This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
FR8 Auctions 200
Location: Hampton, Ga.
Course: Atlanta Motor Speedway
Format: 1.5-mile quad-oval
Laps: 130
Race Preview
John Hunter Nemechek beat team owner Kyle Busch to the checkered flag last week in Las Vegas to win his first race of the season. He led 94 of 134 laps in a dominating afternoon where Busch had the next highest laps led total of 16. Nemechek joins Ben Rhodes as a 2021 victor in the season that is now three races old. After a brief trip out West, the drivers head back East this week to Atlanta Motor Speedway. Grant Enfinger is the defending winner there, but Busch is still the major player at the track. Among the five prior Atlanta winners starting this week's race, Busch is the only one to have visited Victory Lane multiple times with five series wins at the circuit. This weekend also sees the return of veteran Bill Lester, who made his first NASCAR Cup Series start in Atlanta in 2006 and will make his firs Truck Series start since 2007.
Key Stats at Atlanta Motor Speedway
- Number of races: 19
- Winners from pole: 5
- Winners from top-5 starters: 10
- Winners from top-10 starters: 13
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 0
- Fastest race: 142.424 mph
Previous 10 Atlanta Winners
2020 - Grant Enfinger
2019 - Kyle Busch
2018 - Brett Moffitt
2017 - Christopher Bell
2016 - John Hunter Nemechek
2015 - Matt Crafton
2012 - Ty Dillon
2011 - Ron Hornaday
2010 - Kevin Harvick
2009 - Kyle Busch
Atlanta Motor Speedway is a fast 1.5-mile oval with an abrasive surface that will wear down tires quickly, and drivers with fresh tires will have a pace advantage. Teams will use almost every caution as an opportunity to stop, which lessens the opportunities for teams to use pit strategy to move ahead. Teams will have to focus on speed more than strategy and will be adjusting their trucks from the beginning of the race to get better every stint. Finding a setup that is as gentle as possible on tires while maximizing race pace will be a winning combination, but late-race cautions could disrupt those efforts. Grant Enfinger won an overtime finish in last year's race despite Kyle Busch winning both opening stages as he crashed late in the race.
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Kyle Busch - $14,000
Ross Chastain - $13,000
Austin Hill - $11,000
Zane Smith - $10,500
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Sheldon Creed - $9,900
John Hunter Nemechek - $9,600
Brett Moffitt - $9,300
Grant Enfinger - $9,000
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Ben Rhodes - $8,800
Parker Kligerman - $8,600
Matt Crafton - $8,400
Stewart Friesen - $8,200
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Raphael Lessard - $7,700
Ryan Truex - $7,200
Tanner Gray - $6,700
Hailie Deegan - $6,500
My Picks
Kyle Busch - $14,000
Ben Rhodes - $8,800
Raphael Lessard - $7,700
Tanner Gray - $6,700
Hailie Deegan - $6,500
Timothy Peters - $6,300
Busch won both stages in Atlanta last season but failed to finish out the win after a late-race crash. He was quick last time out in Las Vegas and starts from the front row this week. That starting position, alongside Nemechek, could give him an advantage. He started 29th in Las Vegas and won't have to climb through the field this week. Rhodes has already won two races so far this season. He will start Saturday's race fifth and has not failed to finish in the top 10 in his five prior starts at this circuit. Raphael Lessard sits 15th in the championship standings and has yet to get his first top-10 of the year. He has one series start at this track and finished 18th. He will start 23rd Saturday. Tanner Gray also has one series start at the track. He started 21st and finished 11th last season. He finished 12th last time out at Las Vegas, too. Another driver showing promise every week is Hailie Deegan. She has been bit by some bad luck, which has hurt her finishes, but she has shown the speed to score top-10 finishes. She will start 28th Saturday, which gives her a bit of a challenge to overcome this week. Finally, Timothy Peters will start 16th. He finished 16th in Las Vegas and has five top-10s from 10 Atlanta starts, including four in his last five starts there.
