NASCAR Xfinity Series News & Notes – EchoPark Speedway, Atlanta, GA

NASCAR Xfinity Series

Next Race: Focused Health 250
The Place: EchoPark Speedway
Track Length: 1.54 Mile Asphalt Paved Oval
The Date: Friday, June 27
The Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
The Purse: $1,651,939
TV: CW, 7 p.m. ET
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 251.02 miles (163 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 45),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 163)

Where To Watch NASCAR This Weekend:

Friday, June 27

NCTS Final Practice (FS2 at 1 p.m. ET)

NXS Kennametal Pole Qualifying (CW App at 3 p.m. ET)

NCS Busch Light Pole Qualifying (truTV, PRN, SiriusXM at 5 p.m. ET)

NXS Race: Focused Health 250 (CW, PRN, SiriusXM at 7:30 ET)

Saturday, June 21

NCTS Kennametal Pole Qualifying (FS1 at 9:30 a.m. ET)

NCTS Race: Liuna 150 (FOX, NRN, SiriusXM at 1 p.m. ET)

ARCA Race: Lime Rock Park 100 (FS2, MRN, SiriusXM at 4 p.m. ET)

NCS Race: Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart (TNT, truTV, HBO Max, PRN, SiriusXM at 7 p.m. ET)

Atlanta Storylines and Insights:

• This weekend marks the 39th running of a NASCAR Xfinity Series race at EchoPark Speedway, and the eighth at Atlanta since the track was reconfigured to drafting track in 2022.
• EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta) will be the fourth of six drafting track races in the Xfinity Series in 2025.
• Atlanta is the first of seven tracks that the Xfinity Series will revisit in 2025.
• Connor Zilisch won on an oval for the first time at Pocono and has four straight top fives since missing Texas due to back injury.
• JR Motorsports won eight races this season with five different drivers, tied for most different drivers in a season all-time: Justin Allgaier (3), Connor Zilisch (2), Sammy Smith (1), Kyle Larson (), and Daniel Suarez (1).
• JR Motorsports is four wins away from 100, only three other teams won at least 100 NASCAR Xfinity Series races (Joe Gibbs Racing-217, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing-138, Richard Childress Racing-100).
• Five crew chiefs got their first NXS win in 2025: Chad Haney at Atlanta, Sam McAulay at Darlington, Adam Wall at Bristol, Cory Shea at Mexico City & Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Pocono.
• JR Motorsports #88 won three races with three different driver/crew chief combos this season.
• There are 10 races left in the regular season and six Playoff spots remain open.
• Taylor Gray and Harrison Burton are separated by 11 points at the Playoff cut line.
• The drivers from 8th-14th are separated by 57 points, less than one race.
• The four drivers behind Harrison Burton in the NXS driver standings are all rookies.
• Sheldon Creed lost 22 points to the cut line after finishing 36th at Pocono, now sits +20.
• Austin Hill won the last three Atlanta races and five of the last six.
• Austin Hill is tied with Kevin Harvick for most Atlanta wins all-time, Harvick won five prior to reconfiguration, Hill won five since reconfiguration.
• Austin Hill is the all-time drafting track leader in wins (9), stage wins (14) and laps led (754).
• Only two drivers on entry list have previously won at Atlanta since the reconfiguration: Austin Hill – five NXS wins, Christian Eckes – one NCTS win.
• Austin Hill is the only driver to win on all three drafting tracks in the Xfinity Series.
• Justin Allgaier won at Atlanta in 2021, prior to reconfiguration.
• Jesse Love won three straight poles at Atlanta and four straight poles on drafting tracks.
• Jesse Love’s six drafting track poles rank second to Joe Nemechek with 10.
• Sammy Smith has four straight top 10s at Atlanta, the longest active streak.
• Harrison Burton is the only driver to finish inside the top-10 in all three drafting track races this season.
• Four of seven Atlanta races since reconfiguration featured a pass for the win in final three laps.
• Three of seven Atlanta races since reconfiguration went to overtime.
• Eight drivers in the field made their first and only career Atlanta start in February.
• Five drivers in the field are from Georgia: Brandon Jones, Austin Hill, Kyle Sieg, Ryan Sieg & Mason Massey.
• Richard Childress Racing won all three drafting track races this season and swept all six stages.
• Richard Childress Racing led 315 laps on drafting tracks this season (78%), the next closest team led 24.
• Richard Childress Racing won 11 of last 20 races on drafting tracks, all since Austin Hill joined team in 2022.
• Richard Childress Racing won seven of the last nine drafting track races (Austin Hill-5, Jesse Love 2).
• Three of last four drafting track races featured last-lap passes for the win.
• Justin Allgaier’s 28 career wins are 9^th on the all-time wins list and one away from tying Matt Kenseth.
• Justin Allgaier is seven top 10s away from 300 in his career, he would be the first driver with 300 top 10s.
• Justin Allgaier leads all drivers with 10 top-five finishes and 648 laps led in 2025.
• Justin Allgaier’s 10 top-five finishes in 2025 are his most ever after 16 races in a season.
• Justin Allgaier won the Fastest Lap Award five times this season, no other driver has more than two.
• Sam Mayer is the only driver to finish top-15 in 13 of 16 races this season.
• Five races this year ended with a last lap pass.
• Four of the last six races this season had a pass for the win in the final five laps.
• Seven of the 16 races this season have gone to overtime.
• Chevrolet led 2,197 of 2,801 laps this season.
• Chevrolet won 14 of 16 races, the most all time by a manufacturer through 16 races in series history.
• 2025 is the first season since 2003 without a first-time winner in the first 16 races.

