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Hendrick Motorsports exec suggests teams ‘could do’ significant NASCAR horsepower increase

Some of the biggest NASCAR news this season came out this past week when executives suggested there could be an increase in horsepower later this season. While the potential increase would only be under specific circumstances, Hendrick Motorsports is highlighting the possibility for even more. During an appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports vice president […]

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Some of the biggest NASCAR news this season came out this past week when executives suggested there could be an increase in horsepower later this season. While the potential increase would only be under specific circumstances, Hendrick Motorsports is highlighting the possibility for even more.

During an appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports vice president of powertrain Scott Maxim shed light on the feasibility for engine manufacturers to increase horsepower. Manufacturers already ‘have a pretty good understanding’ of what changes need to be made to get to 750 horsepower. If NASCAR wants to open the door for even more, it would require significantly more changes, but could be done.

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Related: NASCAR execs suggest horsepower increase might come later this season

“If we were to have a higher target than [750] then that would require some more extensive changes, which we could do.”

Hendrick Motorsports VP of Powertrain Scott Maxim on increasing NASCAR horsepower in the Cup Series

NASCAR started reducing horsepower in 2015, with a vision of creating a more even playing field between teams. There was a progressive decline from over 800 horsepower (2014) to 750 horsepower (2015) followed by a steep reduction to 550 horsepower and then a slight increase to 670 horsepower in 2022 with the introduction of the Next Gen car.

The sport’s executives got what they wanted, with the field of cars running closer together to create the visual of closer races. However, the quality of races has decreased considerably in recent seasons, with the Next Gen car largely only performing well at mile-and-a-half tracks.

Also Read: Reporter shares when Corey Heim could become a full-time Cup Series driver

Teams, drivers and fans have been calling for a horsepower increase ever since. While NASCAR’s original idea created a more even playing field, teams like Hendrick Motorsports eventually found other advantages. So, while the top teams are winning more consistently, the quality of the races still hasn’t improved and passing remains down.

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For the time being, NASCAR officials are only leaving the door open to raising horsepower to 750 on short-track courses. It’s viewed as a starting point by drivers and fans, hopefully the beginning of further increases across all tracks in 2026 and beyond.

Related: NASCAR standings for Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Truck Series

If NASCAR horsepower increases to 750 this season, it should lead to more passing and would be a good test run to see if the change should be approved for all tracks. From there, teams and NASCAR officials can have discussions this offseason about long-term changes.

At the very least, between discussions of increasing horsepower and NASCAR proposing that teams can make limited alterations to the cars for the All-Star Race, it’s clear there’s at least a chance at meaningful change. It might not mean immediate improvements, but it’s a step in the right direction after fans and drivers felt years of frustration were effectively ignored.

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Also Read: Insider reveals Denny Hamlin’s future with Joe Gibbs Racing

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Niece Motorsports NCTS Race Recap: Lime Rock Park – Speedway Digest

No. 42 J.F. Electric / Utilitra Chevrolet Silverado RSTDriver: Matt Mills | Crew Chief: Mike ShiplettMatt Mills Racing@MattMillsRacing@MattMillsRacingWebsiteStart: 21stStage 1: 23rdStage 2: 24thFinish: 26thDriver Points: 19thOwner Points: 24th Key Takeaway: Matt Mills and the No. 42 team fought hard all afternoon at Lime Rock, but lost all their track position after going off course at […]

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No. 42 J.F. Electric / Utilitra Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Matt Mills | Crew Chief: Mike Shiplett
Matt Mills Racing
@MattMillsRacing
@MattMillsRacing
Website
Start: 21st
Stage 1: 23rd
Stage 2: 24th
Finish: 26th
Driver Points: 19th
Owner Points: 24th

  • Key Takeaway: Matt Mills and the No. 42 team fought hard all afternoon at Lime Rock, but lost all their track position after going off course at the end of the race. Mills started the 100-lap event in 21st, and battled a tight-handling truck in the opening two stages. After making wholesale changes to the setup ahead of the final stage, the J.F. Electric Chevy gained speed. Unfortunately for Mills, once he locked up the brakes and slid off in turn one, his results were shot down, finishing in 26th.
  • Matt Mills’ Post-Race Thoughts: “By the end there, I felt like we made up some ground. The first two stages, we were struggling being really tight. The third stage, we actually made some adjustments that seemed to really make the truck react to it a lot better. Turn one just kept kicking my butt all weekend. I went off once in practice and three more times in the race and then back. The third time we got stuck. We couldn’t get pulled out and lost a couple of laps, and that just kind of killed our day. It was so hard to pass, but I felt like we don’t have that moment, we’re right there with the No. 44. We were running with them all day. I should have ended up the top 10, but we’ll just move onto IRP.”

