NASCAR: 3 longshot picks for the Quaker State 400 at Atlanta

Atlanta Motor Speedway is scheduled to host its second race of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season, the Quaker State 400 Presented by Walmart, this Sunday night.

The second half of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season is officially scheduled to get underway this Sunday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway with the Quaker State 400 Presented by Walmart. Team Penske’s Joey Logano won the race at the track back in March.

Sunday’s race, which is an evening race this year due to how hot it can get in Hampton, Georgia in July, is scheduled to be a 260-lap race around the four-turn, 1.54-mile (2.478-kilometer) recently repaved and reconfigured oval.

Since last year, Atlanta Motor Speedway has raced more like a superspeedway than a typical 1.5-mile oval, and as a result, it has become somewhat of an equalizer and produced the “wild card” type races we are accustomed to seeing at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.

DraftKings Sportsbook, which is now offering fans an instant $150 for betting $5, does not list anybody with shorter odds than +1000, which is pretty normal for superspeedway races. The door is wide open for an upset winner. Here are three longshot picks for Sunday’s race.

NASCAR at Atlanta: Quaker State 400 longshot picks – Corey LaJoie

Corey LaJoie’s two career Cup Series top five finishes have come at Atlanta Motor Speedway since the track was repaved ahead of the 2022 season. His only result outside of the top five at the newly repaved track came last July, when he was running in second place on the final lap and wrecked after slight contact with race leader and eventual winner Chase Elliott.

A win would do wonders for LaJoie’s career, so keep an eye on the driver of the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet at what has been by far his best track.

NASCAR at Atlanta: Quaker State 400 longshot picks – Erik Jones

Erik Jones had a rough first half of the 2023 season, largely because of the fact that Legacy Motor Club have struggled as a whole. Yet at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where he scored a fourth place finish last July, he recorded one of his better finishes of the year back in March when he placed eighth.

Jones always seems to run at the front of the pack in superspeedway races, and he has a golden opportunity to salvage a lost season with a potential fourth career victory this Sunday.

NASCAR at Atlanta: Quaker State 400 longshot picks – Justin Haley

Justin Haley came oh-so-close to securing yet another upset victory on Independence Day weekend in the inaugural race at the Chicago Street Course this past Sunday.

You have to believe he is hungrier than ever for his first win since 2019 following a runner-up finish to a driver who had never driven a NASCAR Cup car before last week, and a superspeedway is an ideal location for him to win again.

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The Quaker State 400 Presented by Walmart is set to be broadcast live on USA Network from Atlanta Motor Speedway beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 9. Begin a free trial of FuboTV today and be sure not to miss it!