Top 3 contenders to win the Atlanta Cup Series race feat. Ryan Blaney

Following an eventful Daytona 500, NASCAR heads to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the second race of the 2025 season. Based on previous outings, Ford appears to be the frontrunner to post a strong performance around the 1.5-mile track.

Ford has won two of the last four Cup races courtesy of Joey Logano, the No. 22 Ford Mustang driver. The Blue Oval brand has also bagged the last four pole positions in the premier series. However, Chevrolet should put up a good fight as it will enter as the defending Atlanta spring race winner.

Who could be the top three contenders to win the 2025 Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta? Let's find out.

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1. Ryan Blaney - Team Penske

Ryan Blaney is one of the favorites heading into the upcoming Atlanta race. Driving the No. 12 Ford Mustang, Blaney has finished within the top 10 in the last five races. Last year, he finished P2 in this race.

Blaney also earned a career victory at AMS in the 2021 spring race. He comfortably took the checkered flag ahead of Kyle Larson, who dominated the race with the most laps led (269 laps) and won stages one and two.

Ryan Blaney during the 2025 Daytona 500 race week - Source: Imagn

The 2023 NASCAR champ will also set foot at Atlanta as the top-seeded driver despite finishing seventh in the Daytona 500, the best result among Ford drivers. Ryan Blaney scored points in the Duel qualifying race and earned 18 stage points on Sunday.

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2. Daniel Suarez - Trackhouse Racing

Daniel Suarez arrives at the Atlanta Motor Speedway as the defending Ambetter Health 400 race winner. He crossed the finish line alongside Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch in the closest three-wide photo finish in NASCAR's history (beat Blaney by 0.003 seconds).

The No. 99 Chevrolet Camaro driver has finished within the top two in the last three outings at AMS. His previous entry in the 2024 fall race saw him fighting Joey Logano in the closing laps, but the latter used a shove from Blaney to seal the victory.

Daniel Suarez won the 2024 Ambetter Health 400 - Source: Imagn

Additionally, the Mexico-born driver has been in solid form of late, and finished P13 at Daytona last week.

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3. Joey Logano - Team Penske

Joey Logano will look to capitalize on Ford's strong performance around the intermediate speedway on Sunday. He won the last time NASCAR visited the track for the 2024 Cup Series playoff opener, guaranteeing his spot in the Round of 12.

As mentioned, Logano has been victorious in two of the last four Atlanta races, with the other coming in the 2023 Ambetter Health 400. Former teammate Brad Keselowski took the white flag but Logano got a push from Christopher Bell to grab the lead for the win.

Joey Logano won the 2024 Quaker State 400 available at Walmart - Source: Imagn

The defending NASCAR Cup Series champion will look to shake off a disappointing Daytona 500 race that ended in a multi-car crash in the closing laps.