About J.F. Electric: J.F. Electric is an electrical contractor that provides engineering expertise, backed by construction and installation know-how in a diverse range of service offerings, from utilities and commercial projects, to industrial and telecommunications customers. When having a long family history in an industry, a company not only builds on its knowledge and experience, it takes pride in cultivating a solid understanding of client needs, all the while nurturing strong relationships with its employees. Evolving through five generations of the Fowler family, J.F. Electric has matured into a well-managed and thoughtfully diversified electrical contractor which is poised to continue its growth and expansion into the future.

About Utilitra: Utilitra is a woman-owned firm specializing in utility and technology solutions with a diverse team of specialized professionals. Utilitra is committed to solving their client’s unique challenges, whether one expert or a team of experts is needed. By adapting to the needs of their respective industries, Utilitra has built a range of services for their utility and technology partners.
No. 44 Trim-Tex Drywall Solutions Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Josh Bilicki | Crew Chief: Wally Rogers
Josh Bilicki Racing
@JoshBilicki
@JoshBilicki
Website
Start: 18th
Stage 1: 21st
Stage 2: 18th
Finish: 7th
Driver Points: N/A
Owner Points: 17th

  • Key Takeaway: Josh Bilicki and the No. 44 team successfully parlayed a mid-range day into a top-10 finish. Bilicki qualified 18th and noted that his truck lacked front end grip in the opening two stages, but the team made big swings on adjustments to make it better. Not afraid to think outside the box, Wally Rogers called for a four-tire pit stop with five laps left in the race. Once chaos ensued on the opening lap, Bilicki maneuvered his way around the carnage to sneak away in seventh-place.
  • Josh Bilicki’s Post-Race Thoughts: Interviewer: You made a nice run in the final five laps to finish seventh out here today. The key was that final caution out there for you. You guys came in, took some fresh tires. What was it like over the final five laps out there?

“Yeah, we needed that. You know, we made a lot of changes throughout the race and still were tight. We were probably a 15th-place race car. It was hard to pass, so we were running in 19th when that caution came out. We were the first ones to come in, so props to Wally (Rogers) and our guys to making that call because that saved our race. We were the first ones on fresh tires, so I kind of knew that we’d get a good restart, but I didn’t expect to go from 19th to seventh in a lap.

We definitely could have had more there at the end, but I’m not the guy to go run over people. But we were definitely fast and in the game. We were faster than the next couple trucks in front of us. I played it smart, because if I move these guys and they come back on track behind me, who’s to say they’re not going to move me back and we go from sixth to 20th? So, I just wanted to play smart; It was a good point to say for us. Again, props to these guys for making that call because I don’t think we would have gotten to seventh had not happened.”

About Trim-Tex: Trim-Tex Drywall Solutions, a world recognized manufacturer of drywall corner bead and accessories, is no stranger to the motorsports industry. Along with their CEO, Joe Koenig, Trim-Tex has been involved in the motorsports industry as a sponsor, team owner, and a competitor for nearly three decades.

About Lemons of Love: Lemons of Love is a nonprofit organization that delivers care packages to individuals undergoing cancer treatment to provide comfort and support. Each package is thoughtfully filled with items that help ease the side effects of chemotherapy and remind recipients they’re not alone. In addition to care packages, Lemons of Love offers free programs and resources to build community and spread hope.
No. 45 DQS Solutions & Staffing Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Kaden Honeycutt | Crew Chief: Phil Gould
Kaden Honeycutt Racing
@KadenWHoneycutt
@KadenHoneycutt10
Website
Start: 6th
Stage 1: 6th
Stage 2: 6th
Finish: 12th
Driver Points: 5th
Owner Points: 5th

  • Key Takeaway: Kaden Honeycutt and the No. 45 team had impressive speed all throughout the day in Lime Rock, but were collected in a crash on the final restart. Honeycutt started sixth and finished there in both stages, earning a total of 10 extra points. The team appeared to be en route to a top-five there at the end, but were punted off the race track and had to settle back in 12th-place.
  • Kaden Honeycutt’s Post-Race Thoughts:

“We were pretty solid the whole day, man. We were in fifth to sixth all day and I couldn’t be more proud of my team. I’m proud of Phil, everyone at Niece Motorsports, DQS, Precision, AutoVentive, J.F. Electric, and Utilitra. I just got cleaned out on the last restart. We’re running top-five all the way going to turn one, and the end was just a typical truck road course race. You just get plowed into, and this stuff happens. Thankfully, we finished sixth in both stages and got points and finished 12th. So, it wasn’t a terrible day, but I put a lot of time and effort into this, and to not have the result like we were supposed to, it’s really frustrating. Going onto IRP, we got some weeks off for my guys to go and chill and just have a good couple weeks to themselves and come back swinging. Only three races left to keep in the Playoffs.”

