PREVIEW: Atlanta separates the full-timers from part-timers in 2024
by Brock Beard / LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief
Nick Leitz’ #92 for Saturday’s XFINITY Race (PHOTO: DGM Racing, @dgm_racing_)
Saturday, February 24, 2024 (2:00 P.M. ET, FS1)
TRUCKS Race 2 of 23
Fr8 208 at Atlanta
2023 Last-Place Finisher: Keith McGee
ENTRY LIST
There are 33 trucks entered for 36 spots this week, meaning all will qualify. This is seven fewer entries than last Friday’s opener in Daytona, and four short of a full field. It’s the shortest Truck Series field since November 6, 2020 at Phoenix, which saw the series’ last 33-truck field.
DRIVER CHANGE: #1-TRICON Garage
Colby Howard returns to the Truck Series for the first time since he closed out the 2023 season driving for CR7 Motorsports. He this time drives for TRICON Garage, taking the place of 27th-place Daytona finisher Toni Breidinger, with sponsorship from Project HOPE Foundation. Project HOPE previously backed Howard in the XFINITY Series when he drove for JD Motorsports in 2020-2021.
DRIVER CHANGE: #7-Spire Motorsports
Kyle Busch may have sold his Truck Series team after last season, but he’s still running races for new owners Spire Motorsports, beginning with Saturday. Carrying Project 1001 as sponsor, Busch must be considered a favorite to score his 65th series win and seventh at Atlanta.
MISSING: #10-Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing
Jennifer Jo Cobb is first of the seven entries from Daytona not making the trip to Atlanta. Cobb failed to qualify her late entry last week.
TEAM UPDATE: #21-Floridian Motorsports
With just 32 trucks on the preliminary entry list, and a DNQ for their series debut last week in Daytona, Floridian Motorsports will now make the show in Atlanta with Mason Maggio as driver and Carl Long as crew chief. Maggio finished next-to-last in this race last year following early crash damage.
DRIVER SWAP: #22-Reaume Brothers Racing
WITHDREW: #27-Reaume Brothers Racing
At the time of publication, the Reaume team already withdrew their #27 entry with which defending Atlanta last-place finisher Keith McGee took 31st in Daytona. McGee now moves to the team’s #22 in place of Jason White, who finished 12th in the same race, with full-timer Lawless Alan remaining in the only other entered Reaume truck, the flagship #33.
MISSING: #28-FDNY Racing
Bryan Dauzat s not entered following a fantastic 9th-place finish in Daytona where he avoided involvement in the last-lap crash. The team indicates the rest of their 2024 schedule is still to be announced.
MISSING: #36-Ryan Huff Motorsports
Also not entered this week is the last-minute entry from Daytona, the unsponsored #36 from ARCA driver Ryan Huff, who failed to qualify.
DRIVER CHANGE: #45-Niece Motorsports
Taking the place of Johnny Sauter, who won Stage 1 in Daytona and finished 29th after crash damage is a returning Kaden Honeycutt. Sponsored by the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, Honeycutt returns to the Truck Series for the first time since his 8th-place run for Randy Young in Phoenix, and drives for Al Niece for the first time since a 20th-place run in an unsponsored #44 at Pocono. Honeycutt has since scored a pair of wins in the ARCA Menards Series West late last year.
RETURNING: #66-ThorSport Racing
Conner Jones made his first nine Truck Series starts last year, most recently a 34th-place finish in last fall’s Phoenix finale. He begins his Rookie of the Year campaign as ThorSport brings back their #66 entry.
MISSING: #75-Henderson Motorsports
The Henderson team will not run on Saturday following Stefan Parsons’ 6th-place finish in Daytona.
MISSING: #95-GK Racing
Clay Greenfield is not entered after the GK Racing team failed to qualify in Daytona.
MISSING: #97-CR7 Motorsports
The CR7 team has not entered their second truck, the #97 driven last week by Codie Rohrbaugh, who collided with teammate Grant Enfinger as the big wreck unfolded, leaving him 23rd.
MISSING: #04-Roper Racing
Also missing Saturday’s race is Cory Roper, who finished 22nd in Daytona after he was swept up in the final crash.
CUP INVADERS: #7-Kyle Busch
Saturday, February 24, 2024 (5:00 P.M. ET, FS1)
XFINITY Race 2 of 33
Raptor King of Tough 250 at Atlanta
2023 Last-Place Finisher: Caesar Bacarella
ENTRY LIST
There are 38 drivers entered for as many spots, meaning all will qualify. This is six fewer entries than last week’s opener in Daytona.
MISSING: #10-Kaulig Racing
Despite the team’s superspeedway prowess, the Kaulig group will not enter their #10 Chevrolet this week with which Daniel Dye finished 27th in Daytona.
