EchoPark Speedway is a NASCAR race track in Atlanta. Because it’s an oval, cars spend a lot of time going in circles, and the teams focus on handling and tire wear over long stretches.
The Quaker State 400 IM is the specific NASCAR race being previewed for this episode. The “IM” indicates the track’s race format/branding used for that event, and the betting odds discussed are for this particular running.
Chase Briscoe is a NASCAR driver. He recently won at Atlanta, and that makes him a more credible pick for the next race because it shows his team can get the job done.
Person
Tyler Radeck
Tyler Radeck is a NASCAR driver mentioned as the last winner at Atlanta. The host also points out he managed to win even after a crash during the race.
Penske is a NASCAR team, and “Ford’s” means the Ford cars they race. Different teams and manufacturers can be better suited to certain tracks, so it affects who might be competitive.
“Blue ovals” is a nickname for Ford. It comes from Ford’s logo, and NASCAR fans use it to mean the Ford cars/teams.
Place
Selma
Selma is where the previous race in the season happened that affected who’s still competing. The host is using that result to explain current betting status.
“Next Gen car” is NASCAR’s newer race car design that most teams use. When people say it, they mean the current generation of NASCAR cars, not a specific driver’s personal car.
The “points leader” is the driver currently at the top of NASCAR’s season standings based on accumulated race results. Being the points leader affects strategy because the driver is balancing stage/race performance with protecting their lead.
“Atlanta” is a NASCAR track where races are held in Georgia. Drivers and cars can perform differently there, so past results at Atlanta often influence predictions.
A “drafting track” is a type of NASCAR track where cars benefit from running close together. When one car follows another, it can go faster and pass more easily because of the airflow between them.
The Daytona 500 is NASCAR’s biggest race, held at Daytona. It’s known for cars running close together and drafting, so strategy and timing matter a lot.
A “top 10 finish” bet means you’re betting the driver will place in the first ten. It’s a common way to bet on consistent performance without needing a win.
Spire refers to Spire Motorsports, a NASCAR team the host associates with Michael McDowell. In NASCAR betting talk, team context matters because teams differ in car setup, strategy, and driver support.
In NASCAR, a restart is when the race restarts after a caution. A restart wreck means a crash happened right as the cars were speeding back up and fighting for position.
The radiator is part of the cooling system that keeps the engine from overheating. If it gets busted, the car can run too hot and may have to slow down or stop.
“Cut a tire down” means the tire got damaged—like it was sliced or torn—so it can’t keep working properly. That usually means the car has to pit and the race gets much harder.
“Gen 6” is the name NASCAR gave to a particular generation of race car body rules. Different generations behave a bit differently, so teams tune setups around that era’s characteristics.
Chase Elliott is a NASCAR race car driver. Here, the hosts are talking about where he is in the points and how he’s trying to do better before the playoffs start.
NASCAR races are split into segments called stages. Drivers can earn points during those segments, so you can score even if you don’t win the whole race.
That phrase is talking about Hendrick Motorsports, which is a major NASCAR team. It’s basically saying the driver is part of that team’s group of cars and drivers.
Topic
in season challenge
The “in-season challenge” is an extra NASCAR competition inside the season. Drivers can earn extra points/benefits while still racing normally.
“Sweeping the stages” means winning every segment of the race. It’s a big deal because it usually means the car was fast and the driver made good calls.
Chicago is a NASCAR event location. It’s mentioned because the driver did well there, including winning stages.
Term
new configuration
A “new configuration” means the race was run with a different setup than before. That can change how the cars handle, so winning under the new setup is a notable achievement.
A “rain shortened race” is when rain forces NASCAR to end the race early. The result can depend a lot on strategy and timing because the race doesn’t run its full distance.
“Play tracks” means tracks where they think certain drivers are likely to do well. In fantasy/betting terms, it’s where you’re more confident about picking someone.
