Motorsports
NASCAR midseason review: How Hendrick Motorsports drivers have fared so far in 2025
CONCORD N.C – After an electric Coca-Cola 600, the NASCAR Cup Series is halfway through the regular season. Eight drivers have won at least one race, thus locking into the playoffs with 13 races remaining before the postseason begins at Darlington. Hendrick Motorsports is off to another great start. In the first half of the regular season, the team […]

CONCORD N.C – After an electric Coca-Cola 600, the NASCAR Cup Series is halfway through the regular season. Eight drivers have won at least one race, thus locking into the playoffs with 13 races remaining before the postseason begins at Darlington.
Hendrick Motorsports is off to another great start. In the first half of the regular season, the team piled up four wins (three from Kyle Larson, one from William Byron), 19 top 5’s, five poles, 13 stage wins and another Daytona 500 trophy.
All four of the organization’s drivers reside in the top 10 in points with Byron first, Larson second, Chase Elliott fourth and Alex Bowman 10th.
“So far, it’s been very positive,” Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman Jeff Gordon said. “The consistency, to me, tells me how much our teams are working together and sharing information and showing up at the racetrack with race cars and setups and race teams in general that are very common.
“Obviously, starting the season with a DAYTONA 500 win is fantastic. Larson just picked up his third win (May 11 at Kansas Speedway) in back-to-back dominant races. That is obviously very positive and that motivates everybody, right? But it also puts the target on our back from our competitors. But then, to see where all four teams have been in points, with some setbacks, that’s pretty impressive.”
The final 13 races will come at a variety of tracks, presenting challenges to all drivers in the field.
Yet even with so many obstacles, Hendrick Motorsports will work together to get all four of its drivers into the playoffs.
“So, that means the world to me and to Rick.” Gordon said. “That’s what you’re trying to build is this line of communication. This trust in one another. So, you’re seeing all four teams push and elevate one another and that’s great.”
With the first half of the regular season in the books, let’s recap how all four drivers have done so far and look ahead to the next 13 events:

Larson gets second Homestead Miami victory over Alex Bowman
Kyle Larson
Currently, Larson is first in the playoff standings. He has notched three wins, eight top fives, eight stage wins, and one pole.
Larson got his first win of the year at Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 23, fighting from the back to start the race. With 10 laps to go, Larson chased down his teammate Bowman, who’d led 43 laps, and cruised to victory lane.
Larson’s notorious superspeedway misfortune finally turned around as he crossed the finish line in third at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Then, his second win of the season came in dominating fashion at Bristol Motor Speedway, as he led 411 of 500 laps and swept both stages. He carried that momentum into the following week, at Talladega Superspeedway, scoring a second-place finish, the best showing at a drafting track in his career.
2025 statistics | |
---|---|
Points: | 2nd (470) |
Wins: | 3 |
Poles: | 1 |
Top fives: | 8 |
Top 10s: | 9 |
Laps led: | 851 |
Stage wins: | 8 |
RELATED: Check out Winners Seat with Cliff Daniels and Robert Dalby
Larson kept the top five streak alive with a fourth at Texas. The following week at Kansas Speedway, he ran away with the lead and took a dominant victory, becoming the second driver to three wins in 2025.
“It was great to qualify good and to maintain the lead for the majority of the race was good,” Larson said in an interview with FOX post-race.
Larson scored the most points at Bristol, Talladega, Texas and Kansas, briefly taking the points lead with his 60-point sweep in the Sunflower State.
Larson was preparing to run the #H1100 during the week of the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro. He was in the midst of pulling double duty, practicing for the Indianapolis 500 where he qualified 21st. Still, he and made it back to North Wilkesboro just in time for the All-Star Race, briefly leading from the back before a tire failure relegated him to 21st.
Despite some tough luck in the Indy 500 and Coke 600, Larson remains just 29 points back of Byron and is at the top of the board in the playoff standings. The 32-year-old has four combined wins at Nashville Superspeedway and Michigan International Speedway, the next two circuits on the schedule.

