Atlanta Mirror by Pete Pistone

Maybe Brad Keselowski has not been vaccinated against the flu this year, but the Team Penske rider now has a chance to win the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

Keselowski fought despite the flu to win the QuikTrip 500 of the Folds of Honor Sunday at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. This victory places him in the playoffs and continues his recent winning streak on the 1.5 mile track.

See also: Race summary and results

It was an interesting race, with a lot of built-in anticipation, thanks to the introduction of at least one variant of the new ruleset of the series. But strategy, misfortune and timely travel proved to be the recipe for Keselowski to find his way to Victory Lane.

A series of backlogs for potential contenders, including Keselowski's teammates Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney, changed the complexion of the race. Keselowski took the lead, but was forced to postpone advances from Martin Truex Jr., who was late in charging to try to take the lead in the final laps, eventually to finish first.

In the end, Keselowski, standing (barely) in Victory Lane, celebrated his first win of the season.

Talk about the best medicine.

• Consider the new set of rules of the 2019 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series as a scientific experiment. Sunday in Atlanta was the first step of a process. While the teams were using less power over the weekend, there were no vents, as will be the case next week at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Atlanta 's worn racing surface once again had the biggest impact, as tire wear was even more accelerated as the drivers were more comfortable under the effect of the new engine rules package. The result was a very typical Atlanta race, but with tighter competition bursts that were certainly accentuated during the raises. The science project will continue in the coming weeks and it is wise not to carry out a full evaluation until April 1, after the series has already been the subject of much work, including Vegas, ISM Raceway, Auto Club Speedway and Texas.
• The Saturday race of the Xfinity Series / Truck Series was marked by fog and fog. But NASCAR officials have taken up the weather challenges to get the two races in the books. Christopher Bell and Kyle Busch perform dominant performances on their respective trips to Victory Lane. The twin bill is a unique part of the calendar that Atlanta has hosted in recent years. It's an idea that may well be on other programming tracks as NASCAR seeks to reinvent the national series list in the next two years. Two races in one day with children under 12 years admitted for free is an initiative as friendly to fans as professional sports.
• Kyle Busch's victory helped him to top the list of all-time Truck Series victories and break the tie with Ron Hornaday Jr. It was inevitable that Busch broke the record. during his Truck Series career. As with everything about the Busch polarizer, there is controversy about breaking the brand. None of this will matter, as Busch will continue to add to this victory as he travels regularly to the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
• Speaking of future schedules, it will be interesting to see where Atlanta will end up on the slate 2021 seemingly redesigned. The end of February has not been very favorable to the track and the region in recent years. However, starting on the coast immediately after Daytona is part of the sport that goes back decades, Richmond and Rockingham organizing races during this period. Whether Atlanta stays at Daytona or not, this is just one of many questions.

The opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of the automobile network.