The NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series head to Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend for the second time this season while the Camping World Truck Series travels to Knoxville Raceway for the series debut at the half-mile dirt oval.
Six active Cup Series drivers have won previously at the 1.5-mile track. Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch lead the series with three wins each. Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch have two previous wins. Ryan Blaney, the most recent winner, and Denny Hamlin have each been to victory lane once.
Only three active Xfinity Series drivers have won at Atlanta. Kyle Busch has two victories while Justin Allgaier and AJ Allmendinger have one win each. Busch (13) and Jeremy Clements (12) have the most starts among the active drivers in the Series.
The Truck Series lineup at Knoxville Raceway will be set by four qualifying heat races prior to the main event. A random draw (in order of current owner points) will be used to determine the heat race and starting position for each driver. Only green-flag laps will count with no overtime rule.
Drivers will earn points for their finish in the qualifying race and can also gain passing points (the difference between their starting position and finishing position). The points will determine their starting position for the feature event.
The starting lineups for the Cup and Xfinity Series were determined by the following metrics formula:
• 25 percent: Driver’s finishing position from the previous race
• 25 percent: Car owner’s finishing position from the previous race
• 35 percent: Team owner points ranking
• 15 percent: Fastest lap from the previous race
All times are Eastern.
Thursday, July 8
7:05 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice at Knoxville – FS1
Friday, July 9
7 p.m.: Truck Series at Knoxville Qualifying Race 1 (15 Laps) FS1/MRN
7:15 p.m.: Truck Series at Knoxville Qualifying Race 2 (15 Laps) FS1/MRN
7:30 p.m.: Truck Series at Knoxville Qualifying Race 3 (15 Laps) FS1/MRN
7:45 p.m.: Truck Series at Knoxville Qualifying Race 4 (15 Laps) FS1/MRN
9 p.m.: Truck Series Corn Belt 150 presented by Premier Chevy Dealers at Knoxville (Stages 40/90/150 laps = 75 miles) FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Saturday, July 10
3:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series Credit Karma Money 250 at Atlanta
Stages 40/80/163 laps = 251.02 miles
NBCSN/PRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN)
Pole: Kyle Busch
Sunday, July 11
3:30 p.m.: Cup Series Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart at Atlanta
Stages 80/160/260 laps = 400.4 miles
NBCSN/PRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN)
Pole: Chase Elliott
Atlanta Motor Speedway Data:
Season Race #: 21 of 36 (07-11-21)
Track Size: 1.54-miles
Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 24 degrees
Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 24 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 5 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 5 degrees
Frontstretch Length: 2,332 feet
Backstretch Length: 1,800 feet
Race Length: 260 laps / 400.4 miles
Stage 1 & 2: 80 Laps (each)
Final Stage: 100 Laps
Atlanta Qualifying and Race Data:
Track qualifying record: Geoffrey Bodine, Ford (197.478 mph, 28.074 secs.) on 11-15-97
2020 pole winner: None – Starting Lineup set by Metric Qualifying; Chase Elliott started in first.
- Kevin Harvick leads all active drivers in NCS starts with 31 starts, followed by Kurt Busch with 30 and Ryan Newman with 29.
- Ryan Newman leads all active drivers in the NCS in average starting position of 8.138 in 29 starts followed by Kyle Larson at 8.286 in 12 starts.
- Nine of the Atlanta NCS pole winners are active this weekend. Ryan Newman (7), Kevin Harvick (2), Aric Almirola (1), Denny Hamlin (1), Joey Logano (1), Kurt Busch (1), Kyle Busch (1), Martin Truex Jr. (1), and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (1)
- Buddy Baker and Ryan Newman are tied for the ZNCS most poles at Atlanta with seven each and Newman holds the record for most consecutive poles with six (spring of 2003 through 2005).
Track race record: Bobby Labonte, Pontiac (159.904 mph, 03:07:48) on 11-16-97.
2020 race winner: Kevin Harvick, Ford (142.966 mph, 03:30:03) on 06-07-20.
- Six former Atlanta winners are active this weekend. Kevin Harvick (3), Kurt Busch (3), Brad Keselowski (2), Kyle Busch (2), Denny Hamlin (1), and Ryan Blaney (1).
- Kevin Harvick (2001, 2018, 2020) and Kurt Busch (2002, 2009, 2010) lead all active series winners at Atlanta with three each.
- The youngest NCS Atlanta winner is Kyle Busch (03/09/2008 – 22 years, 10 months, 7 days).
- The most proficient starting position in the field at Atlanta is the fifth starting position with 16 wins, more than any other starting position.
- The deepest in the field that an active race winner has started at Atlanta is 37th, by Jimmie Johnson in 2015.
- Hendrick Motorsports has the most wins at Atlanta in the NCS with 14.
- Nine different manufacturers have won in the NCS at Atlanta. Chevrolet leads with 40, followed by Ford (34), Pontiac (11), Dodge (nine), Mercury (eight), Buick (four), Plymouth (four), Toyota (three) and Oldsmobile (one).
- Kevin Harvick leads all active NCS drivers in laps led at Atlanta with 1,197 in 31 starts.
Top 12 Driver Ratings at Atlanta
Kevin Harvick……………………… 101.4
Kyle Larson………………………….. 98.0
Martin Truex Jr……………………… 96.7
Denny Hamlin……………………….. 95.6
Kurt Busch…………………………… 95.4
Kyle Busch…………………………… 94.6
Brad Keselowski……………………. 94.4
Ryan Blaney…………………………. 91.0
Chase Elliott…………………………. 89.9
Joey Logano………………………… 83.3
Ryan Newman………………………. 78.0
Ricky Stenhouse Jr………………… 77.5
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2021 races (23 total) among active drivers at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