Chase Elliott
Elliott has been the model of consistency thus far and is the only driver to have finished in the top 20 in all 13 events.
The No. 9 team started the season with a bang, winning the Clash at Bowman Grey Stadium, an exhibition race before the season opener at Daytona International Speedway. He held off the hard charging Ryan Blaney en route to his first win since Texas of last year.
“I know it’s not a points race, but it is nice to win for sure and just really proud of our team for continuing to keep our heads down and push forward,” Elliott said in an interview following his win.
One of the defining moments of the season so far for Elliott came at the Circuit of the Americas. The driver of the No. 9 mounted an impressive comeback after being spun on the very first lap, rallying all the way through the field to finish fourth. He followed that with back-to-back top 10s at Phoenix Raceway and Las Vegas the following two weeks.
2025 statistics | |
---|---|
Points: | 4th (415) |
Wins: | 0 |
Poles: | 0 |
Top fives: | 3 |
Top 10s: | 7 |
Laps led: | 76 |
Stage wins: | 0 |
Two weeks later, he led 42 laps and finished fourth at Martinsville Speedway. The next week at Darlington Raceway, he registered an eighth-place finish. Another two weeks later, he sliced and diced his way through Talladega traffic to come home fifth.
He rounded out the season’s first half with a sixth-place run at Charlotte.
RELATED: See one of the No. 9 crewmen get the fuel ready for the Coke 600
Elliott’s consistency has kept him afloat in the championship standings. He is only 84 markers behind leader and fellow Hendrick Motorsports driver Byron. He is seeded ninth currently in the playoffs at 148 points above the cutline.
With four road courses and his home track, Atlanta Motor Speedway, mixed in the final 13 races before the playoffs begin, keep an eye out for the No. 9 Chevrolet as Elliott searches for his next win of the season.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=https://youtube.com/shorts/LoeFxt0prjQ

William Byron
Byron sits atop the points standings, having six top fives, two poles, and three stage wins thus far.
His season started the way every driver wants his season to start, by winning the DAYTONA 500. He started in the top 10 and stayed there for the majority of the night, evading multiple wrecks. When the white flag came out, Byron stayed cool and dodged a massive crash on the final lap to take the checkered flag and become only the fifth NASCAR driver ever to win the Great American Race in back-to-back years. He joined Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, Sterling Marlin and Denny Hamlin on that list.
“There’s no negatives to winning, right?” Byron said. “You get a chance to go and do things that you don’t normally get to do and you just try to embrace it because the last seven, eight months we haven’t won a race so I think anytime that happens, you realize how difficult this sport is and just try and enjoy it as much as you can.”
He was back in contention to win at Atlanta the following week until being caught up in a crash with just three laps remaining.
The next race at Circuit of the Americas, Byron and Christopher Bell dueled as they chased down the ailing car of Kyle Busch. With a five of laps left, both Byron and Bell overtook Busch who was leading at the time. Byron chased down Bell but couldn’t quite get around as he finished second.
2025 statistics | |
---|---|
Points: | 1st (499) |
Wins: | 1 |
Poles: | 2 |
Top fives: | 6 |
Top 10s: | 8 |
Laps led: | 669 |
Stage wins: | 6 |
RELATED: Check out Byron’s Daytona 500 win!
The No. 24 team has shown resilience as well. A pit stop at Phoenix Raceway trapped Byron a lap down until he rallied all the way back for a sixth-place finish. He was a threat to win yet again at Las Vegas a week later until a sequence of cautions and pit stops relegated him to fourth.
In recent weeks, Byron has put on a couple of the most dominant races of his career. He led 243 laps at Darlington Raceway, winning both stages. But an unlucky final pit cycle placed him in third behind Bell and Tyler Reddick. A late caution allowed him to utilize an overtime finish to race back to second place.
“We lost control and once we lost control it was too late in the going to kinda get back up there so yeah, it sucks, I’m sure it’ll sting a lot tonight, but there’s still a lot of positives, it just stings in the moment for sure,” Byron said in a post-race interview.