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Sanchez scores first career Xfinity win at EchoPark Speedway

Nick Sanchez charged to the front after a restart with seven laps left in Friday night’s Focused Health 250 and held off fellow Sunoco rookie Carson Kvapil to secure his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory. Sanchez, who rallied from a spin through the frontstretch grass at EchoPark Speedway on lap 68, lost the top spot […]

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Nick Sanchez charged to the front after a restart with seven laps left in Friday night’s Focused Health 250 and held off fellow Sunoco rookie Carson Kvapil to secure his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory.

Sanchez, who rallied from a spin through the frontstretch grass at EchoPark Speedway on lap 68, lost the top spot to Jesse Love on the final restart on lap 157 of 163, but regained it on the following circuit.

Sanchez spent the next five laps doing everything in his power to keep Kvapil behind him. The win earned the 24-year-old from Miami, Fla., a berth in the Xfinity Series Playoffs.

“It’s a weight lifted off my shoulders, that’s for sure,” Sanchez said after climbing from his car on the frontstretch. “Now we can go chase checkered flags.”

Kvapil was lined up in front of third-place finisher Sam Mayer, fourth-place Connor Zilisch and fifth-place Taylor Gray as he chased Sanchez over the closing laps, trying to find a way around the race winner.

“To be that close really does sting,” said Kvapil, who started from the rear of the field after unapproved adjustments to his No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. “I couldn’t really generate a run there. I didn’t feel like we had enough cars nose-to-tail and organized.

“We were all kind of just too far away from each other. I tried backing up on the last lap… I probably could have made a move earlier. I just felt like, if we got side-by-side, we’d get swallowed up by somebody.”

For his part, Sanchez was fortunate his No. 48 Big Machine Racing Chevrolet sustained minimal damage on the slide through the grass, which caused the fourth of nine cautions.

“I’m still a little embarrassed about that,” Sanchez said. “It was certainly a rookie mistake, but we rebounded.”

It was after midnight when Sanchez took the checkered flag, thanks to some threatening weather near the 1.54-mile track. Lightning forced NASCAR to halt the race after 36 laps.

After a delay of one hour, 18 minutes, 55 seconds, the race resumed. Sheldon Creed, who led the first 37 laps from the pole, tried to flip the stage by pitting under caution after the resumption, but the strategy backfired.

Creed was one of 10 drivers involved in a massive wreck on the backstretch moments after a restart on Lap 41. Contact from Sanchez turned Jesse Love across traffic near the front of the field.

Love’s Chevrolet collided with Ryan Sieg’s Ford, turning it into the outside wall. A broken axle eliminated Sieg’s No. 39 RSS Racing Ford. Other victims included series leader Justin Allgaier, who exited the race in 31st place, Sammy Smith, Katherine Legge, Patrick Staropoli, Jeb Burton and Christian Eckes.

Creed, credited with 32nd place, suffered his fifth DNF in the last nine races and sixth of the season.

“It was probably the best car I’ve had all year,” Creed said ruefully after leaving the infield care center. “Just really fast, could control lanes and felt really good up front. So we were just trying to keep ourselves up front by short-pitting there, and it didn’t work out.”

Notes: Sanchez led 32 laps to Aric Almirola’s 48 and Creed’s 37… The nine cautions put the race under yellow for 58 laps… Mayer was the only non-rookie to finish in the top five… Love, Almirola, Daniel Dye, Kyle Sieg and Jeremy Clements finished sixth through 10th, respectively… Austin Hill, trying for his fourth straight win at EchoPark Speedway, lost six laps early with fuel pickup issues and finished 26th.

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Live NASCAR Cup race updates: Big wreck takes out major contenders at EchoPark Atlanta

HAMPTON, Ga. — A big wreck has taken out major contenders for the win in stage two of the NASCAR Cup Series’ Quaker State 400 at EchoPark Speedway Atlanta. The big one collected involved seven of the top-10 drivers in the first stage, including stage one winner Austin Cindric. Follow here for live race updates […]

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HAMPTON, Ga. — A big wreck has taken out major contenders for the win in stage two of the NASCAR Cup Series’ Quaker State 400 at EchoPark Speedway Atlanta.

The big one collected involved seven of the top-10 drivers in the first stage, including stage one winner Austin Cindric. Follow here for live race updates on the NASCAR Cup Series’ Quaker State 400.

STAGE TWO

LAP 123: Alex Bowman is now battling Chris Buescher for the lead. TNT reports Bowman has had pain on the side of his body from his back down his leg after his crash at Michigan earlier this month.

LAP 120: Alex Bowman and Tyler Reddick are trading the lead back and forth.

LAP 115: Ty Gibbs lost a lot of ground on pit road. Tyler Reddick emerged with the lead.

CAUTION, LAP 111: Riley Herbst has crashed and collected Todd Gilliland. Everyone can make it to the end of stage on fuel from here. Carson Hocevar is now back on the lead lap after almost unlapping himself.

