Although the Daytona 500 is the Super Bowl of NASCAR, most serious fans anticipated last Sunday’s 500 mile event at Atlanta Motor Speedway just as much as they did previously at Daytona. Last week we got our first glimpse of the new rules changes for 2015 that have been talked about throughout the off-season. Leading up to the start of the season, everyone had questions about the new rules packages. Some wondered how the racing competition would be impacted with reduced horsepower? Others wondered which teams would adapt more quickly to the new changes and which drivers would benefit the most? While others simply wondered if there would be any noticeable change? So far it appears that latter group has won the debate. Though there may be more noticeable changes in the weeks ahead, here are 5 things we learned from Atlanta.
What Change?
For all of the hype surrounding the rules changes in 2015, there certainly has not been much change thus far. Speeds at Atlanta were even faster than they were last year and the racing has remained excellent. For those that were scared that the reduction in horsepower was going to hurt speeds, Joey Logano’s pole lap of 194.683mph fell just shy of a near 20 year old Atlanta Motor Speedway track record that was set by Bobby Labonte the last time the speedway was repaved back in 1997. Therefore it does not appear that a “lack” of speed will be a factor in 2015.
Hendrick Motorsports on Top Again
It is the least bit surprising that Hendrick Motorsports is off to another great start. Hendrick Motorsports is typically ahead of the curve with any rules changes. However the team’s performance at Atlanta Motor Speedway was still impressive. Jimmie Johnson put the #48 car in victory lane after a somewhat disappointing 2014 campaign and Dale Earnhardt Jr picked up a 3rd place finish to keep his momentum from 2014 alive. Meanwhile the cars of Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne were both very strong in terms of speed despite getting caught up in bad luck that resulted in poor finishes. Still, all 4 cars had plenty of speed and that is scary for the competition. Sure it is early, but Hendrick Motorsports really looks strong.
Martin Truex Jr – Fast!
For the 2nd week in a row, the boys at Furniture Row Racing unloaded a fast #78 Chevrolet. Truex Jr backed up a strong Daytona Speedweeks with a respectable 6th place finish which helped us cash our only prop bet for the weekend that had Truex Jr at +280 to finish in the top 10. Still it is hard to ignore the early success of the #78 team as they appear to be one of the most improved teams from last season through the first two races of the year. Keep Truex Jr on your radar this week for potential value in H2H matchups and perhaps another prop bet if the odds are worthy this week at Las Vegas!
Harvick is still the guy to beat!
Joey Logano may be making a push for the 1st quarter MVP. However, Harvick has posted two straight runner-up finishes and remains the man to beat from a Championship perspective. Of course it is way too early to talk about the Sprint Cup Championship especially considering how things can get turned upside down with the relatively new Chase format. However, Kevin Harvick’s #4 Chevrolet was the fastest car on a near weekly basis in 2014 and it does not appear that the team has lost any of their speed from a year ago. Harvick has been often over valued from an odds perspective and his two straight 2nd place finishes will not help his odds going forward especially with Phoenix looming around the corner.
Safer Barrier should be everywhere!
Enough is enough. At Daytona International Speedway, Kyle Busch hit an inside retaining wall that was not protected by NASCAR’s safer barrier technology. The result was a compound fracture and broken foot for Busch who will miss a few months of action. Last Sunday, Jeff Gordon hit an inside retaining wall at Atlanta Motor Speedway. While Gordon was not seriously hurt, it raised the same question everyone was asking following Busch’s accident. Why are there any walls without safer barriers? NASCAR has done a great job of making the sport safe for drivers and fans over the last decade. Considering all the strides in safety equipment over the last decade, it is rather surprising we have walls that are unprotected by safer barriers in 2015.
