That doesn't mean Byron feels totally comfortable in
Byron, the newly crowned Daytona 500 champion, still has mixed feelings about Sunday's Cup Series race at Atlanta.
“It’s unique for sure,” Byron said Saturday before qualifying 11th. “I wouldn’t want to do it every week.”
Atlanta added superspeedway-style racing to its 1.54-mile track in its reconfiguration following the 2021 season. There is less width for passing as well as higher banks. Before the changes, drivers made annual pleas to keep the old, battered surface and spoke in near-unanimous tones about their fondness for racing on the track.
There's a different tone to discussions about the reconfigured Atlanta track.
Busch acknowledged the new surface was necessary due to obvious “deterioration” and said “there comes a time you have to do something.”
After two years to adjust to the new look, Busch still doesn't like the reconfiguration.
“I just don’t understand or appreciate why we added the banking and the stuff they did here with the reconfiguration,” Busch said. “Would I have rather seen them just repave what they had? Probably.”
More changes came in the schedule. Atlanta's first race was moved up behind Daytona on
SAVING FUEL
Busch had sharp criticism of tactics teams made to keep their cars on the track.
“I believe it’s a problem,” Busch said. “At the start of the race last week we were all sitting there at half-throttle.”
Busch described the restrained racing as “disgraceful” and “pathetic.”
“I felt bad for the fans and thought this was not good for them,” Busch said.
Logano said the issues could discourage drivers from taking the lead early in races.
“You look at it, the further back you are the more fuel you can save but the less control you have,” Logano said.
BIG APPLE, BIG SPOTLIGHT
Byron's narrow Daytona 500 win over
“It’s been fun,” Byron said. “I enjoyed all the stuff I got to do this week, especially because it was something unique and different. It was a lot of different questions. ... Obviously I was running on adrenaline for a couple of days and it's back to the racetrack now.”
ODDS AND ENDS
UP NEXT
The NASCAR Cup Series moves to the
“I feel good about where we’re at,” said Elliott, who won in
“I think we’re in a good place and I think next week you’ll get your first report card about where you really are as it pertains to regular racetracks. I’m excited to get out there and see, but until you get out there it’s kind of hard to guess because me giving you an answer today is a guess.”
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