Fantasy Fastlane: Why Daniel Suárez should star in your Atlanta lineup

Coming off an adventurous opening weekend to begin the 2025 season, the Cup Series goes to yet another drafting-style track this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. In just three years of racing at the reconfigured 1.5-mile circuit, the track surface has aged immensely, making handling a critical factor. Multiple big-name drivers need a strong weekend to get out of the gutter after disappointing finishes in the Daytona 500. This is also a prime opportunity for a surprise winner to steal a playoff spot, like Daniel Suárez did in 2024.

New to Fastlane this year is my weekly NASCAR 36 for 36 pick, where you can come play along. It’s a season-long points battle introduced last year in which strategy is the primary emphasis. With 36 chartered cars and 36 races on the 2025 schedule, players can choose each car once for the duration of the season. 

RELATED: Sign up for Fantasy Live now! 

MUST START:

Daniel Suárez | View stats

Trackhouse Racing, No. 99 Chevrolet

Odds (DraftKings): 25-1

The reason why Suárez stole a playoff spot is because outside of Atlanta, the No. 99 team had little to gloat about in 2024. Half of Suárez’s top-five finishes last year came in the two Atlanta races with finishes of first and second. Suárez credits his Atlanta success due to the tight confines compared to other superspeedway tracks, labeling it akin to watching videos at 1.5 speed. He is one of two drivers to have top-10 finishes in five of the six races at the reconfigured Atlanta track.

MUST START:

Ryan Blaney | View stats

Team Penske, No. 12 Ford

Odds (DraftKings): 17-2

The other driver on that list is Blaney, who has yet to win at the reconfigured Atlanta track but enters the weekend with five consecutive top-10 finishes here. Team Penske is widely touted as the best organization in the garage at superspeedway racing, and that was on display again in the Daytona 500. The final 15 laps didn’t go as planned at Daytona, but Blaney won Stage 2 and was the best-finishing Ford in seventh.

MUST START:

Chase Elliott | View stats

Hendrick Motorsports, No. 9 Chevrolet

Odds (DraftKings): 10-1

As Suárez explained, Atlanta is vastly different from Daytona, but the No. 9 car appeared to be the best of the Hendrick camp in Daytona, despite William Byron leading the team to Victory Lane. Elliott, the hometown favorite, has three top-10 finishes in five Atlanta races on the reconfiguration (missed the spring 2023 race due to injury), including a triumph in 2022. Either Elliott or Byron could be used in this spot, but I’m saving Byron after using him in my Daytona lineup.

MUST START:

Austin Cindric | View stats

Team Penske, No. 2 Ford

Odds (DraftKings): 13-1

The upside with Cindric is huge this weekend. He won a stage in both Atlanta races in 2024 and has quickly risen to become one of the best superspeedway competitors in the field. Cindric was leading the Daytona 500 with a half-lap remaining. He also led a race-high 92 laps in last year’s playoff opener at Atlanta en route to a 10th-place finish. In the last five Atlanta races, Cindric has a worst finish of 12th.

SLEEPER PICK:

Todd Gilliland | View stats

Front Row Motorsports, No. 34 Ford

Odds (DraftKings): 35-1

The record book will show a 26th-place finish, but Gilliland put on a show in last spring’s Atlanta race, leading a race-high 58 laps. He often asserts himself in the mix on superspeedways, as does Front Row Motorsports. An alliance with Team Penske surely doesn’t hurt at these types of tracks. 

SLEEPER PICK:

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | View stats

Hyak Motorsports, No. 47 Chevrolet

Odds (DraftKings): 30-1

There is some risk to this pick, as Stenhouse can be feast or famine at superspeedways. He was in position to score another solid run -- if not contend for the victory -- until he attempted a bold block on Joey Logano in the closing laps at the Daytona 500. It ended in a multicar pileup, ending his chances at a second Harley J. Earl Trophy. The No. 47 team has a pair of top-10 finishes in the last three Atlanta races and hasn’t finished worse than 14th in that span.

