Updated July 12, 2026, 8:15 p.m. CT
The NASCAR Cup Series is back at the most entertaining track on the schedule.
The Quaker State 400 runs on July 12, weather permitting, at EchoPark Speedway south of Atlanta.
Rain and thunderstorms are currently moving across the Hampton, Georgia area, with rain chances hovering between 50-70% through the evening hours.
When the field does take the green flag, Ryan Blaney is on the pole.
The race also serves as the quarterfinal round of the in-season challenge tournament.
Follow along with the Tennessean’s NASCAR race updates below:
NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta live updates, highlights, live leaderboard for the Quaker State 400
LIVE LEADERBOARD: Full field leaderboard of NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400
Lightning hold lifted; NASCAR will start track drying
The lightning hold has been lifted, so NASCAR will start the track-drying process.
Will NASCAR race be postponed to Monday?
Rain continues to fall at EchoPark Speedway, and more storms are forming to the west.
Track drying will take about 90-120 minutes, and then the final 150 laps will require about that long too.
Track has washed out
Heavy rain has completely washed out the track, and it’ll require a complete track-drying effort if and when the rain stops.
Settle in for a long night.
Rain starting to fall at Atlanta
Rain is starting to fall at EchoPark Speedway. Not a complete washout yet, but could be a dodgy night with scattered showers and storms all across Georgia and east Alabama.
Race halted at 109 laps for lightning
The red flag is out for lightning after 109 laps at Atlanta. Ryan Blaney is the leader.
No rain has fallen at the track, so it could be a matter of waiting out the lightning hold.
Lap 82: New leader is Carson Hocevar
Carson Hocevar surges past Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson to take the lead.
Lap 72: Tyler Reddick vs. Ryan Blaney
Tyler Reddick gets the early advantage on the restart, but eventually gets shuffled back behind Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson. The pack is staying together early.
Riley Herbst too fast on pit road
Riley Herbst is penalized for going too fast on pit road. He will start at the rear of the field.
Tyler Reddick wins the race off pit road. Ryan Preece gets the free pass and is back on the lead lap.
Ryan Blaney wins Stage 1
Despite a challenge by Tyler Reddick in the final five laps, Ryan Blaney wins Stage 1. The top 10:
- Ryan Blaney
- Tyler Reddick
- Kyle Larson
- Joey Logano
- Austin Cindric
- Carson Hocevar
- Austin Dillon
- Chase Briscoe
- Chase Elliott
- Bubba Wallace
Blaney tells his team that his car tightened up in the final 15 laps.
Lap 54: Notable cars a lap down
Among those cars already lapped: Brad Keselowski, Ross Chastain and Ryan Preece. This year’s summer Atlanta appears to be much more strung out than any other we’ve seen at this variation of the track.
In-season challenge quarterfinalist Todd Gilliland is also a lap down.
Lap 40: Tyler Reddick +27 since start
Tyler Reddick is up to 4th, +27 since the start. He looks very strong so far, able to run both on top and at the bottom.
Many cars are struggling with handling, especially on the lower lane, as the tire run continues on.
Lap 26: Carson Hocevar making moves
Carson Hocevar is up to 4th and battling Austin Cindric for 3rd, with the three-car breakaway turning into a six-car group along with Hocevar, Kyle Larson and Austin Dillon.
Ryan Blaney continues to lead.
Lap 13: Penske running 1-2-3
Penske teammates Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano and Austin Cindric are running 1-2-3 so far as the field stretches out a bit. Kyle Larson is 4th and at the back of the four-car breakaway, about 1.5 seconds ahead of Carson Hocevar in 5th.
Bubba Wallace, William Byron, Christopher Bell and Austin Hill have made large moves up the leaderboard early. It’ll be very interesting to see Hill, who is dominant here in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, tonight as he has started to adapt to the Cup car.
Brad Keselowski in the wall
Brad Keselowski gets out of shape and brushes the wall. He sinks back to 36th. That happened alongside Chase Elliott and in front of Carson Hocevar at about 8th.
A few laps later, Elliott asks: “I didn’t put the 6 in the fence, did I?” His team says no.
Lap 1: Green flag!
Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano lead the two lanes around, and Blaney eventually gets the car-length advantage and the lead.
Carson Hocevar is the first car to the third lane.
Engines fired at Atlanta
Engines are fired in Atlanta after the command from Braves legend Chipper Jones.
The No. 66 of Chad Finchum, already starting at the rear, made unapproved adjustments. Finchum is the only driver to the rear of the field.
Radar holding up for an on-time start
The weather radar is holding up so far for an on-time green flag at 7:19 p.m Eastern/6:19 p.m. Central.
NASCAR Atlanta weather forecast
The National Weather Service calls for a 57% chance of precipitation with thunder possible at the scheduled green-flag time.
Rain chances hover between 55-70% up through 12 a.m., with temperatures dropping into the mid 70s.
NASCAR in-season tournament quarterfinal matchups
- 25-seed Todd Gilliland vs. 32-seed Alex Bowman
- 4-seed Chase Elliott vs. 12-seed Chase Briscoe
- 3-seed Ryan Blaney vs. 11-seed William Byron
- 2-seed Denny Hamlin vs. 10-seed Christopher Bell
Ryan Blaney on the pole; full NASCAR Cup Series Atlanta starting lineup
The top 10:
- Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford
- Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
- Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
- Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
- Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
- Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
- Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
- Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford
- Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
- Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford
Find the full starting lineup here.
NASCAR race radio coverage: How to listen to NASCAR Cup race at Atlanta
The Quaker State 400 will be aired on the radio by the Performance Racing Network. PRN has affiliates all across the country, including 102.5 The Game (102.5 FM) in Nashville, and their feed can also be streamed on NASCAR.com as well as the NASCAR app. The race can also be heard on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.
NASCAR Atlanta TV schedule, start time
- Green Flag Time: Approx. 6:15 p.m. CT on Sunday, July 12
- Track: EchoPark Speedway (1.54-mile oval) in Hampton, Georgia
- Length: 260 laps, 400.4 miles
- Stages: 60 laps, 100 laps, 100 laps
- TV coverage: TNT
- Radio: PRN (102.5-FM The Game in Nashville)
- Streaming: HBO MAX app for full broadcast feed and in-car cameras (subscription required); NASCAR.com and SiriusXM on Channel 90 for audio (subscription required)
The Quaker State 400 will be broadcast nationally on TNT. Other streaming options for the race include HBO MAX for the full broadcast and in-car cameras for each driver.
Recent NASCAR Cup Series winners at Atlanta
- 2026 spring: Tyler Reddick
- 2025 summer: Chase Elliott
- 2025 spring: Christopher Bell
- 2024 summer: Joey Logano
