HAMPTON, Ga. – Ryan Preece wasn’t the first — and probably won’t be the last — driver to finish a NASCAR Cup Series race going backward.
But Preece’s reversal came in wildly improbable circumstances. The world was watching. It was the last lap of the Daytona 500. And he circled much of the track in reverse after his car was damaged as calamity erupted on both ends of the speedway.
Preece brought his car home, backing his No. 60 RFK Racing Ford across the line to finish 25th as the final car on the lead lap.
“Not ideal, by any means,” Preece said Saturday from EchoPark Speedway, where he’ll start 26th in Sunday’s Autotrader 400 (3 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN Radio, HBO Max, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, FOX One). “But, in that situation, being in that wreck on the last lap, that’s the only way the car would move. So, at that point, I do whatever it takes to get across the line. You know, if you’re in a big wreck like that and you don’t cross the line, you’re credited with a finish of where you were. I wanted to get whatever points I could get.”
Despite the weird nature of the situation, Preece said he didn’t have a major issue rolling around the speedway driving with the aid of his rear-view mirror.
“I felt like I was in control of the race car,” he said. “I think that’s number one. I communicated with the other drivers to let them know I was coming around and that I was in control. I tried to be as careful as possible to not put anybody in a bad spot.”
Because of damage to the car, Preece couldn’t drive it forward. “It wouldn’t matter if I had tried to turn it around,” he said. “It wouldn’t move forward.”
Many in the crowd cheered on Preece’s journey, but he said he didn’t notice that element.
“I was like, ‘I just want to get this thing across the line,'” he said. “But I did see a lot of videos after.”
NASCAR Cup Series qualifying at EchoPark Speedway near Atlanta was canceled Saturday due to inclement weather.
With no time trials, Daytona 500 winner Tyler Reddick will start first in Sunday’s Autotrader 400 (3 p.m. ET, FOX, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) with the lineup set according to the NASCAR Rule Book. His No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota will be flanked on the front row by the No. 22 Team Penske Ford of Joey Logano, a two-time winner at the 1.54-mile track.
Steady mid-morning rain mixed with lightning placed on-track activity on hold. Saturday’s schedule included a pair of races for the other two NASCAR national series — the Fr8 Racing 208 for the Craftsman Truck Series and the Bennett Transportation & Logistics 250 for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. Track-drying efforts caused a slight delay to the Truck Series event, which went green approximately an hour late and was shortened 10 laps due to time constraints. Kyle Busch won the event in a 1-2 finish with Carson Hocevar for Spire Motorsports, while Sheldon Creed earned his first O’Reilly Auto Part Series victory later in the day.
Saturday’s weather forced the first cancellation of Cup Series qualifying at EchoPark since 2008.
Another tripleheader weekend is in store to start the 2026 racing season as the Cup Series, O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and Craftsman Truck Series head to EchoPark Speedway near Atlanta. A modified 1.5-mile drafting track, EchoPark enters its fourth season in this current configuration, and the venue has provided some stellar races with iconic finishes in all three series.
The No. 3 Richard Childress Racing and No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports teams were levied penalties for multiple failures during NASCAR Cup Series pre-race inspection Friday evening at Atlanta’s EchoPark Speedway.
NASCAR officials ejected both team’s car chiefs: Ryan Chism on the RCR Chevrolet driven by Austin Dillon, and Ryan Henderson on the Live Fast Chevrolet driven by team owner BJ McLeod. Additionally, both teams forfeit pit selection for Sunday’s Autotrader 400 (3 p.m. ET, FOX, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
While Dillon’s Camaro passed on its third attempt, McLeod’s Open entry must still pass inspection Saturday.
Both drivers crashed out of the season-opening Daytona 500, with Dillon placing 37th and McLeod 41st.
HAMPTON, Ga. – Two of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Ram team full-time drivers – Brenden “Butterbean” Queen and Mini Tyrrell – will be making their first EchoPark Speedway starts in Saturday’s race – qualifying 28th and 29th, respectively for the Fr8 Racing 208 (1:30 p.m. ET, FS1, NRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
For Tyrrell, who won his seat in the No. 14 Ram 1500, it’s been a high-profile arrival on the NASCAR scene. He earned the season ride at Kaulig Racing through the “Race for the Seat” reality competition during the offseason – besting a field of 15 hopefuls. The eight-episode series aired on YouTube and FOX networks, and although Tyrrell is an accomplished short track driver, even he has noticed the additional attention it’s brought.
“It’s a huge step in the career, and even this morning walking to the garage, people wanted me to sign [autographs],’’ Tyrrell said. “To me, that’s just so awesome because I’ve grown up being a race fan and loving racing. It’s been so special and I’ve been in the shoes of those people that love the drivers.
