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NASCAR: Preview of Active Pest Control 200 at Atlanta

By Sean Anderson

HAMPTON, GA - MARCH 04: Matt Crafton, driver of the #88 Ideal Door/Menards Toyota, leads Christopher Bell, driver of the #4 JBL Toyota, during the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Active Pest Control 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 4, 2017 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images)
HAMPTON, GA - MARCH 04: Matt Crafton, driver of the #88 Ideal Door/Menards Toyota, leads Christopher Bell, driver of the #4 JBL Toyota, during the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Active Pest Control 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 4, 2017 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images) /
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The 2018 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season is underway. Johnny Sauter won the season opener last week. Who will win the Active Pest Control 200?

There are 34 drivers on the entry list for Saturday’s NASCAR Truck Series race. Among them is Kyle Busch. Busch, who will start on pole for Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race, is a driver to watch in every Truck race. He has earned 49 wins in the Truck Series, including four wins at Atlanta. His average finish at Atlanta is 5.0. This makes Busch one of the favorites to win on Saturday.

Out of the regulars in the Truck Series, Matt Crafton could be tough to beat. While Crafton won this race three years ago, he also has been inconsistent at times. He has an average finish of 12.0 at the track, with five top 5 finishes and nine top 10 finishes.

As for young drivers in the race this weekend, Ben Rhodes has the best chance to win. Even though there aren’t a lot of statistics on Rhodes, he hasn’t disappointed. In two starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway, he hasn’t finished worse than sixth place. Since he has proven his ability to drive on 1.5-mile tracks in the past, he should be up front all day on Saturday

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Last year, Christopher Bell led 95 laps of the race en route to a dominant victory. He will not be competing in the Truck Series this year since he moved to compete in the Xfinity Series instead. Obviously, there will be a new winner, but who will it be? Tires are expected to wear quickly, and only those who save them until the end of a run will win.

The track was last repaved in 1997. Seven drivers in the race are younger than the racing surface. It will be interesting to see how the young drivers handle the slick track. Since fuel mileage is not expected to be an issue in the race, drivers will more than likely not make a green flag pit stop in the race. Fans attending the race should know that the weather is also expected to cooperate.

Next: Top 10 NASCAR drivers of all-time

The Active Pest Control 200 will follow the conclusion of the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on FS1 tomorrow.

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