Significant Events at EchoPark Speedway:

• 1958 – The Atlanta Constitution reported on April 8, 1958, that the First Georgia Securities Corporation, under the leadership of President Richard W. King, had unveiled plans to construct a $1 million racing complex known as Atlanta International Raceway.
• 1959 – A NASCAR-sanctioned race at Atlanta International Raceway, initially planned for November 22, 1959, was postponed due to construction delays and rescheduled for March 27, 1960.
• September 17, 1959 – The groundbreaking ceremony for Atlanta International Raceway occurred.
• June 1960 – The first NASCAR Cup Series race at EchoPark Speedway, initially scheduled for late 1959, was held in June 1960 due to construction delays caused by bad weather.
• 1962 – First Movie Production – EchoPark Speedway was first used for movie production in the 1962 film Thundering Wheels, featuring driver Jack Smith.
• 1965 – In 1965, track owner Bruce Weaver revealed plans for a $500,000 dragstrip to be added at EchoPark Speedway.
• 1968 – In December 1968, Atlanta International Raceway merged with Michigan International Speedway, owned by Lawrence LoPatin. The merger included a $1 million investment for renovations, including a repaving, new dragstrip, expanded seating, and amenity upgrades.
• 1976 – After five years of bankruptcy proceedings, Atlanta International Raceway was officially turned over to a five-man board of directors on March 10, 1976. The move marked the end of a turbulent period for the speedway, with Jim Baker, Walter Nix, and L.G. DeWitt assuming majority ownership.
• 1980 – EchoPark Speedway was featured in the film Smokey and the Bandit II in 1980.
• 1982 – EchoPark Speedway was featured in the film Six Pack, directed by Daniel Petrie.
• 1983 – EchoPark Speedway was used in the 1983 Hal Needham-directed film Stroker Ace.
• 1986 – In January 1986, Mike Helton announced $3 million in renovations ahead of the 1986 The Winston event. These improvements were part of efforts to enhance the EchoPark Speedway’s facilities.
• 1990 – Motorsports mogul Bruton Smith (Speedway Motorsports) purchased the Atlanta International Raceway in 1990, renaming it to Atlanta Motor Speedway and leading the facility’s expansion and renovation under longtime general manager Ed Clark.
• 1992 – In September 1992, the newly constructed 2.5-mile road course at EchoPark Speedway held its first races. This course included both the oval and specialized infield portions.
• 1993 – In 1993, Ed Clark announced a three-year plan to expand EchoPark Speedway’s capacity to 180,000. This plan included the construction of Tara Place, a new condominium complex.
• 1997 – EchoPark Speedway underwent a reconfiguration and repave in 1997. Developers added a 1⁄4 mile oval to EchoPark Speedway’s frontstretch in 1997 to accommodate legends car racing.
• 2005 – In July 2005, an F2 tornado caused by Hurricane Cindy hit EchoPark Speedway, causing an estimated $40 million in damage to its grandstands, condominium complex, and other amenities.
• 2017 – EchoPark Speedway served as an evacuee center during Hurricane Irma in 2017.
• 2017 – In 2017, the film Logan Lucky used EchoPark Speedway as a stand-in for Charlotte Motor Speedway.
• 2018 – In 2018, EchoPark Speedway provided shelter for evacuees during Hurricanes Florence and Michael.
• 2021 – On July 6, 2021, a repave and subsequent reconfiguration of EchoPark Speedway were officially announced. The changes included increasing banking in the turns and narrowing the racing surface.
• In 2021, the Atlanta Marathon was held at EchoPark Speedway due to COVID-19 restrictions, and America’s Got Talent: Extreme filmed its first season at the facility.
• 2022-2023 – EchoPark Speedway again served as an evacuee center, this time during Hurricane Ian and Idalia.