“It’s definitely unexpected, just because I was a local guy who ran the late models,’’ he said of the attention. “I had a bunch of fans that loved the short track scene but they didn’t really know who I was, the fans who love NASCAR. So it was really cool to make that entrance and so cool for the show and having that opportunity and getting my name out there and having so many new fans. It’s been such a pleasure to meet everybody. I love every minute when people come up.”
HAMPTON, Ga. — It took all of one start in the JR Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet for the popular young driver Rajah Caruth to score his best career finish (10th) and first career top-10 in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. The former full-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver is racing just 23 of 33 events with JR Motorsports this season, but was certainly energized by the Daytona debut.
The 23-year-old, two-time winner in the Truck Series is back behind the wheel this weekend at EchoPark Speedway (Sat., 5 p.m. ET, The CW, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) and brings some extra confidence to the 1.54-mile drafting track.
“Checked some boxes or maybe answered some questions I had about really running up front in an O’Reilly [Auto Parts Series] car,’’ Caruth said. “I ran the fall race [at EchoPark] for Jordan Anderson but I wasn’t running in the top-10 all day. So it [Daytona] really answered some questions I had from my years of Truck (Series) plate racing.
“It was great. Unfortunately got caught up in some other folks’ mess but to finish in the top-10 was great and really showed how fast all our cars were and how much the work at Hendrick Motorsports shop and JRM closed the gap to the RCR cars. I felt like we could take the fight to them last weekend. Didn’t work out obviously, but I’m very confident going into this weekend that one of us can get the job done.’’
HAMPTON, Ga. — In the vernacular of his native Georgia, Austin Hill is a big boy. At 6-foot-2, he has the build of a linebacker and looks like a giant when standing beside most of his competitors.
“The guys at RCR (Richard Childress Racing) have done a really good job of getting the right seat and getting everything that I need to have,” Hill said. “If you look in the car, it does make you wonder how I fit into the thing, but they do a great job making me feel comfortable inside the car. I mean, it’s been good enough to be able to do what we’ve done.”
And what they’ve done is a lot. Hill has won 15 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series races in RCR Chevrolets. Eleven of those wins have come on the drafting tracks of Daytona International Speedway, Atlanta’s EchoPark Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, courses where Hill typically is a prohibitive favorite. His most recent win was scored last week at Daytona, where masterful blocking earned Hill his fourth win at the track.
Hill’s continued O’Reilly success — particularly at bigger tracks like Daytona and Talladega, where publicity often is more widespread — brings up the obvious question: When will he fold himself full-time into a NASCAR Cup Series car?
“The angle has always been to run Cup and at least give it a shot for two or three years,” Hill said, “but I’m having a lot of fun where I’m at at RCR and having a lot of fun in this series. If the right opportunity presents itself to go run Cup, I would definitely entertain that.”
Hill clearly enjoys his status as a big fish in a smaller pond, and his abilities are respected throughout the O’Reilly garage. In a media availability Friday, four JR Motorsports drivers — Justin Allgaier, Rajah Caruth, Carson Kvapil and Sammy Smith — spent much of the session trying to explain what makes Hill so difficult to beat, particularly on drafting tracks.
“Right now I’m fully committed to this series,” Hill said. “I’m having a lot of fun in that these cars are way more fun to drive than the Cup car, in my opinion. The Cup car is a lot of fun on the road courses, but on the oval-style stuff, it’s just that the O’Reilly Series is just where it’s at for me.
“I hope to try to make it in Cup, but, if not, I can kind of be the Allgaier of this series.” Hill referred to Allgaier, who has fashioned an excellent career running 15 years in O’Reilly, scoring 28 wins and tallying a championship.
Hill has won five times at EchoPark Speedway, the site of Saturday’s Bennett Transportation & Logistics 250 (5 p.m. ET, The CW, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the second race of the 2026 season.
“It’s extremely hard to win here, but we’ve made it, I guess, look easy at times,” Hill said. “It’s anything but that.”
SOUTH BOSTON, Va. — Momentum breeds a positive mindset and extra motivation. It also breeds confidence and, subsequently, more momentum.
Momentum is certainly behind Landon Pembelton, who enters 2026 coming off a great finish to the 2025 season. The Amelia, Virginia resident capped his 2025 season by winning the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway last fall to become a two-time winner of the prestigious Late Model Stock Car event.
The Martinsville win followed a strong performance at the end of the 2025 season at South Boston Speedway. Pembelton finished a close third in the South Boston Speedway championship chase, just 13 points behind champion Peyton Sellers and 11 points behind division runner-up Trevor Ward.
