Atlanta is lighting fast for a 1.5-mile track. This track surface is right at 13 years old. It's fairly abrasive and doesn't have a lot of grip. With the banking and speeds we have there, it all adds up to great side-by-side racing. The other great thing about racing at Atlanta is there are multiple grooves. You can run low, middle or high on the track -- whichever works best for the car and driver.
Goodyear is coming with another tire combination this weekend. This will mark the sixth different tire combination in the last six races. They keep trying to find the optimum tire for this COT.
The thing I like is the left side tires will have a lot of grip. These guys will be able to get up on that wheel and race each other hard. It's also our third 500-mile race of the year so it's definitely one of those tracks where the engine guys are a little bit nervous. They will be keeping their eye on laps run and cycles on the engine.
The good thing is once the race starts the speeds slow down. With the slower pace, the RPMs come down and that will help make the engines last. You can also expect some long green flag runs at Atlanta. That will also translate into one or two green flag pit stops.
I am not going to say you won't see strategy play a factor, but with the abrasive surface of the track, when that caution flag comes out you will probably always see teams take four fresh tires. You never say never in NASCAR.
The double-file restarts have changed strategy somewhat. Now all the real players are right up there for the restart, so you better have four fresh tires bolted on so you can maneuver and be aggressive with the race car.
I am excited that the weather looks great for Atlanta this weekend. The Nationwide series is off for two weeks. The trucks are back in action in Atlanta so that will be a great race too. Don't forget that with the new start times, the Cup race on Sunday will be at 1 p.m. ET and our NASCAR on FOX group will bring you all the action.
In my book, by the time we get through the two back-to-back short track races, Bristol and Martinsville, you start to get a real feel for who the real players are going to be in 2010. Now sure, you don't etch it in stone because there is so much racing yet, but by that period in the season, you really have a good feel. Also remember that by that point in the schedule, other than a road course, we will have visited all the different length tracks on the circuit.