Toyota is the car brand they’re betting on. They’re saying that even with fewer Toyotas in the race, the Toyotas that are there look strong enough to be the best Toyota at the finish.
A restart is when the race starts running at full speed again after a caution. A late restart is near the end of the race, so it often decides the outcome because there’s less time left to fix mistakes.
“Three wide” means three cars are driving next to each other at the same time. It’s exciting but risky, because if one car moves a little, the others can get squeezed into contact.
The pit is where teams stop to service the car—like tires and fuel. If something goes wrong on track, it can force the driver to come in for a pit stop.
A draft track is one where cars gain an advantage by following closely behind each other. A “draft track winner” is someone who’s especially good at using that drafting advantage to win.
“Next gen era” means NASCAR switched to a newer generation of race car. That can change how the cars handle and how races play out at different tracks.
Track position just means where you are in the race order. In NASCAR, being in the right spot can be a big advantage because it affects pit strategy and how easily you can move around other cars.
Fuel saving means driving in a way that uses less gas than normal. Teams do it so they can make it to the next stop or finish without needing an extra pit stop.
Plate racing is a NASCAR setup that makes cars more evenly matched and encourages tight racing in packs. Because of that, drafting and timing become huge parts of how you win.
Ty Gibbs is a NASCAR driver. The hosts are saying he’s usually not seen as a top “plate race” threat, but he’s had strong results at Atlanta and is trying to bounce back after a crash.
A “plate racer” is someone who tends to do well in NASCAR races where the cars are restricted with a plate to slow them down. Those races are more about racing in a tight pack and making smart moves with drafting.
Chris Buscher is a NASCAR driver. The hosts are saying he could be a win threat again because he hasn’t won in a long time, but he’s had good results at Atlanta before.
Keselowski is a NASCAR driver. The hosts are saying he’s in a tight points situation and is likely desperate for a strong finish to climb back above the cutoff.
The “cut line” is the standings cutoff in NASCAR playoffs. If you’re below it, you’re in danger of being knocked out, so you need a big result to stay alive.
Ryan Priest is a NASCAR driver. The hosts are saying he’s another driver who could be strong in this race outlook, especially because he’s tied to the RFK team.
Ross Chastain is a NASCAR driver. The hosts are pointing out that he’s done well at Atlanta before, including a strong finish in February, which makes him a more credible bet.
The “bubble” in NASCAR betting/playoff talk refers to the cutoff area where drivers are near the qualification line. A strong run can move a driver into safety, while a wreck or poor finish can drop them back out.
Road courses are NASCAR tracks built like road racing circuits, with more braking zones, elevation changes, and corner types than typical ovals. Teams often have different strengths on road courses versus superspeedways and short tracks.
Austin Hill is a NASCAR driver. In this segment, the host is saying Hill is a good bet because he’s had more time on track and can potentially control the race if he starts in a good position.
Ricky Stenhouse is a NASCAR driver. The host thinks he’s a smart bet because of how he’s done in certain big-speed races and because his team can still show up strong sometimes.
Plate races are NASCAR events run at superspeedways where cars use a restrictor “plate” to limit engine airflow and reduce top speed. That changes race dynamics—often increasing pack racing, close-quarter driving, and the chance of multi-car incidents.
Term
parlies
“Parlies” refers to parlays—betting slips that combine multiple wagers into one bet. In NASCAR, that often means picking several drivers/events at once, so the overall payout can be higher but the bet is harder to get right.
“Value-wise” is betting jargon for targeting bets where the payout odds are favorable relative to the true chance of the outcome. The host is saying the goal at Atlanta is to find picks that are priced too low (or too high) compared to what they expect to happen.
A “big pile up” in NASCAR is a multi-car crash where several cars get involved at once, often triggered by contact, braking errors, or sudden changes in traction. The host uses it to explain why logic alone can fail—early chaos can send many contenders to the garage.
