Snapshot: Atlanta

Posted on February 28, 2015 by

Get caught up before Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 (1 p.m. ET, FOX)

What: 56th annual Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 .
Where: Atlanta Motor Speedway, 1.54-mile oval in Hampton, Georgia. 
When: Sunday, March 1 p.m. ET. 
TV/Radio: FOX, PRN. 
Distance: 325 laps; 500.5 miles .
Pit road speed: 45 mph .
Caution car speed: 55 mph.
 Fuel window: 50-55 laps.

On the front row | Starting lineup
 1. Joey Logano, Team Penske No. 22 Ford.
 2. Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 Chevrolet.

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

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• Standings
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Fastest in practice 
First practice: Kyle Larson, Chip Ganassi Racing No. 42 Chevrolet (192.989 mph). | Full results 
Final practice: Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 Chevrolet (191.054 mph). | Full results

To the rear: Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 Chevrolet (engine change); Michael Annett, Circle Sport Racing No. 33 Chevrolet (driver change)

Driver rating (Best driver rating average at Atlanta based on the past nine years, minimum 5 starts): 
Jeff Gordon, 106.0 
Jimmie Johnson, 104.9

Last year’s winner: 
Kasey Kahne, Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 Chevrolet.

Strange things: Between Travis Kvapil’s stolen — and then found — No. 44 Sprint Cup Series ride, Denny Hamlin’s motorcoach backed into by a runaway ~~llama~~ SUV, Rodney Childers’ tow vehicle being the victim of a hit-and-run and who knows what else, Atlanta has gotten off to a strange start. Considering this is the race that saw a cat and/or squirrel run in front of Kevin Harvick on the track, there’s no telling what could happen in Sunday’s event. 

On a roll to the pole: Joey Logano, your Daytona 500 winner, backed up his first victory in the Great American Race by coming out strong in qualifying at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The Team Penske driver earned the Coors Light Pole Award for both the Sprint Cup Series and XFINITY Series races. AMS has given Logano headaches in the past, but it appears he finally has a handle on the 1.54-mile speedway.

Qualifying … or not: Plenty of big name drivers will be working their way up through the field after they failed to make it through technical inspection ahead of Coors Light Pole Award qualifying. With Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart — not to mention Kevin Harvick, who will start from the rear for an engine change — we’ll see some fast, intense racing from the get-go as drivers fight their way through the field.

They said it I: "This is a very rare occasion. This is the first one I have ever had. The engine shop does a great job. I am just glad that it happened today. Our Jimmy John’s/Budweiser team is doing a great job and the car is handling good. If we were going to have something happen, this is a good place to have it happen because you can pass. … It will just make for a better show." — Kevin Harvick on his blown engine  

They said it II: "Hopefully, we’ll finish where we start. It’s been an amazing few weeks if you think about the Daytona 500 and everything that comes along with that, and then coming down here to Atlanta and starting first is special, especially for me here at this race track. I remember sitting in the corner and watching drivers up here talking about their qualifying run and racing Legends cars out front here for years, so there are a lot of memories here. You guys see the picture over there (in the Media Center) when you walk in with David (Ragan) and Reed (Sorenson) when we were young and racing here. Obviously, anything to be in Victory Lane here; it’s a very special place for me. I don’t know what’s going on lately. Everything is going well and we’re just trying to keep the old train rolling here. It’s going great and we’ll see what happens on Sunday."— Joey Logano

  They said it III: "I don’t think she is interested in being a celebrity. I think that she enjoyed the moments of celebrity that she has gotten. Who doesn’t like some attention? I think that for her it’s more of kids telling her at school. Being seven and eight years old that well you are not going to be on TV anymore after this year. I think that sort of took her back. But it’s been a good life lesson trying to teach her how to handle those types of situations." — Jeff Gordon on daughter Ella Sofia, who received a Bandolero car from AMS to share with her brother Leo

Former Atlanta winners in the field: Jeff Gordon (5); Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Tony Stewart (3); Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick (1).

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Posted on February 28, 2015 by

XFINITY Series regular gives up seat in No. 33 Sprint Cup car

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HAMPTON, Ga.—It’s nice to have friends in the garage. Just ask Michael Annett.

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One of 13 drivers whose cars failed to get through NASCAR technical inspection before Friday’s qualifying session, Annett would have been heading home from Atlanta had it not been for his good friend Brian Scott and Mike Hillman Sr., team manager of the No. 33 Chevrolet owned by Joe Falk.

Scott had qualified 32nd for Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 but agreed to give up his seat in favor of Annett, whose regular crew chief, Jay Guy, will call the race. NASCAR approved the driver change.

"It’s a big deal," Annett said before Saturday’s first practice. "I can’t thank Mike Hillman and Brian Scott enough. We’d rather be in the (No.) 46 HScott Motorsport car, but we’re running full-time and we need as many driver’s points as we can get.

"Unfortunately, we won’t get any owner’s points for this, but being with a new crew chief, with Jay Guy, it’s another hour-and-half of practice and another 500 miles (on Sunday) to work together.

"So looking back, we could have either gone home and watched this race or be able to work together so when we go to Las Vegas we’re even stronger. I can’t thank these guys enough for giving us this opportunity."

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