Pembelton finished the 2025 season at South Boston Speedway with two wins, five second-place finishes and 10 top-three finishes in his 18 starts. Notably, he had a win among three top-three finishes in the season’s final four races.
That has fueled a lot of excitement in Pembelton as he continues preparations to pursue the 2026 Hitachi Energy Late Model Stock Car Division championship at South Boston Speedway. He will competing for the second consecutive season out of the R&S Race Cars stable with Marcus Richmond as crew chief.
“I’m really excited,” Pembelton remarked, “and really looking forward to this season. I’m looking forward to being back at the racetrack. I have a lot of confidence going into this year, and I’m sure Marcus does, too. I think we’re going to come out of the gate really strong. We were knocking on the door the last half of the season. We’re trying to carry that momentum into this season. I feel we’re going to be even stronger this year.”
(Photo: Ted Malinowski/NASCAR Regional)
Pembelton feels he and Richmond having a year under their belts in working with each other will pay good dividends this season.
“We’re going to continue working on our program and trying to get better,” Pembelton said. “Marcus and I worked really hard last year getting our communication down. We did a little off-season testing last year, but we had new chemistry going into last season.
“Marcus and I learned a lot about each other last year, and I’m looking forward to continuing to build that relationship and making it stronger. Marcus and I have built a really good program, and we’re going to keep building on it.”
Pembelton noted that along with the 2025 season being his first season working with Richmond, it was also his first full-time season competing at South Boston Speedway.
“I’m looking forward to going back to a second full-time season and going after the championship,” said Pembelton. “South Boston is a tough race track, and you must be on your A-game every time you hit the race track. It doesn’t matter if you’re practicing each week or you’re practicing for the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 race; you’ve got to be the best you can be there.”
One of the primary areas Pembelton is looking to improve upon in 2026 is qualifying. The last time he won a pole in qualifying at South Boston Speedway came in 2023.
“Qualifying is a big deal,” Pembelton pointed out. “You always want to win the race, but you have to put yourself in position to win the race. We’ve been working during the offseason on how to get better, and we’re looking forward to going into this year being better at everything with both our qualifying package and our race package.”
One of the new components both are working with is a switch to Dodge for the 2026 season.
“I’m looking forward to going into this season with Dodge and getting the best finishes we can for them,” Pembelton remarked.
Pembelton is hoping to get off to a faster start at South Boston Speedway this season than he did in 2025, when he finished better than sixth place only once in the season’s first three races.
“We’re going to come out of the gate swinging hard,” he said. “You always want to start the season off strong. I feel we have all the confidence in the world and a lot of momentum going into the first race of the season. I can’t thank my dad, my family, and everyone at R&S Race Cars enough. It’s going to be a ton of fun this year.”
Pembelton and the region’s top Late Model Stock Car competitors will begin the chase for the 2026 South Boston Speedway championship on Saturday, March 21 when South Boston Speedway launches its season with a 100-lap race for the Hitachi Late Model division as part of the URW Race Day King of the Modifieds event.
The URW Race Day King of the Modifieds event will be headlined by a 125-lap race for the SMART Modified Tour and the 100-lap Late Model Stock Car race. A 35-lap race for the competitors of the Southern Ground Pounders Vintage Racing Club will round out the season-opening event. Race time will be 2 p.m. ET.
Advance tickets are priced at $20 each. Tickets at the gate on race day will be $25 each. Seniors age 65 and older, military, healthcare workers and students (with ID) can purchase tickets at the advance ticket price at the gate only on the day of the event.
The latest news and updates about the URW Race Day King of the Modifieds event and South Boston Speedway may be found online on South Boston Speedway’s website, www.southbostonspeedway.com, the track’s social media channels. or by calling the speedway office at 434-572-4947 or toll free at 1-877-440-1540 during regular business hours.
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.
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 …
Never know what to expect at EchoPark Speedway, but one fairly reliable aspect to count on is that the lead will likely change hands late in the going. In six of the last seven races at the Atlanta-area track, the decisive pass has taken place in the final two laps before the checkered flag. That list – which may grow Sunday – has a who’s who of winners and a pair of repeaters:
Race date
Winner
Took lead from
Laps to go
June 28, 2025
Chase Elliott
Brad Keselowski
1
Feb. 23, 2025
Christopher Bell
Kyle Larson
1
Sept. 8, 2024
Joey Logano
Daniel Suárez
2
Feb. 25, 2024
Daniel Suárez
Ryan Blaney
1
July 9, 2023
William Byron
AJ Allmendinger
19
March 19, 2023
Joey Logano
Brad Keselowski
1
July 10, 2022
Chase Elliott
Corey LaJoie
2
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
Editor’s Note: Keep tabs on this page for lineup advice after qualifying, including changes you should consider.
