Stewart seldom qualifies well at Atlanta but has some strong runs despite that. The two-time Cup champion dominated the field in the fall race of 2006, leading for 146 of the 325 laps before he literally grabbed the checkered flag in celebration. He also nearly won again in March of 2007 but Johnson used the low groove to pass him for the win in the final two laps.

Others I'm expecting strong Atlanta runs from are Brian Vickers, Kevin Harvick and Kasey Kahne. My longshot is David Reutimann, who is coming on at the mile-and-a-half tracks and if he can stay clear of trouble he could post a top-10 result.   

Keys to success at Atlanta
While Atlanta affords drivers plenty of room to race, I can’t emphasize enough how important it will be to run the top of the track. The new cars on the Cup circuit are proving difficult to turn. In fact, many drivers have encountered decidedly less downforce and front-tire grip. Drivers will therefore need to stay high in hopes of maintaining enough speed coming through the corners. Spending too much time down low could be risky.

The pavement has gotten a little older and that's helped the racing, but the most important factor at this intermediate track is handling. The turns are banked at 24 degrees. How well a car grips the track through the corners is key.

Throughout the years of Cup racing at Atlanta tire wear has been a factor and it came to the forefront in March when Tony Stewart was among some drivers who complained the tires manufactured by Goodyear for Atlanta weren't favorable for driving conditions. This time around Goodyear will take another crack at it so keep tire wear on your radar when looking for the elements that most impact the racing.

At times, we'll see three-wide racing. And if you like speed, you'll like watching this race as Atlanta is the fastest track on the Cup circuit. With more room to race at Atlanta, there won't be as many caution flags as we often see at other intermediate tracks. That will put more pressure on the pit crews as there are going to be more green-flag pit stops. Disastrous pit stops must be avoided because if a driver experiences one, it likely will cost him dearly at Atlanta.

This speedway is very hard on engines since the drivers can race through the corners without considerably reducing the number of RPM's their cars turn. So engines are running closer to full out throughout this race than they do in other races and that makes crews chiefs more than a little anxious.

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