NASCAR Talk

Last year, the Atlanta races were wet, soggy, and even rained out. Let’s hope the weather is better this year! After Carl Edwards lost his points lead in the Sprint Cup series due to a penalty after winning at Las Vegas, will he be able to regain his momentum and win his third race in a row?

I’ve got your preview for the Sprint Cup, Nationwide, and Craftsman Truck series races from the Atlanta Motorspeedway this weekend. So keep reading after the jump to see what to expect this weekend down south.

NASCAR, NASCAR Atlanta race preview, Sprint Cup Atlanta race preview, Nationwide series Atlanta race preview, Craftsman Truck Atlanta race preview

Sprint Cup Kobalt Tools 500
Airs Sunday March 9, 2008 at 1:30 PM on FOX.

All the talk this week has focused on two things: Carl Edwards’ penalty and whether or not it was an intentional violation of the rules, and how horrible the new tires for Atlanta are on the cars. Both may indeed affect the outcome of this race. Hopefully, there won’t be too many blown tires, but it is a possibility. Also, some of Edwards’ momentum had to be taken away from the huge penalty blow this week. Carl has had some success at Atlanta in the past, so it may be enough to pull him through. Jimmie Johnson is racing for his third straight win in Atlanta, so let’s not count him out, either.

Nationwide Nicorette 300
Airs Saturday March 8, 2008 at 1:30 PM on ESPN2.

Jeff Burton sure does love the Atlanta Motorspeedway when he’s driving a Nationwide Series car. In fact, he’s won the last 2 Nationwide Series races at this track. Kyle Busch is always fast here, too, so watch out for him. It wasn’t long ago that there was some major Roush Fenway Racing dominance in the Nationwide Series in Atlanta, so look for those teams to be tough as well. It should be a good race.

Craftsman Truck American Commercial Lines 200
Airs Friday March 7, 2008 at 8:30 PM on SPEED.

Kyle Busch seems to be on a roll in the Craftsman Truck series (well, every series would be more accurate). He’s not only leading the points race, he won last week. He is also the defending champion of the Craftsman Truck race in Atlanta, which may be just what he needs to keep on his roll. Mike Skinner is also always strong at Atlanta and of course Todd Bodine is looking good this season, too. The Toyotas are just dominant in the Craftsman Truck series this year, so look for one in victory lane and several more in the top ten when Atlanta is through.