TRACK: Atlanta Motor Speedway
RACE: Raptor 250 (163 laps / 251 miles)
DATE: Saturday, March 18, 2023
TV: 5 p.m. ET on FS1
RADIO: 4:30 p.m. ET on PRN Radio Network and SiriusXM Ch. 90

Quotes:

Sam Mayer: "I am excited to get back to Atlanta, coming off of the consistent streak we are having. The No. 1 Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions team has been building absolute rocket ships and I can't thank this team enough for the hard work. Mardy (Lindley, crew chief) has two wins here, so I am looking forward to another good run this weekend."

Justin Allgaier: "This new version of Atlanta is definitely a wild card. It races much more like a superspeedway, which means that anything can happen. Thankfully, JR Motorsports has always prepared some extremely strong superspeedway cars and I know that we will be up front and in contention throughout the day. Hopefully we can avoid any potential trouble out there, have a smooth, clean day, and get this RaptorTough.com Chevrolet into Victory Lane."

Josh Berry: "We were pretty good here last summer, finishing second. Atlanta is really fast and races a lot like a restrictor-plate track, so you have to be aware of where the runs are coming from and how to deal with them. We did a good job last year, we were right on the leader at the checkered flag, and I think the Tire Pros Chevrolet can be just as good this weekend."

Brandon Jones: "With the added banking and how Atlanta is more like a superspeedway now, I have confidence knowing that our Menards/Jeld-Wen Chevrolet will be fast when we unload Friday. We had speed at Daytona and JRM builds great cars for this style of racing. It would be great to have a good run at my home track and get the momentum heading in our direction."

Notes:

• Sam Mayer returns to Atlanta Motor Speedway for his fourth NASCAR Xfinity Series start at the 1.54-mile quad-oval. In three previous starts, Mayer has a best finish of ninth coming in 2021. 

• Crew chief Mardy Lindley has an average finish of 1.0 at Atlanta after scoring NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series wins in appearances with Kyle Busch (2021) and Corey Heim (2022).

• Justin Allgaier is a previous winner at the 1.54-mile quad-oval, going to Victory Lane in this event in 2021 after starting sixth and leading 47 laps.

• Overall, in 14 career NXS starts at Atlanta, Allgaier has earned three top fives and nine top 10s to accompany his 2021 victory.

• Allgaier scored a third-place finish earlier this season at Daytona, in a style of racing that is similar to what currently runs on the repaved surface of Atlanta.

• The Illinois native enters this weekend having led at least one lap in every race to date during the 2023 season, including 10 or more laps led in three of the four events.

• Josh Berry's best finish at Atlanta came last summer, when he started second and finished second, leading 13 laps along the way.

• At tracks measuring 1.5 miles, Berry has logged three of his five career victories (two wins at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and one at Charlotte Motor Speedway). He has added six top-five and 11 top-10 finishes at those tracks.

• With his eighth-place result last week at Phoenix, Berry has posted top-10 finishes in three of the season's four races thus far.

• This marks the first of 10 primaries this season for Tire Pros, a JRM partner since 2021.

• Brandon Jones, an Atlanta native, has made nine starts at his home track, with a best finish of fourth at this race in 2019.

• In 74 starts on tracks measuring 1.5 miles in length in the NXS, Jones has scored two wins (Kansas Speedway), 12 top fives and 34 top 10s, while pacing the field for 183 laps.

• Crew chief Jason Burdett has called the shots for one win at Atlanta and has only finished outside of the top 10 in two of the 10 events he's been atop the pit box. The lone win came with Allgaier during the 2021 season.

• The 26-year-old Georgian currently sits 18th in the point standings, 26 points below the playoff cut line.