TOP-10: Gibbs, Buescher, Reddick, Elliott, Bowman, Zane Smith, Ty Dillon, Haley, John Hunter Nemechek, Keselowski.

LAP 104: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. gets into Erik Jones in the middle of turns three and four and hits the wall. Stenhouse has a bent toe link now.

LAP 93: Ty Gibbs goes back to the lead. He and Chris Buescher are trading the lead with Tyler Reddick in tow.

Connor Zilisch runs 10th in just his third career start.

LAP 91: Only two winners this season are running on the lead lap — Shane van Gisbergen and Kyle Larson. The chance of this race producing a new winner this season is 92% with 25 lead-lap cars.

LAP 86: Riley Herbst goes to the lead over Ty Gibbs. Tyler Reddick takes it two laps later.

LAP 82: Ty Gibbs goes to the lead ahead of Chris Buescher. Chase Elliott is up to the top-5. Tyler Reddick is up to third after a pit road penalty.

TOP-10, LAP 76 RESTART: Chris Buescher, Ty Gibbs, Riley Herbst, Shane van Gisbergen, Chase Elliott, Justin Haley, Zane Smith, Todd Gilliland, Connor Zilisch, Austin Dillon.

The big one has struck! Seeing Austin Cindric, Kyle Busch, William Byron, Daniel Suarez, Corey LaJoie, Ross Chastain, Ryan Preece, Chris Buescher, Bubba Wallace, Denny Hamlin, John Hunter Nemechek, Brad Keselowski, Alex Bowman, Carson Hocevar, Cody Ware, Connor Zilisch, Chase Briscoe, Noah Gragson, Kyle Larson, Michael McDowell, Riley Herbst, Erik Jones, BJ McLeod involved in the wreck on lap 70.

Chastain, Logano, Byron, Hamlin, Cindric, Suarez, Briscoe, Berry and LaJoie are in the garage getting repairs. Wallace, McDowell and Hocevar are off of the lead lap after getting damage.

LAP 68: Chase Elliott, Chris Buescher, Justin Haley, Ty Gibbs, John Hunter Nemechek, Tyler Reddick, Denny Hamlin, Zane Smith and Todd Gilliland stayed out and now comprise the top-nine spots. Shane van Gisbergen, who came off pit road first, is 10th. Stage one winner Austin Cindric is outside of the top-15.

The second stage is 100 laps and will end on lap 160. Ryan Blaney won’t contest the stage win after crashing at the end of the first stage.

“I couldn’t see much. I tried to get to the apron and by the time I got there, I was blocked. Story of my year, get caught up in someone’s garbage. Whenever we get something going, we have something like that happen. That’s the way it goes sometimes,” Blaney said after his sixth DNF of the 2025 season.

STAGE ONE WINNER: Austin Cindric

Photo by Dominic Aragon/TRE

STAGE ONE TOP-10 (LAP 60): Austin Cindric, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, William Byron, Carson Hocevar, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Josh Berry, Bubba Wallace, Shane van Gisbergen, Chase Elliott. Cindric took the lead on lap 49 and led three times for eight laps at the end of the stage to claim the 10 bonus points and a playoff point.

LAP 57: Brad Keselowski goes for the lead and takes it briefly but Austin Cindric gets out in front as Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney and Austin Dillon crash in turn four. A.J. Allmendinger, Kyle Larson and Connor Zilisch also got in the crash. Blaney is likely done for the day after a hard hit.

LAP 49: Austin Cindric takes the lead from Joey Logano to take the lead away from him for the first time all day. Logano led the first 48 laps. Cindric leads for three, Logano takes it back as they jostle for the lead.

Joey Logano, Austin Cindric, Josh Berry, Brad Keselowski, William Byron, Carson Hocevar and Kyle Larson stayed out from first and seventh. Austin Dillon, Michael McDowell and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. also stayed out and round out the top-10. They ran 13th, 31st and 32nd before this.

The red flag is lifted and the field is back under caution. Here are the biggest movers so far:

  • Carson Hocevar +24 to 6th
  • Christopher Bell +19 to 9th
  • William Byron +13 to 5th
  • Shane van Gisbergen +12 to 23rd
  • Chase Briscoe -29 to 39th
  • Cole Custer -27 to 34th
  • Justin Haley -13 to 35th
  • Zane Smith -10 to 18th

Full running order under red flag, lap 43 of 60 in the first stage.

