Kyle Busch's Improved Drafting Ability Makes Him a Favorite at Atlanta
9 months agoKyle Busch probably had one of the best cars in the Daytona 500 last week even though he failed to win. He made a race-high five passes for the lead in that race, had the best driver rating, and drove through the field twice before fading to 12th at the end, largely because his team chose not to pit with the other Chevy drivers. However, this shows that Busch has definitely improved on drafting tracks over the last couple years and he enters Atlanta on a high note. In addition to his strong Daytona run, he won the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at Atlanta this weekend. In the Cup Series, although the Fords were faster in qualifying again, the Chevys seemed to have the best combination of speed and strategy at Daytona. In addition to his strong passing ability, Busch is a cerebral driver and strong strategist. He called his team's winning strategy at Talladega last year himself, so it's unlikely the No. 8 team will botch the strategy again. Busch qualified third for this weekend's race and is one of the favorites to win the Ambetter Heath 400 according to most sportsbooks.
Source: Racing Reference
Source: Racing Reference