Sunday’s NASCAR Cup race at Atlanta: What you need to know

Distance: 325 laps (stages of 85, 85 and 155), or 500 miles.

Where: Atlanta Motor Speedway, a 1.54-mile asphalt trioval in Hampton, Ga.

When: 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

TV: Fox.

Radio: Performance Racing Network.

Last year’s winner: Jimmie Johnson.

Also this week: Rinnai 250, Xfinity Series, Atlanta Motor Speedway, 1:30 p.m., Saturday, Fox Sports 1. Active Pest Control 200, Truck Series, 4:30 p.m., Saturday, Fox Sports 1.

Worth mentioning: Johnson won his first race of the season at Atlanta in 2016, on his way to a record-tying seventh Cup title ... A rare Xfinity-Truck doubleheader is on tap for Saturday.

Who’s Hot/ Who’s Not

HOT

Kurt Busch: Finally wins a restrictor-plate race, and it’s the big one.

Ryan Reed: Strikes a blow for Diabetes 1 sufferers with his Xfinity victory at Daytona.

Kaz Grala: Not many people had heard of the 18-year-old before he won the Truck Series race at Daytona.

NOT

Kyle Busch: Still hasn’t won the Daytona 500 and blamed Goodyear.

Chase Elliott: Had Daytona won until he ran out of gas.

Brad Keselowski: Seems to have mastered plate racing – except for the Daytona 500.

David Scott

This story was originally published March 2, 2017 at 6:02 PM with the headline "Sunday’s NASCAR Cup race at Atlanta: What you need to know."