NASCAR race at Atlanta: Corey LaJoie’s favorite place, betting odds, how to watch

After the blockbuster spectacle that was the inaugural Chicago Street Race, the NASCAR Cup Series returns to its bread and butter.

The best stock drivers in the world will compete at Atlanta Motor Speedway — an intermediate oval with superspeedway tendencies — on Sunday at 7 p.m. Fans can watch the race on USA Network starting at 6:30 p.m. or otherwise follow it on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Here are three story lines to get you up to speed ahead of Sunday’s Cup race.

1. It’s worth rehashing that the Chicago Street Race was an undeniable success. There were storms and delays and concert cancellations, but the marquee event through the streets of downtown Chicago was nonetheless triumphant from almost every measure. It averaged a Total Audience Delivery of 4.795 million viewers on NBC and Peacock — the most-watched race since this year’s Daytona 500 — and it was the most-streamed NASCAR Cup Series race in NBC Sports history. The race also fueled a whole bunch of interesting story lines, including the international arrival of Shane van Gisbergen, who won the race in his first Cup start. NASCAR officials hope that the positive impression Chicago made on so many new fans will carry through the summer months of the season.

2. Is this Corey LaJoie’s chance? The driver of the No. 7 Cup car loves Atlanta. That’s true from his days driving Modifieds to his days as a Cup driver. LaJoie finished a career-best fourth at Atlanta when NASCAR descended here a few months ago — which has been the high-water mark of a career year, where he sits 23rd in points, just 47 points below the cutline.

But can he do the unbelievable and capture a win here? He addressed those prospects briefly last week.

“We’ve brought some really great cars there, I think it’s one of our strengths,” LaJoie said. “We haven’t qualified great there, but we’ve built some downforce in our car so we can handle well throughout the race even when the tires get hot. And I think that it’s a little bit more calculating than a speedway. I think handling does come into play a little bit more, and you can actually go get track position.”

3. Who will win? Even though Atlanta isn’t the “anything is possible” venue that superspeedways like Daytona and Talladega are — AMS is still a place where underdogs can win. Will Chase Elliott get his playoff-cementing, long-overdue first win of 2023? Can Michael McDowell surprise the field with a win? What about Brad Keselowski, who finished second a few months ago at Atlanta Motor Speedway and who still remains one of the best superspeedway drivers on the circuit? Per NASCAR.com, betting odds opened with Kyle Busch as the favorite with 10-1 odds, followed by Elliott at 11-1, followed by Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano (the winner earlier this year) at 12-1.

Eight of the 48 drivers who have notched Cup wins at Atlanta Motor Speedway will be active this weekend. Among them include Kevin Harvick (3), Keselowski (2) Busch (2), Logano (1), Elliott (1), William Byron (1), Blaney (1) and Denny Hamlin (1).

It’s also worth noting that there are five slots in the playoff chase unaccounted for at this moment in time. Will a winless driver — maybe Daniel Suárez, or Bubba Wallace, or Chris Buescher — change that?

NASCAR race at Atlanta Motor Speedway details

• Next Race: Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart
• Place: Atlanta Motor Speedway
• Date: Sunday, July 9
• Time: 7 p.m. ET
• Purse: $7,449,067
• TV: USA, 6:30 p.m. ET
• Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
• Distance: 400.4 miles (260 laps)
• Stages: Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 60), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 160), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 260)

Starting lineup for Quaker State 400

Ford dominated Cup qualifying on Saturday evening, just like it did before Atlanta’s spring race. Fords make up eight of the Top 10 slots. Aric Almirola of Stewart-Haas Racing notched his first pole of the season and his fifth of his career.

This story was originally published July 9, 2023 at 7:00 AM.

Alex Zietlow

The Charlotte Observer

Alex Zietlow writes about the Carolina Panthers and the ways in which sports intersect with life for The Charlotte Observer, where he has been a reporter since August 2022. Zietlow’s work has been honored by the Pro Football Writers Association, the N.C. and S.C. Press Associations, as well as the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) group. He’s earned six APSE Top 10 distinctions for his coverage on a variety of topics, from billion-dollar stadium renovations to the small moments of triumph that helped a Panthers kicker defy the steepest odds in sports. Zietlow previously wrote for The Herald in Rock Hill (S.C.) from 2019-22. Support my work with a digital subscription