Saturday night’s Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway is set to mark the first time in 2025 that the NASCAR Cup Series has raced twice at the same track, with Atlanta having also hosted the Ambetter Health 400 back in February.

Saturday’s 260-lap race around the four-turn, 1.54-mile (2.478-kilometer) Hampton, Georgia oval is the 18th race on the schedule, so it also marks the halfway point of the season.

With Atlanta, which is now officially known as EchoPark Speedway for sponsorship purposes, set to host its second race of the year, NASCAR’s new qualifying format has already been used there.

The new two-variable metric, which was introduced at the start of the 2025 season, replaced the four-variable metric that had been used to set the qualifying orders from 2020 to 2024.

A full breakdown of that metric can be found here.

Additionally, there are no more qualifying groups, and there is no longer a second round shootout for the pole position. Each driver simply gets one single-lap qualifying attempt, and those speeds determine the full starting lineup.

Here is a full look at the qualifying order.

NASCAR Cup Series qualifying order at Atlanta

1 – David Starr, No. 66 Garage 66 Ford

2 – Connor Zilisch, No. 87 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

3 – Corey LaJoie, No. 01 Rick Ware Racing Ford

4 – B.J. McLeod, No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet

5 – Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota

6 – Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

7 – Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford

8 – Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

9 – Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

10 – Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota

11 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet

12 – Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford

13 – Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford

14 – Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford

15 – Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford

16 – Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

17 – Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota

18 – Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

19 – Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

20 – A.J. Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

21 – Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

22 – William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

23 – Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

24 – Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

25 – Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

26 – Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford

27 – Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota

28 – Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford

29 – Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford

30 – Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

31 – Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

32 – John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota

33 – Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford

34 – Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford

35 – Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford

36 – Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

37 – Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

38 – Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford

39 – Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

40 – Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

NASCAR splits the racing action between two venues this week, with four races taking place at both the EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta and Lime Rock Park in Salisbury, Connecticut. It all culminates in the Quaker State 400 on Saturday, June 28.

There will be televised practices and qualifying races throughout the weekend leading up to the Quaker State 400, which airs on TNT, and streams live on DirecTV (free trial). The weekend race schedule includes racing events for the ARCA Menards Series (Lime Rock Park 100), the NASCAR Truck Series (LiUNA! 150) and the NASCAR Xfinity Series (Focused Health 250) along with the NASCAR Cup Series.

NASCAR’s 2025 Atlanta, Lime Rock Televised Schedule

All times ET.

Friday, June 27

Truck Series Practice at Lime Rock, 1:05 p.m. on FS2 (STREAM)

Xfinity Series Qualifying at Atlanta, 3 p.m. on The CW (STREAM)

Cup Series Qualifying at Atlanta, 5:05 p.m. on truTV (STREAM)

NASCAR Xfinity Series Focused Health 250 at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m. on The CW (STREAM)

Saturday, June 28

Truck Series Qualifying at Lime Rock, 9:30 a.m. on FS1 (STREAM)

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series LiUNA! 150 at Lime Rock, 1 p.m. on FOX (STREAM)

ARCA Menards Series Lime Rock Park 100, 4 p.m. on FS2 (STREAM)

NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart at Atlanta, 7 p.m. on TNT (STREAM)

Where to watch the Coca-Cola 600, all Spring Race events

NASCAR is back on cable TV this week following an excursion to Prime Video. While the action takes place across five different TV channels, fans can sign up for DirecTV Stream (free trial) to enjoy every NASCAR event this weekend in one convenient streaming home.

All events are also available on Sling, except for Saturday’s LiUNA! 150, and fuboTV carries all events except for those on truTV and TNT (meaning it does not include the main, Cup Series race).

What to know about the Charlotte Speedway

EchoPark Speedway—formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway—is a 1.54‑mile quad‑oval in Hampton, Georgia. It hosts two annual NASCAR Weekends, including the Ambetter Health 400 (won this year by Chris Bell) in February, and the Quaker State 400, which has Joey Logano as the defending 2024 champion.

This year’s field features four open entry cars, including big-time prospect Connor Zilisch making his third career Cup Series start. Corey LaJoie and BJ McLeod will compete in the Cup Series for the first time since April, joined by 57-year-old David Starr, who makes his return after 14 months away.

Lime Rock Park is an iconic American racing venue, known for its natural, hilly terrain, and notable as the nation’s third oldest continuously operating road racing venue. It also features no bleachers or grandstands, instead inviting fans to bring lawn seating and enjoy the race from the hillside. It does not host Cup or Xfinity Series races, but will play host to the Truck Series and ARCA feeder league.

