NASCAR Cup Series

Aric Almirola and the No. 43 Smithfield Ford team worked hard in the off-season on the Daytona 500 but their main focus was improving the intermediate track program. This weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway will be a big weekend for the team to see how they have improved the program from last season. The team gained momentum last weekend with a fourth-place finish in the Daytona 500, a career-best for Almirola and the first Top-Five finish for the No. 43 since Richard Petty drove the famed number. The team is sixth in points and ready to compete for a spot in the Playoffs.

The Woods are one of NASCAR’s cornerstone teams, having run their first NASCAR race back in 1953 and continuing today, where they’re the sport’s longest-participating team.

Go Fas Racing is pleased to announce that Cosmo Motors will be joining Matt DiBenedetto and the No.32 team as a primary sponsor for multiple races in the 2017 season. The Cosmo Motors shield will don the No.32 Ford Fusion at the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway and again at the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. Cosmo Motors will also be represented as an associate sponsor on the No.32 team throughout the 2017 season.

Richard Childress Racing's Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series history at Atlanta Motor Speedway ... In 140 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Richard Childress Racing has earned nine wins and three pole awards, including Kevin Harvick's emotional victory in the Cracker Barrel 500 on March 11, 2001.

CHRIS BUESCHER QUOTES: SPONSOR THIS WEEKEND: “We’re highlighting a long-standing partner at JTG Daugherty Racing with our new team this weekend,” Buescher said.

The good news for Martin Truex Jr. after a roller-coaster Daytona Speedweeks is that the next stop in the NASCAR Cup Series will be at one of his favorite tracks on the circuit.

Kurt Busch: Busch passed Kyle Larson on the final lap and won his first Daytona 500, finally snagging victory after three runner-up finishes

A.J. Allmendinger is riding an upward trajectory into the new season, hoping to dominate the road courses where he performs best and possibly grab a win at another track along the way. His third place finish in the Daytona 500 is proof of his relevance in 2017.

Reflecting Daytona: “Daytona 500 was a crazy race for sure,” Allmendinger said. “We all saw that. I got to experience it and thankfully had a solid finish (third-place). I just went out there and tried to make the right moves at the right time. The way the race played out on fuel strategy, I just tried to be smart and save as much fuel as possible those last 10 or 12 laps and get the best finish possible and it all worked out. We were very fortunate.”

KAHNE AT ATLANTA: Kasey Kahne will drive the No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The Enumclaw, Washington, native has captured three NASCAR Cup Series wins at the Hampton, Georgia, track. He earned his most recent Atlanta win in August 2014, which secured his spot in that season’s playoffs. In March 2006, Kahne completed the weekend sweep by winning the pole award and the 500-mile race in just his fifth start at the 1.54-mile speedway.