Bristol and Talladega gave Byron another set of top 10 finishes. At Bristol, he rallied from 26th all the way to sixth place by the end of the day. Despite getting caught up in Talladega grid lock, the No. 24 driver managed to make it to third place when everything was said and done.
Then, Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 served as another statement race for the No. 24 team. Byron swept the first three stages, going toe-to-toe with Denny Hamlin and Carson Hocevar as the three exchanged passes and the lead throughout the late going. Byron led 283 of 400 laps before falling just short in a second-place run.
Byron’s tenacity and consistency across the first half of the season has him currently seeded fourth in the playoff standings and the No. 24 is a threat to win nearly every week. With a variety of different track types and Daytona lumped into the final 13 race stretch of the regular season, Byron will have several chances to add wins and playoff points to his 2025 resume.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=https://youtube.com/shorts/ABTGi1HmkLM

Alex Bowman
Bowman and the No. 48 team have had a solid first half of the season. Sitting 10th in the points standings with two top fives and two poles, Bowman and his team are in good standing to make another playoff run.
Bowman quietly navigated his way through traffic during the DAYTONA 500 and was near the front in the closing stages of the race. On the final lap, he drove through the final big crash of the night and came home sixth.
The No. 48 driver overcame a penalty to finish ninth at Circuit of the Americas and followed it up with two seventh-place runs at Phoenix and Las Vegas. Bowman qualified on the pole at Homestead-Miami Speedway and led late in the race before ultimately finishing second to fellow Hendrick Motorsports driver, Larson.
“I just kinda burnt my stuff up.” Bowman said in a post-race interview. “I saw (Larson) coming, so I moved around a little bit and not when he passed me but the time before that I hit (the wall) pretty hard and ended up bending something enough where I lost the right front feel.”
2025 statistics | |
---|---|
Points: | 333 |
Wins: | 0 |
Poles: | 2 |
Top fives: | 2 |
Top 10s: | 7 |
Laps led: | 110 |
Stage wins: | 0 |
RELATED: Check out Alex Bowman’s Miami paint scheme!
Talladega provided the entire organization with a solid day as Bowman pushed his way to a seventh-place finish. Kansas served as another highlight as Bowman stayed in the top 10 throughout the race and brought it home in fifth place.
Despite some setbacks, Bowman and the No. 48 team have not backed down. The No. 48 team’s ability to get back up after every punch is one reason it is still a threat to make a deep playoff run. Bowman is 66 points above the cutoff line in the playoff standings in 12th place.
He has some strong tracks ahead as well. He is the reigning Chicago Street Course champion and should be a threat to get a win and lock himself into the playoffs.
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Nashville Superspeedway next. The race premieres at 7 p.m. on Amazon Prime Video, Sirius XM, and PRN Radio.
Motorsports
How to watch NASCAR Xfinity Series Focused Health 250: Free live stream, time, TV channel
The NASCAR Xfinity Series Race at 2025 Atlanta, a.k.a. the Focused Health 250, is the first race on the weekend schedule at the newly rechristened EchoPark Speedway on Friday, June 27 (6/27/2025) at 7:30 p.m. ET. The NASCAR Xfinity Series at 2025 Atlanta will air on The CW, and streams live on DirecTV (free trial). […]

The NASCAR Xfinity Series Race at 2025 Atlanta, a.k.a. the Focused Health 250, is the first race on the weekend schedule at the newly rechristened EchoPark Speedway on Friday, June 27 (6/27/2025) at 7:30 p.m. ET.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series at 2025 Atlanta will air on The CW, and streams live on DirecTV (free trial).
What: Focused Health 250, a NASCAR Xfinity Series race
When: Friday, June 27, 2025
Where: EchoPark Speedway, Atlanta, Georgia
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: The CW
Channel finder: DirecTV, Verizon Fios, Cox, Xfinity, Spectrum, Optimum
Streaming Service | Free Trial | Promo | Monthly Price |
---|---|---|---|
DirecTV | Yes | $30 off first month | $86.99 |
fuboTV* | Yes | $30 off first month | $84.99 |
What are the differences between the streaming services?