Can I bet on the race?

Yes, you can bet on the race from your phone in New York State, and we’ve compiled some of the best introductory offers to help navigate your first bets from BetMGM, FanDuel, DraftKings, Bet365 and more.

Ryan Blaney made a statement with his third place finish last week in Pocono, battling through a penalties and starting from the back. That’s given him +800 odds to win out this week in Atlanta. Meanwhile, last week’s winner Briscoe is only +2200 to win, while defending champ Logano is +850.

This week’s NASCAR Cup Series race isn’t just another race: It’s the first leg of the league’s inaugural “In-Season Challenge,” a bracket-style competition with five rounds of eliminations, ending with the championship at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 27. It’s NASCAR’s take on the in-season tournament model long leveraged by international soccer and recently introduced to the NBA.

Starting this weekend at Atlanta, the next five Cup Series races make up the entire challenge: Atlanta, Chicago, Sonoma, Dover and Indianapolis.

Our motorsports experts Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi are here to explain how it works, who they think could win it and why it’s likely to be wildly unpredictable — nay, chaotic! Plus, they’ll run down their favorites and long shots for Saturday’s race in Atlanta.

Before we get to the Q&A and full explanation of how this all works, here’s a breakdown of the seeding and head-to-head matchups for the Challenge. Scroll to the end for how-to-watch info and odds.

NASCAR In-Season Challenge bracket, matchups

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 Suárez
• 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

Q&A for the Challenge and Atlanta race

The time has finally arrived for the inaugural NASCAR In-Season Challenge. Remind us: What exactly is this thing?

Jeff: On his “Actions Detrimental” podcast two years ago, three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin proposed an idea: Why doesn’t NASCAR have some sort of head-to-head, in-season tournament that could be overlaid on the regular season races? NASCAR typically has a summer lull before the final push to the playoffs begins, and with few other sports on TV except for baseball after the NBA and NHL championships are decided, NASCAR should have a chance to draw a lot more eyeballs — especially from sports gamblers. So for two years, the driver hosted his “Denny Hamlin Bracket Challenge,” where fans could play along with picks over a stretch of races. It was unofficial, of course, but still made for good fun and conversation. Now, with new TV partner TNT, NASCAR has decided to officially do the bracket challenge as an in-season tournament. Drivers will compete in a March Madness-style bracket for the next five weeks, with the winner receiving a $1 million prize.

How do you think this is going to play out?

Jordan: There is genuine optimism that fans will buy in, creating excitement at a time of the season when NASCAR can hit a lull. And with the uniqueness of the five tracks that make up the challenge, there should be enough unexpected twists and turns to produce upsets and keep things interesting.

As for whether this enhances the on-track competition, there is doubt. Drivers and teams are already doing everything they can each week to run and finish as well as they can, so it’s hard to imagine that this challenge somehow pushes them even further. Nor is it likely that a team would potentially sacrifice a good finish by employing an out-of-the-box strategy in an attempt to advance to the next round, fearing that the call could backfire and potentially cost them valuable points.

When The Athletic has asked teams in recent weeks about how they’ll approach these races, every team said they were giving it no consideration and their focus was simply on running as well as they can each week. That said, let’s see if this changes at all in the later rounds, where winning the $1 million prize becomes more attainable.

The first round is being held at Atlanta, which is now a superspeedway. Considering the head-to-head matchups and the chaos that Atlanta usually brings, who are your favorites to make it to the next round, and who are a few long shots who might beat their rival?

Jeff: If you’re new to NASCAR — hi, first of all. Good news and bad news here. The good news is it’s going to be a wild race. A few years ago, Atlanta was reconfigured to be a “drafting” track like Daytona (if you’ve ever watched the Daytona 500) and Talladega. Big packs of cars and big crashes.

But the bad news is that those big crashes could easily take out some of the huge contenders. This is basically a wild-card round where a lot of top seeds will immediately be gone — and probably not even because they did anything incorrectly, other than be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

That said, some drivers are better than others at positioning themselves toward the front (where they have a better chance of avoiding crashes). I really like Austin Cindric (19 seed) in his matchup over Zane Smith (14) and Ross Chastain (13) over Erik Jones (20). Both of them should be in contention for the win, but the sportsbooks are onto them — both have terrible value and are -200 favorites or longer. In terms of upsets in the actual odds, my picks include John Hunter Nemechek (+150) over Josh Berry, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (+150) over Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick (+120) over Kyle Larson and Justin Haley (+145) over Ty Gibbs.