In NASCAR, “the garage” is the pit-area garage where damaged cars are taken for repairs or retirement from the race. When the host says “all your guys are in the garage,” they mean the picks are likely out of contention due to crash damage.
Alex Bowman is a NASCAR driver. The hosts are talking about how he’s been running well lately and why bettors think he could be a strong pick, even though he hasn’t won a “plate race” yet.
North Wilkesboro is where the next NASCAR race is happening. The hosts are using that upcoming track to predict who might face off after the current event.
The “final four” is the last group of drivers left in NASCAR’s playoff-style elimination. The hosts are predicting which drivers will make it to that final stage and then who might race each other next.
A “top 10 streak” means the driver keeps finishing in the top 10. The hosts use it as a sign the driver is reliably strong, not just having one good race.
“Same equipment” means the two drivers are using comparable cars from the same level of team support. If the cars are similar, the difference in results is more likely due to driver performance and strategy.
LIVE
Hello everybody and welcome into through the years before the race on Sunday night in Atlanta
Echo Park Speedway for the Quaker State 400 IM, Michael Bell, foundingwithfrontstretch.com.
And what a change from the last few races we've seen where there's only a handful of
guys you feel like could win the race when it was on the road courses San Diego Sonoma.
It seemed like SVG was the top guy and then he had a couple other guys along with him.
And then it came to Chicago and you expect that the Toyota's to be strong and we did
see Chase Briscoe go to victory lane last weekend in a Joe Gibbs racing Toyota his first
one of the year, but it is a completely different ballgame down in Georgia for this Sunday
nights race in Atlanta and it's the next round of the in season torment, but going
through the lists of the winners because it could go any which way plenty of winners that
she's from with a lot of great value three way tie for the favorites at plus 900 pretty
long odds for the favorites.
Of course, you have the most recent winner at Atlanta Tyler Radeck, he won the race in
February despite getting into a crash mid race.
That was the second of his three Pete to start the year and tied with him is Ryan Blaney
who has the lone Ford win in the 2026 season all the way back at Phoenix in March.
And he actually has not won at this variation of Atlanta.
He won the old version, but he is a great plate racer and Penske Ford's should be strong.
I'm sure they'll be looking to get win number two for the blue ovals.
And then you have last year's summer winner at Atlanta.
You have chase Elliott at also plus 900.
He won that race that was with the big wreck and he was able to get by it.
And I'm sure he'll be a favorite for contention for the win this weekend.
He is alive in the in season torment as is Ryan Blaney.
Tyler Radeck, of course, was knocked out in the first round at Selma after he ran mechanical
problems.
And then you have another former you have a couple former Atlanta winners you have William
Byron and Joe Ligano, Byron a plus 1000, Joe Ligano plus 1400 both these guys have multiple
wins on the new iteration of Atlanta.
And then Kyle Larson plus 1000 kind of surprising with his plate race record of how he's wrecked
a lot and just hasn't been able to get the finishes he's wanted I think back to February
where he was racing up front.
I believe it was for the stage end and he got turned off the nose.
I think he just cut down.
It wasn't clear and he got taken out in a crash and he finished 32nd back in February.
And as for last summer, he was, I think he was caught up in a bunch of troubles, but
he finished 17th because you had the earlier wrecks with Bell and Blaney and then you
had the massive wreck on the back stretch off the restart.
But that is the top six favorites to win moving along along the line.
You have the top threes and top fives top tens as well.
And then that's where you see the minus odds come into play as well as you expect those
guys to be up front battling as long as they keep their cars clean.
Then you have another former Atlanta winner, Chris Rebelle.
He has been trying every which way to get to victory lane this year, a lot of runner
up finishes, but still has not gone that first win second place last week in Nash, not national
Chicago land, but he also finished up there at Nashville.
And speaking of Nashville, Nashville winner, Denny Hamlin plus 1600s crazy that his odds
are this long because there was once upon a time where he was the best plate race driver
out there back in the gen six car in that 2019 to 2021 stretch.
