We are officially onto the second race of the 2026 NASCAR season, with the Cup Series headed to Atlanta for another superspeedway race. As we always do with our NASCAR predictions, we like to project what will happen in the Cup Series race this weekend before qualifying.
Let’s dive into our NASCAR picks for the AutoTrader 400. Our predictions will range from stage winners and who goes to victory lane to some notable finishers.
Related: NASCAR Schedule This Week for Atlanta, TV Info and Qualifying Time
Kyle Busch Records a Top-5 Finish
Kyle Busch’s winless streak in the Cup Series is now at 93 races, a drought that seemed impossible for one of the winningest drivers in NASCAR history. However, it’s worth noting that his last win in NASCAR came last year in the Truck Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He also boasts the best average finishing position (8.8) with the fifth-most laps led (72) and is tied for the most top-10s (5) at EchoPark Speedway since the 2023 season. We do not think Busch’s winless drought ends on Sunday in Atlanta, but he will get a top-five finish.
Related: Spire Motorsports to go ‘Big-Game Hunting’ in NASCAR Silly Season
Carson Hocevar Delivers a Top-10 at Atlanta
Carson Hocevar was leading the Daytona 500 on the final lap when disaster struck, with the No. 77 getting run into and then wrecking out. It ruined what could have been a great start to the season for the 23-year-old. Fortunately for Spire Motorsports, Hocevar has quite the track record thus far in the Cup Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He has finished in the top 20 in all four races with Spire, including a second-place finish in the Ambetter Health 400 last year at EchoPark in February. The speed Hocevar is bringing to the table and the smarter approach he is taking behind the wheel will propel him to a top-10 finish on Sunday.
Related: Winners and Losers from Daytona 500, including Carson Hocevar
Christopher Bell Wins Stage 1
The Daytona 500 could not have gone much worse for Christopher Bell. Near the front of the field, the No. 20 sat in 13th place when he got hooked into the wall and ultimately finished with just two points. Given the added importance of points under the Chase format now in place, the No. 20 team will have to prioritize coming out with something from Atlanta. They will likely play the strategy game early, taking Stage 1 to position themselves with 10 much-needed points as Bell slowly starts to climb his way back up the points leaderboard.
Related: Daytona 500 Results, NASCAR Stage Results
Austin Cindric Wins Stage 2
Austin Cindric is under pressure to perform this season, with the return of the 10-race Chase and points-earned playoff spots complicating his path in. A trip to Atlanta should help. Since 2023, Cindric has the second-most laps led (198) and, just last year, he placed second in Stage 1 and ninth in Stage 2 at EchoPark. Cindric does not necessarily have the best track record of finishing races at EchoPark (three DNFs), but he will win Stage 2 on Sunday.
Related: NASCAR Points Standings Today after Daytona 500
Ryan Blaney Wins the Autotrader 400
Ryan Blaney now has 10 DNFs in the last calendar year, with bad luck seemingly finding the No. 12 car every week. The hope for Team Penske is that after being snake-bitten at Daytona this past Sunday, Blaney will rebound at one of his best tracks. In 15 career Cup Series races at Atlanta, he has recorded a top-five finish 33% of the time, with a top-10 in 60% of those starts. In a battle to the finish with teammate Joey Logano, Blaney comes out on top for his first win of the season.
Related: NASCAR Power Rankings Before AutoTrader 400
