When NASCAR heads to Atlanta this weekend to race at the newly renamed at EchoPark Speedway, 40 Cup cars will be present for what is sure to be yet another thrilling race at the Georgia track.

The Cup Series has only reached 40 entries twice this year before Atlanta, and they were both crown jewel events. 41 cars started the Daytona 500 with the field expanding beyond max capacity due to Helio Castroneves taking the Open Exemption Provisional. There were also 40 cars taking part in the Coca Cola 600 for NASCAR’s longest race with Ross Chastain making history as he drove from 40th to first to win the event.

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Atlanta will be the latest race to feature 40 cars with four open entries beyond the 36 full-time chartered teams. Corey LaJoie will be piloting the No. 01 Ford for Rick Ware Racing in his fourth start of the year, which follows his stint as a analyst for Prime Video.

Rising star Connor Zilisch will be driving a fourth entry for Trackhouse, again piloting the No. 87 Chevrolet with sponsorship from Red Bull. Zilisch, who won the most recent NASCAR Xfinity race at Pocono with Dale Jr. as his crew chief, will be making his third Cup start of the year.

The other two open entries will be B.J. McLeod in the No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet and 57-year-old David Starr in the No. 66 Garage 66 (formerly MBM Motorsports) Ford Mustang.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series will be joining the Cup Series at Atlanta while the NASCAR Truck Series heads north to compete at Lime Rock Park for the very first time.

NASCAR Cup entry list — EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta)

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LONG POND, Pa. — Alex Bowman holds the final playoff spot with nine races left in the Cup regular season after his 11th-place finish Sunday at Pocono Raceway.

Bowman fell a spot to just above the cutline in the standings. He entered Pocono three points ahead of Chris Buescher, who held the final playoff spot. Buescher finished fourth Sunday and scored 48 points to Bowman’s 27 to leapfrog Bowman.

Buescher also passed Bubba Wallace in the playoff standings after Wallace finished 36th and scored one point after an accident.

Bowman holds a 20-point lead on Ryan Preece for the final playoff spot heading into Saturday night’s race at EchoPark Speedway, the track formerly known as Atlanta Motor Speedway. Wallace is 29 points ahead of Preece. Buescher is 38 points ahead of Preece.

The playoff field will be set after the Aug. 23 race at Daytona International Speedway on NBC.

A look at the winners and losers from Sunday’s Cup race at Pocono Raceway.

Chase Briscoe’s victory Sunday at Pocono made him the 11th different winner this season. That leaves five playoff spots via points at this time.

Here is a look at the playoff standings. Those in yellow have scored a win this season.

Funny Car points leader and reigning world champion Austin Prock won for the second straight year at Virginia Motorsports Park on Sunday, defeating John Force Racing teammate Jack Beckman in the final round of the fifth annual American Rebel Light Virginia Nationals.

Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won the ninth of 20 races during the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season. The results of the Top Fuel final are under review.

In the final round, Prock went 4.061 seconds at 318.02 mph in his 12,000-horsepower Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car, holding off Beckman at the finish line and picking up his third win of the season. Prock defeated Cruz Pedregon, Bob Tasca III and J.R. Todd to advance to the final round en route to his 15th career victory. Prock and team delivered a strong performance and it came at an ideal time after the reigning champ lost in the first round at the past two races.

It was also an emotional win for Prock, as the matchup between JFR teammates took place a year after legendary Funny Car driver John Force was involved in a massive crash at Virginia Motorsports Park. Prock won on that trying weekend a year ago and was thrilled to hand another trophy to Force with his boss in attendance on Sunday.

“A lot of emotion for sure. Getting to win last year, that was huge and being able to take the Wally to John as a team, that’s what we wanted to do again today, and I’m happy that we could go back-to-back and get the job done for him,” Prock said. “The trophy’s going home with him. I might have to hide it in his suitcase or something. He won’t take it off my hand, but it’s definitely going back with him. 

“He does so much for me, and he’s given me an opportunity in a lifetime to live my dream, so to win for him again today and be able to celebrate his health and have him back out at the racetrack and doing good and getting better every day means a lot for our team and all our partners and even NHRA. This sport is not the same without John Force. We’re very blessed to have him at the racetrack.”
 
Beckman moved back to second in points, reaching the finals for the third time this season and 75th time in his career after round wins against Jim Campbell, Paul Lee and Daniel Wilkerson. Prock leads his teammate by 60 points heading to the halfway mark of the season.

In Top Fuel, Shawn Langdon crossed the finish line ahead of Justin Ashley, but the results are under review for a possible rules infraction on Langdon’s car. The final-round result is under review.

Gaige Herrera had to chase down Angie Smith in the finals in Pro Stock Motorcycle, but the points leader won for the second straight year at Virginia Motorsports Park with a run of 6.826 at 198.79 in the final round on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki. Smith left first on the back-to-back world champion, going 6.853 at 196.76, but Herrera had just enough to get past her at the finish line.

It gives Herrera his third win of the season and 24 in his career, with all of those coming since the start of the 2023 season. He continues to impress at every turn, defeating Ron Tornow, Steve Johnson and No. 1 qualifier Brayden Davis to reach the final round. The qualifying dominance hasn’t been there as of late, with Davis claiming the top spot at the last two races, but Herrera remains in control on raceday, stretching his points lead to 100 points over Matt Smith.