You want a lot of plate races, but he has just not been able to get a win on a drafting
track in the next gen car.
So we'll see if his luck turns around as he is the points leader, trying to continue to
build that gap on Tyler Watt.
Then you have Carson Hosevar, who is not one in Atlanta, but he did come very close, but
he is the most recent drafting track winner at plus 1600.
He won back at Talladega his first career win.
He's a plus 1600 as well.
Then you have Austin syndric, another guy who's won on some drafting tracks in the next
gen car.
He won the Daytona 500.
He won a Talladega race and he's just always leading laps at Atlanta and it really you
see a trend of who the top favorites are.
It's all guys that have one in the next gen car because Chase Briscoe won at Talladega
last year in the playoffs back then.
Anyone last week coming into the weekend, the most recent winner at Chicagoland trying
to continue his ascent up the standings after his slow start to the year.
And then we got one more board of winners as the value really gets good could go a lot
of different ways.
Bubba Wallace, he's come very close.
It came, he came close in February, he finished eighth, but he was up there upfront on the
back stretch battling it out for the win there with his teammate Tyler Reddick.
The Reddick was able to grab that one and he has minus odds for a top 10 finish.
Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.
Always got to look out for him on these drafting tracks.
He had a top 10 back in the summer last year, he finished sixth in that race last summer
and he is of course a Daytona 500 winner in this car and he also won a Talladega race
in this car.
And then you have two RCR cars further down Austin Hill who is a great driver on these
tracks, especially Atlanta.
In the O'Reilly series, I think he's got to be one of the favorites, if not the favorite
for Saturday Night's Race.
And he is plus 4500 good value there.
Austin Dillon's won a drafting track in his career in the Cup Series, Daytona 500 winner.
Plus 6000, it would be a great story.
You've seen RCR having emotional win at Atlanta before.
That's kind of what I've seen on social media a lot of look backs at Harvick's win back
in 2001, how great it'd be to see an RCR car win this year in the Cup Series.
I think both guys have a good shot at it as long as they stay out of trouble.
And two other guys on this list, Eric Jones plus 6000 legacies showing a lot of speed
lately and he's won on a drafting track in his career before back at day, his first
crew win in Daytona in the summer race in 2018, back when he was in the 20 car.
And Michael McDowell of course Daytona 500 winner as well at plus 6500 with the Spire
cars that are definitely all three of them could be ones to watch because we already
talked about Hoswar and Suarez is another past winner of Atlanta.
But now moving on to a couple guys want to highlight, start with Tyler Wreck who has
had a really rough about a month, maybe month and a half at this point stretch of races
that's seen his points lead just completely disintegrate.
He's now trailing Denny Hamlin by 44 points.
He needs a reset and it's a great place to come to.
It's great to come to a place where you've already won this year, but it is a track
that, you know, it's it's it's very wild card ask you could end up winning again or
you could end up 38th in the garage with the rest car.
But Tyler Wreck definitely needs to get it back on track because he's had a couple.
I mean, he had that wreck at Michigan where he got caught up in that restart wreck.
He finished second to Denny Hamlin and Pocono, but then you had a bunch of problems
where he none of his own doing the power steering at Sonoma, the hitting something
last week and busting the radiator and the oil cooler last year.
I mean, last week at Chicago and then San Diego, he's battling with Corey Hine for
the win, then he cut a tire down.
So he's had a lot of bad luck.
So Atlanta is a make or break race to either see his points lead.
You see that points with Hamlin shrink or it's going to expand even more.
Maybe they both run into trouble.
That's why I mean, it could be a good shot for a guy like Blaney or Elliott behind
him to close the gap between first and second.
But speaking of Chase Elliott, he is the, like I said, most recent summer race
winner at Atlanta.
He has two wins at Atlanta because he won in the summer of 2022 as well.
When he had that block on Corey LaJoy, he wasn't able to win at his home track
in the Gen 6 car, but he has had some success in this car.