DirecTV is a subscription streaming service that lets you watch live TV from major broadcast and popular cable networks. Enjoy local and national live sports, breaking news, and must-see shows the moment they air. Included: unlimited cloud DVR storage space so you can record as many shows as you want and stream them from wherever you go. DTV starts at $34.99 per month after a 5-day free trial when you shop their customizable genre packs.
*fuboTV is a live TV streaming service focused on live sports, including U.S. and international soccer, the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and more. *It’s important to note that The CW has less reliable coverage on fubo, and new subscribers should check local channel availability. It offers 212 channels starting at $64.99 (for one month, then $84.99), includes unlimited DVR, and streams on most devices. Right now you can try fuboTV free.
BET: Extended BetMGM Bonus Code “CUSE150″: New $150 sports betting deal all week!
Austin Hill is a +220 favorite to win, according to DraftKings. Connor Zilisch won last week in Pocono, and is +1200 to do it again in Atlanta
Here’s a recent NASCAR story via The AP:
All Times Eastern
NASCAR CUP SERIES
Challenge Round 1 – Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart
Site: Hampton, Georgia.
Track: EchoPark Speedway.
Race distance: 260 laps, 400.4 miles.
Schedule: Friday, qualifying, 5:05 p.m.; Saturday, race, 7 p.m. (TNT and MAX).
Last year: Joey Logano earned an overtime victory and his second win of the season after a push from teammate Ryan Blaney vaulted him into the lead.
Last race: Leading the last 34 laps while utilizing a fuel-saving strategy, Chase Briscoe held off teammate Denny Hamlin at Pocono to earn his first win with Joe Gibbs Racing.
Next race: July 6, Chicago.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
NASCAR XFINITY SERIES
Focused Health 250
Site: Hampton, Georgia.
Track: EchoPark Speedway.
Race distance: 163 laps, 251.02 miles.
Schedule: Friday, qualifying, 3 p.m., race, 7:30 p.m. (CW).
Last year: Austin Hill claimed the victory while holding off Parker Kligerman on a late-race restart.
Last race: Connor Zilisch secured his second win of the year in Pennsylvania after a late pass of Jesse Love with four laps to go.
Next race: July 5, Chicago.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES
LIUNA 150
Site: Lakeville, Connecticut.
Track: Lime Rock Park.
Race distance: 100 laps, 147.8 miles.
Schedule: Friday, practice, 1:05 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying, 9:30 a.m., race, 1 p.m. (FOX).
Last year: Nascar will make its debut at Lime Rock Park after last years race in Milwaukee saw victor Layen Riggs take the lead from Ty Majeski with 53 laps to go.
Last race: Pole-sitter Layne Riggs snagged his first win of the season at Pocono while leading the last 20 laps and finishing nearly four seconds ahead of second-place Tanner Gray.
Next race: July 25, Indianapolis.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
FORMULA ONE
MSC Cruises Austrian Grand Prix
Site: Spielberg, Austria.
Track: Red Bull Ring.
Race distance: 71 laps, 190.4 miles.
Schedule: Friday, practice, 7:25 a.m., practice, 10:55 a.m.; Saturday, practice, 6:25 a.m., qualifying, 9:55 a.m.; Sunday, race 8:55 a.m. (ESPN).
Last year: George Russell took his first win since 2022 after capitalizing on a dramatic crash between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris late in the race.
Last race: Russell held off Verstappen and took hist first win of the season in Canada in a dramatic race that saw McLaren teammates Norris and Piastri collide.
Next race: July 6, Towcester, United Kingdom.
Online: http://www.formula1.com
INDYCAR
Last race: Alex Palou took advantage of leader Scott Dixon’s late pit stop to secure the victory, giving him the win in six out of nine races so far this season.
Next race: July 6, Lexington, Ohio.
Online: http://www.indycar.com
NHRA DRAG RACING
Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals
Site: Norwalk, Ohio.
