While we took off from previews last week for the 4th of July, NASCAR returned to Chicagoland Speedway, where Chase Briscoe notched his first win of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Season. Briscoe will look to build on the momentum from last week’s win as NASCAR hits the high banks of EchoPark Speedway for the 2026 Quaker State 400.
EchoPark Speedway, formerly known as Atlanta Motor Speedway, features exciting pack racing at a higher clip in the NextGen than the other drafting-style tracks, courtesy of the 1.5-mile circuit length. Still, fans can expect a healthy dose of chaos when the best in the series hit Atlanta.
Who will survive the chaos to claim victory?
Let’s dive in.
2026 Quaker State 400 Entry List
Chad Finchum in the #66 and BJ McLeod in the #78 mark the two non-charter entries for this weekend’s Cup race. The rest of the field remains unchanged for the weekend. Chicagoland did see a pair of incidents that might have been interpreted as intentional wrecks between Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar and Austin Hill and Shane Van Gisbergen. However, the governing body opted not to pass down any penalties in the form of fines or points.
Night racing 🔜.#QS400 | #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/ppcWDVkfze
— EchoPark Speedway (@EchoParkSpdwy) April 24, 2026
As mentioned above, Atlanta is a drafting-style track with its current configuration. That means the racing action sees pack antics similar to Talladega and Daytona. However, unlike those two tracks – NASCAR hasn’t seen the partial-throttle fuel-saving runs. Additionally, handling seems to play a much more active role at Atlanta as drivers fight the balance on their cars, making for some incredible racing.
2026 Quaker State 400 Race Predictions
Tyler Reddick claimed victory in the spring race at Atlanta, and the #45 will likely run near the front once more, along with his 23XI teammates. The rest of the Toyotas likely factor into the equation as well.
Though Ford has struggled on typical 1.5-mile circuits this season, the Penske crew always shows up at drafting-style circuits, so don’t be surprised to see Blaney, Logano, and Cindric near the front as well.
WE’VE GOT TROUBLE! 🫣🫣 pic.twitter.com/19ghnqQIx6
— EchoPark Speedway (@EchoParkSpdwy) February 22, 2026
Of course, Hendrick Motorsports will undoubtedly factor in as well, but as all NASCAR fans know, when it comes to the draft, anything can happen.
Your race winner prediction is as good as mine, but I’m going to opt for Carson Hocevar in the #77 as my race winner pick for this weekend. Hocevar claimed his first victory earlier this season at Talladega and always seems to play a large part in these drafting-style races for better or worse.
Check out the schedule below so you don’t miss any on-track action this week!
Friday 07/10
Lime Rock Park ARCA 100 (ARCA Menards Series – Lime Rock Park) – 3:00 p.m. CT on FS2
Saturday 07/11
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Practice (Lime Rock Park) – 8:00 a.m. CT on FS1
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Qualifying (Lime Rock Park) – 9:05 a.m. CT on FS1
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Qualifying (EchoPark Speedway) – 10:00 a.m. CT on the CW App
LiUNA 150 (NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – Lime Rock Park) – 12:00 p.m. CT on FS1
NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying – 3:30 p.m. CT on TruTV
Focused Health 250 (NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series – EchoPark Speedway) – 6:00 p.m. CT on the CW
Sunday 07/12
Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart (NASCAR Cup Series – EchoPark Speedway) – 6:00 p.m. CT on TNT and HBO Max
Stay locked into Apollo for more NASCAR and F1 coverage throughout the racing season, and check out our Instagram – Apollo NASCAR!
