Logano Thrives, Larson Nosedives: Winners and Losers from Atlanta Motor Speedway
The opening race of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs is officially in the books.
As most playoff-eligible drivers anticipated, the superspeedway-like nature of Atlanta Motor Speedway made for some high-level chaos in Sunday's Quaker State 400, with the race's closing laps taking the post-season picture and turning it completely upside down.
For several years, the NASCAR Cup Series playoff-opener has found a way to chew up and spit out multiple playoff-eligible drivers, making their paths into the Round of 12 much more adverse than originally anticipated. This season was no different, and included were several big-name drivers.
Alas, like in every single race, there are winners and losers. So, let's take a closer look at which drivers were able to find their groove around the 1.54-mile superspeedway-like racetrack, and whose hopes of making the next round have taken a major nosedive.
WINNERS AND LOSERS FROM ATLANTA:
1. LOSER: Chase Briscoe - FINISH: 38th (DNF)
In a matter of seven days, Chase Briscoe and Stewart-Haas Racing have gone from the highest of highs (winning at Darlington Raceway) to the lowest of lows (a last-place finish in the playoff-opener at Atlanta).
As the race approached the end of the first stage, Briscoe was running comfortably around the top-10, when Kyle Larson suffered a hellacious impact into the Turn 2 wall. In the aftermath, Briscoe rushed onto the scene amidst a cloud of smoke and clobbered the front end of the No. 5, taking himself out of contention for a solid points day.
Now, Briscoe heads to the next two races at Watkins Glen and Bristol not necessarily in a must-win situation, but with a 21-point deficit to make up if he wants to advance through to the Round of 12.
2. WINNER: Joey Logano - FINISH: 1st
This one feels kind of obvious, no? After entering the NASCAR Cup Series post-season seeded in ninth place, Logano's victory in Sunday's Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway guarantees the Team Penske driver won't meet a similar fate to last season -- a first-round exit.
For the next two weeks, there will be no pressure on the shoulders of the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, allowing him to focus on collecting more Playoff Points, via stage and race wins.
3. LOSER: Martin Truex, Jr. - FINISH: 35th (DNF)
After finishing 35th at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, Martin Truex, Jr. is fleeing the state of Georgia begging for some kind of mercy from the racing gods, after his sixth consecutive finish worse than 24th.
In his final season of full-time NASCAR Cup Series competition, the Mayetta, New Jersey-native is facing the prospect of a first-round elimination, sitting 19 points below the cutline.
The one positive for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver is that the next two events at Watkins Glen and Bristol, are both expected to be events featuring higher tire degradation, which favors a veteran driver like Martin Truex, Jr.
4. WINNER: Daniel Suarez - FINISH: 2nd
Returning to the site of his playoff-clinching victory back in February, Daniel Suarez once again put up a nice effort at the 1.54-mile superspeedway-like racetrack, finishing runner-up to race-winner Joey Logano.
The positive result, plus an additional seven stage points, have launched the Trackhouse Racing driver into a pretty solid position, with a 22-point buffer over the cutline heading to Watkins Glen International, a track where the Monterrey, Mexico-native has found success at in the past.
“No, definitely not satisfied. I am happy with it, but not satisfied," Suarez said after the race. "[...] It was nice to run strong today, but when you are that close, and obviously we had a good shot, it’s never too fun.”
5. LOSER: Kyle Larson - FINISH: 37th (DNF)
Any semblance of a points buffer that Kyle Larson had entering the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs as the No. 1 seed, is pretty much non-existent, following Sunday's Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion will now have to tackle the next two events at Watkins Glen and Bristol with significantly less wiggle room, after taking a massive shunt to the outside wall at the end of the race's opening stage.
What started as a 35-point buffer heading into the post-season, has now been reduced to an uncomfortable 15-point margin, heading into one of two racetracks Larson identified as being "sketchy" in the Round of 16.
With a series-leading four wins this season and a second-place finish in regular-season points, it's difficult to imagine a scenario where Larson doesn't advance to the Round of 12 -- especially considering the 32-year-old has won at both the round's remaining tracks.
6. WINNER: Alex Bowman - FINISH: 5th
Whether or not you think he's a longshot, Alex Bowman proved in Sunday's Quaker State 400 that he's a legitimate contender to go deep in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, recording a top-five finish and scoring the second-most points of any driver -- behind only Ryan Blaney.
Bowman entered the post-season with an added distraction, as Media Day on Wednesday was filled with questions surrounding a rumor, which suggested the Tucson, Arizona native's time with Hendrick Motorsports may be coming to an end. Bowman denied those rumors.
Needless to say, the driver of the No. 48 wasn't distracted at Atlanta, one of the most mentally demanding tracks on the circuit, and because of that, he is headed to Watkins Glen with a 27-point buffer on the cutline.
7. LOSER: Denny Hamlin - FINISH: 24th
With a 24th-place finish, a wrecked race car, and a significant points buffer loss, Denny Hamlin was one of the most notable losers from Sunday's Quaker State 400. But, in a way, was the No. 11 team really a winner?
The last two superspeedway events (Daytona-2 and Talladega-1) have seen Hamlin record a total of two points. So, after the Joe Gibbs Racing driver had plug wire issues in qualifying, it was decided he would ride at the back, preserving his car for a late-race run.
That strategy worked... kind of. Hamlin did still crash on the final lap, but finished 24th, earning 13 points. Now, had Hamlin been in the lead pack and crashed the Chesterfield, Virginia native would have finished even worse, so maybe it was a net positive.
However, that puts the No. 11 Toyota Camry XSE team in a difficult position heading to relative unknowns of Watkins Glen and Bristol, with a buffer of only two points. That means, no mistakes can be made in the next two weeks, or Hamlin could be a surprise exit from the Round of 16.
