Quaker State 400 Betting Preview
07 July 2023
While a few Cup Series regulars looked competitive on the streets of Chicago, it was three-time Supercars Champion Shane van Ginsberg who took over a chaotic, wet, and shortened race and won on his NASCAR debut, showing there are levels to this road/street circuit racing game. The Cup Series heads back to high-speed ovals and a location they’re familiar with: the Atlanta Motor Speedway.
With the return to ovals racing, the betting field is tighter, with more Drivers in the mix. However, regular past success at Atlanta can help provide insight, alongside the Dunkel Index’s rating system, into who’ll emerge as the winner of the Quaker State 400 on Sunday night.
The Drivers’ With Previous Success in Atlanta
Looking back to the first race at Atlanta in 2023, Team Penske’s Joey Logano (268.201) was the race winner. Logano has one race win and three top-ten finishes at Atlanta the since February 2020 while sitting tenth in the Drivers’ Standings, with nine top-ten finishes this season.
Brad Keselowski (266.879) scored his best finish of the season at the Spring race in Atlanta, finishing second. Keselowski only has six top-ten finishes this season but has three top-ten finishes at Atlanta since February 2020.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell (268.672) finished third in Atlanta but only has two top-ten finishes and an average finishing position of 15.3 in his last six races at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. However, Bell has been great this season, currently fourth in the Drivers’ Championship, and has one race win, two stage wins - both last week in Chicago, and ten top-ten finishes this season.
Kyle Busch (267.016) won the Summer Atlanta race back in 2008. Busch has three top-five finishes at Atlanta in his last six trips. Busch is in the mix to win another Cup Series Championship, with three race wins, and 11 top-ten finishes this season.
Fan and betting favorite Chase Elliott (268.723) won this race in 2022 and has four top-ten finishes in his last five races in Atlanta. Elliott missed the Spring trip to Atlanta from a snowboarding accident but has seven top ten finishes in the 11 races he’s raced in, finishing in the top five in the last three races.
Longshots to Win in Atlanta
Current Cup Series points leader Martin Truex Jr. (268.155) has two top-five and four top-ten finishes at Atlanta in the previous six races but finished 19th earlier this season. Truex Jr. has two race wins and nine top-ten finishes this season.
We can’t discount Kyle Larson despite a disappointing 31st-place finish during the Spring Atlanta stop. Larson has two race wins and nine top-ten finishes this season, including the previous four races, while only having one top-five finish in his last five races at Atlanta despite leading 270 total laps - the most of any driver since February 2020.
The Dunkel Index’s Pick to Win the NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400
The Dunkel Index has picked Brad Keselowski (266.879) to get his first win of the season at the Quaker State 400 in Atlanta.
Keep up with your latest NASCAR news coverage and betting pick previews at The Dunkel Index.
All Media on this page by Associated Press.
