Denny Hamlin nearly did something at Pocono Raceway that nobody in the history of NASCAR had ever done, almost becoming the first driver to win consecutive races — while missing a start in between them. It was his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Chase Briscoe, who held him to a runner-up finish, but No. 11 clinched the No. 1 seed in the inaugural In-Season Challenge with his strong result. Was it enough to propel him to the top spot here, though?
NASCAR.com’s Pat DeCola ranks the top 20 Cup Series contenders after The Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway and before Saturday night’s race at EchoPark Speedway, formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway (7 p.m. ET, TNT Sports/truTV, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
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Analysis: Larson finished seventh at Pocono, maintaining second in the standings (over a surging Denny Hamlin) and collecting his 12th top-10 of the season. Though he‘s still searching for his first Atlanta win, Larson has been a factor there on both layouts. He‘s looked strong in Georgia lately before hazard typically strikes, as No. 5 has led multiple laps in three of the last four races.
Analysis: Byron finished 27th at Pocono after a tough late pit cycle but remains the points leader with about a one-race cushion over Larson. With two Atlanta wins since the reconfiguration, plus a third-place at Talladega this spring, the back-to-back Daytona 500 winner may be the top threat at EchoPark.
Analysis: Hamlin returned from a one-race absence to finish second at Pocono, leading 32 laps and winning Stage 1 as he remains arguably the driver to battle for the win for what seems like every week. He‘s consistently one of the sport‘s best drafters as well, and should be a good bet to advance from his No. 1 seed in the In-Season Challenge.
Analysis: Elliott landed fifth at Pocono to continue his stellar run of above-average finishes (this one being well above average), notching his ninth top-10 of the year. The 2022 Atlanta winner and Georgia native would love to add another at his home track, especially since he‘s only visited Victory Lane in general three times since.
Analysis: Bell finished 17th at Pocono after a mid-race spin but sank to fourth in points. He won at Atlanta in February to spark his incredible three-race streak of wins, so perhaps a new string of victories begins anew for him this weekend.
Analysis: Blaney finished third at Pocono after starting from the rear of the field, showing his trademark long-run speed as he reeled in cars lap after lap. The 2021 Atlanta winner is always a top contender in the pack as well, and No. 12 should be strong on Saturday.
Analysis: Reddick cratered at Pocono, finishing 32nd to cap a nightmare day for 23XI Racing and drop him to seventh in the standings. And while he‘s yet to win at Atlanta, he is a more than capable superspeedway-style racer, winning at Talladega last year.
Analysis: Briscoe scored his first win with Joe Gibbs Racing at Pocono, leading 72 laps in a career-defining drive for yet another big moment for the Hoosier. He‘s still searching for his first win on a drafting-style track, but there‘s no reason whatsoever to think he can‘t make it two in a row.
Analysis: Buescher scored a P4 at Pocono, continuing his steady ascent toward looking like a deep playoff contender. He‘s generally a good superspeedway racer, but Buescher surprisingly owns four finishes of 30th or worse at Atlanta since the reconfiguration.
Analysis: Chastain finished 26th at Pocono after early damage, but he‘ll likely rebound pretty well over the next handful of weeks. It might even be this weekend, as No. 1 was No. 2 in both Atlanta races in 2022, notching a pair of runner-ups.
Analysis: The defending champ placed just outside the top 15 at Pocono in 16th, despite leading a handful of laps during pit cycles. The former EchoPark Speedway resident (literally) always seems to bring it just a degree more when the series races there, and the former winner feels ripe to make some noise again as soon as this weekend.
Analysis: A brake failure completely derailed Wallace‘s otherwise potentially promising run at Pocono, now putting into question his postseason outlook. Still plenty of time to completely turn the ship around, though, and the drafting expert should be back in the mix on Saturday.
Analysis: Them RFK boys are coming, and Preece is starting to look more like a driver we expect to make the playoffs rather than one we‘d be surprised to see in them. It hasn‘t materialized in a win yet, but Preece has shown plenty of prowess on drafting tracks and it would not be a surprise to see him pull one out at EchoPark.
Analysis: No need for alarm bells just yet, but after briefly turning things around at Mexico City, Bowman was once again a finisher outside the top 10 for the fifth time in the past seven races. No. 48 did notch a top-five finish in this race last year, however, so another bounce-back could be in store.
Analysis: Cindric snuck in a quiet 10th-place run at Pocono, giving him the first such finish he‘s had since winning at Talladega in April. He‘s yet to win at Atlanta but has led double-digit laps there in each of the past four races, if you‘re looking for a sleeper to win.
Analysis: Berry looked at one point like he‘d contend for the Pocono win but faded to finish 12th. The No. 21 Wood Bros. driver has had a rough go at Atlanta in the results department — but don‘t forget he was out front for 56 laps there this spring before finishing 25th.
Analysis: Jones just did what he does at Pocono — looked competitive enough to win — and only scored one fewer point than his sixth-place teammate, despite sinking to a 13th-place result. He had a decent handle on EchoPark in the first few races since the reconfig and should have a shot to keep things rolling with the speed he‘s been showing.
Analysis: The veteran Allmendinger continues to put clean races together that result in finishes hovering around the top 20, which is enough to keep him afloat in the points conversation. A road course still remains his most likely path to playoff status, but don‘t count out Atlanta, either — he was P3 in this race in 2023.
Analysis: Busch recovered nicely for a 20th-place run after a mid-race spin looked like it may end his day, but still … there‘s plenty of room for improvement here. This is the weekend it could all come together, though — “Rowdy” has been excellent at Atlanta both at JGR and RCR, and on both the old and new layouts.
Analysis: SVG finished 31st at Pocono after a spin and multi-car incident, washing away all the pomp and circumstance from a crucial Mexico City win. He‘s still adapting to NASCAR‘s drafting tracks, too, and is seeking his first top 20 finish in Atlanta, but his raw talent and lack of pressure to make the playoffs do make him a threat this weekend.