NASCAR is entering the 19th race of the Cup Series season, and drivers outside the playoff standings are in need to make a big move. Atlanta will host its second NASCAR Cup Series race of the season on Sunday, and the course has a revamped look to make it like a superspeedway. The Quaker State 400 will start at 3 p.m. ET and air on the USA Network and NBC Sports App.
In March, NASCAR was in Atlanta for the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500, and William Byron came out on top. It was his first win of the season, and he went on to win another race three weeks later. Byron’s success in Atlanta is one reason he is sitting in a good spot in the NASCAR Cup Series standings (10th). But he knows he will have to be more consistent to win a championship at the end of the year.ย
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“It’s going to take a lot of work throughout the year,” Byron told PopCulture following his win at Atlanta. “I feel like we’re still hard to tell who’s the favorite in that aspect. But we’re up there in the points standings and even with a couple bad races to start the year, I feel like we’re back on track and we’re performing well. So we just have to keep that performance up throughout the year and then peak at the right time when it comes to the end of the year. So got a lot of work to do.”
While Byron is looking to win his first championship, Kyle Larson wants to successfully defend his title. After winning the Cup Series championship last year, Larson is on track to do it again this season as he’s in fourth place. He’s only won one race but has 10 top-10 finishes and eight top-five finishes, making him one of the more consistent drivers in NASCAR. However, Larson is looking for a better showing in Atlanta after finishing 30th in the March race.ย
“Old Atlanta versus new, it’s quite a different change,” Larson said, per NASCAR.com. “But now, after getting to run a race here earlier this year, I think it helps kind of transition and you see that with the weekend schedule now with qualifying and racing. Where before, we had full practice sessions. The cars have probably evolved some since [the first Atlanta race], setups and engines and aero packages and stuff within the team. So, it could be a totally different race.”ย ย