Track: Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park.
Race distance: 1/4 mile.
Schedule: Friday, qualifying, 6 p.m., qualifying, 8:30 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying, noon, qualifying, 2:30 p.m.; Sunday, race, 2 p.m. (FOX).
Next race: July 20, Kent, Washington.
Online: http://www.nhra.com
WORLD OF OUTLAWS
Fergus Falls Showdown
Independence Spectacular
Grand Forks Showdown
Independence Spectacular
Norman County Showdown
Minot Mayhem
Next events: July 3 – 5, Spring Valley, Minnesota.
Online: http://worldofoutlaws.com
Motorsports
When Xfinity Series race will start at EchoPark Speedway
More lightning in the area, and that means the NASCAR Xfinity Series race is on hold at EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta. Sheldon Creed will be on the pole whenever this race goes green tonight. Lightning in Atlanta has been an issue today for both the Xfinity and Cup Series. It led to multiple delays in […]

More lightning in the area, and that means the NASCAR Xfinity Series race is on hold at EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta. Sheldon Creed will be on the pole whenever this race goes green tonight.
Lightning in Atlanta has been an issue today for both the Xfinity and Cup Series. It led to multiple delays in qualifying earlier in the afternoon.
We will be around throughout this delay. Check back in for more updates, like when the race will start.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Atlanta is set to go green. The anthem and invocation will start at 8:10 PM ET.
UPDATE: After just 37 laps, the red flag has come out in the Xfinity Series race. A lightning hold is in effect and could run later into the night. We will see what happens and whether or not this race is completed tonight or tomorrow at some point.
NASCAR officials are hoping to avoid any more delays. There are storms forming to the north of the track, but those are pretty far away. These Xfinity Series drivers have had the second round of qualifying canceled, and now this. They are likely dying to get going.
Even Cup Series qualifying had a delay. The lightning from the Xfinity qualifying session stuck around a little longer. So, the Cup drivers had to wait things out before running their fast laps.
The good news is that there hasn’t really been any rain. The track has been dry, and the temperatures are hot in Atlanta for tonight’s NASCAR action. It should produce an exciting night of racing on this 1.5-mile drafting track.
NASCAR Atlanta: Kyle Busch in the Xfinity Series booth
A bit of a surprise for NASCAR fans watching Atlanta tonight. Kyle Busch is in the booth for the Xfinity Series race. The CW decided to invite Rowdy to call the race. His insights and knowledge of this series will be invaluable on the broadcast.
Busch has won his fair share of Xfinity races, to say the least. More than 100, in fact. While he hasn’t been winning in the Cup Series in the last two years, that knowledge doesn’t leave as easily as the wins do.
Sheldon Creed and his former teammate, Austin Hill, are on the front row. Creed is still searching for his first career Xfinity Series win. Another P2 finish might be enough to break the poor driver who has had more runner-ups without a win than any other driver in series history.
With the lightning delays through with, the NASCAR Xfinity Series is ready to go racing in Atlanta. The newly renamed EchoPark Speedway is ready to host its first race with the new look. If we avoid any other delays, it will be a fun, hot night of racing in Georgia.
Motorsports
Kyle Busch says path to NASCAR Cup playoffs is to do ‘what we’re paid to do’
HAMPTON, Ga. — Two-time Cup champion Kyle Busch says for he and his team to make the playoffs, they need to do “what we’re paid to do and that’s to execute.” Busch, who missed the playoffs last year and is winless in his last 74 Cup starts, said Friday that he sees a path to […]

HAMPTON, Ga. — Two-time Cup champion Kyle Busch says for he and his team to make the playoffs, they need to do “what we’re paid to do and that’s to execute.”
Busch, who missed the playoffs last year and is winless in his last 74 Cup starts, said Friday that he sees a path to make the playoffs even without a victory.
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Busch enters Saturday night’s race at EchoPark Speedway 63 points below the cutline. Nine races remain in the regular season.
