This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart
Location: Hampton, Ga.
Course: EchoPark Speedway
Format: 1.5-mile quad-oval
Laps: 260
NASCAR Quaker State 400 Race Preview
This week the NASCAR Cup Series heads back to EchoPark Speedway for the second visit to the track this season. Christopher Bell found himself in front there on the final lap in February when an overtime finish came to a premature end with a crash. The victory was his first of three so far this season. Last week at Pocono, Bell's Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Chase Briscoe joined the 2025 winner's list, holding off Denny Hamlin while managing fuel to the finish. With Briscoe's victory, just five playoff spots remain to be claimed with Atlanta hosting one of the final nine regular-season races that will finalize the playoff field. Bell, Hamlin, and Kyle Larson stand above the rest with three wins each, but William Byron retains the overall points lead despite his slight dip in form the past few weeks. The battle for the remaining playoff spots continues to heat up. Briscoe's win put Alex Bowman on the cutline with a 20-point margin back to Ryan Preece on the outside looking in. However, Atlanta's superspeedway-style race presents an opportunity for the order to be shaken up again with another first-time winner this season. Four of the last seven Atlanta races have been won by someone starting outside of the top 10 with three of the last four starting 18th or worse.
Key Stats at EchoPark Speedway
- Number of races: 122
- Winners from pole: 16
- Winners from top-5 starters: 64
- Winners from top-10 starters: 93
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 10
- Fastest race: 166.633 mph
Previous 10 Atlanta Winners
2025 spring - Christopher Bell
2024 fall - Joey Logano
2024 spring - Daniel Suarez
2023 fall - William Byron
2023 spring - Joey Logano
2022 fall - Chase Elliott
2022 spring - William Byron
2021 fall - Kurt Busch
2021 spring - Ryan Blaney
2020 - Kevin Harvick
Atlanta (recently renamed EchoPark Speedway) was reconfigured to promote pack-style racing before the 2022 season. The track now features the steepest banking of any 1.5-mile oval, and NASCAR runs a similar rules package as Daytona and Talladega, which has made the racing look a bit more like Daytona than a traditional 1.5-mile oval. However, the oval's shorter lap distance and narrower racing line makes it a little different than the other two larger superspeedways. While track position on this narrow track remains an advantage, qualifying is still less of a factor, though. Three of the last four Atlanta races have been won by drivers starting outside of the top 15, but two of the last six were still won from pole. Atlanta's tight confines do make handling important. Navigating thick packs of traffic and holding different lines through the turns separate the quick and the slow. Pit strategy can be used to make up ground, and the higher number of cautions give teams chances to make adjustments. Not being involved in those cautions is the first order of business, though.
RotoWire NASCAR DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the Quaker State 400 (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Ryan Blaney - $11,000
Joey Logano - $10,700
William Byron - $10,500
Austin Cindric - $10,200
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Chase Elliott - $9,800
Denny Hamlin - $9,500
Christopher Bell - $9,200
Brad Keselowski - $9,000
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Kyle Busch - $8,800
Tyler Reddick - $8,600
Ross Chastain - $8,500
Chris Buescher - $8,300
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Carson Hocevar - $7,900
Daniel Suarez - $7,700
Josh Berry - $7,200
Ryan Preece - $6,700
NASCAR DFS Picks for the Quaker State 400
Ryan Blaney - $11,000
Ross Chastain - $8,500
Carson Hocevar - $7,900
Daniel Suarez - $7,700
Josh Berry - $7,200
Ryan Preece - $6,700
Driver prices for the return race at Atlanta are markedly different than we saw in February. Favorite Ryan Blaney (DK $11,000, FD $) is significantly more expensive, but deals can still be found. However, on a superspeedway, there is no one like Blaney. The Team Penske driver is a threat each time the series visits one of these tracks. He hasn't finished lower than ninth at Atlanta since 2022, started on the front row in three of the last four visits, and led at least one lap in all visits since reconfiguration. Also performing well at Atlanta since the reconfiguration is Ross Chastain (DK $8,500, FD $). Prior to its reconfiguration, Chastain's best Atlanta finish was 14th. Since then, he has two runner-up finishes and four total top-10s at the track. Chastain led 25 laps in February on his way to an eighth-place finish despite starting 33rd, too. Carson Hocevar (DK $7,900, FD $) also turned heads with his effort in February. The Spire Motorsports driver started 26th but moved forward quickly to score points in both stages before being in the three-way battle for the win that Bell ultimately claimed. His runner-up finish that day was his first of two so far this season, and fantasy players should have even more confidence in him this week as we start visiting tracks for the second time this season.