Historical EchoPark Speedway Information:

• From the first race in 1960 through the SMI era the track came to be defined by weather, often all bad. The first race scheduled for late 1959 was not run until the following July because bad weather delayed construction.
• An incomplete facility and muddy conditions greeted the 25,000 fans who saw Fireball Roberts win the inaugural NASCAR event.
• Rain impacted the race weekends for much of the remainder of the decade that contributed to the worsening financial condition and eventual bankruptcy in the 1970s.
• Among the numerous presidents and general managers of the track in its first 30 years was Vice Chairman of NASCAR Mike Helton who served as general manager in 1985-86.
• In a most bizarre occurrence, the 1993 spring race was postponed when the eastern seaboard got buried in over a foot of snow.
• In recent years, the track was hit by hurricanes and tornados. The September 2011 race was set to go at 9:15 PM when it started raining. Based on the forecast for Monday that tropical storm Lee would persist all day, it was ultimately postponed until Tuesday.
• In 1990, SMI acquired the track. Since then, it has undergone a complete transformation from one of the original 1960s undercapitalized superspeedways to one of the most modern and fastest tracks.
• In the fall of 1997, the most dramatic change in the track’s history was made when the original 1.5 mile symmetrical oval was remodeled into the current 1.54 quad oval with the front stretch and backstretch switched.
• In 2013 Goodyear debuted a tire technology at AMS. The right side tire featured Multi-Zone Tread Technology, which combined two different rubber compounds in a single tread. With the combination of the high wear abrasive surface and the high speed, AMS had proved to be one of the most challenging tracks for Goodyear.
• The season ending race was scheduled at Atlanta from 1986 to 2001 (became next to last in 2001 due to the postponement of the New Hampshire race). In 2002, at management’s request, the fall race was moved back a month to October in anticipation of better weather.
• In 2009, the fall race was moved to the Labor Day weekend and the track hosted its first night race. Beginning in 2011, the track’s traditional spring race was dropped from the schedule. From 2012 to 2020 Atlanta held one race a year, with that single event being the 2nd race of the schedule from 2015 to 2019.
• Starting in 2021 Atlanta gained a second date, and the second race was run during the summer
• In 2025, the track was renamed to EchoPark Speedway..