What happens in Vegas, can be repeated at Atlanta

Much like last week's event at Las Vegas, Atlanta Motor Speedway is a similar intermediate track. The 1.5-mile oval has more banking with 24 degrees in the turns as opposed to the 20 degrees at Las Vegas. The result is much higher speeds, and some different handling characteristics.

Still, the teams that ran well at Las Vegas likely will have similar success at Atlanta. We'll examine the recent trends and some historical data in order to give you a select list of drivers for this facility. The following is our weekly power ranking for the Kobalt Tools 500 (1:30 p.m. ET Sunday on FOX).

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Top Fantasy Racing Drivers for Atlanta

1. Jimmie Johnson
While Johnson hasn't come roaring out of the gates to start the season, we still have to give him due respect at his best race tracks. Atlanta more than qualifies as one of these top facilities for the No. 48 team. Johnson has a stellar qualifying record at the track recently and his finishing numbers are just as good. He's won two of the past four AMS races.

2. Jeff Gordon
The resurgent Gordon and his No. 24 team shouldn't be too far behind teammate Johnson this weekend. Gordon boasts three top-10s in the past four races at the intermediate oval, and his team is currently running well enough to get back to Victory Lane at AMS.

3. Matt Kenseth
The Killer Bees and Kenseth have started the season very well. The intermediate ovals have always been a favorite of Kenseth. He has three top-five finishes in his past four starts there and he even led 128 laps in the AMS race this past October. The No. 17 team will try to better that effort this weekend.

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Mike Bell picks the defending winner of the spring race at AMS to win again this weekend.

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4. Carl Edwards
Edwards has always loved Atlanta. Ever since his brilliant last-lap pass of Johnson for the win in 2005, you get the sense that Edwards really likes racing at AMS. Let's not forget that in the latest Atlanta race, Edwards led 98 laps and strolled into Victory Lane.

5. Kyle Busch
Busch had battled a lot of adversity at Atlanta until this event one year ago. He dominated the 2008 Kobalt Tools 500 by leading 173 laps on his way to his first Atlanta victory. Prior to this win, Busch had never visited the top 10 in seven career starts at AMS. Busch likely will keep his current Atlanta hot streak alive on Sunday.

6. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
The No. 88 team is in dire need of a great finish at Atlanta. Fortunately for Earnhardt, this is a good track to visit for the Hendrick Motorsports star. Earnhardt owns one career victory at AMS and has led in excess of 600 laps. He visits the top five in 42 percent of his starts at AMS, so Earnhardt has reason to be optimistic.

7. Kurt Busch
Busch is another driver on the rebound this season. After a woeful 2008 campaign, Busch has turned things around solidly to start this season. He and the No. 2 team head to Atlanta this weekend with some good career numbers on which to lean. Busch is a one-time winner at Atlanta and he's been a top-15 finisher in the past five races there.

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8. Clint Bowyer
Bowyer surely will be excited to head to Atlanta. The West Coast is not where Bowyer's favorite tracks are located, but Atlanta starts a good spot in the schedule for him and the No. 33 team. Bowyer typically qualifies well at AMS. He had two top-10 starting spots there last season. Bowyer also finishes well at AMS, with three top-10 finishes in his past four events.

9. Greg Biffle
Like most Roush Fenway drivers, Biffle offers the possibility of big returns this week at Atlanta. While his career numbers are up and down at this track, Biffle does own one pole at Atlanta. He also collected a pair of top-10 finishes in the two events run at the speedway in 2008. Considering how well Biffle has raced the past couple of weeks, we have high expectations for him.

10. Tony Stewart
Stewart has earned our respect after three races into the schedule. We had our doubts about his new team at Stewart-Haas Racing, but the No. 14 team has performed surprisingly well to start the 2009 season. Smoke boasts some impressive numbers at AMS. The two-time Atlanta winner has four top-five finishes in his past six races there, and has led in excess of 300 laps led during that span.

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