After the superspeedway shuffle of the Daytona 500, which felt like a throwback for fans, drivers, and veterans alike, NASCAR now turns the page to its first quad-oval intermediate stop of the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway, now known as EchoPark Speedway, for the Autotrader 400.
By leading just one lap, Tyler Reddick secured his first Daytona 500 victory, along with the race’s massive $31 million payout. A win delivers 55 points, and under the new format, where staying in the hunt matters most for a playoff berth, every point counts. Now, Bob Pockrass has flagged another incentive for teams eyeing Sunday’s race in Georgia.
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The Cup Series winner of the Autotrader 400 will take home $11,233,037, covering payouts across the field along with charter money, contingencies, and end-of-season funds. Last year’s winner, Christopher Bell, pocketed $11,055,250, which trails this year’s purse by about $177,787.
The Xfinity race winner at Atlanta will land $1,653,590, a nudge up from last year’s $1,651,939. In the Truck Series, the purse settles at $789,700, also ticking up from last year’s $782,900.
What lies ahead in Atlanta?
On paper, the race length places Atlanta in the intermediate category. But since the 2022 reconfiguration into a mini superspeedway with 28-degree banking, the track has become a drafting chess match.
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Christopher Bell won last year’s race, the first domino in a three-race run. Chase Elliott, however, owns the best average finish at 11.4. In 11 starts, Elliott has nine top-10s and seven top-five finishes. He has two wins at the track, matching teammate William Byron, though Byron has not put together results at the same rate.
That makes Bell and Elliott safe chips to push to the center. Ryan Blaney also brings steady form, with an 11.6 average finish and six top-10s in his last seven Atlanta starts. Carson Hocevar has punched above his weight as well, posting two top-10s in four starts, including a top five.
Many fans will also circle Kyle Busch, whose Daytona pole showed the No. 8 has the speed to throw elbows. His Atlanta résumé backs that up, with a 13.1 average finish across 32 starts and two wins at the track. When the cards fall right, Busch can still deal himself into the fight.
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