The Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart runs Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The green flag will drop at approximately 3:35 p.m. ET. Below, we analyze the 2021 Quaker State 400 odds and lines, with NASCAR picks and predictions based on the odds from BetMGM Sportsbook.
The NASCAR Cup Series returns to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the second time this season. Penske Racing driver Ryan Blaney picked up the victory March 21, in a race that featured just 11 lead changes.
Also see: Quaker State 400 odds, picks and prediction
2021 Quaker State 400: What you need to know
- Kyle Busch won Saturday’s Credit Karma Money 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in what is reportedly his final Xfinity Series start, as he gained a little prerace knowledge ahead of Sunday’s Cup run.
- Ford has five straight victories at the track. Penske Racing’s Joey Logano starts 10th Sunday and is the highest Ford in the starting grid, followed by Chase Briscoe in 11th and Matt DiBenedetto in 12th.
- Chip Ganassi Racing driver Kurt Busch and Stewart-Haas Racing driver Kevin Harvick are tied for most Cup wins in Atlanta among active drivers with three, and are two of just four drivers with multiple wins in the field.
- The past three winners started ninth or lower, and the winner started ninth or worse in seven of the past nine Cup races in Atlanta.
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Positional bets for 2021 Quaker State 400
Chase Elliott Top-3 Finish (+200)
Elliott is an absolute slam-dunk play for a finish of third or better on his home track. Yes, there is some added internal pressure, and he has not yet won in six career Cup starts in Atlanta, but ELLIOTT (+200) TOP 3 FINISH is a great value for a chance to double up. Even ELLIOTT (+110) TOP 5 FINISH is plus-money, and worth a spin.
Kurt Busch Top-5 Finish (+350)
The elder Busch brother has three-career victories at the venerable Georgia track, so a chance to more than triple up with a top-5 finish is a very attractive play.
Busch started 11th in the race in March, and ended up leading one lap while finishing fourth in the first stage. However, he was escorted into the wall at the start of Stage 2 by Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin, ending his day in disappointment at 39th. It won’t happen again.
Play KURT BUSCH TOP 5 FINISH (+350) for a chance to earn three and a half times your potential return, and even KURT BUSCH TOP 10 FINISH (-110) is a value play near even money.
Brad Keselowski Top-5 Finish (+170)
It seems like a lot of people are not talking about him, but Penske Racing driver Brad Keselowski is one of the four active drivers in the field with at least two checkered flags in his Cup career in Atlanta.
BRAD KESELOWSKI TOP 5 FINISH (+170) is a very strong value.
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2021 Quaker State 400 head-to-head/matchup plays
KEVIN HARVICK (-120) over Martin Truex Jr. (+100)
Harvick is tied with Kurt Busch with three Cup wins in Atlanta. MTJ has never won at the historic track while turning in just five runs in the Top 5 with 351 laps led and four DNFs in his 23 career Cup starts. Truex also has a rather marginal 15.96 Average-Finish Position (AFP).
RYAN BLANEY (+105) over William Byron (-125)
Penske’s Blaney is the defending champ, taking checkers back in late March in the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at AMS. While that’s all well and good, and a reason to back Blaney in and of itself, it’s Byron’s struggles at the track which drive this play.
Byron has made four career Cup starts here and finished inside the Top 10 on just one occasion. He has led just two laps while posting a very mediocre 19.00 AFP.
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