NEW TEAM: #14-SS-Green Light Racing
MISSING: #14-Kaulig Racing
Kaulig is likewise not entering the #14 with which Cup regular Daniel Suarez wrecked under bizarre circumstances in Daytona, leaving him 35th. The entry reverts to Owner Points holder SS-Green Light Racing, which maintains the car #14 in place of their former #08 entry. J.J. Yeley returns as driver for the first time since he finished 36th in the #08 last fall at Phoenix.
DRIVER CHANGE: #26-Sam Hunt Racing
Jeffrey Earnhardt and returning sponsor ForeverLawn make their 2024 debut with Sam Hunt Racing, taking the place of 28th-place Daytona finisher Sage Karam. Earnhardt last ran last fall in Phoenix, when he steered Alpha Prime’s #45 entry to a 23rd-place finish.
DRIVER SWAP: #35-Emerling-Gase Motorsports
WITHDREW: #53-Emerling-Gase Motorsports
At the time of the entry list’s publication, the Emerling-Gase team withdrew their #53 with no listed driver. Joey Gase moves from the #53 he DNQ’d in Daytona to the #35 in place of Frankie Muniz, who finished 33rd in his series debut on Monday. Photos indicate a possible restructuring of the team with Muniz as investor.
MISSING: #36-DGM Racing
Natalie Decker enjoyed a career night in Daytona, leading seven laps and finishing 18th. She’s not entered this week as Mario Gosselin has not fielded the #36, scaling back from three entries to two.
MISSING: #45-Alpha Prime Racing
Caesar Bacarella is not entered after he failed to qualify in Daytona, and the Alpha Prime team has likewise scaled back from three entries to two.
MISSING: #66-Motorsports Business Management
Carl Long has not entered his #66 after the disqualification and subsequent DNQ of David Starr due to a mistaken track bar height adjustment.
MISSING: #74-Mike Harmon Racing
Also not making the trip is Mike Harmon’s team, which missed the cut at Daytona with longtime racer Stanton Barrett.
DRIVER CHANGE: #92-DGM Racing
Rejoining the circuit this week is Nick Leitz, who made his XFINITY Series debut last fall at Kansas, finishing 31st with RSS Racing. This time around, he takes the place of 32nd-place Daytona finisher Josh Bilicki in Mario Gosselin’s #92 Chevrolet. Precision Measurements, Inc. is the listed sponsor.
CUP INVADERS: None
Sunday, February 25, 2024 (3:00 P.M. ET, FOX)
CUP Race 2 of 36
Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta
2023 Last-Place Finisher: B.J. McLeod
ENTRY LIST
There are 37 entries for 40 spots in Sunday’s main event, meaning all will qualify. This is five fewer entries than the 42 entered in the Daytona 500.
DRIVER CHANGE: #15-Rick Ware Racing
MISSING: #36-Front Row Motorsports
After nearly missing the 500 field – both after a broken shifter in qualifying and a sluggish run in his Duel – it was a short afternoon for Kaz Grala on Monday when he was collected in the first wreck of the day. Front Row Motorsports has not fielded their third part-time entry, but Grala is entered as he rejoins Rick Ware’s #15 team for the first time since the Clash. N29 Capital Partners rejoins as sponsor for Grala’s first Cup start at Atlanta.
DRIVER CHANGE: #16-Kaulig Racing
After coming just short of qualifying for the Clash, then dropping out early in Monday’s XFINITY race at Daytona, Josh Williams makes his first start in a Cup Series points race, taking the place of 6th-place Daytona finisher A.J. Allmendinger. Alloy Employer Services rejoins as sponsor.
MISSING: #44-NY Racing Team
Another close call from Daytona, J.J. Yeley and the NY Racing Team are not entered this week, though Yeley is scheduled to run for SS-Green Light Racing in the XFINITY Series race on Saturday.
MISSING: #60-RFK Racing
David Ragan and the “Stage 60” entry are not among Sunday’s entrants after contact in the last wreck of the Daytona 500 dropped him to 20th in the final running order. Ragan has made 18 Cup starts at Atlanta, his home track, most recently finishing 18th with Rick Ware Racing in the spring of 2022.
MISSING: #62-Beard Motorsports
Anthony Alfredo and the Beard Motorsports team are not making the trip to Georgia following a 27th-place finish in the 500. Alfredo and team will return to action at Talladega on April 21st.
MISSING: #84-Legacy Motor Club
Jimmie Johnson is not entered after involvement in the first wreck left him 28th in his return to the Daytona 500. His next scheduled race will be Dover on April 28th.
TODAY IN LASTCAR HISTORY (February 23, 1991): Jack Ingram picked up the 3rd last-place finish of his NASCAR Busch Series career when his #11 Skoal Chevrolet lost the engine after 27 laps of the Pontiac 200 at Richmond. Ingram lost engines in each of his first four starts that year, scoring a second-straight last-place run in the following round at Rockingham. He would ultimately run his final Busch Series race that August at IRP, where he finished 9th.