  1. Joey Logano
  2. Austin Cindric +2 positions since the start
  3. Josh Berry -1 position since the start
  4. Brad Keselowski +2
  5. William Byron +13
  6. Carson Hocevar +24
  7. Kyle Larson +4
  8. Ryan Preece -3
  9. Christopher Bell +19
  10. Ryan Blaney -7
  11. Chase Elliott +4
  12. Alex Bowman -3
  13. Austin Dillon -1
  14. Ty Gibbs +2
  15. John Hunter Nemechek +3
  16. A.J. Allmendinger +5
  17. Ty Dillon -3
  18. Zane Smith -10
  19. Todd Gilliland -2
  20. Chris Buescher -7
  21. Bubba Wallace +3
  22. Daniel Suarez +9
  23. Shane van Gisbergen +12
  24. Ross Chastain +10
  25. Kyle Busch +4
  26. Tyler Reddick -3
  27. Erik Jones -1
  28. Riley Herbst -8
  29. Noah Gragson -2
  30. Corey LaJoie -5
  31. Michael McDowell +1
  32. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. +5
  33. Denny Hamlin
  34. Cole Custer -27
  35. Justin Haley -13
  36. BJ McLeod +2
  37. Connor Zilisch -1
  38. Cody Ware +1
  39. Chase Briscoe -29
  40. David Starr (-2 laps)

LAP 37: Caution flies for rain. Joey Logano leads Austin Cindric, Josh Berry, Brad Keselowski, William Byron, Kyle Larson, Carson Hocevar, Ryan Preece, Christopher Bell and Ryan Blaney.

NASCAR officials: “Light rain all the way around the track but no change to the surface.”

Chase Briscoe fell back to 39th with a tight-handling car. He says, “The spike is worse on the bottom but the rest of the corner is variable. As soon as I get to throttle, the load feels like a broken toe link.” Briscoe reports he hit the wall on the first lap and is struggling with the bumps.

LAP 32: Joey Logano has led every lap but Josh Berry and Brad Keselowski are all over Logano. One lap, it’s Berry going to the inside of Logano. One lap, it’s Keselowski. Another lap, it’s one of them going to the outside. It’s a close battle for the lead.

LAP 25: No one has moved through the field more than Carson Hocevar. Hocevar started 30th and has moved up to sixth.

Brad Keselowski caught up to the top-four driver and is trying to break them up. He is somewhat successful and looks for second.

Tyler Reddick reports he is, “really tight,” along with other drivers.

Ryan Blaney clears Brad Keselowski from the inside lane. the charge from Keselowski on back is dying out. Cole Custer challenges Ryan Preece for position and Preece takes it. Everyone is spaced out some but still racing closely. Handling is a clear factor.

TOP-10, LAP 10: Joey Logano, Josh Berry, Austin Cindric, Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski, Ryan Preece, Zane Smith, Alex Bowman, Cole Custer, Chris Buescher.

Justin Haley dropped back to 36th from 22nd. TNT revealed radio transmission that Haley drank an energy drink before getting in the car.

LAP 1: Joey Logano leads with Josh Berry and Austin Cindric in tow. Ryan Blaney runs behind his teammates but Brad Keselowski is challenging with help from teammate and driver Ryan Preece.

The engines are fired and drivers are ready to roll for the NASCAR Cup Series’ Quaker State 400 at EchoPark Speedway Atlanta. The first stage is 60 laps in length.

On average, there is at least one caution in stage one. Three of the seven stage one winners on this configuration of Atlanta have gone on to win the race. There is an average of around 9-10 cautions in Cup races at Atlanta.

RACE START

Joey Logano and Josh Berry tied for the pole but Logano won the tiebreaker to lead eight Ford drivers to the green flag. Alex Bowman and Chase Briscoe start ninth and tenth as the only non-Ford drivers in the top-10.

Joey Logano has won seven NASCAR Cup Series races from the pole — most recently in March 2023 at this track. Logano has won a pole in 14 of his 17 seasons.

NASCAR provided TRE with the following information the 2025 Quaker State 400 at EchoPark:

  • Broadcast: TNT Sports, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
  • Distance: 260 laps / 400.4 miles
  • Stages: 60 / 160 / 260
  • Average time of race: 3:14:15
  • Pit road speed: Sections 1 and 2: 90 mph / Other sections: 45 mph
  • Caution car speed: 55 mph
  • Fuel Window: 65 laps

Here is when everything will start:

  • Invocation: 7:00:20 p.m.
  • National Anthem: 7:01:00 p.m.
  • Command: 7:08:00 p.m.
  • Green Flag: 7:19:00 p.m.

The track was under a 30-minute lightning hold as of 5:36 p.m. ET. However, this isn’t expected to bleed into the scheduled start of the race.



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Live leaderboard, updates, results for Atlanta

‘It was 100% real’: Jeff Gordon on his rivalry with Dale Earnhardt Sr. NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon takes us inside his rivalry with Dale Earnhardt Sr. Sports Seriously An exciting night of racing is on tap in Hampton, Georgia, as EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway) hosts a prime-time NASCAR Cup Series race that will […]

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An exciting night of racing is on tap in Hampton, Georgia, as EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway) hosts a prime-time NASCAR Cup Series race that will also serve as the first round of the inaugural NASCAR In-Season Challenge.

