For the very first time, the Round of 16 will feature a drafting track and a road course, just as Round of 12. It is likely to factor into this being the most unpredictable playoffs yet, and the drivers are weary of what lies ahead.
In the spring, a whopping 16 cars were involved in a crash at the end of the first lap at Atlanta Motor Speedway, which opens the 2024 playoffs, By the end of the race, 75% of the field had been in a wreck. This weekend’s race will take place in the heat of the day, adding to the difficulty as the entire field races close together.
Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing, MoneyLion Toyota Camry, Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing, BREZTRI Chevrolet Camaro and Noah Gragson, Stewart-Haas Racing, Black Rifle Coffee / Ranger Boats Ford Mustang and Harrison Burton, Wood Brothers Racing, Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang turn 1 wreck
Photo by: Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Images
“The first round definitely needs to be respected because it’s not a cakewalk by any means,” said Chase Elliott, who won the title in 2020. “That is what you get when you have these short rounds and every year, we put another speedway in there and you are going to get craziness. You keep fabricating this stuff and that is what you are going to get.”
His Hendrick Motorsports teammate and fellow Cup champion Kyle Larson wasn’t too thrilled at seeing Atlanta as the first race of the first round. Beyond the chaotic nature of it, Larson is a driver with a dismal record at drafting tracks. He has crashed out in four of the last five Atlanta races, but sits atop the points heap after the reset, so he does have a cushion.
“Yeah, I don’t love seeing Atlanta in the playoffs at all,” admitted Larson, but he “would rather them be in the first round than the second or third round. So yeah, I mean I think having the bonus points and playoff points that we’ve earned throughout the regular season is nice. But it still doesn’t guarantee anything. You still have to not run into any trouble, especially in back-to-back weeks, and hopefully you can just make it through.”
Atlanta isn’t the only wildcard
Larson is also weary of the track that follows Atlanta — Watkins Glen International. Displaced by the Olympic break, it is now part of the playoffs as well. “They’re just sketchy places,” said Larson.
“You could totally blow a corner and fall back into the 20’s or worse and never recover from it. But yeah, we have…
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