And he is right up there in the top 10 points.
Definitely because we talked about the top six.
I think that was a major storyline going into the season is that when they ran
the chase simulations, the top six drivers in the standings won the title.
I think it said 85% of the time.
So Chase Elliott is fifth right now.
So he's trying to stay up there and even try and improve on his seating before
the chase starts.
And Atlanta is another great place for him.
If he can't win the race, at least he can maybe get some stage points as well.
We'll see how it goes.
I want to move over to another guy that's out of the Hendricks stable and
another guy that's in season challenge still, that is William Byron.
And William Byron has had, I don't want to say he's had a rough year, but he
just has not been up to William Byron standards.
He still hasn't won yet.
He's kind of in a way been very similar to Christopher Bell.
He's had some chances to win, but just hasn't closed the deal.
He looked great at Chicago and he swept the stages, but just wasn't able to
compete with the Toyotas.
He's 12th in the standings, but like I said, he's trying to advance in
the tournament further.
He against Ryan Blaney he's matched up with.
That should be a good matchup.
Chase Elliott's going against Chase Briscoe as well.
We'll get more of the in season challenge later on in the episode.
But I think that when you look at Byron, he's won two at Atlanta as well.
He won the first Atlanta race in the next gen car with the new configuration.
He finished first place there and he finished in a rain shorten race in
2023 in the summer.
I think the only rain shorten race at this track in this car, that was a great
race that unfortunately ended early, but William Byron ended up on top in that one.
A couple more names to look at before we move on to my fantasy picks.
We talked about how Byron's been winless and I've mentioned him multiple times,
but Christopher Bell seems like he's due for a win.
Could it be this weekend?
He won at Atlanta in February of 25.
He is usually running up front on the play tracks.
You don't really think of Bell as a plate racer, but he's really fast everywhere
really, but he's really adapted to this.
Well, minus odds for the top 10.
I think the manufacturer one's really interesting for Toyota because all the
toyotas, like there aren't a whole lot of toyotas in the field, but all of them
really you could see have a chance at being the top one.
They're all very fast, even the legacy cars.
Like I said, Jones, we talked about him a little earlier.
Nima check has some success in the past in the lower series, wherever, wherever
beach at Atlanta, whether it was drafting or not, he's had some moments as well.
So I think the toyotas could be an absolute dogfight to see who's going to be
the top Toyota at the end of the night.
But Christopher Bell is going to be up there in that conversation.
He would like to avenge how last summer's race ended.
He got caught up in that wreck really early and just was limping around the
rest of the night because he got caught up in that wreck with Ryan Blaney.
It was like, I believe Larson was involved in that.
He finished 30th in that race, DNFing out of that one.
And then in the spring, he finished 21st because on that late restart with the
host of R, he was in contention and then host of R tried to sneak in, I think,
three wide and ended up with Bell on the outside wall and had it come to pit.
And then the last guy to talk about is Carson host of R, who I have highlighted
because he is, you know, the nickname is the hurricane.
He is the most recent draft track winner at Talladega.
But Talladega is absolutely different from Atlanta in the next gen era.
It seems like Talladega kind of boxed in.
It's a lot about track position, fuel saving, but Atlanta, it seems like a
mix of intermediate and super speedway.
And it reminds a lot of people of the old plate racing when handling really,
really mattered before Daytona Talladega repaved.
So that's what I saw the comments from his teammate, Daniel Suarez with a
reporter and Suarez is the past winner here in Atlanta.
Of course, that three wide finish, but Carson also, I would shock me in the
slattest of you goes to victory lane again.
He's been a little quiet lately in terms of results.
He hasn't had like one of those flashes where he could win other than maybe
San Diego until he had that contact with Corey Hine.
But that's what I'm trying to think off the top of head.
He's still top 10 in points, but he's starting to lose ground to the elite.
I think because Chase Briscoe just got by him and Christopher Bell is
only 12 points behind him.
