After two straight races out west, the Nascar Sprint Cup Series heads south to Georgia for the Kobalt Tools 400. Held on the 1.5 mile speedway near Atlanta, the Kobalt Tools 400 has been dominated in years past by the Chevy's, who've won 7 of the 10 races. Jimmie Johnson won both races at this track last year, but beware of the Roush-Fenway Fords and the red hot start they have had to the 2008 season.
The Atlanta track is NASCAR's fastest track that hasn't had speeds restricted by plates. Keys to the race are horsepower, a good aero package and handling. The track's long straight aways will push engines to their limits, with speeds nearing 200 miles per hour. Atlanta is also known to produce numerous lead changes, sometimes over 30 a race, two wide racing, furious competition and breath-taking finishes. The drivers consider the track as a fun place to race at and say that there are racing grooves all over the place.
Horsepower is important at every racetrack, but it will be just one of the key ingredients to victory on Sunday. Most drivers and crews would agree that you have to have a good motor, a good body and the car has handle pretty good. A driver has got to be comfortable enough to turn the steering wheel at any time and not feel like the car's too loose and going to spin out. The cars must handle well thru the corners and have plenty of power to max their speeds on the straight away's. Qualifying good at Atlanta is seems like it is an absolute consideration in picking a race winner, especially in the modern era and qualifying well here appears to substantially increase the odds of a great finish. Qualifying poorly does not necessarily doom a driver to a poor finish but dims his chances greatly for a trip to victory lane. Qualify in the Top 10 here and your odds of winning are huge.
In the last 10 races at Atlanta, there have been seven different drivers visit victory lane. Jimmie Johnson has won 3 times while Carl Edwards has won twice. The other winners include Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch and Kasey Kahne. Look for all the Hendrick, Gibbs and Roush drivers to be top contenders on this track as they all seem to have a good handle on the COT cars.
Ones to Watch
Jimmie Johnson - Last year, Johnson won four of nine races contested on the 1.5-mile cookie-cutter tracks, with a sweep of Atlanta counted in that number. Having failed to win his fourth consecutive race at Las Vegas, he's gunning for a three-peat on this track.
Jeff Gordon - In 2007, Gordon finished worse than 12th on a similarly-configured, 1.5-mile track only once, when he was collected by a back-marker in the Coca-Cola 600 while running in the top five. He came back to win at Charlotte during the fall, and with four Atlanta trophies he knows where Victory Lane is located.
Carl Edwards - Winner of the last two races, Edwards has never struggled at Atlanta; he finished third in his first attempt, swept in 2005 and has never failed to crack the top-10 when running at speed. His only bobble at Atlanta came in Spring 2006, when he was slowed by crash damage and finished 40th.
Dale Earnhardt Jr - He has looked good so far in his new Hendrick diggs and that 2nd place finish last week was no fluke. Dale Jr has a great record at this track including a win and he has finished in the Top 5 in 5 of the last 10 races and in the Top 10 in 6 races.
Mark Martin - Mark seems to be back in form in his DEI ride and has looked pretty good so far. He is either in the Top 10 here or well back in the pack as he has 5 Top 10 finishes in the last 10 races. Because of his limited running schedule, Martin offers a very good replacement for Group B of the yahoo fantasy racing game, giving you a chance to save Kyle Busch, Kasey Kahne and Junior if desired.
David Ragan - Ragan has also been a good value this year. He struggled at Daytona, but finished 14th at California and then seventh last week. That gives him three top-15s in his past four attempts, dating back to the 2007 season finale at Homestead
My Pick - Matt Kenseth - Kenseth has looked good to start out the year and he had a great race going last week at Vegas until he got spun out in the final laps. Kenseth is one of the most consistent driver in the series and he always seems like a safe bet for a Top 10 finish. In his last 10 races here, he has finished in the Top 5 in five of those and in the Top 10 in six races.
Sleeper Pick - Kasey Kahne - Kahne still has not recorded a top-five since his runner-up finish at Bristol in August -- a streak of 15 races -- but with his sixth last week, he's the only driver in the field to sweep the top 10 so far this season.
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