Atlanta Motor Speedway Folds of Honor 500 Preview

The Atlanta Motor Speedway Folds of Honor 500 is set to go off on Sunday, February 28, at 1 pm E.T. on FOX. Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Jeff Gordon will once again be in the booth giving you the play-by-play for the entirety of the race. The NASCAR Sprint Cup field of drivers will make 325 laps around the 1.54 mile quad oval. Jimmy Johnson won this event last March after starting from the 37th position.

The 2015 reigning and defending Sprint Cup Champion Kyle Busch drove his #18 M&M’s Toyota Camry to the Pole Position, but was sent to the back of the pack as his car failed to pass inspection. The #41 for Stewart-Haas Racing, driven by Kurt Busch, would have been lined up next to his little brother qualifying .013 seconds slower, but receives the pole due to his brother’s infractions. Two Stewart Haas drivers and two Joe Gibbs Racing competitors are in the top 10 starting positions.

Let’s take a look at some drivers in the top 10 and others deeper in the field that have a good shot at finishing well on Sunday and boost your fantasy chances:

Kyle Busch

In March, 2008 Kyle Busch became the youngest winner at Atlanta in the track’s history. He was just under 23 years of age. Fast forward eight years later and he once again proves he has the speed to contend. With a speed of 191.668 MPH, Busch would have started out front of the field, but will start in the 39th spot. He will be going for his third victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway, with his last win coming in the fall race of 2013. With the speed that Joe Gibbs Racing has shown here and a driver that has gotten the job done here twice before, watching Kyle Busch drive to the front from the rear of the field would not surprise me a bit.

Kurt Busch

Big brother Kurt Busch will be looking for his fourth win at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He raced to glory here in the fall of 2002, the spring in 2009, and again in March the following year. Busch showed speed in the practices and qualified second but will start from the pole as Kyle Busch was sent to the back. His 10th place finish in last week’s race has him placed as a B driver in most fantasy leagues, which should make him a shoe-in for one of the second tier slots.

Kevin Harvick

The Freaky Fast Jimmy John’s #4 will be starting in the sixth spot. Kevin Harvick has won here in 2001 and has six top fives and 10 top tens. One of NASCAR’s most consistent drivers over the last two or three years, Harvick has to be considered a favorite to reach victory lane. With his commendable finish at Daytona the previous week, he will be listed as an A driver in the top tier.

Carl Edwards

Carl Edwards qualified in the seventh spot for the Atlanta Motor Speedway 500. He has raced his car to victory here on three different occasions, the last in the fall of 2008. He will be slated as an A driver because of his admirable 5th place finish in a beat-up car at Daytona last week. Edwards was in the middle of the pack during the first practice but showed plenty of speed with his qualifying run. The #19 Toyota Camry should have plenty of teammates to play ball with and could be a nice plus money option for bettors at 9/1.

Joey Logano

The #22 Pennzoil Ford Fusion struggled in qualifying, but showed promise in the practices. Joey Logano led 84 laps here last spring and finished fourth. Teammate Brad Keselowski and Logano finished in the top five in the two races where the new down-force packages were implemented last year and should have a great chance to challenge the Gibb’s Racing juggernaut. Las Vegas has him as their second choice to end up in Victory Lane. Logano finished sixth last week and is a great A driver choice for Sunday.

Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr.

The other three Joe Gibbs Racing stand-outs qualified respectably and could move to the front of the pack on Sunday. Truex Jr. qualified in the ninth position, Hamlin in 12th and Kenseth in 13th. The #20 Dollar General of Matt Kenseth finished fifth here last year and the #78 Furniture Row Team of Truex Jr. was right behind in sixth. Hamlin obviously has all the momentum in the world from last week’s win in the Daytona 500 and finished third here in 2014. Truex Jr. and Hamlin are A drivers and Kenseth is a must pick as a B driver.

Jimmie Johnson

Jimmie Johnson will start in the 19th position after his qualifying efforts. That placement shouldn’t matter much to the six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion. Last year he started in the 37th position at Atlanta Motor Speedway and claimed victory. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets generally perform well here, but they seem to be a little behind the Toyotas and the Fords in figuring out the new down force packages at this track. Las Vegas still has Jimmie Johnson at 13/2, tied with Kyle Busch so as a B driver he should be seriously considered on fantasy tickets.

Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

These three racers need to be considered on fantasy tickets. Larson has shown a lot of speed in practice and some think his qualifying effort was no indicative of his cars strength. Keselowski has shown the ability to drive the new packages effectively, leading the most laps of the two races they used the set-ups last year. Earnhardt Jr. has been average at best but considering he is placed in as a C driver this week due to his wreck at Daytona, he is a shoe in for that slot on fantasy tickets.

The Huns Fantasy Line-up

A. Kyle Busch

B. Kurt Busch  Jimmy Johnson  Matt Kenseth

C. Dale Jr.