NASCAR Cup Series News & Notes – EchoPark Speedway, Atlanta

NASCAR Cup Series

Next Race: Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart
The Place: EchoPark Speedway
Track Length: 1.54 Mile Asphalt Paved Oval
The Date: Saturday, June 28
The Time: 7 p.m. ET
The Purse: $11,055,250
TV: TNT, 6:30 p.m. ET
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 400.4 miles (260 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 60),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 160), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 260)

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:

• Just nine NASCAR Cup Series regular season races remain before the Playoffs.
• This weekend marks the 123rd running of a NASCAR Cup Series race at EchoPark Speedway (1960-2025), and the seventh Atlanta race on the new surface and configuration.
• Atlanta held two races a year from 1960-2010 except for 1961 when three races were held. Atlanta held one race a year from 2011-2020, then starting in 2021 it once again hosted two races a year.
• Beginning in 2023, both Atlanta races were shortened to 400 miles.
• In four of the last six Atlanta races, the final stage had five or more cautions including the last three races.
• The driver who led the most laps won the first three races at Atlanta in the drafting track configuration, yet in the last four races has not finished better than 10th.
• Christopher Bell led only the final lap in his win at Atlanta in February, the fewest for an Atlanta winner since September 1961 (David Pearson).
• The race winner didn’t lead for the first time until Lap 167 or later in each of the last four Atlanta races.
• The seven races on the new track configuration had a combined 65 cautions (average of 9.2 per race), the seven races prior to the change had a combined 33 cautions.
• The final green flag stretch was five laps or less in five of the last six Atlanta races.
• Four of the seven races at the new Atlanta ended under caution.
• The pass for the win came in the final two laps in five of the last six races at Atlanta, and on the final lap in three of the last five races.
• Ford has won the pole for all five races on the drafting track configuration at Atlanta.
• Ford won nine of the last 10 stages at Atlanta.
• Ryan Blaney finished in the top-10 in the last six Atlanta races, the longest active streak at the track and his longest active streak at a single track.
• Kyle Busch finished top-10 in all five races at Atlanta with Richard Childress Racing, his most at a track since moving to the #8 car.
• Kyle Larson failed to finish five of the seven races at Atlanta due to accidents.
• A total of 50 different drivers have won at Atlanta in the NCS. This weekend, nine of the 50 EchoPark Speedway race winners are entered in the event.

• Kyle Larson’s average finish of 26.0 at Atlanta is his worst among all tracks with multiple starts in the Next Gen era.
• William Byron (two) and Joey Logano (two) are the only repeat winners in the seven drafting track configuration races at Atlanta.
• Since 2023, Team Penske led 1,060 laps on drafting tracks – more than three times the laps led by any other team.
• Hendrick Motorsports leads all teams with six wins on drafting tracks in the Nex Gen era.
• Team Penske is the only team with three different drivers to win a drafting track race in the Next Gen era.
• With Austin Cindric’s win at Talladega, Team Penske has won at least once on a drafting track in 12 straight seasons (2014-2025).
• Each of the last three races on drafting tracks ended with a last lap pass, tied for the longest ever streak of last lap passes on drafting tracks.
• Three of Kyle Larson’s four top-five finishes on drafting tracks came in the last four races.
• Front Row Motorsports won the pole for six of the last eight races on drafting tracks, Michael McDowell won the pole for five of them.
• Denny Hamlin’s six top-two finishes in 2025 are tied for his most through 17 races with 2020.
• Denny Hamlin ranks third in regular season points despite missing a race.
• Chase Elliott finished top-five in the last two races, his longest streak of top-fives in 2025.
• Joey Logano will make his 450th career Cup start with Team Penske at Atlanta joining Rusty Wallace as the only two drivers to reach this milestone with the organization (Logano lived in the condos at Atlanta when he was younger).
• Three drivers have won on their 450th Cup start: Kyle Busch (Bristol, 2017), Jimmie Johnson (Michigan, 2014) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Michigan, 2012).
• Tyler Reddick will make his 200th career Cup Series start this weekend, four drivers won in their 200th start, most recently Kevin Harvick at Watkins Glen in 2006
• Ryan Preece is the first driver out of the Playoffs on points at 20 point points back, Ryan Newman is the only driver to point into the Playoffs in the final nine races during the stage era from more than three points back (he was 20 points back in 2019 following race #17 while also driving for Roush).
• Chris Buescher finished top-10 in the last three races, his longest Cup top-10 streak is four races.
• This season has produced 412 total lead changes at Start/Finish line – The sixth-most through the first 17 races of a season in the modern era (1972-2025); record is 439 in 2011.
• 12 different Cup Series pole winners in 2025 – tied with 1997, 2010, 2011 and 2012 for the series-most in the modern era (1972-2025).
• 11 different Cup Series winners in 2025 – tied for the third-most in the modern era (1972-2025), the record is 14 different winners through the first 17 races, set in 2003.

Understanding the In-Season Challenge:

• The top 32 in driver points following Nashville are eligible (Shane van Gisbergen, Cole Custer, Riley Herbst and Cody Ware failed to qualify among full-time drivers)
• Three races (Michigan, Mexico City, Pocono) established the seeding for the challenge based on the best driver finishing positions over those races. Tiebreakers were decided by the second-best finish and then the third-best finish among those races.
• The first of five races for the In-Season Challenge is Atlanta, with drivers competing in a bracket-style tournament until the final two drivers face off in the finale at Indianapolis with the best-finishing driver winning $1 million.
• Plus, the NASCAR Fantasy game puts fans in control of projecting the winners in each round. Complete a perfect bracket and win $1 million – just like the winning driver of the In-Season Challenge. Additional prizes will be awarded to top performers.

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..