NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta prediction, odds, pick – 9/8/2024

09/06/2024 09:03 AM

The NASCAR playoffs begin this week in Atlanta with the Quaker State 400. It is time to continue our NASCAR Cup Series odds series with Quaker State 400 at Atlanta prediction and pick.

Sixteen drivers make the playoffs for NASCAR. All drivers who won a regular season race automatically qualified for the playoffs, placing 14 drivers in the playoffs already. The other two drivers in the playoffs qualified on points from the regular season. Drivers are then seeded based on playoff points, which were earned by winning a race, winning a stage, or finishing top ten in the points standings. The playoffs will consist of four rounds, with a total of ten races. The Round of 16, Round of 12, and Round of 8 are each three races long.

To advance, the racers with the fewest points are eliminated. Further, winning a race automatically moves them on to the next round. In the final race, the driver who finished the best wins the championship. Kyle Larson starts with the points lead, with 35 points. Meanwhile, Chase Brisco, Harrison Burton, Ty Gibbs, and Martin Truex Jr. sit in the bottom four spots currently.

Here are the NASCAR Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NASCAR Odds: Cup Series at Atlanta Odds

Kyle Busch: +1200

Joey Logano: +1200

Ryan Blaney: +1200

Brad Keselowski: +1300

Chase Elliott: +1300

William Byron: +1200

Denny Hamlin: +1400

Kyle Larson: +1700

Chris Buescher: +1700

Daniel Suarez: +1700

Chris Buescher: +1700

Daniel Suarez: +1700

Ross Chastain: +2000

Austin Cindric: +2200

Tyler Reddick: +2200

Christopher Bell: +2400

Michael McDowell: +2600

Martin Truex Jr.: +2600

Bubba Wallace: +3100

Ty Gibbs: +3200

Chase Briscoe: +3700

How to Watch Cup Series at Atlanta

TV: USA Network

Time: 3:00 PM ET / 12:00 PM PT

*Watch Nascar LIVE with fuboTV (Free Trial)*

Favorites To Win Cup Series at Atlanta

Kyle Busch sits as the favorite to win this race. He was solid in the spring race here at Atlanta. He started third, would lead 28 laps, and finished third in the race. Further, he was fifth here in July 2023. Busch has had some solid results at Atlanta. He finished fifth and second in the two races in 2021. Further, he was a runner-up in 2020 and won this race in 2013. Still, Busch is not in the chase for the cup and drivers not in the playoff chase can sometimes give way to teammates chasing a title.

Ryan Blaney has a great record here in Atlanta. In the spring race, he started sixth, would lead 31 laps, and finished second by fractions of a second. He won at the track in 2021, and since the second race in 2020, has been in the top ten in all but one race. Further, he has five top-five finishes here, plus the win, in his last eight races at Atlanta.

William Byron has had mixed results here in Atlanta. He finished 17th in the spring race but was ninth after the top stage. Still, He won in the first race in 2022 and also won in the second race in 2023. In the two races in between, he was in a solid position for a good finish, but accidents ended his race early, and he would finish outside the top 30 in both. Further, Blaney has led laps in four of the last seven races and finished inside the top ten of a stage in each of the last seven.

Brad Keselowski had an awful experience in the spring race in Atlanta. After starting 24th, he would lead two laps and finish the second stage in seventh. Then, an accident ended his race, and he finished 33rd. Still, Keselowski was solid here last year. In both races, he improved on his starting position and finished both in the top seven. At the first race last year, he finished second, while leading 47 laps. Further, Keselowski has won here twice, and been a runner-up twice. Keselowski also has finished inside the top ten in over 60 percent of his races at this track.

Sleepers To Win Cup Series at Atlanta

Kyle Larson has had horrible luck on this track. Still, he has traditionally qualified well. In his 12 races here, he has started inside the top ten in 11 of them. Further, he has a top finish of second place, going that twice. In the Spring of 2021, we would finish second after leading 269 laps. He also finished second in 2017. Still, in his last five races here, his best finish is 13th. In the other four races, he has been involved in an accident and finished outside the top 30. If he can avoid the accident, he should be a player to win this race.

Christopher Bell currently sits second in the playoff standings, just behind Kyle Larson. He has struggled at this track as well. Larson was involved in the accident that took out Larson in the spring race, finishing 34th. He also got behind an accident in the second race of 2023, dropping from a top-ten finish to 23rd. Still, he did finish third here in the first race of 2023. Regardless, this is a playoff race, and Bell is a major contender for the title, so looking at him would not be a bad option.

Cup Series at Atlanta Prediction & Pick

With this being a playoff race, there will be different strategies at play. Drivers no longer in contention for the title could help a teammate out during the race, where they may not have done so otherwise. Still, Atlanta is a tough track to predict, but those with solid track records normally contend well if they can avoid the big accident.

Cup Series at Atlanta Prediction & Pick: Blaney Top 5 (+145), Byron Top 5 (+170) 

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