HAMPTON, Ga. -- At the end of last week's Daytona 500, it was all peaches and cream for William Byron as he hoisted the Harley J. Earl Trophy and entered the record books as a Daytona 500 champion. And after a short week to enjoy the fruits of the biggest victory of his career, there's more peaches on the line -- Georgia peaches, to be precise -- as he looks to continue the sweetest of starts to the season.
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to a drafting track for the second straight week, with a trip to the Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Ambetter Health 400. Byron enters this race having won two of the last four Atlanta races since one of the southeast's classic speedways was reconfigured in 2022, and he has the opportunity now to do something that hasn't been done in 15 years. With another Atlanta win, Byron would become the first driver to open the season with back-to-back wins since NASCAR Hall of Famer Matt Kenseth did so in 2009.
Pulling that off won't be easy, as Byron will have to prevail in yet another pack race that is sure to feature a number of his challengers from the Daytona 500: Namely his Hendrick Motorsports teammates in Alex Bowman, Kyle Larson, and Georgia's own Chase Elliott.
NASCAR at Atlanta pace laps
- Overall race preview, expert picks
- NASCAR Crash Course: William Byron's bumper brings out the best and worst of Daytona
- NASCAR Power Rankings: Daytona 500 victory gives William Byron season-opening lead
- How being himself has gotten Josh Williams the biggest opportunity of his NASCAR career
- NASCAR at Atlanta qualifying results, starting lineup: Michael McDowell wins his first career Cup Series pole
NASCAR at Atlanta info
- Date: Sunday, Feb. 25
- Location: Atlanta Motor Speedway -- Hampton, Ga.
- Time: 3 p.m. ET
- TV: Fox
- Stream: fubo (try for free)
Ambetter Health 400 starting lineup
- #34 - Michael McDowell
- #22 - Joey Logano
- #8 - Kyle Busch
- #38 - Todd Gilliland
- #5 - Kyle Larson
- #12 - Ryan Blaney
- #17 - Chris Buescher
- #2 - Austin Cindric
- #14 - Chase Briscoe
- #3 - Austin Dillon
- #24 - William Byron
- #19 - Martin Truex Jr.
- #11 - Denny Hamlin
- #4 - Josh Berry (R)
- #10 - Noah Gragson
- #21 - Harrison Burton
- #48 - Alex Bowman
- #23 - Bubba Wallace
- #45 - Tyler Reddick
- #41 - Ryan Preece
- #1 - Ross Chastain
- #20 - Christopher Bell
- #99 - Daniel Suarez
- #6 - Brad Keselowski
- #54 - Ty Gibbs
- #31 - Daniel Hemric
- #47 - Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- #9 - Chase Elliott
- #71 - Zane Smith (R)
- #16 - Josh Williams
- #51 - Justin Haley
- #7 - Corey LaJoie
- #15 - Kaz Grala (R)
- #42 - John Hunter Nemechek
- #77 - Carson Hocevar (R)
- #78 - B.J. McLeod
- #43 - Erik Jones
Which drivers have the inside track to winning at Atlanta, and which longshot has a chance to burst out of the pack and get to the front? Visit SportsLine now to see the 2024 NASCAR at Atlanta picks and best bets from auto racing hanicappers Phil Bobbitt and Steve Greco
