The NASCAR Folds of Honour QuikTrip 500 is just around the corner. Here is a preview, with some of the main stories surrounding the event.
Will Jimmie Johnson win two in a row?
Jimmie Johnson reasserted himself as a championship contender by wasting no time putt-putting over to Victory Lane in 2015.
He won the second race of the season, en route to five on the year, and became a stealthily dominant car all season. The Joe Gibbs cars, led by Kyle Busch, stole the summer. And Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick racked up top fives with aplomb. All the while, Johnson hovered.
Unfortunately for him, engine troubles at Dover, of all places, nixed his season in the 2015 Chase. This past Sunday at Daytona, Johnson struck the lead for 18 laps on the day, but an untimely penalty – when his pit crew jumped the wall too soon – took Johnson out of contention for another Daytona 500 win.
Two drivers, Johnson and Harvick, stand tall at 1.5-mile tracks, and that makes these two heavy favourites in Atlanta.
The low-downforce aero package
At long last we get the low-downforce aero package that created such an entertaining – though caution-laden – product at Darlington Raceway in 2015. NASCAR instituted the plan to put more control in the athletes’ hands and to ensure the driver in the cleanest air doesn’t run away with the race.
Fox Sports.com’s Darrell Waltrip wrote: “Remember the teams raced this package twice last year so at least they have some experience with it. I expect an awesome race Sunday. Atlanta seems to always give us some of our most exciting and closest finishes. The weather looks awesome for Sunday and I expect the racing to be the same.”
Atlanta’s 1.5-mile quad oval sees speeds approaching 195 mph, so how these drivers handle that speed will be part of the theater on Sunday.
Drivers to watch
Chase Elliott: Youngest Daytona 500 pole winner only to wreck out on lap 20 in the biggest race of the year. I don’t need to continue for you to know this kid will be beyond determined.
Dale Earnhardt Jr: Similar but very different story as Elliott. Very confident for Daytona but then have all of the off-seasons work go to shreds as you crash out. But good ol’ JR has something Chase doesn’t – experience
Jimmie Johnson: Defending Atlanta winner and a master at all tracks that measure exactly 1.5 miles. If you don’t think he will pull off at least a top give it’s time to get your head checked.
Kevin Harvick: It seems wherever Harvick is good at someone is just an edge better. Racking up 13 runner-up finishes last year agrees with my statement. By the way in 2001, the 2014 Sprint Cup Champ gathered his first victory at this famed track.
Carl Edwards: Remember last year when NASCAR decided to test out this new low aero package at Darlington along with all of those great throwback schemes? Yeah, this man was your winner.
Others to keep an eye out for are Martin Truex Jr, Matt Kenseth, Ryan Blaney and Ty Dillon.
No matter who pulls out the victory it is sure to be an exciting race, hopefully this year the weather is nicer and easier on the track. After that amazing finish a week ago at Daytona I believe this is the perfect follow-up track.
High speeds and sliding out of the turns are guaranteed here. But surviving all 500 miles sure isn’t.
The numbers
Folds of Honor Quicktrip 500
Place: Atlanta Motor Speedway
Date: Sunday, Feb. 28
Time: 1:10 p.m. (ET)
TV: Fox, 1 p.m. (ET)
Distance: 335 laps, 500 miles
Defending winner: Jimmie Johnson
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