Jordan: Any time NASCAR heads to a drafting track, Joey Logano is automatically considered one of the favorites to win. However, based on seeding alone, the No. 25-ranked Logano is an underdog against No. 8 Alex Bowman. But it would not be a surprise at all if Logano knocks Bowman off and advances. In fact, there is a strong possibility this will happen.

Another matchup to watch for is No. 28 Austin Dillon against No. 5 Chase Elliott. Although Elliott is strong on drafting tracks — he’s won at both Atlanta and Talladega — so too is Dillon. And with Dillon buried in points and needing a win to make the playoffs, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he’s more willing to take chances than Elliott, who’s in the hunt to win the regular season points championship.

What do you think is the most glaring mismatch in the seeding for Round 1? And which matchup is the toughest to call?

Jeff: If you haven’t followed this concept so far, the seeding is totally wacky. Instead of basing the seeding on the point standings (first through 32nd), NASCAR decided to seed the drivers based on their best finish over the last three races. The result is some frankly stupid matchups: Regular-season points leader William Byron is the No. 18 seed against No. 15 seed Ryan Preece — and yet Byron is a -220 favorite. Cindric is a -250 favorite over Smith, despite being a worse seed. Same with Joey Logano (-175), a No. 25 seed matched up against No. 8 seed Alex Bowman. I agree with the oddsmakers on all of those. But in terms of the toughest to call? Dang, that Bubba Wallace vs. Daniel Suárez matchup is a total tossup. Wallace is a great superspeedway racer, and Suárez has been great at Atlanta (including a win last year). Good luck figuring this one out.

Jordan: Sure, the Logano vs. Bowman noted above jumps out, but the fact that this is a drafting track means there are no glaring mismatches because of how unpredictable these types of races usually are. Many, many of the drivers seeded towards the bottom of the bracket are quite capable of winning at Atlanta, and it wouldn’t be at all shocking. It’s going to be fascinating to see what the bracket looks like and who’s left standing after the race.

OK, it’s prediction time: Who are your final four for the in-season tournament and who do you have winning it all?

Jeff: The way this bracket stacks up is absolutely, laughably, bonkers insane. A superspeedway chaos bomb to open it, followed by two road courses before we get to two “normal” tracks to end. By that time, a lot of the favorites (or big names at least) could easily have been eliminated. Picking these three tracks for the first three rounds was certainly a choice.

That said, my picks are probably a bit surprising. I’ve got one semifinal between Trackhouse Racing teammates Suárez (24) and Chastain (13) and the other between Tyler Reddick (23) and Michael McDowell (11). Then I’ve got Chastain and Reddick moving on from Dover into the final at Indianapolis, and Reddick winning it all. Which feels … not great! Reddick isn’t even running very well, and 23XI Racing doesn’t seem to have the same speed or momentum lately. Picking him is a strange choice, except I think the matchups favor him with the road courses, and then he’ll have enough speed on the ovals. I am worried about him immediately getting eliminated by Kyle Larson in Round 1 at Atlanta, of course.

Jordan: The Team Chaos committee welcomes NASCAR scheduling the challenge as it did with three “wildcard” tracks among the five. Bring on the chaos. The only quibble is that Talladega wasn’t included in place of Indianapolis or Dover to really amp up the chaos factor. As for what my bracket looks like: I have Christopher Bell, Joey Logano, Chris Buescher and Kyle Larson in my final four. These four drivers are strong on just about every type of track, particularly road courses, which will go a long way to determining who makes the final four.

Now back to business as usual: Who is your favorite to win outright at Atlanta?

Jeff: As mentioned earlier about Cindric, he’s become known as maybe the best superspeedway racer of late. The three Team Penske drivers are the top three in odds, which makes sense, and Cindric is tied for second. But since superspeedways are so random, he’s still +1000. Could be a nice value there if he pulls through.

Jordan: Any one of Team Penske’s three drivers should be on anyone’s short list of favorites, with Cindric, Logano and Ryan Blaney so strong on these types of tracks. But Blaney has to be the pick. In the seven races at Atlanta since it was reconfigured, Blaney has finished outside the top 10 just once and has finished second, third and fourth in the past three races here.

Who is a long shot you like to win it?

