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via Getty

via Getty

With just eight races remaining until the NASCAR playoffs, there seem to be a few big names that might not make it this year and that includes Kevin Harvick among others. While some have had a terrible pace with their machinery, others have just been marred down with bad luck.

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The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series has been one exciting year to look at. With brand new Next-Gen cars have breathed life into the ever-evolving world of the sport. However, with the nail-biting playoffs approaching, it seems like a few big names might be missing out. Names like Kevin Harvick, Chris Buescher, and Austin Dillon among others, have been sitting way down below the playoffs cut-off.

While Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell’s pit crew was swapped out to Bubba, that leaves Bell at a disadvantage as he tries to improve in the final few races. Bell is currently at risk as he’s the last driver making it into the playoffs for now.

Former NASCAR legendary driver Jeff Burton spoke about the playoff predictions on an episode with Mark, Mamba & The Mayor. He mentioned, “I hear what you’re saying about Harvick but I don’t see the speed with that team. Like they’re gonna have to pull some magic, they’re gonna have some things go their way. They’re running well, but does that, is that good enough.”

Giving his thoughts on the fact that the Stewart-Haas Racing driver stands 17th in the standings, he further said, “When you gotta playoff system and you’re not in it, it’s a damn failure, I don’t care what anybody says, they ain’t gonna talk about you, they ain’t gonna care about you, it’s like you’re going through the event and you’re not even in the damn race”.

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Regardless, we can only hope at least a few of these names can make it through with the Quaker State 400 race coming up at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Predictions for this weekend’s Atlanta Motor Speedway race

The general mood seems to be swinging towards Ryan Blaney. Blaney has shown his skills for superspeedways and drafting. Plus, he even won at the Atlanta Motor Speedway back in March 2021.

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USA Today via Reuters

But again, different cars. Nonetheless, with his great drafting skills and the ability to push for the front of the field, it seems this year’s race could be taken by Blaney. And if he does, it will only further strengthen his playoff position.

However, Blaney isn’t the only one in contention for the win. We also have Kurt Busch, who has absolutely dominated on this track on past occasions, with three back-to-back wins at Quaker State 400. Another one to look out for could be Chase Elliott, who’s in strong form after his Nashville victory.

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Given the fact that the track surface was paved last year and now, with all the heat, the surface might have changed significantly, What do you think? Who will win at Atlanta?