Three active Cup Series drivers have the most wins at the Atlanta Motor Speedway with two each. These are Brad Keselowski, William Byron, and Kyle Busch. Two of them have qualified for the playoffs but they will all be hoping to take the checkered flag on Sunday. Rowdy perhaps has the most chance of doing so given his recent performances. He has finished P2 in the last couple of races and was part of the incredible three-wide finish at the track last season.
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It may only be a mile-and-a-half in distance, but it races like a speedway. With the next-generation car, such tracks are the most unpredictable. This may give Rowdy an advantage since he will be the only one out of the three without any pressure. His goal is to win as many races as possible until the end of the season and winning one in Atlanta would be the perfect start. That would make the veteran the only active Cup Series driver with three wins at the track.
Eight out of the current Cup Series racers have won at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Apart from Busch, Keselowski, and Byron, the others all have one win each. The most recent winner of the event was Daniel Suarez earlier this season and he has not won a race since. Rowdy has the most experience out of the race winners at the track as he has taken part in 29 Atlanta races. He knows exactly what it takes to win that race and how to go about it right from the first lap.
“Atlanta now takes a lot of speed but also a car that handles well. You have to pick through the right line at the right time and get yourself in a spot that you can log some laps through the middle stages of the race and not get caught up in a crash when cars start to handle differently and mistakes are made,” he said in a recent media interaction.
Rowdy is confident going into Atlanta weekend
Busch has yet to win a race this season. If he doesn’t it will be the first time in 20 years that he has not won even once in a Cup Series season. The veteran does not want that to happen. There is some confidence in the #8 at the moment thanks to the recent results. Plus Rowdy almost won here at the start of the season and will be looking to get the job done this time.
“We had a game plan on what we needed to be better and we came back with more speed and a lot better car for the spring Atlanta race this year. I’m hoping that that same amount of notes and success translates to the face this weekend,” he explained.
It will be interesting to see how Busch runs in the remaining 10 races of the season without fighting for the championship. Hopefully, the lack of pressure will bring the best out of the two-time Cup Series champion.