If host of R wants to stay around that top seven, top eight, he's going to
need some good runs here.
And I think Atlanta is a really good spot for him to grab a top five or perhaps
even a top three or that checkered flag.
So now it's time to look at some fantasy and going over the groups starting
with the group A, which is all the elite drivers, top of the standings, sort of
by points per race and no shock here.
The top two are the points leaders, Hamlin and Reddick to watch out for them.
Seems like Hamlin's just due to get one of these play tracks to go his way.
But yeah, he's just not been able to keep his car clean.
Of course, he was the one that I don't want to say sparked the big wreck, but
he was the car that went sideways on the back stretch and led to that massive
pileup that took out a lot of contenders.
And then you got Ryan Blaney, talk about those Patsky Fords.
Blaney's going to be up there.
I'm sure Logano is going to be up there and Cinder because well, those guys
like to control the pace and then you have Larson, Elliott, 200 cars and
Chase Briscoe, a lot of guys still left in that challenge.
And then onto the class B part, this one's a little bit different.
You have guys that have struggled this year along with guys that are running
really well.
I think Connor Zilch is in this group.
He has had a really bad rookie season and hopefully he could at least
finish the race because he has just been caught up in everything.
So hopefully he could avoid the trouble at Atlanta.
He did last year.
Connor Zilch actually finished 11th last year in the part time car.
But to the favorites, Ty Gibbs, you don't really think of him as an elite
plate racer, but he has one at Atlanta in this configuration in the O'Reilly series.
But he crashed out of the race in February with Josh Berry pretty early in
that race.
So he's looking for a bounce back.
And then you have guys down the list in this category have not mentioned
RFK tonight, which is pretty bad on my part.
You got to talk about not only Pesky but RFK.
Chris Buscher seems like he is another guy that to do for a win.
It's been almost two full years since his last win.
And he's had some good runs in Atlanta.
And you talk about the veterans, Logano being one outside the cut line,
but Keselowski is right there too.
They actually average the same amount of points per race.
So those guys are going to be desperate to try and get back above the cut line,
especially Keselowski, because he was up to like 10th in the standings.
And now he's dropped out.
So he's going to have to try and get back to Eric Jones.
It's very close.
You could throw in Ryan Priest there too, because he's another strong RFK car.
They got Bubba Wallace, Ross Chastain.
Chastain's had some good results at Atlanta in the past.
He finished third in February behind Reddick and Chase Briscoe.
Now on to Class C, where you have some switch ups.
There is Ryan Priest, we talked about.
Host Varley in the top of it.
Then you have SVG with the road courses, but he did finish top six in the February race.
He finished sixth.
And that one, he was running pretty well in the summer race last year too,
till he got into a spin and finished three laps down, 24th place.
Eric Jones, then you have A.J. Allmendinger, who's another guy who's on the bubble.
And I've been very impressed with how A.J. Allmendinger's kept that calling car in contention,
even though they're dodging the truck series, probably not getting the best support.
But he has kept that car in contention.
And Michael McDowell is another guy to keep an eye on for the bubble.
And just really can't go wrong with any of these guys.
And a spoiler that my pick for Group C isn't on the big board.
But Group D, the last group, you see me go with Corey Heim a lot when he's running,
but Heim isn't in this race this weekend.
A lot of part-time guys you want to keep an eye on.
But it seems like it's mainly chartered cars to watch this Sunday night.
And Daniel Suarez has definitely been the most elite driver in this group being at a chase spot.
But yeah, you got to watch out for Suarez in Atlanta.
He finished fifth in February.
He's had a lot of success at this track versus Daytona and Talladega.
He's definitely been way better here.
And fun fact, the last two Atlanta races, Zane Smith, has finished seventh both times.
So he's another guy that gets to the end.
And he's in need of a good run as well.
Because I feel like we kind of talked about him as a dark horse for a chase spot.
But he's been getting into some accidents lately.
