Open Race Thread: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Advocare 500 | Atlanta Motor Speedway

While anything can happen in tonight’s Advocare 500, the reality is that the final Chase for the Championship wild card spot will come down to three drivers - Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman.

Two of the three have a great shot at winning with Gordon and Busch entering tonight’s race, coming off a second and fourth place in Saturday’s final practice session. Furthermore, Gordon is the defending race winner at Atlanta Motor Speedway with Kyle Busch proclaiming on several occasions that his car is ‘very good.’

But just as Newman proved at Martinsville Speedway in April, anything could happen and it might come at the one of his wild card competitors’ expense.

The added wild card storylines aside, Atlanta Motor Speedway has always provided some of the most dramatic moments in Sprint Cup Series history. Who could forget the 1992 season finale where Alan Kulwicki won his only Series championship under the backdrop of Richard Petty’s final race - not to mention the debut of some kid named ‘Jeff Gordon?’

Or Dale Earnhardt’s nine victories, Kevin Harvick’s emotional 2001 breakthrough just two weeks after Earnhardt’s death at the Daytona 500, and just last year, Gordon and Jimmie Johnson’s slide-by-slide battle to the finish.

The Advocare 500 is about the best of what NASCAR has to offer, and the best will be on display in tonight’s race.

Defending Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart is on the pole after setting a fast time of 29.787. Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano, and Marcos Ambrose complete the starting top-10.

A complete starting lineup can be found after the jump.

Some talking points include:

What’s your favorite Atlanta Motor Speedway memory?

The race is 325 laps for 500 miles with flag-to-flag coverage provided by ESPN. Treat this post as both the general race preview and discussion thread. See you on the other side.