SLEEPER PICK:

Corey LaJoie | View stats

Rick Ware Racing, No. 01 Ford

Odds (DraftKings): 55-1

For the second straight superspeedway race to start 2025, let’s list LaJoie as a sleeper. He led 19 laps in the Daytona 500 and was a contender until the final lap. Atlanta happens to be his best track on the circuit, with a pair of top fives in six starts on the reconfiguration. He also went out in a blaze of glory in 2022, wrecking while battling Elliott for the win on the final lap.

STAY AWAY FROM:

Kyle Larson | View stats

Hendrick Motorsports, No. 5 Chevrolet

Odds (DraftKings): 11-1

In a blunt remark at Daytona, Jeff Gordon, vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, said that lacking results on superspeedways has begun getting into Larson’s head. During the Daytona 500, Larson chimed in on the No. 5 team radio, saying every move he made in the draft was wrong. Gordon noticed. The unfortunate part for Larson is that Atlanta is by far his worst of the superspeedway races, with five DNFs in the six races.

STAY AWAY FROM:

Denny Hamlin | View stats

Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 11 Toyota

Odds (DraftKings): 12-1

In the waning laps of the Daytona 500, Hamlin showed glimpses of the elite superspeedway racer that he’s accustomed to being, making surgical moves on his opponents. It ended all for naught as he was involved in a wreck not of his own doing on the final lap while leading. Atlanta, though, is a different story, as he’s yet to figure out this reconfiguration. In six starts, he has a best finish of sixth and four results of 23rd or worse. 

STAY AWAY FROM:

Chase Briscoe | View stats

Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 19 Toyota

Odds (DraftKings): 25-1

With a fourth-place finish, Briscoe escaped Daytona with a solid weekend overall. He added his name to the history book, delivering Toyota its first Daytona 500 pole. Atlanta is a different animal that’s haunted Briscoe throughout his career. In six starts on the reconfiguration, he has a best effort of 15th, with the last four finishes all being 22nd or worse. In 2024, his results were abysmal at 31st and 38th.

FEATURED MATCHUP:

William Byron vs. Joey Logano

It might be surprising that neither Byron or Logano were listed as must-starts this weekend. You could throw either in there if you want, as both have proven repeatedly to be among the elite superspeedway drivers in the Cup Series. Both drivers also have two wins apiece at the new Atlanta through just six races, making them dangerous. They were in my 500 lineup, and I can’t afford to use them at two superspeedways off the bat with the rest of the regular season remaining. Give me Logano here, though, as Penske continues to formulate the best game plan at superspeedways.

FEATURED MATCHUP:

Daniel Suárez vs. Kyle Busch

The stats don’t lie: Atlanta is Suárez’s best track. Meanwhile, Busch has been a respectable superspeedway driver since joining Richard Childress Racing and believes he could easily win. Suárez has this knack about him at Atlanta, though, with five finishes of sixth or better in six events, so that’s where I’m leaning.

FEATURED MATCHUP:

Ryan Blaney vs. Christopher Bell

It’s abundantly clear how strong Blaney is on superspeedways. Bell flies below the radar but often has peeps of success. He has a pair of top-five finishes in the six Atlanta races and would have a third if he didn’t pass below the white line in the spring of 2022. Still, I’ll take my chances with Blaney.

FEATURED MATCHUP:

Chase Briscoe vs. Austin Cindric

These two drivers are on opposite ends of the spectrum at Atlanta. Briscoe has largely struggled to get a grip on the reconfiguration, while Cindric has ascended to be among the best. Repeatedly, the No. 2 car is at the front at drafting tracks with a shot to win. That won’t likely change this weekend. Stick with Cindric.

MY LINEUP: Daniel Suárez, Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, Austin Cindric, Brad Keselowski

GARAGE: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

36 for 36:

The hot hand will be picking Suarez this weekend, but it’s still a drafting-style track where luck has begun playing more of a factor with the wildness of superspeedways. Legacy Motor Club had a fantastic opening weekend at Daytona, with all three of its cars placing inside the top 12. I’m leaning towards John Hunter Nemechek for Atlanta, who’s coming off his best career finish of fifth in the "Great American Race." Nemechek won the summer Xfinity Series race here in 2023.