Priority No. 1 for the full field of drivers on the high-speed, high intensity oval: take the checkered flag in the Quaker State 400 and celebrate in victory lane. But for the 32 drivers that are participating in the in-season tournament, there is a second priority: outduel your head-to-head opponent and advance to the second round.

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe earned the top two seeds in the In-Season Challenge and will face the No. 32 and No. 31 seeds, respectively, but there are 14 other intriguing matchups to follow during the race as drivers endeavor to finish better than their opponent and compete again next week on the streets of Chicago in the tournament’s Sweet 16.

In the meantime, there are stages to win, regular-season and playoffs points to amass and a burnout to be had for the winning driver.

USA TODAY Sports will have coverage of the Quaker State 400 at EchoPark Speedway. Follow along for all the action and results:

Chris Buescher and Ty Gibbs led the field to green for the restart of Stage 2. More than 10 cars are either out of the race or in the garage.

Joey Logano joined Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney with an early exit from the Quaker State 400 after his crew was unable to repair the big damage from the multicar crash to open Stage 2. NASCAR points leader William Byron was also in the garage along with last week’s leader Chase Briscoe and Trackhouse racing teammates Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez.

Moments after the green flag waved to start Stage 2, the Big One unfolded at EchoPark Speedway after Denny Hamlin made contact with John Hunter Nemechek, causing a massive crash that engulfed a large chunk of the field. Both cars had begun the second segement in the Top 10, so multiple rows racing behind them were collected.

Hamlin, the No. 1 seed in the inaugural NASCAR In-Season Challenge, was towed to the garage as was Stage 1 winner Austin Cindric after both suffered major damage. Pole winner Joey Logano also sustained major damage. An estimated 23 cars were involved in the crash, which will have big implications for the first round of the Challenge.

NASCAR displayed the red flag on Lap 70 of 260 to tow cars off the track and clean up the oval.

Chase Elliott and Chris Buescher led the field to green on a restart on Lap 69 of 260 to begin Stage 2 of the Quaker State 400 at EchoPark Speedway. The second and third segments are each scheduled for 100 laps.

Christopher Bell got loose with three laps remaining in the 60-lap opening stage between Turn 3 and Turn 4 to trigger a multicar crash and bring out the caution flag. Ryan Blaney, Kyle Larson, Bubba Wallace, Austin Dillon, Kyle Busch and AJ Allmendinger were among the drivers who sustained some damage. Blaney exited his car, ending his race, after a hard hit into the outside wall. It was Blaney’s sixth DNF this season.

The stage finished under caution with Austin Cindric winning the opening segment. He was followed by Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, William Byron, and Carson Hocevar in the top five. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Josh Berry, Shane Van Gisbergen, Chase Elliott and Wallace rounded out the Top 10.

Joey Logano and Austin Cindric led the field to green following a roughly 15-minute delay for weather. The majority of cars came down pit road prior to the restart for fuel, tires and/or adjustments, including Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, Kyle Busch, Bubba Wallace, Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin. But the leaders stayed out. There are 12 laps remaining in the first stage.

As the race remains under a weather delay at EchoPark Speedway, NASCAR officials displayed the red flag on Lap 43 and brought the cars down pit road. The rain remains light.

A light sprinkle has hit EchoPark Speedway bringing out the caution flag. Joey Logano has led every lap of the race so far. Drivers are expected to hit pit road for adjustments during the caution period.

Pole winner Joey Logano has led all 35 laps in the opening stage of the Quaker State 400. The first stage is 60 laps. Austin Cindric, Josh Berry, Brad Keselowski, William Byraon and Kyle Larson round out the top six.

The green flag has waved for the Quaker State 400 at EchoPark Speedway in Hampton, Georgia. Joey Logano in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford is on the front row alongside Josh Berry in the Wood Brothers No. 21 Ford.

How to watch NASCAR Cup race at Atlanta: TV, stream

  • Race: Quaker State 400
  • Time: 7 p.m. ET
  • Location: EchoPark Speedway (Hampton, Georgia)
  • TV: TNT, alternate telecast on truTV
  • Live stream: Sling TV

Stream the Quaker State 400 on Sling

The green flag to start the Quaker State 400 is scheduled for 7:19 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 28, at EchoPark Speedway in Hampton, Georgia.

Joey Logano won the pole for the Quaker State 400 in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford as Ford drivers took the top eight spots in qualifying. Josh Berry will start alongside Logano on the front row in the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford. Logano’s Penske teammates Ryan Blaney and Austin Cindric, qualified third and fourth, respectively, and will start on the second row.

