NASCAR at Atlanta 2017: Start Time, Ticket Info, Lineup, TV Schedule and More
After a somewhat messy start at the Daytona 500, Monster Energy NASCAR Cup leader Kurt Busch headlines the pack into Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday for the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500.
The showdown at AMS is always one of the more interesting races of the year. Drivers and full teams have one official start under their belts and can adjust before another lengthy affair.
This year is different, though, with NASCAR's sweeping changes, highlighted by the stage racing sure to reshape the championship picture. That and notable on-track adjustments produced some chaos at the Daytona 500, where notables such as Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth finished outside the top 30.
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Lessons learned and a new event right around the corner, let's take a look at the important information to know surrounding the season's second offering.
Viewing Details
Where: Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, Georgia
When: Sunday, 2:30 p.m. ET
Watch: Fox
Live Stream: Fox Sports Go
Tickets: ScoreBig.com
Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 Lineup
| Position | Driver |
| 1 | Kevin Harvick |
| 2 | Ryan Newman |
| 3 | Kyle Busch |
| 4 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
| 5 | Brad Keselowski |
| 6 | Joey Logano |
| 7 | Jamie McMurray |
| 8 | Kyle Larson |
| 9 | Martin Truex Jr. |
| 10 | Denny Hamlin |
| 11 | Chase Elliott |
| 12 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
| 13 | Kurt Busch |
| 14 | Ryan Blaney |
| 15 | Trevor Bayne |
| 16 | Matt Kenseth |
| 17 | Paul Menard |
| 18 | Jimmie Johnson |
| 19 | Austin Dillon |
| 20 | AJ Allmendinger |
| 21 | Daniel Suarez |
| 22 | Matt DiBenedetto |
| 23 | Erik Jones |
| 24 | Danica Patrick |
| 25 | Clint Bowyer |
| 26 | Ty Dillon |
| 27 | Landon Cassill |
| 28 | Chris Buescher |
| 29 | Kasey Kahne |
| 30 | Aric Almirola |
| 31 | Gray Gaulding |
| 32 | Corey LaJoie |
| 33 | Reed Sorenson |
| 34 | David Ragan |
| 35 | Jeffrey Earnhardt |
| 36 | Michael McDowell |
| 37 | Cole Whitt |
| 38 | Derrike Cope |
| 39 | Cody Ware |
2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Standings
| 1 | Kurt Busch | 56 | 1 |
| 2 | Ryan Blaney | 44 | 0 |
| 3 | Joey Logano | 43 | 0 |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick | 42 | 0 |
| 5 | AJ Allmendinger | 39 | 0 |
| 6 | Aric Almirola | 37 | 0 |
| 7 | Kyle Larson | 36 | 0 |
| 8 | Chase Elliott | 33 | 0 |
| 9 | Denny Hamlin | 33 | 0 |
| 10 | Paul Menard | 32 | 0 |
| 11 | Trevor Bayne | 32 | 0 |
| 12 | Brad Keselowski | 31 | 0 |
| 13 | Kasey Kahne | 30 | 0 |
| 14 | Michael Waltrip | 29 | 0 |
| 15 | Matt DiBenedetto | 28 | 0 |
| 16 | Austin Dillon | 25 | 0 |
Drivers to Watch
Jimmie Johnson
Johnson's name came up above because he fell quite a bit short at Daytona, with his first stop on the journey to an eighth title coming up lame.
For Johnson, there might not be a better place to turn it around than Atlanta.
After all, Johnson has won this race twice in a row and looked fine before a 16-car wreck last week, even leading seven laps before his day ended with 72 laps remaining.
Hence his theme of confidence remaining, as captured by NASCAR on NBC:
Johnson led 52 laps in Atlanta last year before taking the checkered flag, bouncing back from 16th at Daytona. He led another 92 in 2015 after a top-five performance in the prior race, showcasing an ability to get the feel for things back in a hurry at one of his favorite locales.
Given the trend and the fact only a wreck prevented Johnson from competing for another top-five finish at one of the sport's biggest events, it's hard to classify anyone else as the favorite going into Sunday.
While there is nothing wrong with new blood standing up and helping along NASCAR's pursuit of a bigger audience, Johnson gunning for No. 8 is also a great storyline.
Kurt Busch
Kurt Busch led one lap at Daytona.
The only one that mattered.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, he made history for the feat. It was a much-needed win for a variety of reasons, with the legacy department quite a sticking point.
Perhaps more importantly, though, Busch proved he could power through the new race format as well as anyone.
He described the chaos of the race in the aftermath, as reported by the Sacramento Bee's Jenna Fryer:
"The more that becomes unpredictable about Daytona, the more it becomes predictable to predict unpredictability. This car's completely thrashed. There's not a straight panel on it. The strategy today, who knew what to pit when, what segments were what. Everybody's wrecking as soon as we're done with the second segment.
"
This is a big point of emphasis for Busch going into the weekend. The usual momentum after a win is a big part of his trip to AMS, but on top of that is his weaving through the new stage format for an early checkered flag.
Building on the performance could lead to two in a row, provided a smidgen of luck once again helps him navigate any big wrecks while the rest of the series tries to figure it out.
Kevin Harvick
History has Kevin Harvick popping up as an early headline topic this weekend, and for good reason—Harvick won his first Atlanta race back in 2001 under career-defining circumstances, as explained by NBC Sports' Daniel McFadin.
"Making his third start in the No. 29 car for Richard Childress Racing, Harvick was the driver who replaced Dale Earnhardt after his death in a crash on the last lap of the Daytona 500 the previous month," McFadin wrote.
The issue here? Harvick hasn't won the race since.
AMS is one of Harvick's worst tracks over the course of his career, which is bad news going into Sunday provided he too has to deal with the new factors surrounding the sport.
Last week, Harvick came up lame after leading 50 laps, finishing 22nd. A week later, the same task at a familiar foe awaits. Claiming the pole was a great way to start. Busch had his get-over-the-hump moment, so it'd be a great start to the year for fans and the sport if Harvick could so the same.
Stats and info courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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