NASCAR viewer’s guide: Atlanta and Mid-Ohio

Atlanta Motor Speedway will host the Cup and Xfinity series this weekend, while the Camping World Truck Series competes at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Sunday’s Cup race at Atlanta (3 p.m. ET on USA Network) will be the second of the season at the 1.54-mile track. William Byron led 111 laps on the way to winning the March race. The track’s new configuration produced 46 lead changes and 11 cautions, the most in the past 14 races there.

Saturday’s Xfinity race (5 p.m. ET) will be televised by the USA Network.

It wouldn’t be surprising if Kevin Harvick is a bit dizzy because of his recent ride in the Cup playoff standings.

Harvick has been above and below the playoff cutoff line. After Sunday’s race at Road America, he’s in the negative numbers again. He is one spot below the cutoff, trailing Christopher Bell by 20 points for the last playoff spot.

Harvick is winless in his last 61 races. Twenty-one drivers have visited victory lane since Harvick last did so.

Eight races remain before the start of the playoffs, and 13 of the 16 playoff spots have been claimed by race winners. Tyler Reddick became the season’s 13th winner Sunday by rolling to a three-second victory at Road America. The win was the first of Reddick’s career.

The three drivers currently in the playoff picture on points are Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex Jr. and Bell. Joe Gibbs Racing confirmed this week that Bell will have three new pit crew members for Sunday’s race at Atlanta.

Behind Harvick in the playoff bubble are Aric Almirola (47 points below the cutline line), Erik Jones (85) and Austin Dillon (94).

The March 20 Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, won by William Byron, featured a second-place finish by Ross Chastain, serving notice that the Trackhouse