Jeff: “Long shot” is a pretty tough definition this week since the odds are so long for almost everyone. Instead of going extreme, I’ll go somewhat realistic and say Ricky Stenhouse Jr. at +4000. Stenhouse is aggressive, he’s great at superspeedways and he’s in a must-win situation for the playoffs. Pull those belts tight if you’re around the No. 47 car, because he’s going to be going all out.

Jordan: With so many long-shot possibilities this week that could realistically cash in, here’s a few that pop out: Carson Hocevar (+2500), Bubba Wallace (+2800), Daniel Suárez (+2800), Michael McDowell (+4500), Ryan Preece (+5000) and Noah Gragson (+6500). All of these drivers have a reasonable chance of winning Saturday night.

How to watch the Quaker State 400

• Track: EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta Motor Speedway) — Hampton, Ga.
  
• Time: Saturday, June 28, 7 p.m. ET
• TV: TNT

Race winner odds for Quaker State 400

Betting/odds links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.

(Photo of Kyle Larson: Jonathan Bachman / Getty Images)

T.J. Puchyr, a former owner of Spire Motorsports, has entered an agreement to purchase Rick Ware Racing, according to a report Thursday by The Associated Press.

T.J. Puchyr, who in 2018 alongside Jeff Dickerson launched the Spire team to take over the charter that Furniture Row Racing could not unload, told The Associated Press on Thursday he and Rick Ware Racing have a deal for him to take over Ware’s organization next season.

…

“I am bullish on wanting to build a three-car team. I believe in the France family and the direction of the sport and I want the rest of the shareholders and industry to know that I believe the charters are worth $75 million or more,” he told AP.

In his deal with Ware, Puchyr will keep Ware on board as a partner, also keep Ware’s son, Cody, in the No. 51 Ford, and retain all of the current RWR employees. Ware’s current second charter is leased to RFK Racing, but Legacy Motor Club made a legal claim that it had entered an agreement to buy that charter next season.

…

Now, Puchyr and Ware are confident the second charter currently leased to RFK will be returned to their team in 2027, allowing Puchyr to expand the organization. He wants to buy a third charter that makes the organization a three-car Cup team by 2027.

CONCORD, N.C. – Atlanta Motor Speedway under the lights? Trucks going to Lime Rock Park for the first time? Four races in two days at two different tracks? An in-season tournament?

It’s a fun weekend to be a race fan. With the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series taking on the challenges of Atlanta and the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and ARCA Series traveling to Lime Rock Park, you won’t want to miss it.

Hendrick Motorsports has had immense success at Atlanta, scoring the most wins (17), top fives (69), top tens (106) and most laps led (3,690). Along with nine poles, expect any driver of the current line up to contend this weekend. 

RELATED: Driver averages ahead of Atlanta Motor Speedway

Chase Elliott and William Byron are no strangers to victory lane at the track, garnering three combined wins in the Next Gen era. 

Kyle Larson is coming off of his best finish yet at the 1.54-mile quad-oval, crossing the line third in the spring race. Along with his three top fives and five top 10s, the No. 5 HendrickCars.com driver should bring the heat this weekend 

Alex Bowman is looking to mount a charge to lock himself into the playoffs. The driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevy has had success at Atlanta, getting three top fives and four top 10s. 

RELATED: Check out the paint schemes for Atlanta

There will be no practice this time around for the Cup or Xfinity Series so the first laps turned at the track will be in qualifying. Make sure to check out the full weekend schedule below.

Where is NASCAR racing this weekend? 

The NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series are back at Atlanta Motor Speedway while the Truck and ARCA Series venture out to Lime Rock Park.

Where is Atlanta Motor Speedway?

Atlanta Motor Speedway is located in Hampton, Georgia.

Where is Lime Rock Park? 

Lime Rock Park is located in Lakeville, Connecticut.

RELATED: How does Hendrick Motorsports stack up for the in-season tournament?

What time is the NASCAR race on today?

(All times listed in eastern time)

Friday, June 27

• 1:05 p.m. – CRAFTSMAN Truck Series practice, FS2
• 3 – Xfinity Series qualifying, CW
• 5:05 – Cup Series qualifying, truTV
• 7:30 – Xfinity Series race, CW

Saturday, June 28

• 9:30 a.m. – CRAFTSMAN Truck Series qualifying, FS1
• 1 p.m. – CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race, FOX
• 4 – ARCA race, FS2
• 7 – Cup Series race, TNT