He's going to need to get back on track and stay out of trouble.
Obviously, I had that tie up with host of our last week and the comments leading up to it this weekend.
It's been fun to follow.
Then you have Riley Herbston at 2311 Toyota.
Todd Gillens, who is definitely the underdog of the in-season challenge left.
He's going against Alex Bowman.
I know Bowman had the lowest seat, but it's a hands-your-car after all.
But Todd Gillen making it this far is quite impressive.
Then you have Stenhouse and Nemechek to close it out.
But for my picks, a lot of different ways you could go about this.
I went with the looking at which guys haven't used that much this year.
I actually haven't used Chase Elliott that much.
I feel like you just got to go with the guy that won here last summer.
Can't go wrong with that.
If he gets in a wreck, you just got to deal with it.
I'll go with Ross Chastain, because if he has a good run,
he'll be right back on the bubble, too.
Because I feel like all the talk about trackhouses, man, they've lost a step.
They've been rough outside the road courses.
But I feel like Chastain's had some solid runs lately.
I remember he finished top 10 at Pocono.
And at Chicagoland, he had some solid speed.
I think he got some stage points, but dropped back a little bit.
But then, group C, I'm going with Austin Hill.
I think Austin Hill, home state track.
He's going to have some time to race on Saturday.
He's going to have more track time than a lot of these guys.
And I know the cars are different.
But I feel like I trust Austin Hill at Atlanta more than any other track
in this 33 car, because I know it's been rough.
The results haven't been very good.
He's been in a lot of wrecks, too.
But I think Austin Hill can control some of the race
if he gets some good track position.
Then you've got to go Ricky Stenhouse out of group D.
He seemed like a smart choice with his track record and plate races.
And just how again, even in a single car team where he seems like there's
always rumors of them getting bought out.
But this 47 team just always finds a way to sneak up there every once in a while.
And definitely it can happen at Atlanta.
And before we close out at the end season challenge,
I have just a couple bets that I made up, some parlies.
And yeah, it was a lot of darts at the wall this week,
just to see which one's kind of made a lot of sense.
Value-wise, that's what you're really going for at Atlanta.
You really can't logic your way through this, because you'll try and logic your way
through it, then there'll be a big pile up on lap 12, and all your guys are in the garage.
So for this one, I just feel like Denny Hamlin's due,
I've talked about at the show today.
Denny Hamlin, I'll say, he keeps the good runs going.
It feels like everything's going his way right now.
I'll say he finishes top three.
I have Hostovar on the top five, and I have Swarys on the top 10.
I'll have those two Spire cars run up front.
I really like the way the odds shake out that Swarys is plus odds at top 10.
I think that's a pretty good steal.
And Hostovar top five, he just always finds his way through the hurricane,
as he says, in a $100 bet, almost patch of $5,000.
That would be quite the value play and the win there.
That's a tremendous win there, if you could pull that off.
My second one's even crazier odds, because again, Atlanta, anything could happen.
I went a little crazy on this one.
I said, Busher top three, wanted to get a four in there.
I feel like everyone's looking at the Penske cars, but I feel like they get into a lot
of trouble.
Busher's a guy that just sneaks in there, and he gets you a top 10.
He gets you a top five, but maybe you could just get a little bit more.
Maybe he gets that win, maybe a top three.
So I went with him at plus 550.
Eric Jones, he needs to keep these good runs going, because he's got a lot of
company behind him on the chase bubble.
I say he gets a top five, and he contends for a win.
And shout out to Riley Herbst.
I know he's not been on the level as his teammates with Radick and Walsh, but
he's definitely improved a lot this year.
He's auditioning for a spot next year in the Cup Series, because it's been reported.
He's not coming back.
Horry Heim's taking that seat.
So I think Riley Herbst is going to sneak in there and get a top 10 with some
other Toyotas.
I think the Toyotas are fast, could go a lot of different ways.
So I think this one's just amazing value.