“I almost fumbled there in the final with my light,” Herrera said. “A 150-degree track is just insane but NHRA did a phenomenal job and Andrew [Hines, crew chief] had my bike consistent all day. Angie had a fast bike and I had a little doubt when I looked over before 1,000 foot and I saw her and thought ‘This is a little too close’ because the Buells always have the mph. So when I looked over, I saw I was actually pulling away from her (and) that was a good feeling.
 
“I’m having a lot of fun. Racing is all about competition, and that’s what I love, it’s what drives me and pushes me to do better than I can. I want to say I’m nervous racing Brayden and he always says he’s nervous racing me, just because of all this good success I’ve had.”

Smith reached the final round for the first time this season and 10th time in her career after defeating Dystany Spurlock, Matt Smith and Richard Gadson. 

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action June 26-29 with the 19th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.

This story was originally published on June 23, 2025.

Today, Spire Motorsports announced internationally-accomplished road racer Jordan Taylor will drive the team’s No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series’ LiUNA 150 at Connecticut’s Lime Rock Park. Gainbridge will serve as the team’s primary sponsor for the inaugural event.

Taylor, a four-time IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Champion and 24 Hours of Le Mans class winner, will make his first CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start with Spire Motorsports when the division returns to road-course racing in the heart of Connecticut’s scenic Northwest Hills.
 
The Orlando, Fla., native, brings a decorated road-racing pedigree to the No. 7 team and will look to parlay that into a strong result at the 1.53-mile, seven-turn venue.
  
“I’m eager to join Spire Motorsports for the LiUNA 150,” said Taylor. “I have spoken with a few members of the team for a few years now, so it’s great things have finally come together. I know it’s going to be tough jumping into the series mid-season, but I know I am joining one of the top teams in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. Our Gainbridge Chevrolet Silverado will for sure be competitive, I just hope I can adapt to the truck quickly on the short weekend. Lime Rock Park is a track I know really well, but obviously all my experience around there is in much different types of cars, so I’m looking forward to the new challenge.”

Taylor currently competes full-time for Wayne Taylor Racing in the No. 40 Cadillac V-Series.R GTP entry in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Series, where he and his co-drivers earned a podium finish in the 2024 Rolex 24 at Daytona and went on to capture victory at the 2024 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.
 
The 34-year-old is a four-time IMSA WeatherTech champion, with titles in both the Prototype (2013, 2017) and GTLM (2020, 2021) categories. Taylor owns overall victories in the Rolex 24 At Daytona (2017, 2019), 12 Hours of Sebring (2017, 2024) and Petit Le Mans (2014, 2018), along with a class win in the 24 Hours of Le Mans (2015).
 
With his polished road-racing resume and crossover experience in NASCAR, Taylor has a feel for the sanctioning body’s heavier machines. He made his NASCAR debut in 2023, earning a single Cup Series start at Circuit of the Americas and competed in Xfinity Series events at Portland (Ore.) International Raceway and Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.
 
“Jordan Taylor’s body of work speaks for itself,” said Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson. “His accomplishments at the global level are more than impressive so we’re obviously thrilled to have Jordan drive our No. 7 Gainbridge Chevy Silverado this weekend at Lime Rock Park. This is also a great opportunity to connect with our friends at Wayne Taylor Racing and shine a bit of a spotlight on the TWG Motorsports family. There is no doubt Wayne and Jordan set a very high standard when it comes to road racing and can only help us be better. Expectations are high and, collectively, we’re looking forward to the challenge.”
 
The LiUNA 150 at Lime Rock Park will be televised live on FOX Saturday, June 28, beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The 15th of 25 races on the 2025 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series schedule will also be broadcast live on the NASCAR Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Channel 90.

Spire Motorsports PR

Two NASCAR Cup Series cars are set to undergo further inspection following post-race tech at Pocono Raceway.

The Great American Getaway 400 was won by Chase Briscoe in the No. 19 for Joe Gibbs Racing, and the win and race results were made official when the series confirmed that no issues were found in post-race inspection.

However, in the report that confirmed the above, NASCAR also announced that the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet driven by Christopher Bell and the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet driven by Chase Elliott are set for further inspection at their R&D Center this week.

“Post-race inspection was completed without issue, confirming Briscoe as the winner,” NASCAR wrote.

“The Nos. 9 and 20 cars will be brought back to the NASCAR R&D Center in Concord, North Carolina, for inspections.”

Bell drove the No. 20 to a 17th-place finish at Pocono on Sunday, with Elliott finishing fifth in the No. 9.

Interestingly, the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet driven by Elliott in the Xfinity Series on Saturday is also set for further inspection at the R&D Center this week, NASCAR has confirmed.

NASCAR HEADLINES: Jeff Gordon issues Kyle Larson verdict as Cup Series team hit with multiple penalties

Why does NASCAR inspect cars further post-race?

Although it does not happen every single week, cars being taken back to the R&D Center in North Carolina for further inspection is not something new.

In fact, it has happened multiple times this season already in the Cup Series, with differing results.

Chase Briscoe was disqualified from the Daytona 500 following his car being inspected further, for example, with the No. 19 found to have been in violation of Section 14.1 of the NASCAR rule book, which pertains to overall assembled vehicles rules, and Section 14.5.8, which deals with the spoiler. This was, however, later overturned at appeal.

Further inspection does not necessarily mean punishment, though, as evidenced by April’s race at Talladega, after which four Cup Series cars were inspected at the R&D Center and given the all-clear.

For the most part, the further inspections are for educational purposes, as outlined on NASCAR’s official website: “Sometimes, NASCAR will choose cars to take back to the R&D Center, but that’s more for engine education than anything else.”

READ MORE: NASCAR Cup Series star hit with devastating penalty at Pocono

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