Syndication: Journal-Courier
Kyle Larson states ‘I don’t have any desire’ to do Indy 500/Coke 600 Double again
Kyle Larson became the fifth driver to compete in both races on the same day this year.
Eleven drivers have won this season, leaving five playoff spots via points.
“I would say if you find another winner outside (a playoff spot), then I would say you’re in a must-win (situation),” Busch said Friday. “I would say right now, today, pointing your way in with no more new winners is certainly doable. Our biggest fault is just not being able to get stage points.”
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Busch has 19 stage points this season — 14 came at Circuit of the Americas in March. Busch’s stage point total ranks 26th among the 36 full-time drivers in the series.
Busch, who has one top-10 finish in the last nine races, noted that he and his team have to be strong the rest of the regular season to have a chance to make the playoffs.
NASCAR Cup Series The Great American Getaway 400 – Practice
Good news, bad news for NASCAR Cup drivers ahead of Atlanta weekend
Kyle Busch has finished in the top 10 in all five races at Atlanta with Richard Childress Racing.
Busch starts Saturday night’s race 29th, but this has been his best track since joining Richard Childress Racing after the 2022 season. He has scored five consecutive top-10 finishes at Atlanta.
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Putting together a string of top-10 finishes is challenging. No driver has scored more than four top 10s in a row this season.
“I think it just boils down to all of us on our team being accountable,” Busch said. “Pit crew, myself, (crew chief) Randall (Burnett), engineers, everybody and being able to do what we know how to do and what we’re paid to do and that’s to execute. It starts here this weekend.”
Motorsports
NASCAR’s Cup Series to debut In-Season Challenge as $1 million backdrop to points race for title
HAMPTON, Ga. — The debut of NASCAR’s In-Season Challenge in Saturday night’s Cup Series race in Atlanta generated differing opinions and expectations from drivers. After all, there’s a points race to attend to. Every team’s top priority is qualifying for the playoffs and trying to win the championship. Some drivers acknowledge they simply haven’t paid […]
HAMPTON, Ga. — The debut of NASCAR’s In-Season Challenge in Saturday night’s Cup Series race in Atlanta generated differing opinions and expectations from drivers.
After all, there’s a points race to attend to. Every team’s top priority is qualifying for the playoffs and trying to win the championship. Some drivers acknowledge they simply haven’t paid attention to the new race within the race.
Joey Logano says he sees no reason to view the new tournament as a distraction.
“If there’s something to win, you want to go win it,” Logano said Friday before winning the pole for Saturday night’s race in his Team Penske Ford.
Denny Hamlin is the No. 1 seed in the 32-driver In-Season Challenge, a five-race, bracket-style tournament. Chase Briscoe, who held off Hamlin for his first win for Joe Gibbs Racing last week at Pocono Raceway, is the No. 2 seed. A $1 million prize awaits the winner as part of a new media rights deal that includes TNT.
Briscoe said Friday he felt “definitely a sigh of relief, you know, just a weight off your shoulders” following last week’s win. He said that sense of relief was shortlived.
“I’m expected to win multiple races, not just one,” Briscoe said. “It’s a sense of relief, but also more pressure because now they know you can win.”
NASCAR hopes the tournament generates mid-season interest. The single-elimination format cuts the field to 16 at Chicago, eight at Sonoma, four at Dover and the final two at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Many drivers expect their interest in the tournament will increase after Saturday night’s race.
“I think some of the drivers have been kind of dismissive over the bracket challenge,” said Brad Keselowski, who enters the race No. 30 in the points standings and in need of a win in Atlanta to earn a playoff spot in his RFK Racing Ford.
“I think it’ll become a lot more real, whether it be for the drivers or for the media or the fans, as it progresses into the later rounds over the next few weeks,” Keselowski said.
Added Ricky Stenhouse, who is 24th in the points race, of the new tournament: “It’s cool. I think after this weekend you’ll have a little better idea of what you have. Our main goal in Atlanta is winning and getting into the playoffs.”
Team Penske claimed four of the top five qualifying positions and Ford claimed all of the top five spots.
