscoe (DK $8,900, FD $11,500) wouldn't be the first Toyota driver to do so this season and he has been building momentum for quite some time. Since Charlotte, Briscoe has only finished outside of the top 15 once, and he enters this week's race with a win last week and a runner-up finish in the prior race. Last time we were at Atlanta, he finished second, too. Despite winning last week, Briscoe is still worth selecting this week.
Carson Hocevar (DK $8,700, FD $9,000) has been making a name for himself at superspeedways. He earned his first series win in April at Talladega, but he has also been putting up good numbers at this track, too. He finished fourth at Atlanta in February and was the runner up in last year's spring race. His average finish from five series starts is 10.2, and it would not be surprising if he were among the leaders again on Sunday.
Bubba Wallace (DK $7,900, FD $8,000) is also typically competitive at superspeedways. He nearly won at Atlanta earlier this season before getting dropped from the lead on the final restart in February. He led 46 laps in that race after starting ninth. His biggest challenge may be replicating his spring Atlanta form in this summer visit, though. Wallace finished in the top 10 the last three spring visits but only has a best summer finish of 22nd in the same span.
After missing several races earlier this season, things seem to be clicking for Alex Bowman (DK $7,300, FD $7,200) again. He has two top-10 finishes from the last two races leading into this weekend, one of which was his first top-five since Texas. Unlike Wallace, Bowman's stronger stops at Atlanta have all been the second visit. He finished fifth in this race in 2024 and was third last year. Bowman is coming alive and traditionally does well in this warmer Atlanta race.
Fantasy players would also be wise to continue keeping an eye on Zane Smith (DK $6,800, FD $6,200). While he has turned in top results on every type of track this season, superspeedways have been consistently his forte. He was sixth at Daytona, seventh a week later at Atlanta, and then finished fifth a few months later at Talladega. With finishes of 11th or better from his last three series starts at Atlanta, this should be another opportune week to add him to the lineup.
Best Bets for the Quaker State 400
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 12:00 PM ET Friday
Race Winner - Carson Hocevar +1600
Top-Five Finish - Chase Briscoe +235
Top-10 Finish - Alex Bowman +155
One of the best records at Atlanta in the last five races belongs to Carson Hocevar. Not only has he been one of the standout drivers on superspeedways since joining the series, he got his breakthrough win just a few months ago at Talladega. At Atlanta, he has been knocking on the door, too. His worst finish in five starts was 19th, but he finished in the top 10 each of the last three with two top-fives, including a runner-up last spring. Given the many surprises and variables that can be at play at a superspeedway race, wagerers might be better served taking Hocevar, who comes with a greater return, this week versus risking more on one of the favorites.
Fans should expect Chase Briscoe to be near the front again this week, too. He finally got his first win of the year last week at Chicagoland, but he has been building toward that for quite a few weeks now. He finished in the top two the last two races, has three top-10s from the last five, and led 27 laps in a runner-up finish at Atlanta earlier this season. That result was his best ever finish at this track and came from the 34th starting spot. Briscoe is building momentum toward The Chase, which makes this another good week to bank on him scoring a top-five finish.
Alex Bowman also appears to be coming into form. The Hendrick Motorsports driver finished fifth a week ago at Chicagoland, and that was his second top-10 finish in as many races. Bowman only finished 23rd at Atlanta in February, but that included a damaged car and handling issues. Hendrick is getting their arms around this year's package and has been more competitive recently. That improvement in performance could unlock a finish more like Bowman's historical results this week which include top-five finishes in the last two fall races.
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