QUAKER STATE 400 LINEUP: Full starting lineup for tonight’s race at Atlanta

The Weather Channel is calling for a 65% chance of isolated thunderstorms around the Hampton, Georgia area, with the track placed on a lightning hold around 5:30 p.m. ET and lifted just after 6 p.m. ET. If rain hits the track, it should clear out of the area later this evening, with the forecast changing to showers around 9 p.m. ET and mostly cloudy skies at 10 p.m. ET. Temperatures will drop from the low 80s to the mid-to-low 70s.

Here are the pairings for the first-round race at Echo Park Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway) on Saturday, June 28. The winner of each head-to-head matchup advances to the next round.

Top half of draw

  • No. 1 Denny Hamlin vs. No. 32 Ty Dillon
  • No. 16 Kyle Busch vs. No. 17 Brad Keselowski
  • No. 8 Alex Bowman vs. No. 25 Joey Logano
  • No. 9 Bubba Wallace vs. No. 24 Daniel Suarez
  • No. 12 John Hunter Nemechek vs. No. 21 Josh Berry
  • No. 5 Chase Elliott vs. No. 28 Austin Dillon
  • No. 13 Ross Chastain vs. No. 20 Erik Jones
  • No. 4 Christopher Bell vs. No. 29 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Bottom half of draw

  • No. 2 Chase Briscoe vs. No. 31 Noah Gragson
  • No. 15 Ryan Preece vs. No. 18 William Byron
  • No. 7 Ryan Blaney vs. No. 26 Carson Hocevar
  • No. 10 Kyle Larson vs. No. 23 Tyler Reddick
  • No. 11 Michael McDowell vs. No. 22 AJ Allmendinger
  • No. 6 Ty Gibbs vs. No. 27 Justin Haley
  • No. 14 Zane Smith vs. No. 19 Austin Cindric
  • No. 3 Chris Buescher vs. No. 30 Todd Gilliland

The NASCAR In-Season Challenge puts the 32 drivers in a bracket, which begins with 16 first-round matchups.

The No. 1 seed faces the No. 32 seed in the first round, the No. 2 seed takes on the No. 31 seed, No. 3 matches up with the. No. 30 seed, etc. The losers of the head-to-head matchups will be eliminated, and the 16 winners will advance to the second round, where the winner of the No. 1 vs. No. 32 matchup will face the winner of the No. 16 vs. No. 17 matchup, the winner of the No. 2 vs. No. 31 matchup takes on the winner of the No. 15 vs. No. 18 matchup, etc.

Like March Madness, the tournament will move from a Round of 32 to a Sweet 16 to an Elite Eight to a Final Four and finally a championship race.

  • First round: 32 drivers in 16 head-to-head matchups; 16 drivers eliminated at end of race.
  • Second round: 16 drivers in eight head-to-head matchups; eight drivers eliminated at end of race.
  • Third round: Eight drivers in four head-to-head matchups; four drivers eliminated at end of race.
  • Fourth round: Four drivers in two head-to-head matchups; two drivers eliminated at end of race.
  • Fifth round: Two drivers in a head-to-head matchup; winner wins the in-season challenge.

TOURNAMENT: Full visual NASCAR In-Season Challenge bracket

The Quaker State 400 is 260 laps around the 1.54-mile oval for a total of 400.4 miles. The race will feature three segments (laps per stage) — Stage 1: 60 laps; Stage 2: 100 laps; Stage 3: 100 laps.

The Quaker State 400 is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 28, at EchoPark Speedway in Hampton, Georgia.

All times Eastern

Round 1 — 32 drivers

  • Echo Park Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway)
  • Saturday, June 28 | 7 p.m. | TNT, truTV altcast

Round 2 — 16 drivers

  • Chicago street race
  • Sunday, July 6 | 2 p.m. | TNT, truTV altcast

Round 3 — 8 drivers

  • Sonoma Raceway
  • Sunday, July 13 | 3:30 p.m. | TNT, truTV altcast

Round 4 — 4 drivers

  • Dover Motor Speedway
  • Sunday, July 20 | 2 p.m. | TNT, truTV altcast

Round 5 championship — 2 drivers

  • Indianapolis Motor Speedway
  • Sunday, July 27 | 2 p.m. | TNT, truTV altcast

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Lime Rock Starting Lineup: June 2025 (NASCAR Truck Series)

NASCAR Truck Series starting positions for Lime Rock Park For the first time, the NASCAR Truck Series is racing in Lakeville, CT. The field is rolling to the road course of Lime Rock Park for a round of qualifying ahead of today’s race. View Lime Rock starting lineup for the NASCAR Truck Series below. Atlanta/Lime […]

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NASCAR Truck Series starting positions for Lime Rock Park

For the first time, the NASCAR Truck Series is racing in Lakeville, CT. The field is rolling to the road course of Lime Rock Park for a round of qualifying ahead of today’s race.

View Lime Rock starting lineup for the NASCAR Truck Series below.