Atlanta's reconfiguration has been a boost to Daniel Suarez (DK $7,700, FD $). The Trackhouse Racing driver landed five top-10 finishes at the track since with three of his last four being first- or second-place finishes. Suarez crashed out of February's race there, but this is a venue fantasy players can expect him to outperform our usual expectations of him. Josh Berry (DK $7,200, FD $) is also hoping to land results like that. He was close in February, too. The Team Penske package has been powerful at superspeedways and Berry enjoys that advantage through Wood Brothers Racing's partnership with the powerhouse. Evidence of that would be Berry's third-place start and 56 laps led in February's race. If he is able to make it to the finish here this week, the result is likely to be his best finish at the track. Similar can be said of Ryan Preece (DK $6,700, FD $). While RFK Racing hasn't shown the same strength as Penske at this track, Preece's best results have come since the track's reconfiguration. He finished 18th the last two times out and was 16th last spring. Preece should be expected to have the top-15 within reach this week.
NASCAR Best Bets for the Quaker State 400
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 2:30 PM ET Friday
Race Winner - Ryan Blaney +800, Carson Hocevar +2500
Top-Five Finish - Daniel Suarez +350
Top-10 Finish - Zane Smith +330
Driver Matchups - Noah Gragson +150 vs Chase Briscoe
The Team Penske Fords have been a fixture at the front on superspeedways this season, and Ryan Blaney has been one of the best. Despite having just one Atlanta victory, Blaney remains one of the best choices at this track. If he is able to make it to the finish at superspeedways without trouble, he is likely to be one of the cars fighting for the win. Since Atlanta became a superspeedway, Blaney has led every race and a total of 107 laps. He also hasn't finished outside of the top 10 at the track since the spring of 2022. A long-shot option to consider along with Blaney is Carson Hocevar. The Spire Motorsports driver stated his Cup Series arrival with his second-place finish in the February race here. He managed that great finish from the 26th starting spot, too. Spire Motorsports typically fields competitive cars for the draft, and Hocevar is a driver that can maximize that equipment.
There are some other nice choices to be had for top-five and top-10 finishes. Chief among those might be Daniel Suarez. This track has been a productive one for him since becoming a superspeedway. He has a win and four top-five finishes since reconfiguration ahead of the 2022 season along with one other sixth-place finish. If Suarez can avoid trouble Friday night, it would not be surprising to see him come away with a top-five finish. Consideration for a top-10 should definitely be Zane Smith. The former NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series champion qualified seventh and finished 11th at this track in February. At Talladega, he started on pole and finished 19th. He also finished sixth or better in three of four truck series Atlanta starts. Smith has landed two top-10 finishes so far this season and it is conceivable that Atlanta could produce number three.
The driver matchup between Noah Gragson and Chase Briscoe may also present good value. Briscoe is getting the favorite odds here because of his win last week and being in Joe Gibbs Racing equipment. What the odds don't consider is Toyota's competitiveness at superspeedways nor Noah Gragson's unrealized potential at Atlanta. Before Bell's victory in February, no Toyota had won at Atlanta since the reconfiguration. Taken even further, that trend stretches all the way back to Kyle Busch in 2013. Add to that the fact that Bell led just one lap in that victory and Fords dominated and you are starting the see the picture. Even more convincing is Gragon's unrealized potential, though. Were it not for crashes, Gragson might have several top finishes at this track. Six of Gragson's Atlanta starts have been hampered by contact and the one that wasn't turned up a 12th-place finish. With starts inside the top 15 in his last three Atlanta tries, wagerers should be able to see what potential finishes might be if he can avoid trouble.
