Autotrader 400
It is a short drive for the haulers from Daytona Beach to Hampton, GA, more commonly known as the site of Atlanta Motor Speedway. This year, there are some new naming rights, as the NASCAR Cup Series is at EchoPark Speedway for this weekend’s Autotrader 400. The name of the race and the name of the track may have changed for 2026, but this is still the same 1.54-mile quad oval it has been for a while.
This is the second race of 36 for the Cup Series season, which will include three road course races, a street course, a revamped playoff format, the second annual In-Season Challenge, and a whole lot of exciting Saturdays and Sundays for race fans and bettors.
How to Watch The Autotrader 400
When: Sunday, February 22, 2026
Where: EchoPark (Atlanta Motor) Speedway in Hampton, GA
Time: 3:00 p.m. ET
Channel: FOX
2026 NASCAR Cup Series Winners and Standings
The first race is in the books, so we get our first look at the new scoring format. First place is now worth 55 points, a 15-point increase from last season. Tyler Reddick was only able to muster three Stage points over the course of the Daytona 500, but the point increase is on display right away because his 58 points currently lead the field. Joey Logano, who took down 12 Stage points, finished third overall and is second with 46 points. Chase Elliott, who finished fourth at DIS, has 43 points and sits third overall thanks to his 10 Stage points. Zane Smith, who won Stage 1 and finished sixth, is fourth and race runner-up Ricky Stenhouse Jr. sits fifth.
Ryan Blaney actually led all drivers with 26 Stage points, so despite finishing 27th, he cracked the top 10 after Race 1. Other notables are Bubba Wallace, who led the most laps and won Stage 2, in eighth place and Carson Hocevar, who had a chance to win and had the fastest lap of the race, sits in ninth.
The postseason format has changed, as there are no rounds anymore and playoff points will not be awarded. The top 16 drivers in points will qualify for the Cup Series Chase and how they perform over the 10 races as a whole is how a winner will be decided. In other words, a win does not guarantee entry into the Chase like it would have in the past. Therefore, while Reddick should absolutely be in the playoffs, he is not guaranteed a spot just by virtue of winning a race.
Autotrader 400 Winners
There are a lot of data points over the years at Atlanta Motor Speedway, as this is and has been a twice-a-year stop since 2021 and was from 1960-2010. The reigning winner in this race is Christopher Bell, with Daniel Suarez, Logano, William Byron, and Blaney on the list of recent winners. The Quaker State 400, which will be run on July 12 as part of the In-Season Challenge, is the other race, which Elliott won last year. Logano, Byron, Elliott, and Kurt Busch are the winners since the race moved back onto the schedule in 2021.
Over the last 10 starts at Atlanta, Logano, Byron, and Elliott are multiple winners (2), with wins for Bell, Blaney, and Suarez among active drivers. Blaney leads all drivers with six top-five finishes, followed by Alex Bowman and Suarez with four. Blaney’s average finish of 9.3 paces the field in that span.
Autotrader 400 Predictions
For the latest odds and VSiN’s NASCAR Best Bets, head to our NASCAR Hub to see Steve Makinen’s simulation results and more stats on the drivers.