Atlanta/Lime Rock Menu
ARCA: Prac/Qual | Race
Truck: Prac | Qual | Race
Xfinity: Qual | Race
Cup: Qual | Race

Atlanta / Lime Rock TV Schedule

Corey Heim will start from the pole position. He turned a laptime at 53.115 seconds with an average speed of 100.175mph.

Lime Rock Park
Starting Lineup
June 28, 2025
NASCAR Truck Series

Pos | Driver | Best Time

1. Corey Heim
53.115

2. Jordan Taylor
53.281

3. Layne Riggs
53.319

4. Ty Majeski
53.677

5. Brent Crews
57.082

6. Kaden Honeycutt
53.879

7. Rajah Caruth
53.727

8. Connor Mosack
54.369

9. Chandler Smith
174.850

10. Brad Perez
53.769

11. Daniel Hemric
54.188

12. Gio Ruggiero
53.873

13. Thomas Annunziata
53.893

14. Grant Enfinger
100.514

15. Tyler Ankrum
53.979

16. Cam Waters
54.515

17. Jake Garcia
54.256

18. Josh Bilicki
54.375

19. Ben Rhodes
54.456

20. Ben Maier
54.525

21. Matt Mills
54.563

22. Stewart Friesen
54.597

23. Matt Crafton
54.618

24. Tanner Gray
54.658

25. Dawson Sutton
54.808

26. Alex Labbe
54.914

27. Timmy Hill
55.105

28. Toni Breidinger
55.140

29. William Lambros
55.497

30. Frankie Muniz
55.646

31. Dale Quarterley
55.834

32. Spencer Boyd
56.520

33. Wesley Slimp
56.548

34. Jake Wood
To Time

Links

Lime Rock Park | NASCAR



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Corey Heim Blasts to Pole Position at Lime Rock Park

It doesn’t matter if it’s a brand-new racetrack; Corey Heim and TRICON Garage continue to be the driver and team to beat every single week in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Heim will be leading the field to green for Saturday’s LiUNA! 150, the inaugural NASCAR Truck Series event at Lime Rock Park, after laying […]

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It doesn’t matter if it’s a brand-new racetrack; Corey Heim and TRICON Garage continue to be the driver and team to beat every single week in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

Heim will be leading the field to green for Saturday’s LiUNA! 150, the inaugural NASCAR Truck Series event at Lime Rock Park, after laying down the quickest lap that the Connecticut-based road course has seen all weekend long.

The Marietta, Georgia-native catapulted his No. 11 Safelite Toyota Tundra TRD Pro to the top of the speed charts in the final moments of Saturday morning’s qualifying session, dethroning Jordan Taylor, a four-time champion of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

With an incredibly quick lap time of 53.115 seconds, Heim was the first (and so far the only) driver to exceed the 100mph barrier on the 1.478-mile road course this weekend, clocking in with an average speed of 100.175mph.

As the final minutes of the session clicked off, the fight for the pole came down to Heim and road course ace Jordan Taylor, who made a slight mistake on his second qualifying lap, costing the Spire Motorsports driver the pole in his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut.

“I think if [Jordan Taylor] had a mistake-free lap, we were probably going to be in second there. My first lap out was actually really good, I think it was just a matter of the tires coming up to temp the second time,” Heim said. “I was actually really sloppy on the lap, I ended up putting down that got us the pole. I thought my first lap was better, but like I said, the tire grip wasn’t there on the first run.”

In securing another pole position, the 10th of his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career, Heim becomes just the 13th driver to reach double-digit poles in the series, and the 10th to secure double-digit poles AND wins.

STARTING LINEUP: 2025 NCTS LiUNA! 150 at Lime Rock Park

“I mean, I’ll take it,” Heim added. “I missed a couple of gears, missed a couple of shifts that last lap, but it just shows the speed of our Tundra today.”

Jordan Taylor, making his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut in the No. 7 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports, will start from the outside of the front row for Saturday’s 100-lap contest.

Layne Riggs, winner of the most recent event for the series at Pocono Raceway, will start third, with Ty Majeski, and 17-year-old Brent Crews rounding out the top-five starters for the event.

Kaden Honeycutt, Rajah Caruth, Connor Mosack, Chandler Smith, and Andres Perez De Lara rounded out the top-10 in qualifying. De Lara, driving the No. 77 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports, was the quickest of the drivers in Group A.

Other notable drivers include Daniel Hemric (11th), Gio Ruggiero (12th), Grant Enfinger (14th) despite an issue in his group, Tyler Ankrum (15th), Jake Garcia (17th), Ben Rhodes (19th), and Stewart Friesen (22nd).

Jack Wood, driver of the No. 91 for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, was the only driver who failed to turn a lap around Lime Rock Park in Saturday’s group qualifying session, and thus, will start 34th.



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