I know that a lot of things got to go right.
You got to avoid the wrecks, but $100 to win 25K.
Or if you want to go with a $10 bet that's still in the thousands.
So I think that this is why you always look forward to these plate races when
you're looking at bets like this.
Daytona is out of Atlanta.
You can go a lot of different ways.
And you might end up with a lot of money at the end of the night,
if things shake out a certain way.
So before we wrap up, we have the final eight drivers in season challenge.
We have the underdog matchup between Todd Gill and Alex Bowman.
Then the Chases, Brisco versus Elliott.
And then Byron versus Blaine and Hamlin versus Bella teammates with JGR.
And it's just more of the same.
You just don't really know where to go with it.
It just depends on, it could come down to who has the best draft on the final lap.
They could be side by side, come on the line.
Who knows?
So let's just go Alex Bowman because the 32 seed made to the finals last year.
And let's just say Alex Bowman keeps it going because he's had some solid runs lately.
And looking at his odds are pretty solid to win.
It's actually surprising he hasn't won a plate race in his career.
Because he's had a lot of second places.
He's had, he had a second place in a Talladega race or two.
He finished second in the day, 100 to Byron one year.
And I think that's a sneaky one for maybe top Hedger car or top Chevy.
So we'll see what Alex Bowman, then the bottom left.
It's tough with both Chases because they're both very good and
they both won on a drafting track recently.
But just because, you know, hometown guy coming back to the track he won at last
summer, I'll give the edge to Chase Elliott.
So that's 200 cars.
I have going to the final four and they would end up against each other at
North Wilkesboro next week.
But that's what I have with Chase Elliott.
We already mentioned his stats here, his odds for the weekend.
So now am I going to go with 300 cars in the final four?
Byron versus Blaney.
I feel like he got to get a Ford in there.
So I'll go with Ryan Blaney on this one.
He's just, he's on a top 10 streak.
I don't know what he's up to now, but he is on a great top 10 streak.
That's why he's still third in the standings despite Ford struggles this year.
And I wouldn't say best, best odds on the manufacturer best or team, but the
winning odds are solid.
Top five at plus odds is pretty good.
Definitely.
I'm sure a lot of guys will be looking at him for their best slips this weekend.
And then the top right, Hamlin versus Bell, both in the same equipment.
Both have had drafting tracks, excess in their careers.
I just feel like everything is pointing the right way for Hamlin right now.
And I feel like this is the, I feel like this is the plate race.
This is going to be the plate race where he gets to the end and maybe pulls out
a good finish or maybe I'm wrong and he keeps the bad streak going.
And cursor Bell ends up advancing with that broken wrist to the final four at
North Wilkesboro where he's won before in the All-Star race.
But there are Denny Hamlin's odds at plus 1600.
Definitely looking to keep it on those odds.
And some people will be looking, looking their chopsy in those odds, but that's
going to do it.
We covered some fantasy options, some bets, and looking at all the different
guys that have a shot to win.
Cause basically if you're in the field, you got a good shot to win as long as
you keep your nose clean.
So that's going to do it for this preview of the Atlanta race on Sunday night
with, uh, through the gears and frontstretch.com.
I've been Michael Belfamany.
Thank you so much for listening and I'm looking forward to
some nights race at Quaker State 400.
Everybody enjoy the race.
About this episode
Odds and storylines for the Quaker State 400 at Atlanta’s EchoPark Speedway take center stage, with the panel noting how Atlanta’s plate-racing chaos differs sharply from recent road-course winners. Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney, and Chase Elliott headline the long-shot favorites at plus 900, while William Byron and Joey Logano follow at plus 1000/plus 1400. The discussion leans heavily on “next-gen” drafting-track winners, with Denny Hamlin’s surprisingly long plus 1600 price and value plays like Bubba Wallace, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and RCR’s Austin Hill. Tyler Reddick’s recent misfortune and Chase Elliott’s points push are key narratives.
