Practice for the NASCAR Cup Series brought about a sequence of comments from drivers regarding what kind of racing we can expect at the newly configured Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Bubba Wallace said it was half superspeedway, half 1.5-mile racing style.
Other drivers called it "wild," "nuts" and "chaos."
The NASCAR Truck and XFINITY Series races produced superspeedway-style drafting, evening out the playing field and giving the smaller teams a fighting chance.
That's exactly where I'm looking with my best bet for Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 (3 p.m. ET, FOX) at Atlanta.
NASCAR Picks & Predictions for Atlanta
*Odds as of Sunday morning
This bet at DraftKings Sportsbook screams value, especially when you compare Buescher to teammate Brad Keselowski.
Keselowski, the 2012 series champion, comes in at +800 to finish as the top Ford driver on Sunday afternoon. However, Keselowski's teammate has an exemplary record himself.
Buescher has finished sixth or better four times in nine races with Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing. That doesn't even include a disqualification at the 2021 Coke Zero Sugar 400 where Buescher would have placed second.
One of those nine finishes included a finish as top Ford.
He also finished as the second-best Ford twice (if you count his disqualification as a second-place finish) and third-best Ford twice.
As we saw in the Truck and XFINITY Series, drivers across the spectrum of team sizes and budgets were able to make runs toward the front.
Don't count out this year's second Bluegreen Vacations Duel at Daytona race winner among your shortlist of drivers that could contend for the win at Atlanta.
That also means a very strong shot to finish as top Ford.
My model gives Buescher an 8.9% chance to finish as top Ford. I'd feel comfortable betting this prop down to +1500 odds.
The Bet: Chris Buescher (+2500) for Top Ford