This weekend marks the ninth race at the reconfigured EchoPark Speedway, where drafting is a premium. Three drivers – William Byron, Chase Elliott and Joey Logano – have won twice at the hybrid superspeedway, meaning the usual suspects often contend for the win. Despite that, the race tends to conclude with a thrilling finish, with seven consecutive superspeedway races being decided on a last-lap pass.
Returning to Fastlane this year is my weekly NASCAR 36 for 36 pick, where you can come play along. It’s a season-long points battle introduced in 2024 where strategy is the primary emphasis. With 36 chartered cars and 36 races on the 2026 schedule, players can choose each car once for the duration of the season.
Driver:Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford Selections remaining: 9 Comment: Starting Blaney at a drafting track for a second straight week could be a risk given he finished 27th in the Daytona 500 (though still banked 27 points). However, he leads the Cup Series at the reconfigured EchoPark with six top-10 finishes in eight starts and is tied for the most top fives (four).
Driver:Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford Selections remaining: 10 Comment: Despite being involved in multiple crashes last week, Logano managed a third-place finish in the Daytona 500. He is elite in the draft, scoring two victories in the last six trips to Georgia. He leads the league with 333 laps led here since the reconfiguration.
Driver:Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford Selections remaining: 10 Comment: Vintage Keselowski was on display during the Daytona 500, with the No. 6 constantly in the mix. The same could be said at EchoPark, with a pair of runner-up finishes in eight starts at the reconfigured 1.5-mile circuit. The 2012 Cup champion has six second-place finishes at drafting tracks since last winning one (Talladega, 2021).
Patrick Vallely | For NASCAR Digital Media
DRIVERS TO AVOID
Driver:Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Selections remaining: 10 Comment: Larson has seen an uptick in finishes at superspeedways of late, but EchoPark has been his kryptonite. Sure, he finished third in this race last spring, but it’s his only top 10 in eight starts at the reconfigured EchoPark. In that same timeframe, he leads all drivers with five DNFs
Driver:Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Selections remaining: 10 Comment: After one race, all four JGR drivers are outside the top 25 in points. Unfortunately for Briscoe, it might not get much better this week, as he’s never finished better than 15th in eight starts at the EchoPark reconfiguration. He has failed to finish three of the last four races here.
Jonathan Bachman | Getty Images
SLEEPERS OF THE WEEK
Driver:Daniel Suárez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Selections remaining: 10 Comment: Suárez has a quartet of top fives at Atlanta, tied with Blaney for the league best in eight visits. Three of those have been finishes of second or better (all in the last five races), though he failed to finish both races last year due to crashes.
Driver:Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Selections remaining: 10 Comment: For the second week in a row, Hocevar is listed as a sleeper. It nearly paid off last week with a Harley J. Earl Trophy as the No. 77 car was leading at the white-flag lap. Hocevar was inches away from winning this race last year, posting top 10s in both events.
Jeff Curry | Getty Images
FEATURED MATCHUPS
Tyler Reddick vs. Chase Elliott Pick: Elliott Comment: Full transparency, Elliott could be listed as a must-start since he’s the series’ most recent victor at his home venue. Reddick, this year’s Daytona 500 winner, does have three finishes of sixth or better in the last six EchoPark races, but Elliott’s 9.14 average finish leads all drivers at EchoPark.
Riley Herbst vs. Brad Keselowski Pick: Keselowski Comment: Coming off his best career finish, Herbst is a formidable superspeedway competitor, scoring all three of his career top 10s in the draft. Keselowski is arguably the best superspeedway driver of this generation, though, as his seven drafting track wins are the most among active drivers.
Carson Hocevar vs. Chris Buescher Pick: Hocevar Comment: Buescher is no slouch at superspeedways, finishing seventh at Daytona and has a pair of top 10s in the last four Atlanta visits. There is something about Hocevar here that’s appealing, as his aggressive style has proved effective recently with four top 10s in the last six drafting races. Don’t be surprised if this is the week when he breaks through to Victory Lane.
Michael McDowell vs. Zane Smith Pick: Smith Comment: McDowell nearly stretched his fuel tank to win the Daytona 500, but it was Smith who won the opening stage. Smith flies under the radar at drafting tracks, posting three top 10s in the last four races.
Pick: Daniel Suárez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Comment: While Suárez’s Atlanta success came with Trackhouse Racing, the same principles apply. Regardless of the venue, he’s been in the hunt lately at drafting tracks, with only one finish worse than 13th in the last five races.
