The Cup Series heats up tonight as it returns to EchoPark (oh God, is this gonna be tough to get used to.) Speedway for the 2025 Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart. EchoPark Speedway has hosted NASCAR races since 1960, but has only hosted races on the new configuration since 2022. The current configuration is a 1.54 mile quad-oval featuring 28 degrees of banking in the turns and six degrees of banking on the straights, setting the track up to run like a miniature superspeedway.
Known for years as Atlanta Motor Speedway, the track has a new entitlement sponsor in EchoPark. This sponsorship deal is in place for the next seven years, with the track now being known as EchoPark Speedway. With a new name in place, the track will be bringing a new set of eyes to the sport tonight. EchoPark Speedway is serving as host to the first round of the In-Season Challenge, a March Madness-type bracket challenge where the winning driver will earn a million dollars. The top 32 drivers in the Point Standings are eligible, with seeding based on the drivers’ average finishing position over the last three races (Michigan, Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez and Pocono). Drivers will face-off each week over the next five weeks, with the winner advancing to the following week. The last driver standing following the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be the winner and take home the grand prize. As if things weren’t competitive enough on the track, expect even more brazen moves and plenty of strategy with a million dollars on the line.
Track position is king at EchoPark, plain and simple. Unlike other drafting tracks, EchoPark is primarily a two groove track. A third line can form, but damn, it will be tight. Passing is also difficult, with cars rarely being able to clear without a healthy push from behind. That being said, moves can be made, as several recent winners of this race have come from deep in the field. But running up front is a cure all for that, as you are best in control running out in front of the chaos. Tires also matter at this track. With the pave job starting to wear in after four years, tire wear is more noticeable. It’s a fine balance of track position vs. grip, but the driver who can somehow manage both will have the edge tonight. Other than that, strap in and say a prayer. This is a drafting track. The big one will happen. There will be carnage. Drivers will more or less likely get caught up in a wreck. It’s simply unavoidable in these conditions. The driver who best manages their aggression, has a fast hot rod and most importantly, has the most luck, will come out on top tonight. Drafting veterans? The usual suspects? Playoff disrupters? They all stand a chance tonight.
The Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart was first held in 1960 and has produced a Who’s Who of winners throughout the years. Cale Yarborough has the most wins in this race, taking the checkered flag six times in his career. Dale Earnhardt Sr. won this race five times, while Bobby Allison, Kurt Busch and Fred Lorenzen are three-time winners of this race. Bill Elliott, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte, David Pearson, Richard Petty, Morgan Shepherd and Rusty Wallace are also multi-time winners of this race.
Last year’s edition was won by Joey Logano, who led nine laps and held off the field on a late race restart to take home the victory. Daniel Suarez led nine laps on the way to a second place finish, Ryan Blaney led 33 laps on the way to a third place finish, Christopher Bell finished fourth and Alex Bowman led five laps on the way to a fifth place finish. Kyle Busch finished in seventh after leading 24 laps, William Byron finished in ninth after leading two laps, Austin Cindric rounded out the top 10 after leading a race-high 92 laps, Ross Chastain finished in 13th after leading 13 laps, Carson Hocevar finished in 16th after leading one lap, Ty Gibbs finished in 17th after leading 37 laps, Ryan Preece finished in 18th after leading two laps, polesitter Michael McDowell finished in 22nd after leading 30 laps, BJ McLeod finished in 25th after leading one lap and Bubba Wallace finished in 29th after leading eight laps.
Coverage of the Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart can be seen on TNT, with pre-race beginning at 6:30 PM EST and green flag coverage beginning at 7 PM EST.
Usually, drafting tracks are often the great equalizer, giving some drivers a chance to succeed who might not always be a threat to win most other weeks. For Noah Gragson, EchoPark Speedway has been anything but an equalizer. In seven career starts at the track, Gragson has six finishes of 33rd or worse, wrecking out of the race in four of those starts. 2025 has pretty much been a season that Gragson would like to forget, posting just one top five, three top 10’s and six top 20’s to sit a dismal 32nd in the Point Standings. Grgason did post a season best finish of 4th at Talladega, but finished 28th and 34th at the other two drafting tracks in Daytona and EchoPark, respectively. Front Row Motorsports usually beings the speed on drafting tracks, but Grgason just simply doesn’t have the luck for this style of racing. I predict another poor showing for Gragson, who rolls out from 27th position tonight, as he will once again finish outside the top 25 at EchoPark.
Wrecky Spinhouse to the front? Assholes begin to pucker everywhere at the sound of that idea. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has surprisingly had a very good track record of late on this new EchoPark configuration, logging four straight top 15 finishes at this track, including a 5th place finish in the spring race. Consequently, he has been a very poor qualifier in this race, qualifying 20th or worse in each of the last seven EchoPark races. Stenhouse has quietly put together a solid campaign in 2025, with one top five, two top 10’s and 10 top 20’s in 17 stars, including top 12 finishes in two of the three drafting track races. Stenhouse is a drafting track specialist, with all four of his Cup Series victories coming on this type of track. Stenhouse seems to be following EchoPark canon once again this weekend, as he rolls out from the 37th position tonight in his #47 Chevrolet. A win would be the upset of the season, but given Stenhouse’s recent successes at this track, a fifth straight top 15 showing is certainly within reach.
Arguably the best drafting racer in the Cup Series today, Ryan Blaney doesn’t mess around when it comes to EchoPark Speedway. Blaney currently rides a six race top 10 streak at this track, finishing 4-3-2-9-7-5 and leading laps in all six of those starts. 2025 has been a solid campaign so far for Blaney, posting one win, seven top 5’s and eight top 10’s to date to sit in sixth position in the Point Standings. Blaney has been in the mix in all three drafting track races this season, finishing 7th at Daytona, 8th at EchoPark and 37th after wrecking out at Daytona. Like most drafting tracks, the Fords came with the speed for qualifying, sweeping the first four rows for tonight’s race. Blaney is one of those fast Fords, starting in 3rd position. Expect Blaney to be up front early and often, leading some laps and absolutely being in the hunt in the closing laps. Ryan Blaney for a seventh straight top 10 finish at EchoPark Speedway tonight is an absolute lock.
Our favorite Amigo, Daniel Suarez has been locked in since the reconfiguration of EchoPark Speedway prior to the start of the 2022 season. His results? One win, a pair of runner-ups, four top fives and five top 10’s in seven starts. Pretty damn good if you ask me. 2025 has been full of ups and downs for Suarez, who won in his native country of Mexico just a few weeks ago in the Xfinity Series, driving from the back to the front after wrecking in Practice. The Cup Series has proven to be more of a struggle this season, posting just one top five and two top 10 finishes to date to sit at 27th position in the Point Standings. The drafting tracks have proven to be some of Suarez’s best finishes this season, finishing 9th at Talladega and 13th at Daytona. Suarez has been a poor qualifier of late at EchoPark, qualifying 23rd or worse in his last five starts at the track. He’s pulled together a win and a pair of runner-ups though during that stretch, so maybe he’s onto something. Suarez is once again prepared with his race trim, qualifying in 31st position for tonight’s race. I predict that Suarez will once again methodically work his way to the front and punch his ticket to the playoffs with a victory at EchoPark Speedway!
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