Logano was first at 178.960 mph, tying Josh Berry, who drives for Wood Brothers but has a technical alliance with Team Penske. Ryan Blaney qualified third and Austin Cindric was one spot back for Team Penske, while Ryan Preece, in another Ford for RFK Racing, was fifth.
“It definitely helps at the start for sure,” Logano said. “Being at the front and controlling the race is the thing for sure.”
Briscoe is facing No. 31 seed Noah Gragson in the first bracket. He says it’s a difficult matchup, in part because “he’s actually probably my best friend on the circuit … and my son’s favorite driver.”
Briscoe said his 3-year-old son, Brooks, thinks of Gragson “like that uncle that just you take your kid to, and he has Pop-Tarts and ice cream and everything else when he’s with them.”
Added Briscoe: “Hopefully I’ll win. If not I’ll never here the end of it from Noah or my son.”
Briscoe posted a photo on his X account of his son’s bracket. The photo shows the smiling Brooks holding a bracket with his father’s No. 19 winning every round of the tournament.
Chase Elliott has a special paint scheme on his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet that was designed by 11-year-old cancer patient Rhealynn Mills. Elliott chose Mills’ design to highlight his foundation’s efforts to raise money for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
Elliott said the “Design to Drive” program has raised $500,000 for the children’s hospital.
“The only bad thing is I feel like we’ve crashed every time we’ve done it,” Elliott said, adding his sponsor, NAPA Auto Parts, deserved credit “for giving up the car” so the paint scheme could instead feature Mills’ design.
EchoPark Speedway is the new name for the track that was still known as Atlanta Motor Speedway in February when Christopher Bell won while leading only the final lap in overtime. It’s the home track for Elliott, from Dawsonville, Georgia, and he acknowledged seeing the name change and the new green paint “was different for me. I think it’s fine.”
Ryan Blaney is the favorite (+800) to win the race, per BetMGM Sportsbook. Joey Logano and Austin Cindric, each at +1000, were next.
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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
Motorsports
NASCAR qualifying results for Atlanta: Bowman, Larson lead Hendrick Motorsports in starting lineup
HAMPTON, Ga. – The NASCAR Cup Series returns to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the second time in 2025. Even without practice, the Hendrick Motorsports crew showed impressive speed on track during qualifying. Despite a twice-delayed qualifying session, the full field logged laps to set the starting lineup for Saturday’s race. Alex Bowman led the Hendrick […]

HAMPTON, Ga. – The NASCAR Cup Series returns to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the second time in 2025.
Even without practice, the Hendrick Motorsports crew showed impressive speed on track during qualifying.
Despite a twice-delayed qualifying session, the full field logged laps to set the starting lineup for Saturday’s race.
Alex Bowman led the Hendrick Motorsports contingent with a lap of 31.203 seconds to earn the ninth spot on the starting grid. That was good enough to edge teammate Kyle Larson by two spots.
Rounding out the organization’s cars, Chase Elliott will fire off from the 15th spot with William Byron starting 18th.
RELATED: Check out the paint schemes for this weekend
Byron has a pair of wins at Atlanta and is one of only two drivers with multiple victories at the track since its repave ahead of the 2022 season. Elliott also has a victory at his home track to go with eight top 10s.
Larson turned in his best Atlanta finish with a third-place showing in the spring and has led 458 laps there, the most of any track in which he has yet to win. Bowman came home fifth in last fall’s race at the 1.54-mile quad-oval.
RELATED: Atlanta Motor Speedway driver averages
This week is not only the first week of the NASCAR In-Season Challenge, but it also marks the first of five races to be broadcasted on TNT. Be sure to catch the event tomorrow night at 7 p.m. ET.
