NASCAR Cup Series Overview
● Event: Ambetter Health 400 (Round 5 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3 p.m. EDT on Sunday, March 19
● Location: Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia
● Layout: 1.54-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 260 laps/400 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 60 laps / Stage 2: 100 laps / Final Stage: 100 laps
● TV/Radio: FOX / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
SHR FAST FACTS:
Kevin Harvick:
Harvick’s first NASCAR Cup Series win at Atlanta was the first of his career, and it came 22 years ago on March 11, 2001. The Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500 was just Harvick’s third race in a Cup Series car. He started fifth in the 325-lap contest and led twice for 18 laps, including the final six. But Harvick had to earn the win on the final lap and hold off a then three-time champion in Jeff Gordon. Harvick succeeded, outdueling the eventual 2001 series champion to take the win by a scant .006 of a second margin of victory – the seventh-closest finish in NASCAR history.
Aric Almirola:
Overcoming adversity is a staple of Almirola’s career.While the start to the 2023 season has not been what the No. 10 Smithfield Ford team is capable of due largely to bad luck and mechanical issues, Almirola has always seemed to find his way back on top. In 2021, The No. 10 team was in the same points position through four races as this year, but Almirola still made the playoffs for his fourth consecutive year at Stewart-Haas Racing. He strives in the underdog position.
Chase Briscoe:
Briscoe started on the pole for the first race on the newly reconfigured Atlanta in March 2022 after qualifying was rained out. He drove to a 15th-place finish. He returned in July to finish 16th. Briscoe’s best finish of 15th in his two Cup Series outings on Atlanta’s original configuration came in July 2021.
Ryan Preece:
New look! Ryan Preece and the No. 41 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) Ford welcome Autodesk as a co-primary partner for the first time this season during Sunday’s Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The No. 41 will sport a new white, black and red paint scheme when the NASCAR Cup Series takes to the high-banked, 1.5-mile Georgia oval.
OUR WEEKLY WRAPS:
Peach Keen Scheme for Atlanta: @StewartHaasRacing. /YuKy2rcjyU
— Stewart Haas Racing(@StewartHaasRcng) March 15, 2023
WHAT OUR DRIVERS ARE SAYING:
Kevin Harvick Driver of the No. 4 Busch Light Ford Mustang:
How did that first win at Atlanta change your career?
“Well, everybody kind of already knew your name at that particular point, and I always tell people that things happened backward in my career. They all knew my name first, and then you had to figure out how to earn who you were from that point forward, and then you had to walk everything back in order to be yourself. Everybody knew your name because of Dale’s passing and getting in his car, and then winning the race – that was kind of the moment that solidified the fact that you could do it. And at that point, you did it on the biggest stage because outside of Dale Jr., you had the biggest spotlight shining on you driving that particular car. It was a lot to deal with. Definitely wasn’t ready for all that. Obviously, it solidified the fact that you could drive the car, but dealing with all the things that came after that were difficult because I was 25 and we were just married, and driving home with people standing in your yard, cars parked on your street and everybody knowing where you live, and having to deal with all that was something that we weren’t really ready for.”
Aric Almirola Driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang:
Is Atlanta just as much of a wild-card race as Daytona and Talladega, now?
“I would say so. It definitely races like a superspeedway, more than I thought it would. It’s definitely a wild-card race. You have guys up front that aren’t normally up front, but you still have to have a fast car and good handling to have a shot at it.”
Chase Briscoe Driver of the No. 14 High Point Ford Mustang:
What did you learn about the new Atlanta configuration during last year’s two Cup Series visits there?
“There were plenty of unknowns going into Atlanta last year, and we learned it definitely races similar to Daytona and has that superspeedway feel. Two races don’t give you a whole lot of experience to fall back on, but I think that would be more of an issue if it were a typical 1.5-mile track. In this case, we at least know what this car is going to do on superspeedways and can look back to what we did at Daytona and last year’s races. You’ll have the same ‘anything can happen’ type of race and it’ll be interesting to see how it plays out.”
Ryan Preece Driver of the No. 41 Autodesk/Haas Tooling Ford Mustang:
Everyone is talking about how Atlanta races like a superspeedway with high-speed pack racing. How do you feel about that style of racing?
“Superspeedway racing is always really aggressive and intense. I think that with this new car, we’re going to see a lot of bump drafting and teams and manufacturers working together to stay up front. That’s what we’ve been seeing at the superspeedways last season and this season. I can only really go off of what I’ve seen from last year and learned from watching and being on the simulator. But, I’m hopeful that we unload with a lot of speed, qualify really well and can stay up front in clean air to be there at the end.”
Kevin Harvick on ATLANTA:
Kevin Harvick scored his first career win at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2001. Hear how the triumph forever changed his career and life.
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