What to Watch: Cup Series doubles up on drafting with peachy EchoPark visit

Track: EchoPark Speedway
Location: Hampton, Ga.
Track length: 1.54 miles
When: 3 p.m. ET
Where to tune in: FOX, HBO Max, FOX One, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90
Race purse: $11,233,037
Race distance: 260 laps | 400.4 miles
Stages: 60 | 160 | 260
Sunday’s starting lineup | Cup Series pit-stall assignments

Double the draft

There isn’t much chance to catch a collective breath after the Daytona 500, where high-speed and close-quarters competition in the aerodynamic draft dictates the action. Race 2 of the NASCAR Cup Series season also means Round 2 of the drafting style of racing, plus the unpredictable nature within.

Sunday’s Autotrader 400 (3 p.m. ET, FOX, HBO Max, FOX One, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Atlanta’s EchoPark Speedway brings another opportunity for a topsy-turvy finish to the early-season mix. Daytona delivered there, with Tyler Reddick’s rousing final-lap ride to the checkered flag. Need a quote-unquote “normal” race that’s more straightforward? Maybe wait until March.

That uncertain environment at the former Atlanta Motor Speedway is thanks to a redesign that debuted in time for the 2022 season. The 1.54-mile oval was reimagined with steeper banking – from 24 to 28 degrees – and a rules configuration lifted from superspeedway layouts like Daytona’s and Talladega’s. The result is a hybrid form of superspeedway-style intensity on an intermediate-sized track.

Reddick rolled to the top of the Cup Series standings after notching his first win in 38 races, but other drivers and teams aim to straighten up their path after heartache in the “Great American Race.” With the caveat that we’re just one event into a 36-race season, it’s still jarring to see all four Joe Gibbs Racing drivers listed outside the top 25 – with Ty Gibbs (26th), Christopher Bell (31st), Denny Hamlin (33rd) and Chase Briscoe (37th) all in the bottom half of the order. All three Trackhouse Racing drivers are nearly in the same situation, outside the top 20 – Ross Chastain (23rd), Shane van Gisbergen (28th) and rookie Connor Zilisch (34th).

It’s nowhere near panic time since the 2026 campaign just took flight, but the shake-up of the standings should be in full swing at a track known for its own brand of jostling.

MORE: Schedule, TV info: Atlanta

A ‘different’ draft at EchoPark

Since EchoPark Speedway was reconfigured from a classic oval to a quad-oval with new, steeper banking, the 1.54-mile track has been considered a “drafting track” and is mentioned in the same breath as Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. The similarities generally end with that designation, though, because EchoPark (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway) is an animal unto itself.

“At Daytona and Talladega, your spotter can see a big run coming,” said Hyak Motorsports driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. “Here, you can be leading the race and running on the bottom and all of a sudden a guy runs the top of (Turns) 1 and 2 and gets a strong run down the back and he can move past you in a hurry. It’s not like he’s doing it with a group of cars; he can make that move by himself. That’s different.” – Mike Hembree

In the details …

Speed reads

Race-day essentials:

– EchoPark hub: Key information, links, results | Read more
– Paint Scheme Preview: Fresh designs for Race 2 of the year | View gallery
– Hauler Talk: Officials dive into yellow-flag restraint | Listen now
– Power Rankings: Cup Series’ top 20 drivers after Daytona | This week’s ranks
– NASCAR Classics: Inside the video vault from EchoPark | Watch now
– Sunday Setup: See what crew chiefs have in mind for 400 miles | Read more