Here is a look at the starting lineup below:
NASCAR qualifying today
- Joey Logano, No. 22, 30.979
- Josh Berry, No. 21, 30.979
- Ryan Blaney, No. 12, 30.983
- Austin Cindric, No. 2, 31.037
- Ryan Preece, No. 60, 31.13
- Brad Keselowski, No. 6, 31.153
- Cole Custer, No. 41, 31.155
- Zane Smith, No. 38, 31.16
- Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Chevrolet, 31.203
- Chase Briscoe, No. 19, 31.21
- Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, 31.237
- Austin Dillon, No. 3, 31.242
- Chris Buescher, No. 17, 31.247
- Ty Dillon, No. 10, 31.265
- Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA/CHOA Chevrolet, 31.284
- Ty Gibbs, No. 54, 31.298
- Todd Gilliland, No. 34, 31.302
- William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet, 31.31
- John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42, 31.315
- Riley Herbst, No. 35, 31.315
- AJ Allmendinger, No. 16, 31.329
- Justin Haley, No. 7, 31.329
- Tyler Reddick, No. 45, 31.331
- Bubba Wallace, No. 23, 31.353
- Corey LaJoie, No. 01, 31.356
- Erik Jones, No. 43, 31.358
- Noah Gragson, No. 4, 31.376
- Christopher Bell, No. 20, 31.405
- Kyle Busch, No. 8, 31.407
- Carson Hocevar, No. 77, 31.409
- Daniel Suarez, No. 99, 31.446
- Michael McDowell, No. 71, 31.462
- Denny Hamlin, No. 11, 31.463
- Ross Chastain, No. 1, 31.484
- Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88, 31.485
- Connor Zilisch, No. 87, 31.5
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47, 31.537
- B.J. McLeod, No. 78, 31.55
- Cody Ware, No. 51, 31.564
- David Starr, No. 66, 34.113
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
- 7:30 p.m. – 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
NASCAR in season tournament bracket
- Matchup 1 – Denny Hamlin (1) vs. Ty Dillon (32)
- Matchup 2 – Kyle Busch (16) vs. Brad Keselowski (17)
- Matchup 3 – Bubba Wallace (9) vs. Daniel Suarez (24)
- Matchup 4 – Alex Bowman (8) vs. Joey Logano (25)
- Matchup 5 – Christopher Bell (4) vs. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (29)
- Matchup 6 – Ross Chastain (13) vs. Erik Jones (20)
- Matchup 7 – John Hunter Nemechek (12) vs. Josh Berry (21)
- Matchup 8 – Chase Elliott (5) vs. Austin Dillon (28)
- Matchup 9 – Chase Briscoe (2) vs. Noah Gragson (31)
- Matchup 10 – Ryan Preece (15) vs. William Byron (18)
- Matchup 11 – Kyle Larson (10) vs. Tyler Reddick (23)
- Matchup 12 – Ryan Blaney (7) vs. Carson Hocevar (26)
- Matchup 13 – Chris Buescher (3) vs. Todd Gilliland (30)
- Matchup 14 – Zane Smith (14) vs. Austin Cindric (19)
- Matchup 15 – Michael McDowell (11) vs. AJ Allmendinger (22)
- Matchup 16 – Ty Gibbs (6) vs. Justin Haley (27)
Motorsports
19th Annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals June 26-29 in Norwalk
The four-day event is part of the Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series. NORWALK, Ohio — The 19th Annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals is set to bring high-speed action to Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk from June 26-29. The four-day event is part of the Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series and features competition […]

The four-day event is part of the Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series.
NORWALK, Ohio — The 19th Annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals is set to bring high-speed action to Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk from June 26-29.
The four-day event is part of the Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series and features competition across several major categories, including Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle. Additional classes include the Flexjet NHRA Factory Stock Showdown, Holley EFI NHRA Factory X, and the GETTRX Pro Stock NHRA All-Star Callout.
Racing began Thursday with sportsman qualifying. Professional qualifying is taking place Friday and continues into Saturday.
Final eliminations and championship rounds are scheduled for Sunday, following driver introductions and pre-race festivities.
Fans can also access the pit area throughout the weekend, where teams work on vehicles between rounds.
Premium ticket options are available through the Top Eliminator Club, which includes seating and meals. General tickets are on sale now through Summit Motorsports Park’s website or by calling 419-668-5555.
More information can be found HERE.
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